My Favorite Books of 2014
Note: This was originally published on a different platform on 12/16/14.
I made a concerted effort in 2014 to read more and watch less TV. I’ve purchased approximately 72 books so far this year. I’ve completed roughly 40 of those. The remaining is a mixture of not-finished, not-going-to-finished and not yet started. Most of the time, I’m actively reading 3–5 books at any time: a fiction book, a biography, a how-to/business book, and an educational book (game theory, economics, Spanish, etc.). I also purchase almost exclusively Kindle books so my reading is in sync across all my devices and audiobooks.
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
Fascinating book about how the shipping container dramatically changed the world. It made me see globalization in a new light. My single biggest takeaway was the impact on the stevedore community. Whole communities were decimated in a timespan of 15 years through no major fault of their own. The Humans Need Not Apply video ties in nicely with this, which btw, was my favorite video of the year.
Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas
I didn’t think I liked Scalzi, I was wrong. This book is a hilarious story about a spaceship crew members who keep dying on missions. The title is a Star Trek reference which I didn’t get for most of the book (I’m a Star Wars guy). It’s in the sci-fi genre, but it’s more of a comedy than serious sci-fi so a good read for anyone.
Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
A light read with a new-to-me approach to learning languages that made a lot of sense to me. I’m predicting this book will greatly help me as I attempt to become fluent in Spanish in 2015 and perhaps other languages after that.
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
All of us negotiate constantly in life. This book is the golden standard of negotiation books and is an easy read with excellent examples and case studies. It really helped me understand the basic principles of good negotiating without trying to remember the rigidity of rules and formulas.
A sarcastic astronaut gets stranded on Mars and has to survive. Funny as hell, but filled with extremely approachable and accurate science. I learned a lot actually. Another easy sci-fi read. As a side note: the author released this book for free on the internet before, by accident, it became an Amazon bestseller. I always like to support the new guys, I’ve given Clancy and Card enough money over the years.
Orson Scott Card is my favorite author (and no, I don’t agree with many of his personal viewpoints). I was disappointed in the Enders Game film (I felt the essence of the book was missed because it stayed so true to the storyline, characters and exact quotes from the book), but I really enjoyed reading Pastwatch. It made me see history in a whole new light: what could have been if just a few things happened differently.
Fearless Genius: The Digital Revolution in Silicon Valley 1985–2000
For those in the technology field, this is on the only physical book on my list. Just a really visually impressive collection of photographs from Silicon Valley giants in their formative years.
I’d really love to know what your favorite books were, I’m always looking for new reads.
