Article
2008: The year in books
One of my favorite traditions on this site is “The year in cities,” which I have written at the end of each year since 2005. The 2008 edition is coming soon.
This year I have decided to start another year-end tradition: The year in books. So far in 2008, I have read 17 books — most while traveling for vacation or work. I have been keeping track using Google Book Search, which has some surprisngly cool “library” features.
And in the spirit of “The year in cities,” here is a list of the books I read in 2008. In roughly chronological order:
- Simple Prosperity by David Wann
- Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
- The Handbook of Sailing by Bob Bond — Starts at the beginning (“how to sail”) and covers everything through cruising, navigating and offshore safety with clear writing and illustration
- The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis — I was mesmerized by this book, especially reading it just before the start of Chicago’s sailing season
- Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum
- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson — Saw the movie; had to read the book (the book is better)
- Lamb by Christopher Moore — Hilarious and clever
- The Random Walk Guide to Investing by Burton Gordon Malkiel
- Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle — Really fascinating! Much of this book took place in Milwaukee
- Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
- The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
- Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Todd Gilbert
- The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster — Bob recommended this story; I found it incredibly vivid and evocative of post-modern times
- Choosing Simplicity by Linda Breen Pierce
- Options by Fake Steve Jobs
- The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka
- Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
(As an addendum, I should add that I only bought two of these books! Most were gifts, loaners or library check-outs. While I am intrigued by (and squarely in the target market for) devices like the Kindle, I will have to wait until the content can be borrowed, gifted or otherwise transfered.)