41 books read or listened to in 2021 and a breakdown by (assumed) gender and race. I continue to read mostly books by white men, which I will continue to monitor and modify.
- 25 by white male authors; 9 white women; 6 women or color; 1 man of color
- 16 fiction, 25 non-fiction. Like most years, I have virtually no memory of half the non-fiction books, so I will attempt to continue being discerning.
- I quit several books this year (not listed below), and I hope to increase that activity over time. It’s a good practice for me to try, then stop, a book that doesn’t click.
The List
Stand-outs from this year are in bold, which include surprises or books that – now that I see the full list – impacted my actions this year and/or will impact future actions. I did not bold repeat reads that have now become yearly or every-other-year reads (Deep Work, Lord of the Rings)
Tribe by Sebastian Junger
Manifestó for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
Cassandra Peaks by Elizabeth Lesser
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi (re-read)
Own the Day, Own Your Life by Aubrey Marcus (re-read)
The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris (re-read)
Love People, Use Things by Joshua Fields-Milburn & Ryan Nicodemus
Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard Schwartz & Martha Sweezy
Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo (re-read)
Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo
The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler
Deep Work by Cal Newport (re-read)
Greenlight by Matthew McConauhgay
Dispatches by Michael Herr
I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile
Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
10% Happier by Dan Harris
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr & EB White
Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart by Alice Walker
Star Wars The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
Star Wars Alphabet Squadron Alexander Freed
Star Wars Rebel Rising by Beth Revis
Star Wars Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
Star Wars Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (re-read)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien (re-read)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien (re-read)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien (re-read)
Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith (re-read)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Golden Son (Red Rising Book 2) by Pierce Brown
Morning Star (Red Rising Book 3) by Pierce Brown
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Dune by Frank Herbert
Brian Chandler 