The following is a list of all the books that I read in 2019. Like last year, I didn’t include any books that I was required to read for my classes, and only included books that I read in their entirety. Keeping this list has really been fun, and it keeps me motivated to stay up on my reading throughout the year knowing that I am going to post this at the end. Overall, I’m more happy with the diversity of books I read this year compared to last year, as last year I didn’t read a single novel. However, I still seem to have a thing for really long books haha.
1. Undaunted Courage, by Stephen E. Ambrose (484 pages). This book was recommended to me by a friend, and documents the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark. It’s told from the perspective of Meriwether Lewis, the expedition’s de facto leader and co-captain, and the name of the book is absolutely accurate.
2. What Does This Button Do?, by Bruce Dickinson (367 pages). An autobiography written by the lead singer of one of my all-time favorite bands, Iron Maiden, Dickinson is truly a remarkable human. Not only is he the lead singer of one of the world’s biggest bands, he is also an airline captain(he fly’s the bands tour plane around), a beer brewer, a screenwriter, and a professional fencer. He was also recently named an honorary citizen of Sarajevo for a show he played there during the siege of the city in 1994, an incredible part of the book.
3. The Hundred-Year Marathon, by Michael Pillsbury (244 pages). This book was an interesting read regarding what the author calls China’s secret plan to overtake America as the world’s dominant power by the year 2049, the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the nation. I decided to read this book after taking a class titled “East Asia Survey,” where the rise of China was a major theme that interested me. Mixed feelings about this book, but interesting nonetheless.
4. Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovannni della Mirandola (28 pages). A major work of the Renaissance, it took me about two hours to read this relatively brief writing. Although short, it was pretty dense, and took effort to keep my concentration haha.
5. The Shack, by William P. Young (246 pages). This book was recommended to me by several people, and was a really moving book. A really unique take on a man’s interaction with God and dealing with tragedy.
6. Napoleon, by Andrew Roberts (810 pages). The first and only historical biography I read this year(what a difference from last year!), this biography of Napoleon Bonaparte set me up perfectly for the legendary book I was to read later in the year. A man of seemingly unending ambition, he rose from a boy born on the island of Corsica, became a military general by the age of 24, and Emperor of the French from 1804-1814, and again in 1815 during the infamous Hundred Days. While he has a mixed legacy due to the Napoleonic Wars he waged that engulfed Europe, Napoleon brought about many reforms during his reign, most famously the Napoleonic Code. One of the most consequential people in history.
7. The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence (100 pages). My mom gave me a copy of this spiritual devotional a while back and I enjoyed reading it this year. Written by Nicholas Herman, of Lorraine(Brother Lawarence). A wonderful book about seeking God in all situations in life.
8. All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr (530 pages). I heard many good reviews about this book, which tells parallel stories of a girl in Paris who flees with her father after the Nazis invaded during World War II, and a German boy who is enlisted in the war effort and who eventually crosses paths with the girl. I would definitely recommend!
9. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy (1215 pages). Officially the longest book I’ve ever read, this classic of world literature was a mammoth read, but it was my favorite book that I read this year. After getting about 100 pages in, I almost gave up as I was constantly lost trying to keep up with the plot and all of the characters, but after about the first quarter I was hooked. War and Peace is set in Russia in the early 1800’s, during the time of the French invasion led by Napoleon. Told through the perspective of several aristocratic families who are all affected differently by the conflict with France, it is a novel, a history book, and a philosophy book all in one. In my opinion, one of a handful of books to read before you die.
10. The Adventures of Simplicius Simplicissimus, by Hans Jakob Christoffel Von Grimmelshausen (462 pages). Regarded as the first great German novel, this novel follows the character Simplicius as he travels through the world ravaged by the Thirty Years War in Europe. Although fiction, the book is thought to broadly depict what the author experienced as he lived through the war.
Favorite book of the year: War and Peace.
My most recommend book the year: War and Peace.
Hardest book of the year to get through but would still recommend: The Adventures of Simplicius Simplicissimus.