Here are the books I read this year with brief notes about each one.
Create Dangerously by Albert Camus
This is a short book about artists’ responsibility to create work, despite whatever is going on in the world. My favorite quote from the book:
We must know that we cannot hide away from communal misery, and that our sole justification, if one exists, is to speak out, as best we can, for those who cannot. And we must do this for everyone who is suffering at this very moment, despite the past or future greatness of the states or political parties that are oppressing them.
Albert Camus, Create Dangerously
Brand Vision by Jim Everhart
Detailed thought processes and models/templates about aligning business strategy with marketing strategy.
Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud
Written in graphic novel format with dense information, so this was a slow read for me. The book was published in 2000 and tried to predict the future of comics in a digital space. Some things it got right (digital formats, sharing comics online) and some things it got wrong (no one is sending CDs through the mail anymore).
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
Urban fantasy novel. I really liked the premise about New York City being alive and having human avatars for each borough. But I don’t like the storytelling style. A lot of the book felt like too much dialogue for me.
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
Tips for managing tasks. A lot of this is geared towards motherhood, which is not a bad thing, but totally not what I expected.
This Book Will Teach You How to Write Better by Neville Medhora
Super slim book on writing concisely and clearly. Honestly if you’ve read other books on writing, you can skip this one.
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
Fantasy mystery novel. I like when stories treat magic as a dangerous thing. If you like that too, you’ll probably like this. But note the story is written in first-person perspective, and the main character isn’t very likable.
Let me know which books you enjoyed this year.