THREAD: As 2020 winds down, I wanted to share a #GMGReads list of my favorite books I read this year; it's an odd list, as I've read almost nothing for pleasure since June—I've been consumed my own book research—and I've struggled to read fiction concentration-wise this year...
This year's list is oddly filled by books about science and the history of science—paleontology, ichthyology, epidemiology, and more—but I guess it's a good year to be interested in (and trust!) science. So here's my (unordered) list of the top books I read this year:
1) George Packer's rakish biography of Richard Holbrooke OUR MAN is hands-down one of the best biographies I've ever read: bookshop.org/books/our-man-…
2) THE SIXTH EXTINCTION by @ElizKolbert is a clarion call about how we need to be taking the climate so much more seriously: bookshop.org/books/the-sixt…
3) @scgwynne's HYMNS OF THE REPUBLIC, about the final year of the Civil War, was such a fascinating, original look at a seemingly well-covered topic: bookshop.org/books/hymns-of…
4) THE UNMAKING THE PRESIDENCY by @Susan_Hennessey and @benjaminwittes really made me rethink the legacy of Trump's time in office: bookshop.org/books/unmaking…
5) @johnmbarry's THE GREAT INFLUENZA is the definitive history of the 1918 epidemic and definitely worth reading given what we've lived this year: bookshop.org/books/the-grea…
6) IN THESE WAVES by @UnderwaterLance was a super fun tour of explosives, science, and the Civil War: bookshop.org/books/in-the-w…
7) WHY FISH DON'T EXIST by @lmillernpr blew my mind—and it's the book I've gifted to more friends than any other this year : bookshop.org/books/why-fish…
8) @tobyordoxford's THE PRECIPICE is a really valuable window into how we need to rethink the way we think about humanity: bookshop.org/books/the-prec…
9) @SteveBrusatte's RISE AND FALL OF DINOSAURS was a delightful tour of how we've come to learn and understand dinosaurs: bookshop.org/books/the-rise…
10) Lawrence Wright's prescient pandemic novel END OF OCTOBER was absolutely gripping (and now we can say we likely escaped the worst outcomes he imagined): bookshop.org/books/the-end-…
11) FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL by @sherifink, a recommendation from a #GMGReads reader, was as good as everyone says; about the tough choices at a New Orleans hospital during Katrina: bookshop.org/books/five-day…
Tomorrow night, as a final #GMGReads of 2020, I'll share the books I'm most looking forward to reading in 2021. If you want to peruse past #GMGReads lists, they're all listed here: garrettgraff.com/gmgreads/
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