
2021 reading summary
this year, I’m tracking two things on my reading list:
- a 3-word description of each book
- a cross-training “workout” (a related book, article, blog post, movie, TV show, podcast, product, etc.)
reading list by month
january
- 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”
february
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
march
- 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)
april
- 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)
may
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)
june
- 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)
july
- 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)
august
- 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)
september
- 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) - 55. Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel)
pre-post apocalyptic
cross-training: The Stand (Stephen King) - 56. Writing to Learn (William Zinssner)
write the unknown
cross-training: The Oxford Guide to Plain English (Martin Cutts)
october
- 57. The Great Alone (Kristin Hannah)
surviving in Alaska
cross-training: The Giver of Stars (JoJo Moyes) - 58. Broken (Jenny Lawson)
mental health essays
cross-training: Furiously Happy (Jenny Lawson) - 59. The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
learn through living
cross-training: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (Gail Honeyman) - 60. The Other Black Girl (Zakiya Dalila Harris)
what just happened
cross-training: The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger) - 61. Malibu Rising (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
surfing phoenix rises
cross-training: Daisy Jones & The Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid) - 62. The Plot (Jean Hanff Korelitz)
blazing slow burn
cross-training: Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood) - 63. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (V.E. Schwab)
beautiful, sultry darkness
cross-training: The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)
november
- 64. I Hope This Finds You Well: Poems (Kate Baer)
transforming through erasure
cross-training: Newspaper Blackout (Austin Kleon) - 65. Crying in H Mart (Michelle Zauner)
identity through grief
cross-training: Kim’s Convenience TV Series - 66. Mrs. March (Virginia Feito)
nameless insecure paranoia
cross-training: Psycho (1960)
december
- 67. You’ll Grow Out of It (Jessi Klein)
non-linear essay collection
cross-training: Broken (Jenny Lawson) - 68. The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)
rich, magical, romantic
cross-training: The Prestige (2006) 69. The Highly Sensitive Person (Elaine N. Aron)
informative but defensive
cross-training: Quiet (Susan Cain)70. Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir)
hilarious science-based storytelling
cross-training: The Martian (Andy Weir)- 71. The Man Who Died Twice – Thursday Murder Club #2 (Richard Osman)
golden-yeared mystery solvers
cross-training: The Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman)
2021 dnfs
- Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)
past reading lists
Follow @thebookishathlete for updates on what I’ve been reading lately. Book recommendations are always appreciated, and I’m happy to throw out some ideas as well!