2020 Reading Roundup pt. 2

2020 is over and it’s time to review my reading habits from the second half of the year. In July, I set the following goals:

I plan to re-read more books directed toward adolescents, finish a culinary book, read two or three light novels, and work through a French or coding book.

Overall, I rate myself a B. I read a lot of young adult, finished a culinary book, and read from a book almost every day. I did not read anything in French, although I’m not sure that I would be able to if I tried. I practiced some coding exercises.

Here is my, non-exhaustive list, of what I read in the second half of this year with a one or two sentence review:

• Red Mars (Trilogy) – Great world building and exploration of the science of terraforming. Not a ton of emphasis on creating dynamic characters.
• Being Mortal – Will reread frequently. Being Mortal is the best medical book I’ve read and will help me understand when loved ones should transition toward palliative care in advanced age.
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Kingsolver’s tone is nearly unbearable, and some “facts” are dubious and did not hold up to verification. However, if I ever own turkeys or rabbit, this book will be the cause.
• The Mystic Seaport Cookbook – Wouldn’t recommend a single recipe.
• The Dresden Files (9 books of the series) – Fun books. Sophomoric and a ton of r/menwritingwomen material, but scratched my itch for young adult novels.
• What is the Bible?: How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters and Stories Can Change the Way You Think and Feel About Everything. – A nice read with interesting perspective throughout. Bell overstates the good and minimizes the unpleasant in the Bible. Why do denominations exist?
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Read Richard Bach if you are looking for pop psychology. Zen’s philosophy holds up worse than Ayn Rand, and writing is more lengthy.
• The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom – A Cato piece that boasts an equally extreme worldview as A People’s History of the Supreme Court from the conservative side. Full of historical strawmen and pseudohistory.
• How Life Imitates Chess – One of the better business strategy books I’ve read. Recommended.
• A King in Hiding: How a child refugee became a world chess champion – Well narrated story to follow the Queen’s Gambit.
• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Excerpts) – It will take me three years to read this book cover to cover and understand the techniques. Reading this book requires an alert mind and access to a kitchen (not a nighttime read).

Of the books I read this year, I am sure to reread three in the next few years, Shogun, Being Mortal, and In Defense of Food. I’ve recommended all three frequently and each helped clarify my views or change positions I’ve previously held.

In the first half of 2021, I’d like to read more books on theory and history of thought. Specifically, I’d like to read about the founding of different Protestant denominations, a history (or histories) of mathematical thinking (generally or in specific veins), and philosophy of technology.