2013 Book List

For those of us that work in creative fields, it’s vastly important to find ways to keep our creative juices flowing. That’s probably why curiosity is a constant factor for most designers and artists. For me, personally, I find much inspiration in reading books and watching films. The common thread between all media is storytelling and I find I am a better storyteller for seeking out many varied perspectives. This past year, I found myself re-reading a couple of my all-time favorite books. I also read a few that have made it to the big screen. (I’m one of those people that prefers to read the book before seeing the film version so that I can get the “whole story” before seeing the condensed version.) My book choices tend to oscillate between intense dramas and hilarious comedies. Perhaps because after a heart-wrenching story, I need a good laugh. Here are some of the books that I’ve devoured this year:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ★★★★★

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

You Are Not So Smart: (Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself) by David McRaney

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage

Stuff by Gail Steketee

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (Re-read) ★★★★★

The Music Lesson by Victor L. Wooten ★★★★★

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson ★★★★★

Tiny Buddha by Lori Deschene

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Bossypants by Tina Fey

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot ★★★★★

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Butterfly in the Typewriter by Cory MacLauchlin

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (Re-read)

Code Talker by Chester Nez

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson ★★★★★

The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel ★★★★★

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Jim Henson by Brian Jay Jones ★★★★★

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

The Dangerous Animals Club by Stephen Tobolowsky

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ★★★★★