Feel free to spare yourself the following diatribe and just Jump to Book List

Reading Resolution

Goodreads has an option to set a book goal each new year, and every year for the last number of years I have given myself a goal of 12 books a year. A seemingly simple goal of one per month, yet I have fallen short each time. Until this year where somehow I ended up reading 62 total books. About half were audiobooks if you feel like that’s cheating but I don’t.

I’m just like anyone else addicted to their smartphone, likely worse. Close friends of mine can attest to me always having my face in my phone, I reach for it in my pocket compulsively, especially in uncomfortable situations. I remember spending whole weekends in college scrolling Reddit either on my computer or phone. Social media and the ready access to it through smartphones alongside the modern stressors and duties of every day life create a formidable barrier to completing a book unless I truly sat down and forced myself to read a small passage one week at a time. In 2023 I had finally started dabbling in audiobooks and read some bucket list reads like 1984 and The Fountainhead. It’s hard to pinpoint what changed exactly, but after rounding out those two with Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus to complete an abysmal count of three books in 2023 literally at the finish line on New Years Eve, I knew I had to do better next year. Luckily Loftus’s book was so good, it inspired me to shift priorities and keep reading.

The first book in 2024 I read was Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. This was originally supposed to be a gift for my now wife. But I decided to give it a read. I found his writing easy to grasp and the books’ concepts fascinating, thus reading it flew by. Faster than any other book in recent memory.

Next was Atomic Habits by James Clear. With New Years resolutions fresh in my mind, I knew I needed to read a book that would give me some guidance. Self help is an interesting category of book, one I potentially owe my life to. Allen Carr’s Easy way to Stop Smoking is a large reason I stopped smoking a few years ago. Something happens in my brain when I read a book, like a switch flipping. They can be quite powerful, if you can open your mind and give them the power to do so. Atomic Habits proved to be a similar benefit, he gives practical advice on making, and keeping habits. Unfortunately not all of the habits I tried to start in early 2024 kept, but it appears reading did, and I know I have this book to thank for that.

Two books early in the year left me fundamentally changed: Richard Powers’ The Overstory and Daniel Mason’s North Woods. The Overstory wasn’t just a novel for me- it transformed how I see the natural world around me. Powers weaves together human stories with the ancient lives of trees, and offers a new perspective on the towering giants we all have taken for granted. The book’s message about interconnectedness goes beyond just trees, and continues to impact my perspective. North Woods followed as if by divine timing, or more likely by algorithmic recommendation, as another ethereal journey through time and nature, telling the story of a single plot of land through centuries of human habitation. Together, these books created a shift in my consciousness about our relationship with the natural world.

My literary journey took an unexpected turn through the worlds of science fiction and classic literature. Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man came to me through Netflix’s Black Mirror. It’s a collection of haunting short stories that has influenced modern dystopian storytelling. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman fulfilled a long-held curiosity, stemming from an elementary school teacher who once told us it made her cry in college. That memory, along with the iconic cover poster at my local Barnes & Noble, had stayed with me all these years.

Then came my Vonnegut phase. Through God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse V, and Breakfast of Champions, I found myself both captivated and slightly puzzled by his genius. While I can’t claim to fully grasp everything he was trying to say (and sometimes wonder if I’m missing something everyone else gets), God Bless You Mr. Rosewater emerged as an unexpected favorite that I think deserves more attention. The documentary “Unstuck in Time” later helped me appreciate Vonnegut’s work even more, pointing me toward future reads like Player Piano and Mother Night.

But two books this year stood so far above the rest that they deserve their own category: The Stand by Stephen King and Dune by Frank Herbert. The Stand came recommended during a bachelor party in Vermont, while I was coincidentally reading Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. The pandemic narrative hit differently in our post-COVID world, creating an eerily personal connection that kept me switching between the physical book and audiobook just to stay immersed in the story during every possible moment.

Dune required some convincing. The movie finally pulled me in, leading to a week-long reading marathon through the first book. While my journey through the series eventually stalled, the first book’s exploration of ecology, capitalism, and family dynamics left an indelible mark.

This year also marked my deep dive into Stephen King’s bibliography - eleven full days of audiobook listening according to my app. Beyond The Stand, 11/22/63 proved surprisingly engaging with its JFK assassination storyline, while classics like Misery and Carrie lived up to their reputations. On Writing offered fascinating insights into King’s craft, though I’ll admit I didn’t quite likeUnder the Dome as much as other die-hards, and the Dark Tower series lost me after book four.

I finally tackled those high school reading list classics I’d avoided: Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and Lord of the Flies. But the real surprise was Steinbeck. Travels With Charley and The Grapes of Wrath spoke to me in ways they never could have in high school, with the latter feeling surprisingly radical even in 2024.

Among the year’s most thought-provoking reads was Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Having read The Fountainhead last year, I was drawn to explore more of Rand’s work, despite - or perhaps because of - its controversial nature. While her philosophy isn’t for everyone, certain ideas resonated deeply. John Galt’s declaration, “I refuse to live my life for another, nor will I ask another man to live for mine,” became one of the most impactful quotes I encountered all year. It sparked internal ruminations about individual responsibility and the nature of altruism that I’m still processing months later.

The year rounded out with some powerful contemporary works. Ling Ma’s Severance offered a haunting take on modern work culture and global pandemics (written in 2017!). Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus and Chris Van Tulleken’s Ultra Processed People provided sobering insights into our interconnected world and the food systems that shape it. James Michener’s Caravans and Alaska opened up new worlds of historical storytelling for me. Despite having visited his museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania numerous times, I’d never actually read his work until this year. Alaska in particular became a constant companion for a month - a massive tome that I lugged everywhere, completely absorbed in its sweeping narrative that spans millions of years. Michener’s ability to weave together geological time, indigenous histories, and modern development into a single cohesive story is nothing short of masterful.

Looking back at this unexpected literary marathon, I’m struck by how each book, whether through philosophical insights, captivating storytelling, or personal resonance, contributed to reshaping my relationship with reading. From doom-scrolling to page-turning, it’s been quite a journey.

This reading renaissance even inspired a practical project: frustrated with the limitations and corporate ownership of existing book-tracking platforms, I began developing my own book-tracking application. It’s a small act of independence that feels fitting after a year spent reading about everything from individual autonomy to digital networks. Sometimes the best way to own your journey is to build the path yourself.

Books

1. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
3. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury 
4. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
5. God Bless You Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut 
6. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
7. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
8. The Overstory by Richard Powers
9. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
10. North Woods by Daniel Mason
11. The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
12. Trust by Hernan Diaz
13. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
14. The Stand By Stephen King
15. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
16. On Writing by Stephen King
17. Dune by Frank Herbert
18. Dune: Messiah by Frank Herbert
19. Lord of the Flies By William Golding
20. The Shining by Stephen King
21. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
22. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
23. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
24. The Gunslinger by Stephen King
25. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 
26. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
27. Under the Dome by Stephen King
28. Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
29. Duma Key by Stephen King 
30. Misery by Stephen King 
31. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
32. Will You Please Be Quiet Please? by Raymond Carver
33. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
34. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
35. Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg
36. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
37. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
38. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
39. Red Light by Kurt Caviezel
40. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
41. The Drawing of the Three (DT2)  by Stephen King
42. The Waste Lands (DT3) by Stephen King
43. Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home with Books by Nina Freudenberger
44. The New Bohemians by Justina Blakeney
45. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
46. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
47. Carrie by Stephen King
48. Wizard and Glass (DT4) by Stephen King
49. ‘Salems Lot by Stephen King
50. Cathedral by Raymond Carver
51. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
52. Severance by Ling Ma
53. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
54. Caravans by James A. Michener
55. Cell by Stephen King
56. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
57. Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken
58. Firestarter by Stephen King
59. After the Revolution by Robert Evans
60. Alaska by James A. Michener
61. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
62. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari