What I read in 2020 (full year)
books
lists
I ended up 2020 having read 34 books - exactly twice my mid-year mark of 17. Almost everything I “read” in the second half of 2020 was actually an audiobook, the only exceptions being The Holy Quran and Malfuzat which were hardcovers.
David Quammen produced probably the most memorable read of the second half of the year (as he did the first half with Spillover) in The Reluctant Mr. Darwin. Not a complete biography of Darwin as it only covers his life after his adventures on the HMS Beagle, but it helps put the theory of evolution in proper historical context. I certainly learn a lot from it.
The Hate U Give was a timely read given the events of the summer with the Black Lives Matter movement. Although categorized as a “young adult” novel this far-from-young adult found it enjoyable and thought-provoking.
Orconomics and its follow-up Son Of A Liche were my first forays into LitRPG. Never having played D&D or its ilk, I wasn’t up to speed with all the conventions of the genre - nevertheless I found both books enjoyable and funny. While following the typical fantasy story conventions the books are also an effective satire on capitalism , modern day finance and the housing crash (Collateralized Threat Obligations play a big role in the plot of the second book!)
Storm Front was a strong recommendation from a friend - a combination of mystery and magical fantasy. While I enjoyed it, the opportunity costs involved mean I will probably skip investing time into the remaining 16+ novels in the series (at least for now).
On the non-fiction front Think Like a Rocket Scientist and Workplace Poker were useful but not essential reads, while An Economist Walks Into A Brother was disappointing.
Full book list
| # | Book Title | Author | Type | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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