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)

Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)

2019 reading list

2018 reading list