This year, I made a cognizant push to read more frequently and consistently. I think I was successful, definitely improving over the previous year, and I finished 25 books this year. Below is a review of my favorite books from this year in order of how fondly I look back on them.
All links for books and authors go to Goodreads.com.
1. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs#
author: Stephen Brusatte
This book gives a thorough review of our present knowledge and understanding of the dinosaurs. It felt comprehensive without getting lost in all of the details; easy to read for the general population.
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls#
author: Ernest Hemingway
The novel follows an American volunteer for the revolutionaries fighting in the Spanish Civil War. It is such a dynamic story going from thrilling to loving, fear to courage.
3. Why We Sleep#
author: Matthew Walker
Prof. Walker discusses all things sleep including how it works, why we do it, and why its important. Perfectly balances approachability with comprehensiveness for any reader.
4. The Song of the Dodo#
author: David Quammen
This book weaves the author’s personal journey studying island biology with the natural history and scientific research of the subject. An interesting, addictive read that describes how islands evolve through specific stories and creatures.
5. Empire of Pain#
author: Patrick Radden Keefe
Written by the journalist who first broke the story in The New Yorker, this book is a compendium of the entire Sackler family history and how it led to the opium crisis destroying regions of this country. The story is organized perfectly to provide a complete picture, filling in the information about a family and company that I was (an image most Americans were, too) completely unaware of before this epidemic.