I read more in 2020 than any other year prior. A big reason for that is because of the pandemic. But it’s also because as I get older, reading is more enjoyable. It’s great to read what brilliant minds have written and form my own thoughts on the subjects. Hopefully, I’ll have time in 2021 to read even more than I did in 2020.
So without further ado, here is the list:
1. 1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire — Sam Wyly
I loved this book. I recommend it to everyone. I have yet to find someone I have recommended it to that has not enjoyed it.
1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire is a memoir from Wyly’s life, published in 2008. Wyly is a great storyteller and has lived through so many wild stories. He is able to make his life story in business interesting. From working at IBM to starting multiple companies, or running an investment firm to helping in the break up of monopoly AT&T, there are countless lessons. Wyly makes it fun to read about his life and business lessons.
A few of the lessons I took from his memoir:
- Take risks; it might not work out, but at least you can say you tried and you’ll learn something from it
- Don’t micromanage; find people more knowledgeable or skilled than you and get out of their way
- Have your money work for you; you work hard, your money should too. Invest in something, anything, especially with how low saving rates are nowadays
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four — George Orwell
A classic and probably one of the greater novels ever written. I had never read it until this past year. My only regret is that I didn’t read it earlier in my life.
The book is a page-turner, exposing you to more emotions than you would first expect. Written in the 1940s, the book focuses on a future dystopian society. In this society, the government has immense control over its citizens and has constant surveillance on them. I don’t want to spoil the plot too much, but it is a must-read for all. Nineteen Eighty-Four was so good I had to stop myself from reading too much of it at once.
3. The Martian Chronicles — Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury has several amazing novels, and The Martian Chronicles is arguably his best. I had read parts of it in high school but never the whole thing. The novel leaves a decent amount up for interpretation, which can be confusing a few times in the novel, but that is what makes it so great. I related the story more to the early settlers of America and Native Americans while some people relate it more to the Cold War between Russia and the United States.
Written in 1950, the book is a series of related stories of a future society, one that has made it to Mars. Many of the problems society faces on Earth make themselves present on Mars as well. Even though it is a novel, The Martian Chronicles makes readers think and reflect more than most.
4. Walden — Henry David Thoreau
By far the oldest book on my list, Walden is known as the unofficial guide to simplistic living. Published in 1854, Thoreau uses the book to talk about his experience living for a few years by Walden Pond, a wooded area in Massachusetts. The book is great for anyone trying to live a simple life.
The book can be dry and long at times; i.e. when Thoreau talks about the depth of the pond for several pages or how he got the materials to build his house. It is worth it though, as it will give you a different perspective on life and make you question the materialistic lifestyle we all live. Thoreau preaches self-sufficiency, simplicity, and curiosity in the book.
Two of the most impactful ideas from the book:
- “None of the brute creation requires more than Food and Shelter…[fire] at first a luxury, arose the present necessity to sit by it” (7–8)
- “A living dog is better than a dead lion” (249)
5. The 4-Hour Workweek — Tim Ferriss
This book is great for 2021. With so many people being entrepreneurs or freelancers, The 4-Hour Workweek is extremely insightful. Ferriss explains how he went from working on his own business eighty hours a week down to four.
Automation is even greater now than when the book was published in 2007. If you can automate something, do so. Ferriss preaches using automation to free yourself from time-wasting activities. He leads you through how he automated his life and changed his mental approach to anything life threw at him. Ferriss provides actionable steps to improve yourself.
The 4-Hour Workweek is heralded as a guide for the new lifestyle most should aspire to live. Instead of spending all day in an office, achieve the same results with less time and effort so you can spend your free time doing what you want.
The books from 2020 were great, but I’m more excited about what I’ll read in 2021. I already know the first books I’ll read in the new year:
- The Paradox of Choice — Barry Schwartz
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike — Phil Knight
- Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson
- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man — John Perkins