It goes without saying that 2020 was a weird year for all of us but in many ways, it allowed me the time to read a lot more than I have in most years previously. The launch of The Deckle Edge Podcast helped too, as I try and read everything I can the author has written before the interview. When I scan this year’s list, a good number of books like Chop Wood, Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf and Relentless by Tim Grover feel like they were read a lifetime ago, while others remain fresh in my mind. Some were short, beautiful picture books like Jesus: God Among Us by Roger Hutchison or I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, while others like Toward a Philosophy of the Act by M. M. Bahktin or Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag were complete slogs. In any case, thanks for reading (and listening!) and I hope you find something on my list that intrigues you for 2021!
If you’d like to leave a comment below, I’d love to know your favorite book of 2020. Also, what should I be reading in 2021 and who should I try to get as a podcast guest?
- The Boy Refugee: A Memoir From a Long-Forgotten War by Khawaja Azimuddin, MD (Read my review here. Listen to my interview with Khawaja here.)
- Toward a Philosophy of the Act by M. M. Bakhtin
- Convictions of Faith by R. S. Basi (Read my review here.)
- The Blue Horse by Rick Bass (Read my review here. Interview with Rick coming 1.4.21!)
- The Traveling Feast: On the Road and at the Table with My Heroes by Rick Bass (Read my review here.)
- Winter: Notes from Montana by Rick Bass
- Fidelity: Five Stories by Wendell Berry
- Think Little by Wendell Berry
- This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems by Wendell Berry
- Pinot Rocks: A Winding Journey Through Intense Elegance by Michael Browne
- I and Thou by Martin Buber (Read my review here.)
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
- Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (Read my review here.)
- Of This River by Noah Davis
- In the Kingdom of the Ditch by Todd Davis
- Native Species by Todd Davis
- The Wisdom of Finance: Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return by Mihir Desai (Read my review here.)
- The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
- By Cold Water by Chris Dombrowski (Listen to my interview with Chris here.)
- Body of Water: A Sage, a Seeker, and the World’s Most Alluring Fish by Chris Dombrowski (Read my review here.)
- Earth Again by Chris Dombrowski
- Ragged Anthem by Chris Dombrowski
- Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke (Read my review here.)
- Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn (Read my review here.)
- Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
- The Little Book That Still Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt
- The Value of Voluntary Simplicity by Richard B. Gregg
- Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins (Read my review here.)
- Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover (Read my review here.)
- Faces: A Love Story by Roger Hutchison (Listen to my interview with Roger here.)
- Jesus: God Among Us by Roger Hutchison
- My Favorite Color is Blue. Sometimes.: A Journey Through Loss With Art and Color by Roger Hutchison
- The Painting Table: A Journal of Loss and Joy by Roger Hutchison
- The Very Best Day: The Way of Love For Children by Roger Hutchison
- Under the Fig Tree: Visual Prayers and Poems for Lent by Roger Hutchison
- Pragmatism and Other Writings by William James
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
- The Day the Cowboys Quit by Elmer Kelton
- Another Work is Possible by Joshua Klein (Listen to my interview with Joshua here.)
- Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard (Read my review here.)
- The Latecomers by Rich Marcello
- Blood Meridian: Or Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
- Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World by Adm. William McRaven (Read my review here.)
- Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love With the Process of Becoming Great by Joshua Medcalf (Read my review here.)
- The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
- The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis
- Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work by Steven Pressfield
- Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack (Read my review here.)
- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
- Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation by John Phillip Santos
- Songs Older Than Any Known Singer by John Phillip Santos
- I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott
- Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag
- The Ship’s Carpenter by D. E. Stockman (Read my review here.)
- Cicada by Shaun Tan
- Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman (Read my review here.)
- The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
- Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
- The History of Money by Jack Weatherford
- The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks by Terry Tempest Williams
- Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
- Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual by Jocko Willink (Read my review here.)
- The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols. by Jocko Willink (Read my review here.)
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