2021 was a good year for reading. This is partly due to the books I read and because I explored a category that I have long neglected: memoirs.
I read many good books in 2021—far too many to whittle down to a top ten list. Nonetheless, I’ve listed my ten favorites, including a few non-memoir-related recommendations. (If you’re interested, my 2021 reading list is available here.)
Best Books 2021
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
- Hitman by Bret Hart
- Stop Asking Questions by Andrew Warner
- Blackout by Sarah Hepola
- Face the Music by Paul Stanley
- Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen
- Sing Backwards and Weep by Mark Lanegan
- A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins
- The Gap and The Gain by Benjamin Hardy
- Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
1. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Print | Audiobook | Book Summary
Rating: 4/5
I bought The Psychology of Money after listening to Morgan Housel on The Knowledge Project, and I’m glad I did—it’s one of the best personal finance books I’ve read. The book shares 19 stories that explore how we think about investing, business decisions, and personal finance. One of my favorite stories is that of Ronald Reed, a part-time gas station attendant that amassed a secret $8 million fortune by saving what little he could and investing the rest in blue-chip stocks. He waited for decades on end and watched as his tiny savings compounded into more than $8 million. Some books challenge one or more long-held viewpoints. Others reinforce those that serve you. This book achieved both in less than 200 pages. If you only read one personal finance book in 2022, make sure it’s The Psychology of Money. It might just change your life.
2. Hitman by Bret Hart
Rating: 5/5
As a lifelong pro wrestling fan, I’ve read many wrestling memoirs, but Hitman is in a league of its own. The book recounts Bret Hart’s humble beginnings by providing a rare glimpse into the once-secretive world of professional wrestling. From working for his dad’s struggling wrestling promotion to his meteoric rise with the then-World Wrestling Federation, and everything in-between (including his stroke and his brother Owen’s tragic passing), Hart covers his extraordinary life in detail. In an industry rife with prescription drug abuse, Hart is upfront about his life of the road—loneliness, infidelity, camaraderie. A remarkable read, Hitman is let down only by the fact it’s unavailable on Audible.
3. Stop Asking Questions by Andrew Warner
Rating: 3.5/5
Andrew Warner is the host of Mixergy, a business podcast that interviews startup founders. In Stop Asking Questions, Warner shares what he’s learned from 2,000+ interviews. From leading deeper, more meaningful conversations with people you admire to booking exciting guests and preparing for interviews, Warner gives you a toolkit for learning anything from anyone through high-impact interviewing. I’ve listened to Mixergy since 2016 and was excited to learn from a master of his craft. To quote Warner, “Great interviewing is more than just asking questions. To do it right, you need to be part therapist, part researcher, and part storyteller.” This book shares how and much more.
4. Blackout by Sarah Hepola
Rating: 4/5
After reading Hitman, I wanted to read a memoir that dove into the everyday reality of addiction—how addiction feels, why people become addicted. My curiosity led me to Blackout, a memoir about high functioning alcoholism, denial, and one woman’s struggle for sobriety. Sarah Hepola’s background as a writer makes for masterful storytelling, and her beautiful prose left me hanging on her every word. (The chapters that cover her visit to Paris—and what took place—were some real page-turners.) If you only read one memoir in 2022, add Blackout to your reading list.
5. Face the Music by Paul Stanley
Rating: 4/5
Once I started listening to more memoirs, I got tailored recommendations from Audible. Face the Music was one such suggestion, and I bought it, not knowing much about Stanley or the band he’s fronted for four decades, Kiss. Listening to Stanley reflect on his life—from growing up partially deaf, with only one ear, to meeting Gene Simmons and co-founding what would go on to become one of the biggest rock outfits of all time—one can’t help but feel inspired. His reflections on parenthood were a particular highlight and not a topic I expected to hear Stanley cover with such consideration. I also read Gene Simmons’s memoir, Kiss and Makeup, which is also worth reading (though diehard Kiss fans won’t enjoy the “ganging up” on former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss).
6. Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen
Rating: 3.5/5
I read Chase Darkness with Me after listening to Billy Jensen on Noah Kagan’s podcast discussing using Facebook ads to solve murders. Intrigued, I bought the book, not knowing what to expect, and it hooked me from the first page. One stand-out chapter covers Jensen’s investigation into a murder in New York City on 9/11 and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the case. While Chase Darkness with Me won’t break new ground for true crime fans, it does offer a rare glimpse into the life of a true-crime journalist—and the lengths one man will go to to bring closure to the families of murder victims.
7. Sing Backwards and Weep by Mark Lanegan
Rating: 5/5
While I was never a big fan of Screaming Trees, I was a big fan of grunge growing up and was hungry for any stories that I might not have heard about the movement. I bought Sick Backwards and Weep on Audible and from the opening line, read in Langen’s rich, baritone voice, I was captivated in a way I haven’t been before or since. Sing Backwards and Weep shares singer Mark Lanegan’s struggles with heroin addiction, the tragic, untimely deaths of his closest friends Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley (among others), and the survivor’s guilt that’s plagued him long after. Raw. Haunting. Memorable. I almost wish I hadn’t read it—no memoir will ever come close again.
8. A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins
Rating: 3.5/5
A Bit of a Stretch is about Chris Atkins, a documentary-maker that becomes embroiled in a fraudulent scheme to fund his next film and gets locked up for five years. While incarcerated at Wandsworth Prison, one of the UK’s most notorious prisons, Atkins keeps a diary detailing the many characters he encounters in his day-to-day, as well as offering an insider’s view on mental health and prison education. It’s fun to be a fly-on-the-wall for Atkins’ eight months on the inside, following his ups-and-downs. But the memoir will leave you reflecting on the true scale of the prison crisis as well as its true cost, both to prisoners and taxpayers.
9. The Gap and The Gain by Benjamin Hardy
Hardcover | Audiobook | Book Summary
Rating: 3.5/5
The Gap and the Gain was perhaps the most surprising book I read in 2021. I read Hardy’s previous book Who Not How at the beginning of the year but found it bland and underwhelming. However, his new book was a massive improvement, perhaps due to how well he presents its core idea of measuring backward and the benefits of doing so. The book serves as a reminder of why appreciating what you have achieved is more important than the distance between where you are and where you want to be—an attitude often neglected by high achievers. An interesting, thought-provoking book and one I plan to revisit often.
10. Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Print | Audiobook | Book Summary
Rating: 4/5
I first read Anything You Want in 2015 when I was dipping my toe into entrepreneurship (I even emailed Sivers to praise his book and got a reply). I recently listened to the audio version as Sivers reads the book himself, and it’s even better than I remembered. Inside, are 40 unconventional business lessons Sivers learned about running and growing his company as well as the challenges with managing friends-turned-employees. If you’re a fan of Sivers’ writing, in particular his philosophies on life and business, you might also like his new book Hell Yeah or No. You can read my summary here.
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap!
If you enjoy my book recommendation, you might like previous years’ entries:
Otherwise, if you’re looking for more good book recommendations, you can’t go wrong with my book summaries page.