2014 Books

Lots of free time in Serbia afforded plenty of opportunities for reading. I also dipped into Justified, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Silicon Valley, Broad City and Game of Thrones on television. Of these, I think I enjoyed Silicon Valley the most, but it is fully my intention to damn it with faint praise. I had a number of problems with Breaking Bad, and, of the above list, found it to be the most disappointing; but that might have been the result of high expectations, along with the fact that it's really not my kind of show.

Channeling   Chris Rock, I'll list my top five, followed by the whole list, which is also available on Goodreads. Hat Tip to Pat (my only Goodreads friend at this point) for his reviews and suggestions; and also to Lois, Sarah, Worldwide and Monika for their gifts and suggestions.

Confessions of an Advertising Man

by David Ogilvy

Enjoyed the confidence (and arrogance) of this book, which was very much of its time. It was a quick read, sprinkled with great war stories from the world of advertising, and offered lessons applicable to any organization. One of those books, you are glad to have read, and surprised more people haven't heard of. A Farnam Street recommendation.

Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas

by Cass R. Sunstein

I didn't always agree with the arguments in this book, but the points are so well argued that I found myself thinking about a number of issues in different ways. One of the things I've found most beneficial about the internet is access to information and opinions from people I don't necessarily agree with. There are losers and winners in every transaction, and it can be useful to hear a well reasoned case from the other side, rather than speculating about how "idiots" could possibly believe something.  The essay on "animal rights," for instance, was a refreshing take on an issue that I had never considered. Easy to dismiss outright; much harder after reading.

Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade

by Adam Minter

I think I got this after hearing an interview with the author on NPR. He was raised in the scrap trade and spent a significant amount of time in China to gather the material for this book. My main takeaway was increased reassurance that nearly all value is extracted from our scrap and wariness about environmental standards and worker safety in China. A lot to learn about a fascinating part of modern life that we don't pay much attention to. 

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto

by Chuck Klosterman

Bought this after hearing the author riff on pop culture with Bill Simmons on Grantland. Fabulously entertaining essays on various aspects of pop culture. If you were looking for a literate deconstruction of Saved by the Bell, this is the book for you. I've also started reading and enjoying his Ethicist column in the Sunday NY Times as a result.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

by David Foster Wallace

Another link from Farnam Street, which initially led me to the fabulous "This is water" commencement address, which prompted a deeper dive into his collections of essays. Truly great writing, combining insight into life in today's world with an appreciation (and sometimes scabrous loathing) of various aspects of pop culture and everyday life. 

Here is the full list. Honorable mentions to "My Salinger Year" and "Love Goes to Buildings on Fire."

Title	Author
The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1)	Graeme Simsion
The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs	Greil Marcus
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning  Trials into Triumph	Ryan Holiday
Another Fool in the Balkans: In the Footsteps of  Rebecca West	Tony   White
Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies	Brian Coleman
Books That Changed The World	James Andrew Taylor
My Salinger Year	Joanna Rakoff
Listen to This	Alex  Ross
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short  Works of Richard P. Feynman	Richard P. Feynman
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An  Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness	Russ Roberts
The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu	Dan Jurafsky
Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas	Cass R. Sunstein
Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work	Chip Heath
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon	Brad Stone
Kim	Rudyard Kipling
Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences	Edward Tenner
The Children Act	Ian McEwan
Monkey Business: The Lives and Legends of The  Marx Brothers	Simon Louvish
The Invention of the Modern World	Alan Macfarlane
Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the  American Cocktail	William Grimes
Mathletics: A Scientist Explains 100 Amazing Things About the World of Sports	John D. Barrow
Connections	James  Burke
Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever	Will Hermes
Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders	Jamie Whyte
Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America	Peter Andreas
The Fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War	Misha Glenny
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto	Chuck Klosterman
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China	Evan Osnos
The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet	Nina Teicholz
Paul's Boutique	Dan LeRoy
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm	Shawn Taylor
War and Peace	Leo Tolstoy
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark	Carl Sagan
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business	Clayton M. Christensen
Guerrilla Radio: Rock 'N' Roll Radio and Serbia's Underground Resistance	Matthew Collin
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others	Daniel H. Pink
Confessions of an Advertising Man	David Ogilvy
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams	Darcy Frey
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big : Kind of the Story of My Life	Scott Adams
On Conan Doyle	Michael Dirda
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her	Melanie Rehak
Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Brings You 90% of Everything	Rose George
Stop Me If You've Heard This: A History and Philosophy of Jokes	Jim Holt
Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate	Vaclav Smil
Fire in the Hole	Elmore Leonard
A nervous splendour	Frederick Morton
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies	Erik Brynjolfsson
The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor	William Easterly
Songbook	Nick Hornby
The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success	Megan McArdle
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life	Anne Lamott
Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade	Adam Minter
Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War	Max Hastings
Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better	Clive Thompson
Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond	Chris Crowley
I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59	Douglas Edwards
The Undercover Economist Strikes Back: How to Run-or Ruin-an Economy	Tim Harford
Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012	Carol J. Loomis
The Dog of the South	Charles Portis
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again:  Essays and Arguments	David Foster Wallace