Let’s talk about books! If you listen to the MTA Podcast you probably know that one of my other great loves, besides running, is reading books.
In 2019 I was able to read or listen to 268 books total.
-133 fiction
-135 non-fiction (16 running books)
-Highest volume month was January (31 total).
For those looking for some recommendations, here’s a list of the books (non-fiction and fiction) that I enjoyed the most in 2019.
Books I Enjoyed in 2019
Sixteen Running Books I Enjoyed:
- Hanson’s Marathon Method by Luke Humphrey
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
- A Beautiful Work in Progress by Mirna Valerio
- Run the Mile You’re In by Ryan Hall (podcast interview)
- 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi (podcast interview)
- To be a Runner by Martin Dugard (podcast interview)
- The Long Run by Matt Long
- You (Only Faster) by Greg McMillan
- The Running Man by Orville Rogers
- Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
- Running- A Love Story by Jen A. Miller
- 14 Minutes by Alberto Salazar
- Running Outside Your Comfort Zone by Susan Lacke (podcast interview)
- Running to the Edge by Matthew Futterman (podcast interview)
- Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger From Sports Injuries by Cindy Kuzma and Carrie Jackson Cheadle
- Kicksology by Brian Metzler (podcast interview)
28 Non-Fiction Books I Enjoyed
- How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb
- How to be Here by Rob Bell
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
- Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Tribe by Sebastian Junger
- Judgment Detox by Gabrielle Bernstein
- Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
- Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
- The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
- American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee
- Maid by Stephanie Land
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Half the Sky by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl Wu Dunn
- Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris
- Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
- Cozy Minimalistic Home by Myquillyn Smith
- Make Your Bed and Sea Stories by Admiral William H Mcraven
- Running the Books by Avi Steinberg
- The Vietnam War by Geoffrey C Ward
- Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
- Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel
- Strays by Britt Collins
- Endurance by Scott Kelly
- The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
- Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
13 Favorite Fiction Books I Enjoyed
- Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
- The Circle by Dave Eggers
- The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
- Dark Matter & Recursion by Blake Crouch
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- The Bonesetters Daughter by Amy Tan
- The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
- Revenger & Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds
- The Revenant by Michael Punke
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I’d love to hear what’s on your reading list! Leave a comment below.
Yes! The Count of Monte Cristo! So many hours of listening for the money. I recommend any of Anthony Trollope’s books read by Timothy West. I download them from Audible. Nice and long and kind of soapy. Wonderful voice characterizations by Mr. West. Thank you for your recommendations. Claire
Hey Claire, It’s so true that a good narrator can make a book so much better! I’ll check out the ones by Anthony Trollope.
My favorite audiobooks of the year were:
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
The Rise of the Ultra Runners by Adharanand Finn
Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change by Marc Benioff
The Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks us by Paul Tough
Training for Ultra: Ultra Running Stories from the Middle of the Pack by Rob Steger
Also loved the Goggins book and the Kicksology 🙂
Hey Joellen, Those sound like some great reads! I thought you’d enjoy the Kicksology one since I remember you trying out lots of shoes and keeping detailed notes on them 🙂
My favorites from 2019 were:
Running is my Therapy – Scott Douglas
Eat and Run – Scott Jurek
Can’t Hurt Me – D. Goggin’s
A House in the Sky – Amanda Lindhout
Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
Talking to Strangers – Malcolm Gladwell
The Revenant – Michael Punke
The Water Dancer – Ta-Nehisi Coates
I really enjoyed Meb’s book too.
Hi Scott, Looks like you read some awesome books last year as well. I’m glad that you also enjoyed The Revenant. Malcolm Gladwell is another wonderful author and I’ve got Talking to Strangers on my TBR list. Happy reading!
I have been recommending the book Rebound, while recovering from injury so heard about this book and bought it , the only regret that I didn’t have it earlier, , really helped with the emotional aspect of not running has on us dedicated runners, also enjoyed “running with Sherman “, now I have been consumed with books on the AT , Grandma Gatewood story got me thinking about AT , planning on hiking a weekend this April to see if I could hike the AT , love reading and learning ,
Hi Penny, I’m glad that you found the book Rebound helpful too! We’re excited to be interviewing the authors for an upcoming episode. I’ve got the book Running With Sherman on my TBR list as well. Sounds like you’re doing some great research into the AT for your upcoming hike. Happy reading and running 🙂
In addition to the ones you’ve had on the podcast this year and in the past, I also really enjoyed and/or appreciated:
“What I talk about when I talk about running” – H. Murakami
“The Joy of Movement” – Kelly McGonigal
“How Bad Do you want it?” – Matt Fitzgerald
“Run:The Mind/Body Method of Running By Feel” – Matt Fitzgerald (I found that a lot of this was information I was integrating already, but there were some useful tips about how to log runs and remember specific running experiences/lessons)
“Fast Girl: A life Spent Running From Madness” – Suzy Favor Hamilton
“Running With Sherman” – Chris McDougall
“ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life” -Stacy Sims
“My Israel Trail: Finding Peace in the Promised Land” – Aryeh Green
Hey Yali, You read some great books last year! I’ve currently got Running with Sherman, The Joy of Movement, and Fast Girl on my TBR list. Happy reading 🙂
Best book Being Mortal by Athletics Gawande MD.
I agree, that’s an excellent book. Very moving and thought provoking!
Hey, what is the book online exchange you use? I couldn’t find the podcast you spoke about it in. Thanks.
It’s Paperbackswap.com 🙂