2021 reading list

1. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
family, ingenuity, progress
cross-training: A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle)

2. The Operator (Gretchen Berg)
secretive, unexpected, atmospheric
cross-training: Mad Men TV series

3. Ready Player Two (Ernest Cline)
sentimental, digital, slow-starter
cross-training: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

4. Writers & Lovers (Lily King)
sensitive, single-chapter, crescendo
cross-training: Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

5. Why We Swim (Bonnie Tsui)
familiar, storytelling, collective
cross-training: Charles Tomlinson’s poem, “Swimming Chenango Lake”

6. The Library Book (Susan Orlean)
nostalgic, puzzling, journalistic
cross-training: The Giver of Stars (Jojo Moyes)

7. All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
captivating, detailed, beautiful
cross-training: The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)

8. The Sun is a Compass (Caroline Van Hemert)
expansive, resilient, adventure
cross-training: the Banff Mountain Film Festival

9. The Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman)
meddling, funny, warm
cross-training: Murder, She Wrote TV series

10. On Writing (Stephen King)
dedicated, pragmatic, fangirl (me)
cross-training: The War of Art (Steven Pressfield)

11. Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
lengthy, significant, expressive
cross-training: The Girl with the Louding Voice (Abi Daré)

12. Without Reservations (Alice Steinbach)
good-natured, introspective, confident
cross-training: Wild (Cheryl Strayed)

13. Nathaniel’s Nutmeg (Giles Milton)
risky, competitive, explorative
cross-training: Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

14. Daisy Jones and the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
compulsive, rock and roll, mockumentary
cross-training: A Star is Born (2018)

15. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
provocative, honest, identity
cross-training: Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

16. The Island of Sea Women (Lisa See)
friendship, heartbreaking, tradition
cross-training: Sky Burial (Xinran)

17. Zen in The Art of Writing (Ray Bradbury)
process, poetry, memories
cross-training: On Writing (Stephen King)

18. I’d Rather Be Reading (Anne Bogel)
bookish, relatable, connected
cross-training: How Reading Changed My Life (Anna Quindlen)

19. They Never Learn (Layne Fargo)
twisted, calculated, avenged
cross-training: Strike Me Down (Mindy Mejia)

20. The Girl with the Louding Voice (Abi Daré)
brave, transformative, educating
cross-training: The Vanishing Half (Brit Bennett)

21. Endure (Alex Hutchinson)
researched, technical, concrete
cross-training: Peak Performance (Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness)

22. The Greatest Salesman in the World (Og Mandino)
guidance, action, habits
cross-training: The Man on the Mountaintop (Susan Trott)

23. How Reading Changed My Life (Anna Quindlen)
introspective, quick, collection
cross-training: Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)

24. Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey)
alright, alright, alright
cross-training: Dazed and Confused (1993)

25. Beginners (Tom Vanderbilt)
imperfect, inspired, learning
cross-training: The Pursuit of Perfect (Tal Ben-Shahar)

26. The Storytelling Animal (Jonathan Gottschall)
wired for story
cross-training: Building a StoryBrand (Donald Miller)

27. The Biggest Bluff (Maria Konnikova)
self-awareness, wealth of skill, embrace uncertainty
cross-training: Turning Pro (Steven Pressfield)

28. Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris)
ordinary, witty, identity
cross-training: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life (Samantha Irby)

29. The Art of Gathering (Priya Parker)
how-to, purposeful, etiquette
cross-training: The Culture Code (Daniel Coyle)

30. Trick Mirror (Jia Tolentino)
blunt editorial awareness
cross-training: Bad Feminist (Roxane Gay)

31. Firefly Lane (Kristin Hannah)
tearful summer read
cross-training: Firefly Lane Netflix Series

32. Bad Feminist (Roxane Gay)
opinionated, articulate collection
cross-training: Hunger (Roxane Gay)

33. What Kind of Woman (Kate Baer)
relatable poetry experience
cross-training: Tell Me More (Kelly Corrigan)

34. How Star Wars Conquered the Universe (Chris Taylor)
overwhelming detailed history
cross-training: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

35. Living the Confidence Code (Katty Kay, Claire Shipman, JillEllyn Riley)
perseverant YA stories
cross-training: Hyperbole and a Half (Allie Brosh)

36. The Finders (Jeffrey B. Burton)
bad-guy-finding golden retriever
cross-training: Turner & Hooch (1989)

37. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
heartbreak is loss
cross-training: City of Girls (Elizabeth Gilbert)

38. Effortless (Greg McKeown)
get things done
cross-training: Essentialism (Greg McKeown)

39. Educating Alice (Alice Steinbach)
zero tension memoir (“meh”-moir)
cross-training: Garlic and Sapphires (Ruth Reichl)

40. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry (Kathleen Flinn)
learning conquers outcomes
cross-training: Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Julia Child)

41. Chatter (Ethan Kross)
inner voice tools
cross-training: Quiet (Susan Cain)

42. On Trails (Robert Moor)
lines left behind
cross-training: Desert Solitaire (Edward Abbey)

43. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry (Joya Goffney)
YA, list-making, romance
cross-training: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV Series

44. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (Charlie Mackesy)
kindness, bravery, love
cross-training: Winnie-the-Pooh (A.A. Milne)

45. The Great Pretender (Susannah Cahalan)
undercover mental insanity
cross-training: Brain on Fire (Susannah Cahalan)

46. On Writing Well (William Zinsser)
practical writing advice
cross-training: The Elements of Style (William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White)

47. Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View (multiple contributors)
minor character storytelling
cross-training: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

48. Brain on Fire (Susannah Cahalan)
brain health memoir
cross-training: The Big Sick (2017)

49. Goodnight Beautiful (Aimee Molloy)
twists and turns
cross-training: Misery (Stephen King)

50. American Places (William Zinsser)
vivid American icons
cross-training: National Park After Dark podcast (episode 12)

51. Solutions and Other Problems (Allie Brosh)
illustrated subjective humor
cross-training: Reasons to Stay Alive (Matt Haig)

52. A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles)
five-star (hotel) exile
cross-training: The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

53. The Art of Impossible (Steven Kotler)
how to flow
cross-training: Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)

54. Chasing the Thrill (Daniel Barbarisi)
real-life treasure hunt
cross-training: The Thrill of the Chase (Forrest Fenn)

Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)

2018 reading list

2019 reading list