Whenever I finish a book, I write it down on a list. On average, I read or listen to about 30-40 books a year. In recent years, I have made a list of my favorite books of the year, but I never seem to make it to writing a short summary for the blog. But this year I decided to set the bar low in order to motivate me to both start and finish.
As I surveyed my list of the year’s books, I noticed that I had a high proportion of books that I considered very good. I think that this is because many of my choices are based on recommendations. I benefit from the recommendations of others, and perhaps you can benefit from what I have found interesting or useful this year.
My list proceeds in the order in which I read these books.
Make It Stick, by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel. This is the only book on this list that I read twice this year. After reading it through, I decided that I wanted my entire family to read it. If you want to learn how to remember what you learn, this book will teach you. I think that my college- and high-school-aged kids definitely benefited from it. Many of its principles I had already learned by experience, but it was very helpful to see it written out in a systematic and careful way.
Coming Out of the Ice, by Victor Herman. This reads like a Russian version of Unbroken. Written by an American who somehow survived the gulags of Russia, this story kept me riveted and amazed. The print version may be hard to find, but the audiobook is on Audible.
Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover. This is another autobiographical account of a survivor, but this one is of a young woman coming out of a Mormon fundamentalist family in Idaho. Very engaging.
Polio: An American Story, by David M. Oshinsky. I have found that I love well-written history books, and there was no better time to read this than when I was learning about Covid. I realized how ignorant I was of disease, vaccines, and the American conquest of what once was a terrifying scourge for infants, children, and FDR.
Alaska, by James Michener. I haven’t read a Michener book in probably a decade, but I figured that our vacation in the 49th state was a good time to pick this one up. Michener is such a good storyteller, and though he claims that the book is fiction, I learned a whole lot of non-fiction along the way.
Hunting Eichmann, by Neal Bascomb. Perhaps those who know the story of Adolf Eichmann’s capture in Argentina would find this account less gripping, but I was ignorant going in and I loved every minute. I also learned a lot about the hunt for Nazi criminals in the 15 years following WWII.
The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. On the surface, who really cares about the story of crew of rowers at the University of Washington in the 1930s? But Brown weaves a fascinating account that connects family hardship, the Great Depression, boat design, Nazi Germany, and the beautiful sport of rowing. Perhaps my favorite of the year.
Can We Trust the Gospels?, by Peter J. Williams. I read this after I assigned it to my NT Survey class, because I was quite confident that it would surpass the book I wanted it to replace. But the book was better than I expected. Well-researched, compelling, and concise.
Thoughts for Young Men, by J. C. Ryle. This is the only book on this list that I had read in a previous year. I read it together with a son, and every Saturday when we would meet, I would marvel at how very good that week’s chapter was. I recommend it to all, young and old, men and women, and I wish it could be required for all college students.
It may be worth noting that I listened to the audiobooks for 5 of these 9 books (Coming Out, Educated, Polio, Hunting, Boys). Because I primarily listen to audiobooks while exercising, I try to choose books that will prove sufficiently distracting. One that won’t make this year’s list is the 35-hour monster I’ve been in the middle of for nearly two months now: Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. It’s been a great return to U.S. history, and it’s never boring.