Read On

Rarely do I give reading advice or flat out recommend books (I’m not Oprah), but today is your lucky day. Recently I was asked what the best book I have ever read is by my cousin and friend of the blog Kate. To be quite honest, I didn’t know what to say. Although I arrogantly boycotted summer reading in high school I’ve actually read quite a few books in my day. True fans of the blog will know that I am part of a two person book club with my buddy Kyle Korver, who it should be known recently asked to have his name changed to JJ Barea. I wouldn’t say that I’m “well read” (I assume you’ve all heard this term), but I’m better read (not sure if this works) than most people my age despite taking a 10 year hiatus from reading books written by women. How I was unable to answer what seems like such a simple question baffled me.

As I took time to reflect (a grand total of about 10 minutes when I realized that it was the last day in June and I only had a few more hours to post something in order to maintain my 4 posts a month strategy), I realized that I don’t even have any rhyme or reason to how I select books to read. FYI- My cousin Kate reads books that are in the process of becoming movies or TV shows because 1.) If they are making a movie about it the book must be halfway decent and 2.) Books like this (Twilight, My Sister’s Keeper, and The Hunger Games which has been adapted to Game of Thrones on HBO to name a few) often become very popular and if she’s read the book she has a good understanding of why, what the plot is, etc. I usually just browse the Social Sciences or Cultural Studies sections online or at my local Barnes & Noble and hope something catches my eye. When that well runs dry (doesn’t take much) I get into specific genres. I’ll read humor books for a few months, then classics for a few months, followed by a bunch of stunt non-fiction books for a few months.

I also essentially only read before I go to sleep, so I don’t exactly speed through books unless they are absolutely riveting. And unlike movies I no longer feel compelled to plow through an entire book if it doesn’t keep me interested (I’m looking at you Catch-22). So basically I have limited time to read and I occasionally stop reading books altogether. Maybe this was why I couldn’t easily think of the best book I’ve ever read? Or maybe my strict screening process should have led me to an answer more quickly?

Either way, I took the time to craft a list of the top 12 books that I’ve ever read, or so I think. Why 12? Well if I ever do start a book club (0 chance this ever happens) I’d need to at least be able to pick a book for each month of the year. Because that’s how many I thought of.

(in no particular order)

Freakonomics (2005) by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner



I’m pretty sure there have been about 736363 adaptations and re-releases, but I read the original back in 2006 and it was right up my alley. The authors use data to present ideas that seem counterintuitive. For example, more children die each year from backyard pools than having guns in the home, but parents freeeakkk out about guns in the house. Also there’s an entire chapter on the economics of drug dealing which is simply fascinating.


Moneyball (2003) by Michael Lewis



There have been plenty of great baseball books written, but I’m fairly certain that this one is the best. Now it doesn’t deal with the history or prestige of America’s pastime. Rather it looks at how a small market team, the Oakland Athletics, used advanced metrics to compete against teams that had payrolls 5 times the size of theirs. This book is so influential that I just read, I believe in the ESPN book, that business school students at a well renowned university are required to read it. Fun fact- the book is being made into a movie with Brad Pitt playing the lead role of A’s GM Billy Beane.


Prisoner of Trebekistan (2006) by Bob Harris



Obviously this one is for fans of Jeopardy! The book follows the author’s experience with America’s favorite game show from his days as a child to his days as a contestant (they brought him back for many, many tournaments). My favorite part was how he explained how he studied for his first appearance and that he basically just hoped he got the Daily Doubles and bet big because they are relatively easy.


On the Road (1957) by Jack Kerouac



I really enjoyed On the Road for a few reasons. First, Kerouac wrote it in 3 weeks. It’s hardly edited at all. He just wrote. He was able to do this because it’s largely autobiographical (the names were changed). I also love it because he really captures the spirit of the this growing faction of young Americans that set the stage for the 60s counter culture. They called themselves the Beat generation, or the Lost generation, and were basically a group of incredibly intelligent people who rejected the status quo of society and decided to do want they wanted to do, almost in an epicurean/hedonistic way.


The Count of Monte Cristo (1845) by Alexandre Dumas



Clearly one of my favorites from my classics stage. This novel is one of the best revenge stories ever told. It’s really long, but it’s entertaining all the way through because the suspense of the revenge continues to mount. I lost a lot of sleep reading this book well into the night. I think I’d argue that this book is the greatest thing that has ever come out of the country of France.


Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas (2006) by Chuck Klosterman



I’ve written about this book for 3 months straight now. It’s a collection of Klosterman’s previous articles, so you can open it up to the middle of the book and not miss anything (similar to Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw- more on him in a minute), and he has a bunch of interesting hypothetical questions mixed in in-between chapters. Just read it already.


The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000) by Malcolm Gladwell



Gladwell’s writing is very easy to read and at the same time fascinating. The way he sees the world is uncanny. In this particular social science work (my favorite of his) he explains why and how trends, disasters, etc. happen. My favorite point made in the book is the strategy implemented to reduce the crime rate in NYC in the early 90’s ; The Broken Windows Theory. Basically what it means is that if there are broken windows in a building the likelihood of more being broken is high, but if there are no windows broken the less likely someone is to break the first one. The police force implemented this theory by removing all of the graffiti from their subway cars and in their subway stations. Also instead of letting small crimes go, the NYPD cracked down on small crimes like turnbuckle hopping at the subway and ended up catching many people who had outstanding warrants for more serious crimes.


The Kite Runner (2003) by Khaled Hosseini



I’m usually no fan of fiction, but I completely forgot that this book was not a true story until after I was done with it. The writing is incredibly poignant and emotional. I was literally fighting back tears at some points. I will leave it at that. Big thanks to friend of the blog Jaclyn for imploring me to read this incredible book over a year ago.


The Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky



I’ll be honest, the first time I tried to read this book I read the first 60 pages and couldn’t get any further. There are a lot of Russian names and it’s hard to figure out who’s who and what’s going on. A year or two later I picked it up and read it from cover to cover. My oldest brother told me that it was one of the best books that he’s ever read and it didn’t disappoint. The book centers around ethics, morals, and faith. In fact, the book has one chapter that’s often regarded as the best proof that God does not exist as well as another chapter that’s often regarded as the best proof that God does exist.


The Happiness Project (2010) by Gretchen Rubin



I’ve written about this book plenty, but in case you are unfamiliar with it this woman spent a year of her life (yes, it’s a stunt non-fiction book) trying to become happier. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy before it’s just that she thought she could be happier. Each month she focused on a different area of her life (cleaned out her old stuff, got in touch with old friends, worked out more, worked more, etc.) and became a better version of herself. I thought it was very refreshing to know that a re-dedication could make just about anyone feel a whole lot better about themselves.


Tuesday’s with Morrie (1997) by Mitch Albom



I’ve always liked Mitch Albom because I’ve watched him for years on The Sports Reporters on Sunday mornings. The book centers around Albom’s relationship with one of his former college professors who is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). The two re-connect after a long hiatus and tackle all of life’s most important questions.


Poop Culture (2007) by Dave Praeger



The first words I ever wrote on this blog were “poop is the great equalizer” and that was gleaned from a story from this book. I’m not kidding when I say that this book was very interesting. It gave a brief history of poop (not too expansive where it was boring) and showed how it’s looked at by modern society.