One of my favorite annual posts, here are my top reads from 2011. While I read about 50 books a year, only a handful are standouts. This year I may hit 70 reads!

What were your favorite reads this year?

Little Bee (2008) by Chris Cleave (F)

While I didn’t think this novel was particularly well-written, I have not been able to get it out of mind since reading it.  It addresses the harsh realities of the immigration system and globalization by putting its focus on how one young girl irrevocably changes the lives of a British couple who meet her on a Nigerian Beach.

In the Woods (2007) and The Likeness (2008) by Tana French (F)

French writes detail-rich police procedurals that focus more on the lives and minds of the investigating officers than the suspects being investigated.   I couldn’t put these novels down.

Stumbling on Happiness (2005) by Daniel Gilbert (NF)

Though this book is already nearing its 6th birthday, it’s still full of fascinating studies that explain how the brain works.  Philosophers have written volumes on man’s pursuit of happiness; Gilbert wrote one detailing how the brain tricks us into believing we are happy even if all signs point to being unhappy.   From addressing the paradox of choice to how the brain uses filler details where information is missing, Gilbert explains the science and psychology of the brain that helps you understand why people act the way they do.

Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making You Smarter (2006) by Steven Johnson (NF)

Johnson dismantles the disdain for popular entertainment from television to video games to explain how each is actually contributing to a brighter populace.  Layered stories and multi-plot television programming and films require greater sophistication in comprehension to keep up. And strategic and spacial intelligence required of gamers.  Johnson makes the case that pop culture shouldn’t be broadly dismissed as detrimental to society, when it’s challenging our brains in different ways from the past times of yesteryear.

The Compassionate Instinct: The Science of Human Goodness (2010) edited by Dacher Keltner, Jason Marsh and Jeremy Adam Smith (NF)

This book is a compilation of articles from Greater Good magazine. It covers a wide range of research on ethics, empathy, happiness, showing how proper focus and framework in communications could move us all towards a greater good.  The research covered in this book gives me more hope about humanity than I had before I started reading.

Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (2003) by Erik Larson (NF)

Did you know that the Ferris wheel was invented in an effort to best the splendor of the Eiffel Tower?  Me neither.  And rigorous testing of the physics of hoisting all that metal and all those people in the air was not completed.   Everyone basically crossed their fingers on the maiden rotation.

Amidst the chaos of trying to create a spectacular and profitable Chicago fair, at least one man took advantage of the confusion and miscommunication to commit unspeakable crimes, killing, disfiguring and disposing of women (primarily), children and men.

Black + White (2008) by Dani Shapiro (F)

Shapiro’s novel follows the estranged daughter, Clara, of a celebrated photographer (who shot to fame with a series of sexualized photos of her then-young daughter) returning to NYC during her mother’s final weeks of life.   Clara does her best to come to terms with her mother’s self-serving actions and to understand that her mother loved her after all.

Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America (2010) by Matt Taibbi (NF)

Griftopia is another book that my mind keeps drifting back to consider.  After reading Taibbi’s reporting it’s hard to not be infuriated that much of Wall Street and the mortgage industry has not been held accountable for systemic practices that enhanced financial risks and encouraged predatory lending, directed primarily at minorities, setting up a bubble bound to pop.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: These books were not necessarily published in 2011. They do not necessarily belong on a list of best books ever, books to read before you die, or best kept secrets. It’s just a list of the books I enjoyed most in this calendar year.

Related: Favorite Reads of 2008, Favorite Reads of 2009, Favorite Reads of 2010

It seems at a decent chunk of the US takes pride in ignorance.

photo © 2008 Richard Schatzberger | more info (via: Wylio)

Cogs don’t thrive; they perform competently.

Self-help and personal growth is a huge and lucrative industry. But checklists won’t change your life. Best practices help you blend it, not stand out.

Slice and dice the professionally penned words of wisdom to take what resonates with you. Which bits help you embrace your given and trained talents? Deep dive there.

Your user’s manual is unlike that of anyone else’s. Yeah. Sometimes it feels like invisible ink is involved, but it’s all for you.  Trial and error unlocks each chapter.

You have to be ready for change.

Find your strengths in the struggle.  Own them. Game them. Take no prisoners.

The above is my sixth entry in the #Trust30 for the Ralph Waldo Emerson self-reliance blog challenge. The task: What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

photo © 2010 William Arthur Fine Stationery | more info (via: Wylio)

To 2006 Zak:

You’re a passionate person with seemingly disparate interests that can pull you in any number of directions, but they will eventually flow together. There’s no need to rush it or do it all at once. Pick one and see where it takes you.

If it doesn’t work, try something else as your passions evolve. As much as you’d like to be the hare, succeeding hard and fast, you’re shaping up to me more of the tortoise. And there’s nothing wrong with taking the long way round.

You’ve always had a different agenda from your peers. The most important lesson for you to learn now is to pay less attention to what other people are thinking. To live in fear of judgment is to self-censor so completely that you deny your gifts.

If you have to leave part of you at home, something is wrong. When you can’t express your honest thoughts, you have haven’t found your tribe. Because you can only shine and be open to infinite possibilities if you can bring your whole self to the party every day.

Lead with an open heart and mind to find the rip chords of adventure that are waiting for you.

To 2016 Zak:

Satisfaction suits you. It’s a rare person who has the luxury of getting paid to be herself and tie her passions together. You’ve found space in which characters are celebrated, not merely tolerated.

Though you are a few years off from bootstrapping your own company, the mentors you’ve found in the last few years will help you realize the opportunities when the time is right.

A decade of dead ends and pivots have finally paid off for you. Failure is no longer scary, it’s a pit stop on the way to hitting your target. When you fall down, you pick yourself up like no other. And there’s the secret sauce of your success — letting go of your expectations, ignoring judgments of those not in the moment with you, and acting on the relevant signs and signals, even when it takes a leap of faith.

Keep on making it look easy. We both know the truth.

Check it out:

Depending on the path your select, Rainn Wilson may make a guest appearance.

Overall, kind of gimmicky, but kind of cool too.

photo © 2008 Ed Yourdon | more info (via: Wylio)

1) Prepare yourself to listen.

Smart phones, tablets, laptops, e-readers — there are endless distractions that split out attention. Some call it multi-tasking; in conversation, it’s just disrespectful. Be ready to put your full attention on the person across from you.

2) Prepare to be unprepared.

Do whatever background research you need to do to be prepared to interview. Etheredge pointed out the wide continuum of preparedness from Larry King who just winged it to James Lipton who prepares stacks of blue cards.  When it came down to questions, what they ask is actually quite similar.

But only ask questions for which you don’t know the answers; it keeps you invested in the conversation and interested in the responses.

3) Get the other party’s attention with first question.

Ask something surprising that the subject doesn’t expect. In fact, this first question is the only one Etheredge prepares to set up the the entire interview.  It might just get her to put her guard down.

4) Win her trust.

Make sure you show her that you’re there to listen and are interested in what she has to say. “Conversation is the greatest gift someone can give you.”

Body language tells is telling, so lean in and make eye contact.

5) Earn her respect.

Don’t just be a passive listener. “Let them see their story in a new light” by sharing your own experiences or thoughts on the subject. Be an active participant in the conversation.

Final thought: People touch the way the want to be touched.

If you really listen, you’ll get cues from her about how to be a better partner in conversation or in life.

And there was plenty of audiovisual material. These commercials for reduced-sodium side dishes were priceless.