2021 Reading Summary

Starting in 2017, I started keeping track of all the books I read. Nothing excessive, just using the notes app on my phone.

I did this for a few different reasons. I wanted to see just how much I was reading. I wanted to keep track of books I liked so I could tell people about them. And I wanted to see if the exercise would hold me accountable.

It hasn’t been a huge success, but I am seeing my books read count increasing. Especially last year. Here’s a summary:

2017 - 282018 - 262019 - 242020 - 272021 - 34

I decided to make a big hairy audacious goal and aim for 52 books read in 2022. That’s one a week. And, because I’m a bit of a rat, I’ve already got a bit of a head start by finishing 3 books during a recent vacation, a number that may not meet GAAP accounting practices if you’re picking up what I’m putting down.

Without further adieu, allow me to post a very short summary of each book I read in 2021 (including highlighting my five favorites). Hopefully y’all find something new to put on your reading list.

(Note: these are Amazon links. If you click through and buy, I’ll get a few pennies)

Presented in order read:

1. The Little Book That Builds Wealth by Jack Dorsey (TOP 5)

Really enjoyed this short look at investment moats and how important they are. Even experienced investors will get something from this.

1. The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr

Overall an interesting book on various aspects of the North American grocery industry - like work conditions, issues with trucking, small manufacturers breaking into retailers, etc. But it’s too clouded by the author’s personal experiences and biases.

1. Nomad Capitalist by Andrew Henderson

You might know Henderson from the website with the same name as the book. Overall I enjoyed the look at how you can escape the shackles of North America for a life in the developing world all while paying significantly lower taxes and expanding your purchasing power. It’s heavy on ideas and a bit light on details, which the site will gladly help you with for a modest fee.

1. Edison by Edmund Morris

This was jam-packed with info on one of the most interesting humans to ever live. The only problem (and it was a big one) is it ran backwards. It started at the end of Edison’s life and worked slowly towards his birth. I did not care for that.

1. Invent and Wander (The Collective Writings of Jeff Bezos) by Walter Issacson

The book is mostly a reprinting of 20+ years of Jeff Bezos’ letters to Amazon shareholders. They’re packed full of wisdom but they also repeat themselves quite a bit. I enjoyed the book but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was 30% shorter.

1. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

I think Talking to Strangers is Gladwell’s best work. It would have been a top 5 book of 2021 if I hadn’t already read it. Much better than the book he wrote during the pandemic (which comes up later). Highly recommend.

1. Die Broke by Stephen Pollam

The only personal finance book I’ve read in probably the last five years. Die Broke takes an interesting concept — that you should strive to arrive at life’s finish line with no money — and then extends it to a whole book with so. much. filler. The first half is solid. Feel free to stop there. I wish I did.

1. The Company (The Rise and Fall of the Hudson Bay Company) by Stephen Brown

I’m a sucker for books that cover the history of iconic companies, but this one was a bit of a disappointment. It only covers the fur trading part of HBC. It abruptly stops around when Canada officially becomes a country in 1867. Hoping there’s a sequel that dives into the company’s more recent history.

1. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Those of you who’ve followed me for a while know I’m a big Bryson fan. Walk in the Woods, Lost Continent and One Summer all would rank in the top 25 books I’ve ever read. Notes from a Small Island chronicles Bryson’s travel through England right before he departs to live in America. It’s funny, informative, and a touching tribute to his adopted home. Not quite as good as his best work, but I’d still highly recommend.

1. The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict

The Dynasty is a look inside the New England Patriots from the time Robert Kraft took over as owner, hired Bill Bellichek as coach/GM, and then took a chance on a unheralded young QB named Tom Brady. Overall I enjoyed it, although by the end it did seem like the writer was going through the motions. It’s almost like Benedict got great access in the early years and by the end of Brady’s time with the team he was shut out and grabbing from the same sources as the rest of us.

1. Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger

Kudos to Iger, who has clearly achieved more in life than I ever will. But I just couldn’t get into this book. It’s a very superficial effort from a man who didn’t want to offend anybody. Then he weirdly quit as CEO riiiiight as COVID was beginning to ravage Disney’s business. That’s not great leadership, Bob. Especially when his contract ran for another year and a half.

1. I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson

Oh hey. Another Bill Bryson book. This one is a collection of articles he wrote for a British newspaper right after moving back to America in the mid-1990s. Bryson’s usual wit comes through in spades, but overall I thought this book was a little subpar compared to the rest of his life’s work.

1. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

The critically acclaimed book on the Sackler family and the empire they built on the back of controversial pain meds OxyContin and Valium. It outlined how the family looked to cover up a guilty conscience by donating lavishly to the arts. But I couldn’t really get into it. I felt like the author blamed the family when the blame should’ve really been put on the FDA and other government agencies. But *shrug*. I’m just a guy half-assedly reviewing books on a Substack.

1. Snacks: A Canadian History by Janet Thiessen

A look at the history of iconic Canadian snack brands, companies like Old Dutch, Ganong chocolates, and Covered Bridge chips. The chapter on Hawkins Cheezies is worth the price of the book alone. It is a little weak on details but overall a fun and lighthearted read.

1. Salt - A World History by Mark Kurlansky

This is another critically acclaimed book I just couldn’t really get into. Kurlansky does a fine job showing how salt played a much bigger role in world history than most think. But that narrative is intersected with some truly bizarre stuff like recipes for pickling herring in 15th century Sweden. Ain’t nobody care about any of that stuff, Mark.

1. Ghost Rider (Travels on the Healing Road) by Neil Peart

Peart, who you might know better as the drummer from Rush, experienced unbelievable tragedy when he lost both his 19-year old daughter and wife less than a year apart from each other. Ghost Rider is Peart’s attempts to heal. It’s a introspective look at pain and loss that I really enjoyed. Not quite top 5 material but close.

1. Drive Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler

Chandler takes readers through a journey of various iconic U.S. fast food chains and how they impact every facet of our lives. A fun and quick read that I enjoyed but it left me searching for something with a little more substance — ironically just like a lot of fast food meals do.

Obligatory half way finished break

Phew. An easy way for the number of books read to really hit home is to review them all. This is hard work guys! You should see how much I’m sweating.

(The answer is I’m not sweating at all)

1. The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell is back and overall I enjoyed The Bomber Mafia, a look at how the Allies tried to become better bombers during World War 2. But despite it being both a Gladwell and World War 2 book (both things I enjoy very much), I wasn’t wowed.

1. Open by Andre Agassi (TOP 5)

Andre Agassi’s biography was riveting. From his childhood learning tennis from a borderline abusive father to becoming a champion despite hating tennis, I couldn’t put it down. And then, after all that, he ends up with Steffi Graf, one of the best women players of all time. What a life. Highly recommend.

1. The Last Kings of Shanghai by Jonathan Kauffman (TOP 5)

Probably the best book I read last year. Last Kings of Shanghai is equal parts a history of China and equal parts a look at two rival families (the Sassoons and Kadoories), it combines to be a story that’s equal parts interesting, inspiring, and depressing. If you read any book from this list, let it be this one.

1. Richer, Wiser, Happier by William Green

During his career as a Forbes reporter, Green had the opportunity to interview legendary investors like Monish Pabrai, Charlie Munger, Sir John Templeton, Nick Sleep, and quite a few more. He talked to them not only about investing, but about life too.

But here’s the problem - many of these guys should be admired for their investing skills only. Pabrai is, in this author’s opinion, a bit of an asshole. Templeton is revealed to be a bit of a religious nut. I enjoyed the additional color on this folks, but I’m not sure what I got from it is what the author intended.

1. Behind the Arches by John Love

If you’re looking for a history of McDonald’s, this is the book for you. The only problem is it was finished in the 1990s and hasn’t been updated since. It leaves you yearning for a more recent version.

Also, I enjoyed the suggested pairing with the book. Nice work, Amazon algorithm:

How does a gift card only get 4.5 stars? What could possibly be wrong with it?

1. Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Colburne

Trader Joe’s is a truly unique food experience and I really enjoyed it as a member of the industry for my day job. But I thought the book’s overall feel was a bit jumpy. It reads more like a number of independent essays rather than a book with a narrative. Still pretty highly recommended.

1. Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

Read this one while struggling with a few things, hoping for some clarity. It helped, but not as much as I would have liked. Overall a good read but it wasn’t life changing or anything resembling that.

1. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

One of the reasons why there are so many Bryson books in this year’s list is I started listening to audio books on my commute and Bryson’s travel tales are the perfect thing to put on while you’re stuck in traffic. Neither Here Nor There is no exception, but it does come across as a little dated.

1. King Icahn by Mark Stevens

Basically a blow-by-blow look at Carl Icahn’s big deals of the 1980s by someone who had the opportunity to talk to the man a few time. Hasn’t been updated since the 1990s, which is disappointing.

1. Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedeman (TOP 5)

By the end of WeWork’s huge rise and epic fall, founder and CEO Adam Neumann was basically a punchline, the epitome of everything wrong with start-up culture. He was a tyrant, a nut, and believed in some truly wacky shit. But he was also inspiring, cunning, and created a culture where thousands of employees would have gladly gone to war for him. Wiedeman takes a balanced look at someone who I firmly believe will reemerge at some point.

1. The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck by Sarah Knight

A fun book about living life on your own terms. It’s quick. It’s funny. She says “fuck” eleventy billion times. But it wasn’t quite magic for me.

1. The Premonition by Michael Lewis

Normally, I’d be happy to read a Lewis book on his latest trip to the grocery store or unplugging a drain, or some other such nonsense. He’s that good. The Premonition had flashes of that brilliance, but overall I though it was on par with Flash Boys. A solid effort but it was no Big Short or Moneyball.

1. Review copy of a friend’s book

Nothing to add here until it officially comes out

1. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou (TOP 5)

Finally got around to reading Carreyrou’s epic takedown of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Definitely lived up to the hype for me.

1. Investment Biker by Jim Rogers

Rogers combines two of my great loves — road trips and investing — into a pretty enjoyable book. Rogers makes some predictions that don’t necessarily pan out, but his adventures in faraway lands are sure a lot of fun. Adventure Capitalist, which is essentially the sequel, is good too.

Investment Biker was the emergency book in my car, something to read when I had nothing else. I’ll have to find a new book for that now.

1. I’ll be Gone in The Dark by Michelle McNamara

A look at how searching for the elusive Golden State Killer essentially drove a woman to an inadvertent death from a drug overdose. Critics all found it inspiring (in a ‘dying doing what you love’ perspective, I guess), but I just found it sad. It’s also largely pieced together after her death, so it lacks the flow a story like this so desperately needs.

1. Issac’s Storm by Erik Larson

Wrapping up 2021’s list is Issac’s Storm, one of Erik Larson’s earlier works. Overall I enjoyed the look at the hurricane that ravaged Galveston in 1900. For me, the best part was seeing just how rudimentary predicting the weather was back then. We’ve come a long way.

That’s it, kids. That’s what I read last year.