"I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson—
2021 was a record breaking year for me - I read 23 books. In 2020, I only read 12 books. I do the majority of my reading in the mornings. As soon as I wake up, I make coffee and then I open a book and read for about 30 minutes or so. Sometimes I’ll read at night before bed, but at this time I usually read Reddit, The Wall Street Journal, or scroll Twitter to see what I missed throughout the day. I like to keep a routine when it comes to reading, so it comes naturally and doesn’t feel forced. I also like books with short chapters. I find I can read them faster, they keep my attention, and I read more often.
I buy most of my books from Better World Books. They often, though not all the time, have better prices than Amazon (I do go to Amazon to read the reviews though). I always buy used too. This keeps the price down and there really isn’t much of a difference between a new and used book. I don’t mind if someone earmarked a page or underlined a sentence. If that brings the price down then so be it. Underline away.
Hopefully, I can read even more in 2022. Maybe 25 books? Although that could be challenging since there are so many other entertainment outlets constantly fighting for my attention. Netflix, Spotify, Instagram, CNBC, etc.
Anyhow. Below is a breakdown of my reading material for 2021:
3 Fiction, 20 Nonfiction.
4 Biographies, 4 Finance, 1 French, 1 Sports, 1 Science, 1 Political.
The average time I took to finish a book: 2 weeks.
Book Recommendations
Black Edge - This book focuses on a hedge fund in New York City run by billionaire, Steven A. Cohen. Cohen’s fund, SAC Capital, became the target of a seven-year government investigation. The term, “black edge”, is a term for information that no one else has. A trader who has a black edge can make millions from it, but this edge can also put a trader in jail. The amount of money Cohen has is ridiculous, yet he continues to push the legal limits of trading to accumulate even more. This may have been my favorite book that I read in 2021.
Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt - In the late 1800s, Cornelius Vanderbilt was one of the richest men in history. He died with more than $100 million and left most of it to his heirs. After several generations, nearly all the money was gone, spent among his heirs on extravagant mansions, summer homes, and lavish all night parties. Some of these mansions are still standing with the most famous being The Biltmore in North Carolina. I want to visit Marble House and The Breakers which are both located in Rhode Island.
The American Story - David Rubenstein interviews renowned historians focusing on their historical subjects. The book is split into 16 parts. Each section focuses on a different subject such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Benjamin Franklin, etc.. It’s an easy, informative read. I love American history and find this book is a good introduction to a number of famous Americans.
Why We're Polarized - This book looks at the growing polarization between the two major political parties in the United States (the Democratic and the Republican Party). It has something for both political junkies as well as general readers. I underlined quite a bit in this book. And now I have a better sense of why our politics are so divided.
Billion Dollar Whale - This is an incredible, true story about financial fraud. The sums of money involved are mind-blowing. The main character, Jho Low, hangs regularly with Leonardo DiCaprio, Miranda Kerr, Paris Hilton, and other celebrities. He financed the film, The Wolf of Wall Street. At one of his birthday parties, he was gifted three Ducati motorcycles and a $2.5 million sports car. And to top that off, Britney Spears jumped out of a giant birthday cake. The book estimates he stole nearly $5 billion.
Names of the books I read in 2021:
Misbehaving - Richard H. Thaler (Behavioral Economics)
Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street - Sheelah Kolhatkar (Financial)
Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt - Arthur T. Vanderbilt II (Biographical)
What I Learned Losing A Million Dollars - Jim Paul & Brendan Moynihan (Financial)
Street Fighters : The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street - Kate Kelly (Financial)
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think - Hans Roling, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund
Against The Gods - Peter L. Bernstein
String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis: A Library of America Special Publication - David Foster Wallace (Sports)
How To Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers - David M. Rubenstein
The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians - David M. Rubenstein
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual - Jocko Willink
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune - Bill Dedman (Biographical)
Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel - Annie Cohen-Solal (Biographical)
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life - Alice Schroeder (Biographical)
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging - Sebastian Junger
Billion Dollar Whale - Tom Wright & Bradley Hope (Financial)
Le Petit Nicolas - René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé (French Fiction)
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf (Fiction)
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction)
The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality - Angus Deaton
The Magic of Reality - Richard Dawkins (Science)
Is This Anything - Jerry Seinfeld
Why We’re Polarized - Ezra Klein (Political)
