Books

For the last few years I get to December and begin to notice books of the year lists popping up (Alex Hutchinson’s recommendations starting this). This happens around the same time I have a slightly longer break, with more time to read so I begun to buy a pile of books to keep me going into the new year. Coupled with this I had created a book wish list on Amazon, to remind me of books that caught my eye within the year and then begin to compare / remind myself of which books I’d like to buy as my 2025 reading pile.

This year I’ve bought 7 books – one still to be delivered. A mix of human condition, sport specific & musician. No fiction (which isn’t unusual) the complexion of the rest remains pretty normal. Here’s what I understand about the books and why I’ve gone for them

1. Street-level superstar, a year with Lawrence by Will Hodgkinson. This about a musician who never really made it, was there and thereabouts over many years. I find those nearly stories intriguing, where there seems to be an unwillingness to compromise something that makes the individual both great, flawed and just not able to mould to what is required.
2. The Strange Order of Things by Antonio Damasio. I came across Antonis Damasio when reading The Hidden Spring by Mark Solms – all about what human consciousness is. I understood under half of this book, found it really challenging & fascinating. Damasio was mentioned a lot as an expert in the field of human consciousness, so I sought out something he had written himself to try and learn more.
3. The Norwegian Method by Brad Culp. How the Norwegians train, curious as to the depth and insight I can glean from this. There’s no doubt that how the Norwegians approach sport is successful. How much is cultural vs training I’m curious about and this seemed a well respected overview.
4. To The Limit by Michael Crawley. I really enjoyed MIchael Crawley’s first book Out of Thin Air, describing his time running with Ethiopians so decided to give his new book a try and see how well he’d approached a more general look at Endurance
5. Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. 24 years after The Tipping Point the ever excellent Gladwell revisits his first idea. I love the reflectiveness in this, seeing how his ideas & approach has subtly shifted really appeals.
6. On the Edge – Nate Silver. I’ve been aware of Silver for some time (as the forecaster behind fivethrityeight & US political forecasting). What turned me onto this book was the interview he gave to Michael Lewis as part of the recent Against the Rules series on gambling in US sports. Having never read anything Nate Silver had written and warming to how he came across this struck me as something that would resonate.
7. The Bushman’s Lair by Paul McKendrick is all about a man who lives in the wilderness, raids cabins and has a whole host of mystery around it. US wilderness, social outcast – perfect for me.