The 8 best books I read in 2020
How did your 2020 reading go?
While I can never keep up with Stephanie’s pace of approximately one book per week, I did manage to read roughly two books per month this year.
Besides starting this blog in 2013, the absolute best way I have found to improve my writing skills and stir up new ideas is by reading books. It may seem obvious, but this was not a habit I practiced consistently until the past few years.
I always try to mix it up with business, history, faith, and various other books that really make me think.
I look for two main things when I read:
- What can I learn from this and how can I implement it into my own life?
- What would be something worth writing more in-depth about on social media, in a blog, or for a future book?
I’m going to break down my top eight books of 2020 into four main categories:
• Book marketing
• Intellectual provocateurs
• Business
• Faith
Let’s dive in.
Book Marketing
Since publishing One Step Closer was my number one goal in 2020, I read quite a few books about the book publishing process, as well as ongoing marketing tactics.
Here are two of my favorites:
Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
Ryan Holiday
Remember all the best-selling books from this past fall that dealt with politics? Salacious details were uncovered from both political parties and laid out for the public just in time for the election, and they were wildly popular. As popular as they were, it is unlikely any of these books will ever be read again now that the election is in the rearview mirror.
Perennial Seller reminded me to play the long game. I want to release work in the world that continues to add value over time, rather than achieve some flash-in-the-pan momentary success. This book was a necessary reminder to keep the focus in that direction.
Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-By-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book
Tim Grahl
As a first-time author, I was advised to shoot for selling 1,000 copies of One Step Closer in the first year. Consequently, the title of this book served as tempting click bait. By implementing a few of the strategies inside, we were able to surpass the 1,000 copies milestone the same week the book was released. (Thanks for your support!)
The overarching idea? Get in front of new audiences (guest blog posts, partnerships, and podcast interviews) rather than relying on the same repetitive pitch to your email list or social media connections.
Intellectual Provocateurs
Outliers: The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell
If you consider yourself “self-made” or one who “pulls himself up by the bootstraps,” taking a look at this book may be a humble reminder of how flawed that thinking is.
Being born in the mid-1950s with incredible intellect would position someone to thrive at the dawn of the computer age. But might other variables play a role?
How does the man with the highest IQ ever recorded spend his career as a bouncer, struggling to find anyone interested in publishing his extensive research work? Having grown up in small-town without parents who valued education may have something to do with it. The fact that I cannot remember his name speaks volumes.
Each of us has unique opportunities and natural gifts that have little to do with our own effort. The question is, how can we steward what we’ve been given?
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
I enjoy books that not only teach me something new but also challenge my deeply held beliefs. No, this book did not convince me I descended from a monkey, and I don’t think the author’s deconstruction of faith really adds up, but his storytelling and organization of history into various time periods made for an interesting read.
What has stuck with me is the consistent theme throughout the book of people in various time periods and areas of the world who have all attempted to insert themselves into the place of God, all the way back to Gilgamesh trying to achieve immortality over 3,000 years ago.
Faith
Something Needs to Change: A Call to Make Your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need
David Platt
I am generally not very interested in what present-day pastors have to say about theology. You studied the Bible in your office? You know Greek? Great… But what about real-life scenarios?
That’s where this book differs from my past experience with pastoral writing. David Platt takes the reader with him on his journey through the Himalayan Mountains on a quest to discover how his deeply held beliefs would fare when facing some of the worst suffering imaginable on the other side of the world.
Questions such as “Where is God in the midst of suffering?” “What makes my religion better than someone else’s religion?” and “What do I really believe about eternal suffering?” are all explored in-depth, with an urgent call to make our lives count before it’s too late.
Move: The Man Devotional: 66 Prompts to Kick Your Rear into Gear
Brian Tome
I have never had much interest in reading devotionals. Likely because the ones I have come across seem to be geared toward middle-aged women. This one, however, is different.
With short, punchy, daily excerpts that directly target the issues we as men struggle with most, there are plenty of nuggets of wisdom to motivate men to embrace a sense of urgency with their lives by passionately going after the work that God has laid in front of us.
Business
I love business origin stories. Getting to hear how this one transpired simultaneous to my college roommate and I attempting to create “the next Facebook” was fascinating. While he and I kicked around picture-only website ideas that were light years away from what would eventually become Instagram, the eclectic cast of entrepreneurs in The Upstarts had the same dreams and ambitions and ended up creating companies that would change the world.
The chapters rotate back and forth between these revolutionary companies with a stark contrast of the leadership styles of the abrasive Travis Kalanick driving Uber and the polished Mr. Nice Guy, Brian Chesky, leading Airbnb. Insightful, entertaining, and even nostalgic of my college days, dreaming of building a tech company of this stature.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
Brad Stone
What better company to learn about than the one I am partnering with most to launch my book into the world? Reading about Jeff’s origin story, Amazon expanding beyond books in the late nineties, and the negotiations with various companies that led to the development of the Kindle and Amazon Prime all made for fascinating business anecdotes.
But what I will remember most is the practical business principles that can apply to all aspects of life: Make bold bets. Reject the status quo. Define your long-term vision. Focus on creating value that will stand the test of time. Persevere through temporary setbacks and rejection from others.
2021 reading
Now you have my list of my favorite reads from 2020. I am stockpiling ideas and books to explore in 2021.
I would love to hear from you.
What was your favorite read in 2020?
Looking for another book to start your 2021? Download the first chapter of my book, One Step Closer, for free here.
OR
My favorite author discovered this year is R.C. Sproll. I haven’t read many of his books but his lectures and teaching series are available through Ligonier. He is phenomenal with his knowledge of languages, classical history, great leaders of the Faith and theology. He is a great communicator and uses drama and illustrations to get his point across. My favorite teaching is called A Blueprint for Thinking.
Additionally there is Christopher Flannery,, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and contributing editor of the Claremont Review of Books and host of the American Story podcast.His podcasts yield fascinating little known facts. as well as lots of good common sense.
Many, many books to read and ideas to explore. Hopefully I won’t run clear out of time before I get more insight and time to stock up.
Mary, thanks for sharing this. It sounds like you’ve been pretty studious this year. Have not read any RC but may need to look into him
One of my favorite reads in the past year was Speaking with Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. An eye opening account of our inability to discern the truth.
I have really been enjoying Gladwell’s work. I saw this one, but had not looked into it yet. Thanks for the reminder. What was your favorite story in it?
RC is a great speaker that is easy to understand as well as a good writer.
He was at College Hill Presbyterian for several years and came to UC to lecture and debate students.
That would have been fascinating to see. Glad to hear about the Bearcat connection!