A Year In Books — 2022
This time last year, I opened 2021’s version of this article with the line “Another year, another list of books that I hope will propel me to write more articles on this site”, and it feels like I could simply use that again here. Following that article, I went on to write a whopping two additional ones all year, so who knows if this year will be any different? Anyway, another year and another list of books. Some great (including a 10/10!), some less so. It is also the first year where the picture of this article is with my own dog rather than that of my in-laws. Sadly, there are no dog-related books in the list below, however. I really enjoyed receiving recommendations last year after posting this and have been fortunate enough to read some of these, so would love to hear any new recommendations.
A Promised Land — Barack Obama
Genre: Politics
Rating: 7/10
By sheer coincidence, the first book of this year repeats the category of my first book from last year, which is politics. I started the year with Barack Obama’s memoirs, documenting his rise to the White House which, at the time felt pretty unstoppable, but from reading this was clearly anything but. A fascinating insight into all of the campaigning and people that went into his successful bid for the presidency, along with covering some of his first term. It is a pretty lengthy read, and doesn’t cover his entire spell in office (that’s saved for book 2), but is definitely a very good political read.
The Digital Seeker: A Guide for Digital Teams to Build Winning Experiences — Raj K. De Datta
Genre: Business
Rating: 3.5/10
This book explores the changing of perspective when working with customers or delivering digital experiences. There are some useful tips in here, but nothing ground breaking that anyone working in the sector would not also be aware of. Had it been written 5 years earlier, then a lot of the points made in here would have been new, however, it mostly comes across as a glorified sales deck for Bloomreach, the company that he co-founded. There seems to be theme lately of companies bringing out books as marketing content and I am not sure that I am a fan of it.
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War — Ben MacIntyre
Genre: History
Rating: 10/10
Straight in on the list as one of my favourite all-time reads. I first encountered this on the Bill Gates list of book recommendations (a regular source of literary research!) and I am so glad to have found it. Ben Macintyre documents the story of Oleg Gordievsky, a senior KGB officer who was an MI6 spy. Written in fascinating detail and like a novel, you often forget you are reading about something that actually happened. A lot of detail goes into the KGB and their workings at the time, along with some of the ingenious ways that spies communicate (the Safeway bag being a particular favourite of mine). Utterly brilliant from start to finish and has also made me explore more of Macintyre’s work.
Genre: Health
Rating: 9/10
I first stumbled upon this book when reading a Wired article about the history of the contraceptive pill. This book also explores the history of contraception and the scientific (or at times, lack of) research that has taken place with regards to the impact that it can have on day-to-day lives, including hunger, stress, friendships, learning and more. I learned an awful lot from Hill, particularly around topics that I was perhaps blindly unaware that were impacted by this, and would recommend anyone, regardless of gender, to read this. Whilst providing information on the impact that this can have, one of the many things that I like about this book is that it doesn’t push the reader into any particular direction when it comes to making their own decision on contraception. In fact, it openly encourages that everyone is different and will be impacted in different ways, attempting to empower the reader to research and come to the conclusion that is best for them.
Stokoe, Sunderland and 73: The Story Of the Greatest FA Cup Final Shock of All Time — Lance Hardy
Genre: Sport
Rating: 5/10
Being a long-suffering Leeds United supporter, I was actually bought this as a joke present by a friend of mine who is a Sunderland supporter a few years ago. For those who don’t know, Sunderland pulled off one of the biggest F.A. Cup shocks of all time in 1973 by beating Leeds in the final. The book details the career of Sunderland’s manager that day, Bob Stokoe, along with covering the cup run in extraordinary detail, particularly that famous day. Interesting enough, although does come across as quite bitter to Leeds and Don Revie throughout.
All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business — Mel Brooks
Genre: Autobiography
Rating: 6/10
I have had the pleasure of becoming familiar with the work of Mel Brooks over the last few years and I am very glad to have done so. Films such as The Producers and Robin Hood: Men In Tights are absolute classics that I have watched on more than one occasion. In this book, Brooks takes you on a journey through his life and work, going into a lot of behind the scenes details of the films he worked on in hilarious detail as you would expect from someone as funny as him.
Greenwich Park — Katherine Faulkner
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/10
A debut thriller that I managed to get through in a long weekend. Not the greatest of writing, but enough twists to keep you reading throughout. Any book set in the place that I used to live for a number of years will always interest me, and definitely makes it easier to visualise!
The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power — Max Chafkin
Genre: Biography
Rating: 4.5/10
It is hard to read about or be involved in tech and not know the name Peter Theil, a clearly smart investor who has been involved in lots of companies that you will be aware of or use on a daily basis. I have always found Theil an interesting character, and enjoyed his Zero To One book, so thought I would give this one a read. A very insightful look into Theil’s life and career, although there is definitely a strange combination of both fanboy and fear throughout this.
Before & Laughter — Jimmy Carr
Genre: Autobiography
Rating: 8.5/10
I was incredibly surprised by this book, as I had been by Carr’s appearance on the Secret Diary of a CEO podcast. I had never thought of Carr as the hard-working, driven character that came across throughout that, with this book following a similar theme. Part autobiography, part motivational book, all with the hilarity that you would expect from Carr. The chapter about his tax avoidance scandal is really open and insightful, along with being absolutely hilarious.
The Thursday Murder Club — Richard Osman
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 6.5/10
I seemed to see this book everywhere over the last year or so, and having read it, can see the appeal. It’s a very easy-going murder mystery with some likeable characters and plenty of stories mixed together, whilst also keeping you guessing throughout.
Outraged: Why Everyone is Shouting and No One is Talking — Ashley ‘Dotty’ Charles
Genre: Politics & Society
Rating: 7.5/10
I feel that like many people around my age, my use of social media has gradually reduced over the last few years. Whether it is the novelty wearing off of sharing every moment of your life, the lack of actual interesting content, or the despair that comes with every topic having to turn into a bitter, ugly and petty feud (I’m looking at you, Twitter), the approach to social media has certainly changed. Charles, in particular, focusses on this final point, both on social media and in society, where people attempt to exploit the outrage of others for a sense of power and belonging, in particular, with people feigning outrage with a simple social media post and then not actually doing anything about it. It is a short read that is really well written and had me laughing and questioning things at the same time.
Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War — Paul Scharre
Genre: Engineering & Technology
Rating: 5.5/10
My interest in technology will take me in any direction. I was prompted to read this after a conversation with a peer about automation, where it’s heading and where we should draw the line. Army of None takes you through the history of weapons and in particular those of an autonomous nature, and where the future could be going, along with asking questions about what should and should not be allowed. A well researched and written book that doesn’t take any sides in the matter.
The Man Who Died Twice — Richard Osman
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 6/10
For this, you can just read the entry above for “The Thursday Murder Club”, as my comment is pretty much the same.
The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You — Julie Zhuo
Genre: Leadership
Rating: 7.5/10
I feel very fortunate that my wife and I continuously share learning experiences throughout our career, and with both of us being managers, there is a lot of useful information to be shared. It was her who recommended this book having read it herself not long after starting a new role. It is written by a manager at Meta, who moved from individual contributor upwards, and kept a journal throughout the transition and beyond. It’s a really fascinating book, in particular for aspiring managers, but also anyone in a management role, and is full of some great use cases and leading questions that you can take into everyday work scenarios.
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/10
A dystopian novel from the author of The Martian, which I have not seen or read. The story goes that the world is potentially overheating and ending (maybe not so dystopian after all). It jumps chronologically which adds some really good depth and interest to the story. Project Hail Mary starts out really well but does fade as it goes on, with quite a few eye-rolling moments.
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us — Daniel H. Pink
Genre: Leadership
Rating: 7/10
Daniel Pink paints a great picture about motivation and why it’s not as straightforward as you might think. It looks to take traditional methods of motivation and see how these can be adapted for the current age. Engaging as both a manager, colleague and individual to read, particularly if you yourself are ever feeling short of motivation.
A Gentleman in Moscow — Amor Towles
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 8/10
A really beautiful novel by Towles about an aristocrat who is ordered to spend the rest of his life detained in a grand hotel that he cannot leave. Full of funny stories and some great characters, it is an absolutely wonderful read.
Genre: Psychology
Rating: 7.5/10
There is becoming more and more literature and conversation about mental health lately and that can only be a good thing. In this book, Hari talks through his own experiences of depression along with the history of it. The more interesting parts come when he talks about the different ways to look at causes (spoiler: it might not just be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that has been doing the rounds for decades after all) and how all the things that we do each day can have an impact on mental health. Backed by research and some really heart-warming stories, it’s certainly an eye-opener on the topic.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy — John le Carré
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/10
I read a le Carré novel (sort of, Silverview was finished by his son) last year and wasn’t hugely impressed but did say I would try another one. I felt like one of his most well-known works would be a good bet but sadly not. I seem to recall seeing parts of the film version of this years ago but can’t remember much. This just seemed to drone on to the point where half-way through it still feels like there is absolutely nothing of note. A rather laborious read.
Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt — Michael Lewis
Genre: Business & Economics
Rating: 7/10
I have always enjoyed the work of Michael Lewis and this was no exception. A peak behind the curtain of Wall Street and in particular into the fairly new world of high-frequency trading. Most will have the idea from movies of old-fashioned traders shouting across rooms with bits of paper in their hand, however, as Lewis takes you through in detail, it is very much moving away from that, with internet speed now becoming one of the biggest factors in stock market performance. It’s full of some really fascinating first-party accounts of the lengths people will go to in order to shave milliseconds (yes, you read that right) on the time it takes to send or receive data from a stock market.
Klara and the Sun — Kazuo Ishiguro
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/10
Another one off the Gates list and a part of my determination to try and read more fiction this year. Set in the future where children are bought an AI “friend”, the book is narrated by the friend, Klara, and looks to challenge the question of what it means to love (one of the age-old questions when it comes to AI!). It’s a clever concept and a fairly easy and nice read, but never really seems to get going and all feels a bit flat.
Rich Dad Poor Dad — Robert T. Kiyosaki
Genre: Finance
Rating: 5.5/10
As with reads from previous years, I am always conscious about how to be better with money and how to make better use of it where possible. I am quite torn on what to say about this one — the first few chapters are really insightful and open your eyes to managing money in a better way and try to educate you to look at money in a different way. It, rightfully, criticises the education system for not talking about financial topics that matter and could have a much bigger impact on lives (I would probably class myself as a perfect case study here, having not been educated on what a mortgage was until in my 20s). However, it then just turns into quite a repetitive ramble and constant references to “the poor”. In hindsight, perhaps that’s the art of this sort of book, shaming the reader almost into not wanting to be in one category. It is quite a dated book but still very relevant as a starting point if you want to know how to do more with your finances — just try not to eye-roll too much at some of the comments. Also — I mention the book is dated, well the website is even worse, it feels like a late 2000s Freewebs/pyramid scheme!
