2025 book roundup

Reading is one of my great joys in life.  I love a well-written story, a well-crafted novel, and a well-articulated explanation of how the world works.   Serious fiction, genre fiction, history, science, economics, biography — I enjoy it all.  The love of reading is a gift given to me early in life; I still remember going to the Carnegie Public Library in my hometown for story time. That place felt holy with its marble floors, leaded-glass windows, and hushed atmosphere.

This year I read close to 50 books, and while there were some duds, I’ve picked out 8 that were excellent and that I carried something away from.

These first four books all teach something about the value of work and perseverance.  They remind me of the importance of keeping at it every day, step by step, brick by brick.

• Somebody’s Fool.   I liken this book to a maypole dance, where the dancers are slightly tipsy as they weave and swerve around each other in ever-tighter cycles until it all ties together.  I greatly appreciate the effort that went into crafting this tale while making it seem effortless.   You don’t get to this level of storytelling without a lot of work and practice.
• What is the What.  And here is a tale of incredible perseverance and survival — a Sudanese refugee survives years of turmoil in his home continent and years of chaos here, and yet is unflagging in his drive to better his life.  
• Bird by Bird.   Written as advice by a writer to writers, but it really applies to any field of human endeavor.  Making progress requires daily attention, a willingness to try and fail, constant iteration, and an openness to input and criticism.
• Kingmaker.  What an incredible life.  Harriman’s constant perseverance and reinvention are almost unbelievable.  She is controversial, but I see much to admire in her effort and impact.

Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager is an excellent tale inside the world of hedge funds, and a reminder to me that there are people who spend 1000x more time than I do in financial markets and are 1000x savvier than me, so when someone shows up with a clever/complicated scheme that sounds like an incredible deal, run the other way.  

Finally, these 3 books all had something important to say about the current state of our society, and the lack of leadership:

• Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company.  You will be mad at someone after reading this book. It might be China, it might be Apple, it might be the US government. Or maybe all 3!  We spent years walking blithely into the manufacturing and import situation we find ourselves in.  It is going to take years of concerted, focused effort to work our way out of it.
• Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy.  A thoughtful look at the failure of American Christianity to live up to its democratic ideals, and how it can do better.  I was raised Presbyterian, and while I am not practicing, I have great respect for the teachings and the morality of Christianity at its best, and I get angry at people who have turned the faith into an amoral political tool.
• The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium.  An outstanding look at the democratization of information and how it has eroded the legitimacy of authority.  And how the elites in government, party, academia, and corporations are fighting to hold onto their power.  

It is easy to be pessimistic after reading these last 3 books — but I think we can instead view this as a time of opportunity, a time to dig in and rebuild some elements of our society that have become broken.  We do not live in an easy time.

On another front

Screw these people – White House Recasts Jan. 6 Riot as ‘Peaceful Protest’. I have no problem with legitimate policy differences, but lying about our recent history for political gain? Un-American, corrupt, dishonest, amoral. We all saw what happened that day.