#105 - A Year in Books
Top three books of 2023
Happy New Year!
I’m back in your inbox to share my best books of 2022.
Here we go:
It surprised me how much I enjoyed this. A knew very little about Stalin beforehand. This book covers his rise to power.
Absolutely fascinating- from a brawler, to a poet, to a gangster, to a revolutionary, to the ruthless dictator.
A fairly easy read too (as biographies go).
An incredibly important story well told.
A short and easy read but it makes the list due to the impact it had on me. He really does an incredible job of highlighting just how serious the situation is, but also the path forward. Enlightening.
First of all: It’s just a wonderfully written book. A masterpiece.
Little looms as large for the 20th century as the Nazi regime, and accompanying horrors. There are many lessons in here, as well as a unique look into humanity.
Interesting to note the similarities between Hitler’s pre-WWII skirmishes and Vlad’s behaviour in Ukraine. Numerous.
Best Fiction:
I’m aware there’s no fiction on that list so here’s an honourable mentioned.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A deeply deeply disturbing book but I could barely put it down. An experience to say the least.
It follows four friends in New York across a twenty year period. The character development is wonderful. Highly recommended but you have been warned.
Positive Impact:
One last book, for its positive impact to my life.
Grain Brain by David Perlmutter
Life changing. I’m much more in control of my health after reading this. More on that in future editions.
Would recommend this to anyone tackling health issues. Trust me.
Closing Thoughts:
It’s always the books of substance, over the idea books, that have an enduring impact.
For me next year: More biographies, more history, more fiction. Less click-bait-idea-books.
I’ll also trial posting “books of the month” rather than every book I read. I find the latter means I choose shorter books to ensure I have something to talk about each week. Optimising for the wrong thing I feel.
All the best for 2023. You’re in for a big year. I have no doubt 🚀
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One more thing
On the theme of books: This article is fantastic. It’s about how James Daunt (of Daunt Books) is transforming Barnes & Noble, having done the same to Waterstones.
Thank you Aled Maclean-Jones for putting me on to that.
Appreciate this list, definitely putting the Stalin bio on my list, and giving greater consideration to The Rise and Fall as it's been recommended a lot but is a behemoth!!