Regular readers of this blog know every year at this time I devote my first post of the year to my top ten books I read in the last year. It’s the time of the year when people make New Year’s resolutions, and I suggest you make a resolution to read at least two books a month.

I made that resolution in 1998 and have kept it every year since. Since that time, I’ve read 992 books! I can’t tell you how much that has influenced my life in a positive way. It’s rare to remember a television program you watched last night, but a book stays with you forever. You will be more informed, even if you read a lot of fiction.

Here are my top ten books for 2021 in no particular order:

1. Blackout – Candace Owens – If you watch Fox News, you’ve probably seen this extremely articulate and impressive young black woman who refuses to accept the politically correct narrative concerning blacks in America. This book is must-reading if you’re to understand how government policies are hurting blacks.
2. Rocket Men – The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon – Robert Kurson – A fascinating look at the Apollo 8 mission from an insider’s perspective; a real-life story of human achievement.
3. A Time for Mercy – John Grisham – Although fiction, this is a great read from one of America’s great storytellers who gave us the opposite perspective in his first book, A Time to Kill.

4. The Last Trial – Scott Turow – Another great fiction read from one of the best legal fiction writers. It gives one perspective on life from an elder lawyer’s point of view.

5. Unsettled – What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters – Steven E. Koonin – If you think you know all about climate change, this book will change your opinion. Dr. Koonin is a physicist and former Undersecretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy under the Obama Administration. He makes it clear that climate change is real, but should not be alarming.
6. Killing the Mob – Bill O’Reilly/Martin Dugard – This is an insightful look back at the era of mob violence in the early part of the last century and the fight to defeat organized crime in America. This team of authors makes history exciting!
7. The Law of Innocence – Michael Connelly – A great fiction read from the creator of Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer.
8. Countdown Bin Laden – Chris Wallace – A well-written account of the killing of Osama Bin Laden with new insights into the decision-making behind the scenes and the complexity of the actual operation. Wallace adds a lot to this well-known story.
9. The Dying Citizen – Victor Davis Hanson – An insightful look at what is happening in our country to change the meaning of the word “citizen.” Hanson, a Stanford professor of military history and the classics, is one of America’s great scholars, writers, and political observers.
10. Woke, Inc. – Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam – Vivek Ramaswamy – This first-generation American entrepreneur founded Roivant in 2014 and led the largest biotech IPOs of 2015 and 2016. His brilliant mind understands what is happening in the “woke” corporate world that threatens our democracy.

There you have it, my best ten books of the last year. They are a mix of heavy, intellectual reading and just reading for fun and excitement. Hope you enjoy them – and keep reading!