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The 19 Books I Read in 2020

Here are the books that nourished my soul, satisfied my curiosity, and shaped my thinking in 2020.

Of the nineteen books in the list,

  • 15 (79%) were non-fiction.
  • 3 were paperback
  • 2 were hardcovers
  • 12 were on Kindle
  • 2 were on Apple Books

And now for the list, in order consumed:

1. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons for the 21st Century

by Timothy Snyder

Short but potent.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Paperback


2. The War of Art

by Steven Pressfield

A frequent re-read.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


3. Firefly Magic: Heart Powered Marketing for Highly Sensitive Writers

by Lauren Sapala

Marketing is not my strong suit. This helped.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


4. The Rosie Project (Don Tilman, #1)

by Graeme miSsion

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Fiction | Paperback


5. Productivity for Authors: Find Time to Write, Organize your Author Life, and Decide what Really Matters

by Joanna Penn

I have been listening to Joanna’s Creative Penn podcast for years. There’s not much new here that I didn’t already know, but it’s full of good stuff nonetheless.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


6. The View From Flyover Country: Dispatches From the Forgotten America

by Sarah Kendzior

This is the beginning of a long-term parasocial relationship with Sarah. She is a beautiful writer. She is also a modern-day prophet

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


7. Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism

by Ozzie Zehner

I learned of this book after watching the The Planet of the Humans — the documentary film that it inspired. Nothing about our move to renewable energy is easy.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Apple Books


8. Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student

by Richard Bach

Richard Bach is one of my favorite writers of all time.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Fiction | Kindle


9. The Pacific Crest Trail: A Hiker’s Companion

by Karen Berger

I have been tracking my daily steps and miles as a virtual “Walk across North America.” This year I finished the part of the virtual walk that took me the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Southern Terminus at the US / Mexico border to the northern end in British Columbia.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ | Non-Fiction | Kindle


10. The Captain and the Glory: An Entertainment

by Dave Eggers

This book was getting a lot of buzz, so I decided to read it. I don’t get it.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Hardcover


11.Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America

by Sarah Kendzior

Read this book

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


12. The Gift of Time

by Jerry Merritt

A delightful, sci-fi story.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Fiction | Kindle

13. The Human Magnet Syndrome: The Codependent Narcissist Trap

by Ross Rosenberg

Relationships are hard. This book helped me understand why.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


14. Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation

by Andrew Marantz

My intuition tells me that social media is messing with us in ways that we can’t begin to understand. Marantz helped me start to understand.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


15. Will He Go?: Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown of 2020

by Lawrence Douglas

As the presidential election loomed I was curious to get an expert legal opinion on what might transpire. Very helpful.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle


16. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

by Isabel Wilkerson

Probably the most important book I have I have read in a decade. The only thing that comes close to it is its spiritual predecessor, Wilkeson’s Warmth of Other Suns.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Fiction | Kindle


17. Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire

by Kurt Anderson

I read this as background in anticipation of reading Anderson’s latest book, Evil Geniuses. Anderson is an excellent writer with keen and relevant insights.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle

18. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Revers Global Warming

by Paul Hawken (Editor)

There is no single solution to global warming — there are thousands of solutions. This collection of essays outlines 100 general areas where we can focus out attention. We have to do all of them, each in our own way.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle

19. The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching

by Pamela McLean

Part of my professional development for the year.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5) | Non-Fiction | Kindle

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