The Books of 2021
““In the end, we’ll all become stories.””
Looking over everything I’ve read this past year, I’m as inspired as ever to keep seeking out great books. Sometimes, the right book at the right time can completely change your life.
Charlie Munger once said “there are answers worth billions of dollars in a $30 history book.” I think of this often when I look at my bookshelf, or when I second guess buying a new book: there are so many ideas sitting in those pages, and I’m constantly exposing my mind to these new ways of seeing the world.
I hope you find something to connect with below, and I look forward to another great year of reading and learning ahead.
Mark
P.S. If you’d like me to send over my top reads from 2021 and to join BookMark for 2022, I have a lot of great books in store and would love to share this endless reading journey with you. With your email below, you can expect an incredibly value adding once per month note full of my curated reading recommendations and reviews.
If you are still curious, you can also check out the lists I put together for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
On to the books…
Biography
Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While) by Phil Gaimon
I've been getting more and more into cycling the past couple of years. Phil's book provided an intimate look at the ins and outs of life as a pro cyclist. He holds nothing back, and I love honest biography type books like this. I first heard of Phil when a friend mentioned his "worst retirement ever" project to me- having tackled this "Triple Crown" ride myself, his ride in Vancouver blew my mind. He rode all three North Van mountains of Mt. Seymour, Grouse and Cypress, achieving the fastest Strava times on all three in one go. Animal indeed.
From Cradle to Stage by Virginia Hanlon Grohl
You might recognize the author's last name- Virginia is the mother of Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), and this book project is a cool one "Stories From The Mothers Who Rocked And Raised Rock Stars". I enjoyed the insight into what it's like to raise a creative child. I was also surprised by the variety of people included, from Dr. Dre to Pharrell.
PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story by Dr. Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin
I can’t quite recall when I started this book, but it's one of those thick, somewhat intimidating books that took me months to read. What a book. I'm struggling with how to unravel the context behind my fascination with it, but I came across a review which I found helpful: "Sometimes you read some books you think everybody should read, if only just so that they can correct their misconceptions on certain things.
No, this book isn't about pickles (as my wife understandably asked me many times). PiHKAL is an acronym for “Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved”, and the book spans autobiography, organic chemistry, politics, ethnobotany, and psychopharmacology. The first half of this book is a thinly veiled autobiography from both Alexander and his wife Ann's perspective, while the second half is a reference catalog of the chemicals he created. For a deeper dive down the rabbit hole, look into Hamilton Morris, and the beginning of this transcript from his time on the Tim Ferriss show provides a good overview of the bio of Alexander Shulgin.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Early in the year, it seemed like Matthew McConaughey was everywhere you looked- he was definitely making the rounds in the podcast world. After listening to a few, and hearing the book praised by Lars Ulrich (Metallica), I decided to pick it up. There are some great stories in here, and the whole concept is intriguing. He essentially took up all the diaries and journals collected over a lifetime and headed out to spend time alone in the desert and put this memoir together. Books like this feel like you're having a good conversation with the author, and it was fun to read.
Philosophy
Stray Reflections by Jawad Mian
This was a joy to read through. Jawad is the founder of global macro research firm Stray Reflections, and I found this podcast to be a good introduction to his thinking. This book is a collection of wisdom from some of the greatest thinkers of all time, and I highly recommend spending some time with it. A review I just saw on Amazon made me laugh, but also makes sense: "This book is like a box of your favourite high end chocolates or that bottle of rare scotch ... stuff which you savour and enjoy slowly rather than gulping it down at once."
Homage to Marcus Aurelius by Joseph Brodsky
A short essay centered around the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius and its importance throughout history. One day (when we can travel again), I'd like to get back to Rome and see this monument in person.
Now Is the Way: An Unconventional Approach to Modern Mindfulness by Cory Allen
This book caught my eye as I remembered seeing Cory Allen had been on Aubrey Marcus's podcast- the blurb by Aubrey: “This might be the most important book you ever read.” I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, but it's a good introductory book to meditation and mindfulness.
The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature by Robert Greene
I was excited for this to come out in October, and it provides a great daily read format for some of Robert's key ideas. I had stuck with the Daily Stoic for the past few years, so it's nice to have something new to visit each morning.
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis
Someone I follow on twitter posted this, and I was intrigued:
I read a book that blew my mind a little and I can’t stop telling people about it.
It explains why so many people dedicate their lives to achieving things that make them miserable.
This might sound crazy, but an unseen force is pushing you towards empty and unfulfilling goals…
I've been interested in Mimetic desire since learning about it from investor Peter Thiel. On a podcast, he mentioned Rene Girard's book "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World" as having the greatest influence on him. This new book, Wanting, provides a much more accessible introduction to Girard's theories.
Business/Other
Pee Wees: Confessions of a Hockey Parent by Rich Cohen
Rich Cohen is a writer I've seen Ryan Holiday recommend a few times, so I was excited to see he had turned his perspective to hockey. I felt seen, having grown up through many of the same scenarios, and also witnessing them recently as a coach.
I highlighted the below passage about the teams goaltender, which hit close to home
"Dan pushed his mask onto his forehead and leaned against the crossbar, grinning. To be a goalie, to withstand the fury amid teammates and yet remain alone... what must these young netminders be like in later life, when, as bankers and lawyers, they are surrounded by people who have no idea who they really were or what they had accomplished"
Manmade by Chris Salgardo
This was an easy reference book to flip through. Chris is the President of Kiehl's, and I've been a fan of their products for years. I'm always curious to explore and evolve best practices when it comes to self care, and this book contains some good tips if you're into that sort of thing.
The Practice by Seth Godin
Seth Godin is someone that I trust if he puts a new book out, he has something important to say. He has a talent for outlining seemingly obvious things in a new way, and I really enjoyed this one.
The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick
I had seen this recommended by a few different people, so I decided to give it my full attention. I usually have a few books on the go at the same time, but this one captured my attention, and I found I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. Very well written and engaging throughout, I feel like I've been left with a more thorough understanding of the history that has brought us to our current information age. It provides a wonderful introduction to information theory, and some of the key characters like Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Claude Shannon and Alan Turing. Often, science focused books like this are a slog to get through, but the way this one was written and laid out made it a joy to read.
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World by David Deutsch
I moved this book to the top of my priority list after seeing this quote from Naval Ravikant: "I credit this book as being the only book in the last decade—except maybe a few of Nassim Taleb’s works and maybe one or two other scattered books—that made me smarter. They literally expanded the way that I think. They expanded not just the repertoire of my knowledge but the repertoire of my reasoning."
Pretty high praise from someone who I know reads a ton. It's not the easiest book to get through, and one I will likely have to return to again in order to grasp. I can now say I've read it, but not necessarily that I understand it. This collection of notes would give you a good introduction to the concepts.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
I took some time to re-read and re-visit the principles in one of my favourite books. Test assumptions, and keep working to discover what’s truly important, re-align to the 20% that really matters.
High Output Management by Andrew Grove
When I hear business books mentioned by more than a few high performers, I take the time to read them. Andy Grove was one of the founders of Intel, and this book has earned high praise, especially in Silicon Valley. The responsibility of leading and managing others is very important, and I think if you expect others to trust you with that responsibility you should learn everything you can about how to do it effectively. The principles in this book are a great place to start.
Invent And Wander: The Collected Writings Of Jeff Bezos
Someone I look up to mentioned they were reading this book, so I thought I'd pick it up. Essentially a collection of the annual Amazon Shareholder letters, it's fascinating to get a glimpse into the mind of Bezos, seeing the themes throughout and discovering the way his thinking has evolved and changed (or more often, remained consistent) over the years. From the very first letter, you can sense the long term perspective which has clearly served him well.
Big Money Energy by Ryan Serhant
I read this in a couple days, and it was good for a shot of inspiration. My wife and I like to watch "Million Dollar Listing" every now and then, so the cover of this new book caught my eye. I enjoyed some of the anecdotes throughout, like the time he snuck a band into an apartment to film a music video and sell a penthouse. It's also one of those books which could probably be summarized in one or two short pages.
The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish
I've wanted a physical copy of this to keep on my shelf for a while now, and got around to picking it up this month. I've been a longtime fan of Shane's podcast The Knowledge Project as well as his Farnam Street blog. This particular book is a collection of mental frameworks and a toolkit for clear thinking. It's a great compliment to Charlie Munger and his "latticework of mental models".
Hell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing by Derek Sivers
Derek's writing is easy to connect with, and I think it comes from the amount of time he spends considering what is essential. This little book is a collection of some of his best thinking, and one of my favourite stories among many is his advice to "relax for the same result".
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
I heard about this book just over a year ago now via the Tim Ferriss podcast with Matthew McConaughey. The book includes 10 scrolls, and the idea is to read “Each scroll three times a day for 30 days until you move on to the next scroll.” So I spent 10-months out of the year, morning, noon and night, focusing on one of these "scrolls" per month. When McConaughey mentioned the idea, it sounded somewhat absurd (a book that takes 10 months to finish?!). I decided to stick with it, and if anything it disciplined me in the habit of focused reading three times each day.
How to Live by Derek Sivers
I've been a long time fan of Derek's, and I got a signed copy of this book in October that proudly sits among my favourites on the shelf. I would count this as a "quake book", one of the few that really altered my outlook. His description the concept is wonderful, and you can tell this short little read has gone through over two years of careful editing:
I poured my entire life into “HOW TO LIVE” for the last four years, often writing 16 hours a day.
The first draft was over 1300 pages, with the culmination of everything I’ve ever learned.
For years, I’ve extracted just the most interesting ideas from every non-fiction book I read.
Reducing 350 pages down to maybe 30 fascinating sentences.
So now I did this for my own book.
I spent the last two years editing “HOW TO LIVE” down to 8% of its original size.
Now it’s just 112 succinct pages with no unnecessary words.
Fiction
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
I picked this up in one of my frequent bookstore travels, as I recognized the name of the translator (Philip Gabriel) from Haruki Murakami's work and figured it had to be at least well written. It didn't disappoint! About halfway through the book, things start to come together and make sense, and as I got closer and closer to the end I was telling my wife how good it was every few pages.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Who is John Galt? That's a question I've been curious about since Lululemon put this quote on their bags years ago- I was curious why it seemed to be so controversial. In a more recent podcast with founder Chip Wilson, he reiterated what a massive impact this book had on his life. Like Ayn Rand's earlier book The Fountainhead, this one took me a couple of months to get through. Elon Musk had this to say about the book, which I found interesting: "Very appealing if you're a sophomore in college. A counterpoint to communism and useful as such, but should be tempered with kindness." As I read it, I could see why it might turn some people off, because it does present a very extreme point of view. Reading through comments on the book, I get the sense it is very polarizing- my personal take is that I found it to be thought provoking, I enjoyed reading it, and while I agree with much of the philosophy outlined, I thought it could benefit from a dash of kindness as well.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Man, this was a great read. I had a strange relationship with this book- I heard it recommended multiple times, but whenever I picked it up in a bookstore and read the first page, I didn't think it would be my thing. With the movie being released, I finally decided to commit to it, and it's one of those that you can't put down. It's a long book, but so easy to lose yourself in. After finishing it, I went and saw the movie in a theater (for the first time in a couple years which was weird). Both the book and movie are spectacular!
Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain
I've read one of Bourdain's other comics, but didn't know he had written a few others- I saw this in the store and it was a fun diversion from heavier reading like Deutsch.