A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. It came out in 2016 but turned out to be the perfect pandemic book - a Russian count must spend the rest of his days sequestered inside a vast luxury hotel. Instead of feeling trapped, his attentions turn to people, love, stories, food, companionship, family, and his deepest memories. It's funny, thoughtful, and beautifully composed.
In an interview with The New York Times Book Review, Lionel Schriver said the prose "is a delight: elegant, clean, crisp and dry, like a good Italian white."
I read that one at the beginning of the pandemic and it was certainly very appropriate. I loved his Rules of Civility this year and can't wait to get into Lincoln Highway.
One of my buddies convinced me to start Stormlight and I ripped through the entire series. His website is awesome and unlike George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss, he gives you specific timelines for his progress and release of content so you won't be left wondering when is he going to wrap the series or how many years until the last book comes out.
Alexander Hamilton, Chernow. I started it after last Christmas and slow walked through it for 6 weeks. I read many of the references along with additional information on events and people in the book. Chernow gives you the background of the times. I found it interesting that rancour and decisiveness is in our political DNA.
I also enjoyed the War and Peace reading group. One other book I recommend is "Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat" Nosrat. A culinary school level course on how chemistry affects the taste of food made accessible to non professionally trained chefs and cooks. The way she writes is entertaining.
Unfortunately it's the weakest of the three. Morris doesn't do well with American politics. The first and third are amazing while the second is flawed in that its told entirely from Roosevelt's POV. Anyone who opposes him is just a greedy corporate shill, as if there could be no good faith criticism of his policies.
The Coddling of the American Mind - a great explainer of our age and a vital read imo. Sean Wilentz's No Property in Man is to me the best book on slavery and the Constitution. The Lincoln Highway is another great book by Amor Towles and my favorite new fiction this year and Austen's Mansfield Park my favorite repeat.
I have to say War and Peace via the Big Read! Just absolutely expansive and engrossing and totally mind changing about what literature can be and how much fun Russian lit can actually be as well. Thanks for coordinating that!
I just realized that Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Thoreau, and Orwell overshadowed a lot of other great books that I read this year. So, I would also add Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun and Kundera’s Identity to this list.
Late to this, but great thread! Besides all of the Jane Austen and Austen retellings I'm constantly reading, my fave for 2021 might have to be Elena Ferrante's latest, The Lying Life of Adults.
I read two that have changed my life. The Overstory by Richard Powers and When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. I also read Bewilderment by Powers. It was good. Not great.
I agree with bewilderment not being great but I can’t put my finger on why. Should have been right up my alley but I didn’t connect with it and wasn’t emotionally invested. Curious to hear your thoughts.
Hi Kyle. I think you captured it. Where I was heavily invested in the charactres of Overstory, I never connected with the main characters in Bewilderment. I'm a father too, so I was surprised by this. It was as if the author didn't allow himself to fully develop their voices. I'm not a fiction writier so dont know what was technially missing - but it was related to that connection, that sense of being in a character's shoes and rooting for them. There were moments, but they were fleeting. I connected much more with the father in Cormac Mccarthy's "The Road." And that writing is much more sparse. Thanks for the engagement. Are there examples of books you connect to more deeply?
Independent People by Halldor Laxness (2nd time I've read it, one of my all time favorites and held up on the re-read)
I, Robot & the follow up novels by Isaac Asimov (Just fun sci-fi, and ahead of its time)
The first 3 Harry Potter novels (Somehow had never read these before, just kept putting it off, love it so far. Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite of the 3. Just starting the 4th now and plan to finish the series early 2022)
William Stoner, a great stoic fictional figure. A powerful, efficiently beautiful American novel.
"You must remember what you are and what you have chosen to become, and the significance of what you are doing. There are wars and defeats and victories of the human race that are not military and that are not recorded in the annals of history. Remember that while you're trying to decide what to do."
Dec 26, 2021·edited Dec 26, 2021Liked by Jeremy Anderberg
Two books that I read in 2021 garnered 5 stars from me (on Goodreads). I'm pretty stingy with my "stars", so any book that gets 5 made quite an impression. My "Best in 2021" are:
What a fun community this has been. Thanks to Jeremy for bringing us together. Hope everyone has a Happy New Year and good luck with next years the Big Read. Would love to do this with Musashi, or Shogun.
Fantasy/Sci-fi
I read the most recent installments of a few series. Wayfarers by Becky Chambers (really cool sci-fi world she's building) and The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. I also started Jemisin's, The Broken Earth, series. She's a master story teller, and I'm excited to read more of her work. All good, all unique within the genre of fantasy, and all great great fun. Chambers and Jemisin are bringing some really unique content to the world of SciFi/Fantasy. First time with Sanderson and it's easy to see why he's popular.
Memoirish-Autobiographical
Book with the most heart goes to Brandi Carlile's Broken Horses. If you are a fan of hers do the audiobook as it includes her singing the songs that each chapters story tells. Thoughtful, and full of heart.
Biggest surprise goes to Matthew McConaughey's Greenlights. I don't want to spoil it, but he's a character so its fitting that the book would be entertaining but who knew he had such an interesting back story and so much depth.
Freedom by Sebastian Junger. He writes short books, but they are really good. He deserves more attention. Packs a lot of truth and insight into these short little books he writes.
I read the three books in the Broken Earth series. They're very good and not at all what I was expecting. Well told and creative. Also working throuh Stormlight Archives. I love Sanderson's writing. I'm going to check out the Carlile audio book too.
Dec 23, 2021·edited Dec 23, 2021Liked by Jeremy Anderberg
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three rules, and a life changing Journey by Kim Dinan The Grape Series by Laura Bradbury, Troublemaker by Leah Remini, Lock ever door by Riley Sager, and The Magpies by Mark Edwards
I feel like this was a pretty bla year in books for me. But I'm still working on "His Very Best" and loving it. I can tell by how much I've been bring up Jimmy Carter in conversations (more than my usual).
"Nonviolence" by Kurlansky was fascinating if you're into that sort of thing.
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer by Steven Johnson. Especially now with Covid raging, learning about how we doubled the life expectancy in the 20th century is a great testament to the importance of medicine and public health initiatives. Johnson will also give you a greater appreciation for your toilet! ;)
Henry David Thoreau: A Life by Laura Dassow Walls. The most complete and comprehensive book on Thoreau's life out there.
Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick. If you love American History and the Revolutionary War this is a great read (bonus if you live in Boston so you can visit the sites!).
Good Seeds: A Menominee Food Memoir by Thomas Pecor Weso. As a Minnesota/Wisconsin girl, I appreciated seeing how the foods I knew growing up crossed cultural lines. Plus, his storytelling was delightful, the structure interesting, and tone comforting. Though it is non-fiction, it is narrative in style. It’s short and packed with both vignettes of his childhood and adulthood, plus there are recipes! I’ve pressed this book into three other people’s hands, and they’ve loved it too! It’s a delight.
You are welcome! I loved his stories, his tone, his sentence structure. I bought my copy at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis. I hope you like it if you get the chance to read it!
A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. It came out in 2016 but turned out to be the perfect pandemic book - a Russian count must spend the rest of his days sequestered inside a vast luxury hotel. Instead of feeling trapped, his attentions turn to people, love, stories, food, companionship, family, and his deepest memories. It's funny, thoughtful, and beautifully composed.
In an interview with The New York Times Book Review, Lionel Schriver said the prose "is a delight: elegant, clean, crisp and dry, like a good Italian white."
I read that one at the beginning of the pandemic and it was certainly very appropriate. I loved his Rules of Civility this year and can't wait to get into Lincoln Highway.
A personal "top ten" of all time.
Agreed, that was a fun read.
#1 for me, by a mile: A Gentleman in Moscow, read in early '21. Fantastic story, even better writing, poetic, clever, beautiful.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.
I've heard amazing things about Sanderson.
One of my buddies convinced me to start Stormlight and I ripped through the entire series. His website is awesome and unlike George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss, he gives you specific timelines for his progress and release of content so you won't be left wondering when is he going to wrap the series or how many years until the last book comes out.
Lonesome Dove.
The whole series is amazing!
Alexander Hamilton, Chernow. I started it after last Christmas and slow walked through it for 6 weeks. I read many of the references along with additional information on events and people in the book. Chernow gives you the background of the times. I found it interesting that rancour and decisiveness is in our political DNA.
I also enjoyed the War and Peace reading group. One other book I recommend is "Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat" Nosrat. A culinary school level course on how chemistry affects the taste of food made accessible to non professionally trained chefs and cooks. The way she writes is entertaining.
Love all three of those you mentioned!
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
I really enjoyed the Morris- Roosevelt trilogy - finished it last year, are you planning to continue?
I started in on the second book but haven’t made much progress. No fault of Morris, life just got busy.
Understand that- I spread them over a few years. I also Really enjoyed McCollughs bk on same period.
Unfortunately it's the weakest of the three. Morris doesn't do well with American politics. The first and third are amazing while the second is flawed in that its told entirely from Roosevelt's POV. Anyone who opposes him is just a greedy corporate shill, as if there could be no good faith criticism of his policies.
I’ll keep that in mind, thank you for the feedback.
A Gentleman in Moscow
I enjoyed Rules of Civility by Amor Towles.
One of my top 3 for the year, no doubt.
Re-read A Christmas Carol again this year, can’t be beat!
One of my absolute favorites.
I just did the same. I found many of the movies portrayed close to the book.
Love the version with Patrick Stewart….stuck close to novel.
A Gentleman in Moscow
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I need to re-read this one soon.
The Coddling of the American Mind - a great explainer of our age and a vital read imo. Sean Wilentz's No Property in Man is to me the best book on slavery and the Constitution. The Lincoln Highway is another great book by Amor Towles and my favorite new fiction this year and Austen's Mansfield Park my favorite repeat.
I have to say War and Peace via the Big Read! Just absolutely expansive and engrossing and totally mind changing about what literature can be and how much fun Russian lit can actually be as well. Thanks for coordinating that!
So glad you enjoyed it, Bill!
Ordinary Grace and The Lincoln Highway
Can't wait to read Lincoln Highway -- it's on my shelf!
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Anything by Louise Penny
Midnight Library one of my favorites for 2021, as well!
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Greatest novel ever written.
War and Peace, The Idiot, Walden and On Civil Disobedience, Animal Farm.
I just realized that Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Thoreau, and Orwell overshadowed a lot of other great books that I read this year. So, I would also add Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun and Kundera’s Identity to this list.
I've heard mixed reviews about Klara and the Sun. What did you like about it?
Loved your rec of City of Thieves by David Benioff
So so good. A top 3 of mine for the year, I think.
Late to this, but great thread! Besides all of the Jane Austen and Austen retellings I'm constantly reading, my fave for 2021 might have to be Elena Ferrante's latest, The Lying Life of Adults.
I read two that have changed my life. The Overstory by Richard Powers and When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. I also read Bewilderment by Powers. It was good. Not great.
The Overstory is in the top of my queue for 2022.
I agree with bewilderment not being great but I can’t put my finger on why. Should have been right up my alley but I didn’t connect with it and wasn’t emotionally invested. Curious to hear your thoughts.
Hi Kyle. I think you captured it. Where I was heavily invested in the charactres of Overstory, I never connected with the main characters in Bewilderment. I'm a father too, so I was surprised by this. It was as if the author didn't allow himself to fully develop their voices. I'm not a fiction writier so dont know what was technially missing - but it was related to that connection, that sense of being in a character's shoes and rooting for them. There were moments, but they were fleeting. I connected much more with the father in Cormac Mccarthy's "The Road." And that writing is much more sparse. Thanks for the engagement. Are there examples of books you connect to more deeply?
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Destiny of the Republic by Candace Millard
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
This Tender Land and Destiny of the Republic are fantastic
Gulag Archipelago (abridged version)
The Murderbot Series by Martha Wells
I've heard some great things about this series!
Independent People by Halldor Laxness (2nd time I've read it, one of my all time favorites and held up on the re-read)
I, Robot & the follow up novels by Isaac Asimov (Just fun sci-fi, and ahead of its time)
The first 3 Harry Potter novels (Somehow had never read these before, just kept putting it off, love it so far. Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite of the 3. Just starting the 4th now and plan to finish the series early 2022)
Prisoner of Azkaban is probably the book I've re-read the most in my life.
I can see why :-)
Stoner by John Williams, 1965.
William Stoner, a great stoic fictional figure. A powerful, efficiently beautiful American novel.
"You must remember what you are and what you have chosen to become, and the significance of what you are doing. There are wars and defeats and victories of the human race that are not military and that are not recorded in the annals of history. Remember that while you're trying to decide what to do."
This is on my TBR list. Might have to move it up a few spots!
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Dr. Clayton Christensen. I read it every year!
Two books that I read in 2021 garnered 5 stars from me (on Goodreads). I'm pretty stingy with my "stars", so any book that gets 5 made quite an impression. My "Best in 2021" are:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Eventide by Kent Haruf
What a fun community this has been. Thanks to Jeremy for bringing us together. Hope everyone has a Happy New Year and good luck with next years the Big Read. Would love to do this with Musashi, or Shogun.
Fantasy/Sci-fi
I read the most recent installments of a few series. Wayfarers by Becky Chambers (really cool sci-fi world she's building) and The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. I also started Jemisin's, The Broken Earth, series. She's a master story teller, and I'm excited to read more of her work. All good, all unique within the genre of fantasy, and all great great fun. Chambers and Jemisin are bringing some really unique content to the world of SciFi/Fantasy. First time with Sanderson and it's easy to see why he's popular.
Memoirish-Autobiographical
Book with the most heart goes to Brandi Carlile's Broken Horses. If you are a fan of hers do the audiobook as it includes her singing the songs that each chapters story tells. Thoughtful, and full of heart.
Biggest surprise goes to Matthew McConaughey's Greenlights. I don't want to spoil it, but he's a character so its fitting that the book would be entertaining but who knew he had such an interesting back story and so much depth.
Freedom by Sebastian Junger. He writes short books, but they are really good. He deserves more attention. Packs a lot of truth and insight into these short little books he writes.
Love it - thanks Levi!
I read the three books in the Broken Earth series. They're very good and not at all what I was expecting. Well told and creative. Also working throuh Stormlight Archives. I love Sanderson's writing. I'm going to check out the Carlile audio book too.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Personal History by Katharine Graham
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin
Overstory and My Dear Mr. Hamilton
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three rules, and a life changing Journey by Kim Dinan The Grape Series by Laura Bradbury, Troublemaker by Leah Remini, Lock ever door by Riley Sager, and The Magpies by Mark Edwards
Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang
Chiang is incredible.
I feel like this was a pretty bla year in books for me. But I'm still working on "His Very Best" and loving it. I can tell by how much I've been bring up Jimmy Carter in conversations (more than my usual).
"Nonviolence" by Kurlansky was fascinating if you're into that sort of thing.
His Very Best has definitely stuck with me. A top 10 POTUS bio for sure.
The rose code - enjoyable
the psychology of money- should be required reading
anxious people- hilarious
Thursday murder club- even more hilarious
the killer across the table- absolutely crazy
A few votes for Thursday Murder Club! He has a new one out, too.
Next on my list to read. “The man who died twice”
My book club is reading Anxious People in January. Love a Man Called Ove.
Impossible not to be an enjoyable read. Bakman can turn a phrase.
The Shadow of the Wind, The New Jim Crow, Jesus and John Wayne, With the Old Breed, The Caine Mutiny
I have Jesus & John Wayne on my shelf. I'm reading it in January, I think.
Look forward to your thoughts.
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer by Steven Johnson. Especially now with Covid raging, learning about how we doubled the life expectancy in the 20th century is a great testament to the importance of medicine and public health initiatives. Johnson will also give you a greater appreciation for your toilet! ;)
Henry David Thoreau: A Life by Laura Dassow Walls. The most complete and comprehensive book on Thoreau's life out there.
Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick. If you love American History and the Revolutionary War this is a great read (bonus if you live in Boston so you can visit the sites!).
I've read Walls and want to do the Robert Richardson bio in the next few years.
Richardson’s book on Thoreau is great. His one on Emerson is one of the best bios I’ve ever read.
Bewilderment by Richard Powers, no question about it. The second might be The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott.
The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes
by Zachary D. Carter
Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)
by Dan Ozzi
Keynes is so relevant during the pandemic; fortuitous timing for Carter, in a weird way.
He was FAR more interesting than I ever thought any economist would be. Really a fascinating read.
Lone Star Nation HW Brands
The Spy and the Traitor Ben Macintyre
The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
I enjoyed this one as well.
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry.
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
Nine Inches by Tom Perrotta
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The Black Count by Tom Reiss
I have have Devil in the Grove and Black Count on my shelf.. can't wait to dig into 'em!
Good Seeds: A Menominee Food Memoir by Thomas Pecor Weso. As a Minnesota/Wisconsin girl, I appreciated seeing how the foods I knew growing up crossed cultural lines. Plus, his storytelling was delightful, the structure interesting, and tone comforting. Though it is non-fiction, it is narrative in style. It’s short and packed with both vignettes of his childhood and adulthood, plus there are recipes! I’ve pressed this book into three other people’s hands, and they’ve loved it too! It’s a delight.
Thank you for this! I’m also a MN girl and love to read about anishinaabe and Dakota culture.
You are welcome! I loved his stories, his tone, his sentence structure. I bought my copy at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis. I hope you like it if you get the chance to read it!
Wonderful, I just ordered it from them! It’s my favorite bookstore but I only get there once every year or two
Of Human Bondage - W. Somerset Maugham
Razor’s Edge - W. Somerset Maugham
The Honk and Holler Opening Soon - Billie Letts
Haunted Castles - Ray Russell
Really enjoyed Razor's Edge but haven't read Of Human Bondage yet!
Maria Dahvana Headley's new translation of Beowulf was fantastic.
Other favorite reads this year include:
Hero of Two Worlds, Mike Duncan
Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
Churchill: Walking with Destiney, Andrew Roberts
Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
Survivor Song - Paul Tremblay
Can't recommend Tremblay enough. He has a new book coming this summer!
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
Handful of mentions for Philbrick in this thread. He's such a great writer.
Love Nathaniel Philbrick. Had the pleasure to hear him speak about his book Mayflower several years ago. Fantastic speaker.
John Adams by David McCullough and The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
I loved John Adams, too! David McCullough is one of my favorites authors.
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell. A great book of essays.
Bio - When I Was a Slave ed. Norman Yetman
Non-Fiction - Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz
Fiction - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe