MY TOP 5 FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2019
“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.”
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Last year I decided to read more. Utilizing techniques I learned from my research I managed to increase my reading speed and accomplished my goal of reading a book a month.
Below is a list of my top 5 favorite books of 2019 and why I recommend reading them.
2019 was a great reading year for me and I plan on doubling the number of books I read in 2020, so if you have any recommendations send me a comment on Instagram or Twitter.
5. Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
Lieutenant Commander Jocko Willink is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL turned author who’s 2015 book Extreme Ownership was an instant success. Jocko’s thesis is the idea that successful team leaders take responsibility for everything in their world and hold themselves personally accountable for the failures and successes of those under their command. The concepts Jocko tackles are simple but they are presented in a fresh and engaging way; this book absolutely changed the way I think about leadership and working on a team. It is a must read for any aspiring leaders, I can’t recommend it enough.
4. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Like most Americans I was first introduced to Fight Club David Fincher’s film adaptation. I enjoyed it a lot and decided to give the book a read. Chuck Palahniuk has unique talent for irreverent satire, his wit is sharp and critique of consumer culture biting. Despite knowing many of the major plot points beforehand Fight Club still took me on a wild ride and I highly recommend it.
3. Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche is one of the most misrepresented philosophers I can think of. His work offers a solution to the ills of modern society and the dwindling of our collective belief in a higher power. Nietzsche correctly saw this emergent nihilism as a threat to humanity and proposed that instead of accepting imposed values we should create our own. Thus Spoke Zarathustra is his cheeky mythological tale of a prophet embodying this creation of values he wrote about. A welcome break in format and fun to read.
2. Chimpanzee Politics by Frans de Waal
This book fascinated me so much that I finished it in half the time I set aside for it. Written by Dutch primatologist and ethologist Frans de Waal, it follows the story of a group of chimpanzees living in the Arnhem Zoo. Chimpanzee Politics describes the ways in which apes form coalitions, exert power and whip up popular support for actions. It serves as a chilling reminder of the ancient roots of our current political system.
1. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
By far my favorite read of 2019, Desert Solitaire is a love poem devoted to the harsh beauty of the American Southwest. Edward Abbey recounts his life working as park ranger in Arches National Park in the 1960’s. The chapter Industrial Tourism and the National Parks is an essay fiercely criticizing the policies and vision of the National Park Service. Abbey correctly observed that industrialized tourism is an existential threat to our greatest natural resources and called for radical reformation. If you claim to love the great outdoors you should read this book.
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