“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
― Charles W. Eliot
Life without reading and books would be a mistake.
In many ways the fastest way to learn, the best way to empathize with others, to grow and challenge oneself and to fuel ones thinking and ability to communicate is to read.
If our bodies are in part what we eat our minds and spirit is in large part what we read.
If innovation is connecting dots in new ways and ideas are fueled by insights then both of these are often turbocharged by reading.
But in a world with so much to do, filled with so many books and so little time how can we read deeply and widely?
I read forty to sixty books every year spanning fiction and non-fiction, graphic novels and children books, anthologies and literary periodicals, allocating an hour or two a day to the task.
This is in addition to the newspapers, magazines, email newsletters , blogs, and Substack’s that keep me informed but I have found they are not sufficient miss a to truly understand, grow and thrive.
Most people do not have the luxury of such time but if you have 20 to 25 minutes a day ( an hour and a half a week ) here is a recommendation of 7 resources that will provide you with the greatest range of world class writing in English from all over the globe every year. They are all available both in paper form which is my preference but also in digital form and a few as audible books.
I have read each of them for over two decades and they form the foundation of my yearly reading and are probably the best return on time spent every year.
The Best American Series.
The Best American Series consist of six annual anthologies guest edited by a different person each year. The three I recommend are the essay, short stories and science anthologies ( Was also a big fan of the travel writing anthology whose publication was discontinued in 2022 ).
The essays introduce you to distinct voices. This year’s foreword by the outgoing long time series editor on censorship and freedom of speech is in itself worth the price of the book.
If “art is the lie that tells the truth” than the short stories are compressed truth.
Science and Nature are far broader and deeper than AI and Climate change as the Science and Nature compilation reveals.
Each book contains about 20 pieces that take about 20 minutes each to read and are sourced from hundreds of periodicals. They span a diverse spectrum perspectives, and points of view. Each year at least a dozen of these sixty impact the way I think or live and you might find them similarly meaningful.
These are available globally in print, electronically and as audio books. The print editions are $17 in the US and less than 400 rupees ( $5 )each in India.
Pushcart Prize Anthologies
If you read only one book a year this is the one you should read.
It sources its material from smaller and off beat periodicals ( no New Yorker or Paris Review or Atlantic Magazines) and contains fiction, non-fiction, essays and poetry many of which will have the impact of being slapped by a cold fish on your face ( in a nice way).
The range of writers and voices are ones you do not often come across including the inner life of influencers, the drama of being a gamer and perspectives of people you never knew existed.
No gloss, no floss, no boss.
Just amazing writing filled with passion using and twisting language into lines that will transform you.
This is a big book running hundreds of pages and dipping in and out over the year is the best way to approach it.
The Paris Review and Granta.
The Paris Review and Granta are quarterly periodicals that are unique and very different from each other. While both publish fiction, non-fiction, photography and art they are complementary in many ways.
The Paris Review has a unique series called “ The Art of…” which are interviews carried out over months with two different artists each quarter on how they create their art. These include fiction writers, dramatists, poets, journalists, biographers, film makers and much more. Paris Review also has a number of free digital newsletters including a poem of the day.
Granta reads younger and more global and usually focusses on a theme or region. One quarter the entire series will be about brothers and sisters. The latest issue will be about Deutschland (Germany). Based on this theme one can read a spectrum of writing and look at photographs, collages and much more. Granta also has a tilt to travel and exploration relative to the Paris Review.
Both can be accessed digitally and/or in print. (No audible version).
You can learn more about the Paris Review here:
And about Granta here:
The New York Review of Books.
The New York Review of Books is published 24 times a year and is really a magazine of ideas that use writers and books as as starting point to cover politics, economics, society, film, music and art.
An example the issue above has a wonderful essay by Natalie Anger called “ Not Milk?”on why we do not need milk and how milk is one of the most successful marketed products. There is a take down of private equity with data that will blow you away and two pieces “ How Germans See Jews Today” and “Tragedy on the West Bank” which provide great nuance, depth, perspective, humanity and wisdom on the tragedy unfolding in the Middle East.
These seven suggestions of four books and three annual subscriptions will set you back about 15 dollars a month ( or two beers during happy hour )and any one of these or all of them can make a great gift to yourself, your loved ones or your colleagues.
They are available globally and while published in the US or UK they source writers from all over the world. The limitations are that they focus primarily on the English language and that means the spectrum is not as wide or all encompassing as it could be but still it is a pretty wide aperture.
Feel free to add your favorite books or recommendations in the comments.
Fixated on AI? then take a listen to this weeks podcast on something that will matter more and more regarding AI.
Ethics and the Keys to be cool in Business: On the latest What Next? Linda Thomas Brooks and Wallace Snyder, founders of the Institute for Advertising Ethics on the future of trust in business. Linda, who is also chief executive officer at PRSA ( Public Relations Society of America) and former president and CEO of the Association of Magazine Media and Wallace, former president and CEO of the American Advertising Federation, argue that the rise of AI will elevate the role that ethics plays in keeping companies relevant. As Millennials and Gen Z look at who is doing the right thing, how to build ethics into the heart of business will become key to attracting and retaining talent.
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