Books in 2021
9 January 2022
I read 28 books in 2021.
True to my guiding policy of reading what I’m interested in, I’ve moved freely between a wide range of topics such as personal development, sustainability, ultra running, and game development to name a few.
My top 5 favorite books
I read a lot of great books this year, and this list is based on the books that had the biggest impact on me personally, and is in no particular order.
Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel
Jason is able to put a face to sustainability and go beyond tactics to explore the foundational underpinnings behind the society as we know it and how this feeds into the current crisis of ecological collapse.
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner
Having grown up in the 80s and 90s, deeply entrenched in the early days of game programming, the story of John Carmack and John Romero is nothing short of mesmerizing. I was inspired by them back then, and even more so now.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
One of the great books of our time, and quite possibly the most inspirational book I’ve read. What is the meaning of life? What do we do when there’s nothing left to hold on to? The only thing I regret is that I didn’t read it sooner.
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
This book blew me away. Having been a runner for many years, I’ve experienced both highs and lows in terms of my own ability. Alex looks at the art and science of endurance, and has enabled me to reimagine what I thought was possible.
Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy by Herman Pontzer
I’ve been experimenting with food for as long as I can remember. Burn is a fun, and eye-opening read that provided answers to several questions I’ve pondering about how our metabolism really works.
Books by category
Personal development
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts
- Man’s Search for Meaning
- Skärmsmart : 9 hjärnregler för prestation och välmående i en digitaliserad vardag
- A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload
- The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
- Think in Systems: The Art of Strategic Planning, Effective Problem Solving, And Lasting Results
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
- The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Sustainability
- Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman–Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual
- Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World
Ultra running
- The Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance
- Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons
- Hal Koerner’s Field Guide to Ultrarunning: Training for an Ultramarathon, from 50K to 100 Miles and Beyond
- Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
Game development
- The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985-1993–Illustrated Edition
- Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made
- Game Engine Black Book Wolfenstein 3D: v2.1
- Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
Diet & health
- Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance
- The Longevity Diet
- Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy