2020 was quite the year!
I think that is the understatement of the year.
But in the midst of the crazy 2020, there were a lot of good things! (Maybe that will be a post later this week or next… no promises). One of the good things of 2020 for me was that I read more books this calendar year than I ever have in my life… including when I was in college!
I had set a goal to read 5 books a quarter in 2020 (for a total of 20) and I ended with 34 (with a week to spare!) averaging just over 8 books a quarter. I’m pretty pleased with that and am debating whether that pace will be sustainable in 2021 or not. But that’s a discussion for another day.
At the bottom of this post you can see the full list of books. I divided my list (after the fact) into 4 categories and realized I was pretty balanced across those 4. This was unintentional and actually way off from my plan to rotate between fiction and non-fiction (10 fiction to 24 non-fiction). I found that a lot of the non-fiction books referenced other books that I then went out and read which could explain the heavy weight towards non-fiction.
Top 5 Books of 2020
Here I just want to mention books (or sets of books) that I found to be the best or most influential of 2020… I settled with 5 because… why not?
1. Deep Work and Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
I’m starting here with the best ones. Cal Newport wrote “Deep Work” first and then expanded on a concept he mentioned in it with “Digital Minimalism.” “Deep Work” is all about focusing on your main task of producing (whatever it is that is the core of your job) and really getting into it distraction free. A state he calls “deep work.” I loved that because as a teacher and speaker I really love those times that I can get into my study and preparing lessons. Those were great concepts that I had always felt and vaguely understood, but this book really help clarify and systematize the process.
One of the greatest sources of distraction, of course, comes from our modern culture and digital environment. He mentioned a philosophy called “digital minimalism” and develops that further in his second book. Basically, instead of using any and every device, app, service, etc that might give SOME benefit, Newport suggests only utilizing those things that add deep value to your life.
“Digital Minimalism A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.”
Cal Newport in “Digital Minimalism”
Before reading this book I had already cut back on social media and internet time (which I directly tie to my ability to have read so much this year… more on that in another post) but I then removed all social media apps from my phone and cut back even more on digital consumption. I can say I’ve “happily missed out” on so much… especially through the 2020 election cycle.
“More often than not, the cumulative cost of the noncrucial things we clutter our lives with can far outweigh the small benefits each individual piece of clutter promises.”
Cal Newport in “Digital Minimalism”
2. A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet
This is the one “Non-Fiction: Spiritual” book to make the top 5 this year. I read a few good Spiritual books (Like “Next Man Up” by Ray Pritchard), but this one was by far the best, I read it early in the year and it came in handy a few times while serving in the youth group at church. This book can be used like a handbook with various topics etc that can be called upon as needed (I did that!) but it is also great to read cover to cover (did that too!). The authors divide the book into the “current” and the “waves” of culture. The current being the underlying beliefs and flow of culture as a whole and the waves being the “issues” that seem to make the headlines but are actually results of the undercurrent in our culture.
Connecting this one to “Digital Minimalism” as well as “Growing Up Social” by Gary Chapman, the idea of the digital device and app centric nature of our culture is sometimes quite terrifying. To be completely honest, I have seen this first hand when working with teens at church and in the classroom at school this year. Now, more than ever, teens need a mature, godly adult to take them by the hand and guide them as they develop a Biblical Worldview.
“If you take the path less traveled, you’re going against the grain in this screen driven world. Your child may not have a cellphone when her contemporaries do. Your son may not know how to play the video game everyone’s talking about. Pop culture references may go right over your daughter’s head. But what might your child gain by minimizing the impact of screens on his life?…. So what will you create? A home centered around screens or a home center around people?”
Gary Chapman in “Growing up Social”
3. Me, Myself, and Bob by: Phil Vischer
As a kid who grew up on VeggieTales, it was neat to look behind the scenes and hear Phil’s story of how he created VeggieTale and ultimately what he learned from it’s demise. While there are a few theological issues I might have here and there with some things he said, it’s ultimately a good look at a creator and how He used his gifts for the glory of God. Great read!
4. The Silent Sea by: Clive Cussler
If you look through my “fiction” section you’ll see a lot of Clive Cussler. Thankfully I was able to keep it split 50/50 between Cussler and Non-Cussler fiction (exactly 50/50 actually.) I’ve always known about Cussler’s books since my Dad has read many (most?) of them, but I didn’t get into them until I read the “Raise the Titanic” over Christmas last year and then he loaned me “The Silent Sea” at the beginning of the year. They’re just a fun mix of history, action, and mystery. It also helps that my library has a lot of them in their e-library selection so they are quite easily accessible.
5. And the Good News Is… by: Dana Perino
Another book that was loaned to me by a family member. I didn’t have anything to read at my Grandpa’s house and this was sitting on his shelf. Picked it up and read about half of it in the 24hours we were there. In a year that was filled with political turmoil, Dana Perino’s story, specifically the “behind the scenes” of the Bush Administration, was fun to read!
So there you have it. My “Top 5” for the year. Below is the complete list in no particular order. I’ve got 4 books on hold and have started another Clive Cussler book to ring in 2021. What books did you read this year? Which were the best? Let me know in the comments below!
Complete 2020 Reading List
Non-Fiction- Personal Development
- The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by: Ryder Carroll
- The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by: David Sax
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by: Cal Newport
- Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by: Cal Newport
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by: Cal Newport
- The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by: Ian Morgan Cron
- Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money by: Dave Ramsey
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by: Simon Sinek
- Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by: Kenneth H. Blanchard
Non-Fiction- Spiritual
- Great Joy: Advent from the Gospel of Luke by: Ray Pritchard
- Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Fire and Rain: The Wild-Hearted Faith of Elijah by: Ray Pritchard
- Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines by: David Mathis
- Next Man Up: Building the Future God’s Way by: Ray Pritchard
- Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World by: Gary Chapman
- A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World by: John Stonestreet
Non-Fiction: Biographies/ History
- The Way I Heard It by: Mike Rowe
- Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by: Bill O’Reilly
- George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by: Brian Kilmeade
- And the Good News Is…: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side by: Dana Perino
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by: Eric Metaxas
- The Wright Brothers by: David McCullough
- Me, Myself & Bob: A True Story about God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables by: Phil Vischer
- Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History by: Brian Kilmeade
Fiction
- Odessa Sea (Dirk Pitt #24) by: Clive Cussler
- The Hobbit by: J.R.R. Tolkien
- Black Wind (Dirk Pitt, #18) by: Clive Cussler
- Crescent Dawn (Dirk Pitt, #21) by: Clive Cussler
- Once More the Hawks (RAF Trilogy Book 3) by: Max Hennessy
- The Challenging Heights (RAF Trilogy Book 2) by: Max Hennessy
- The Bright Blue Sky (RAF Trilogy Book 1) by: Max Hennessy
- Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #1; Jack Ryan Universe, #2) by: Tom Clancy
- Golden Buddha (Oregon Files, #1) by: Clive Cussler
- The Silent Sea (Oregon Files, #7) by: Clive Cussler
** The links to books here are Amazon Affiliate links. I’m a big fan of Kindle books, but I’m also a big fan of the local library too!
Nate Deck 