Writer's Funk

Yesterday, my favorite YouTuber, Austin McConnell, released a video essay about the books he read. It was so inspiring to see how many and what kind of novels a person I admire as a creator is reading. I hope to do the same for you. The following books are what I have read this year. It might not be much but sometimes quality is more important than quantity:Everything That Remains by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

In January 2017 I discovered minimalism through YouTuber Tokidoki Traveller (despite her not referring to herself as being a minimalist). This sent me down a path to a happier, more fulfilled life and the Meinimalists (Millburn and Nicodemus) played a huge role in this. Their work is absolutely stunning and I can highly recommend this biography that tells the story of two men going from six-figure-salary-sadness to a simpler, more fulfilled life because of tragic events in their lives.

1984 by George Orwell

This is a classic. And the most impressing thing to me is how the dystopian future Orwell wrote about resembles, to a fair amount, our current situation in a technological age governed by evil tech corporations that help states monitor its citizens down to the spine. Back in 1948, when Orwell wrote this masterpiece, the technology did not exist. He basically came up with all of this and happened to predict huge chunks of the future. Besides the great dystopian setting the characters are beautifully written and the story is outstandingly good.

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

I have to admit that I never read an original Sherlock Holmes story (not even the one I was supposed to read for an assignment a couple of semesters ago) prior to this. I always loved the character in shows like Sherlock (BBC) and this year I felt the urge to dive into the cosmos that Arthur Conan Doyle had created. A Study in Scarlet is the first novel (and story) starring Sherlock Holmes and narrator Dr. Watson. This book is outstanding, especially if you love crime solving mysteries. The second half of it (after the case was solved) also portraits America back in the days of Doyle which feels like a time travel and rounds up the entire story.

A Case of Identity by Arthur Conan Doyle

I did read this short story. However, I do not remember a single thing. This said, I remember reading it in one sitting. It’s short, give it a try.

Deep Work by Cal Newport

If you struggle with concentrating, time management and curating a healty workflow Deep work is the place to look for help. Cal Newport describes incredibly insights from studies, gives great examples of how they apply and offers a more productive and happy workflow. If you are a student, worker, teacher or any work remotely related to using your mind to succeed, you probably should check it out. It will offer some great insights. At least, it did for me.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

I love Fight Club… as a movie. The story is basically the same, the premise is basically the same but for some reason I cannot get used to the style of Palahniuk. Might be me. If you haven’t heard of neither the flick nor the novel, make sure to check either out. Great depiction of the way our society is broken due to consumerism.

Winter-Kartoffel-Knödel by Rita Falk

This is a German-Bavarian comedy-crime novel. If you speak German, you will probably find it to be hilarious. The audio book is narrated by Christian Tramitz, a comedian I love If you don’t speak German, just skip it.

Death Note #01 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Manga)

Netflix released Death Note as a movie adaptation of the Manga series of the same name. I did not see the movie because I first wanted to give the Manga a shot which turned out to be a great decision. The first volume was so much fun, questioned morals of our “modern” society and was beautifully drawn.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Usually people think of either the Dark Tower series or horror novels from the 80s when you talk about Stephen King. This one is different. Mr. Mercedes is about ex-Detective Hodges who couldn’t solve his last case. An unknown stranger killed a couple of people waiting in line with a stolen Mercedes (hence the name). When the killer contacts the retired Bill Hodges a battle between the old detective and the psychopath starts. Will Hodges solve the crime or will Mr Mercedes strike again? Find out yourself, it’s worth your time!

I’m currently reading (and haven’t finished yet):

• Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Star Wars: Bloodlines by Claudia Gray
• Das Erwachen by Andreas Brandhorst (German)
• Star Wars: Thrawn (2017) by Timothy Zahn

Here comes the video that inspired this article:

What did you read in 2017? Let us/me know!

Thumbnail: Mary Jo’s Bookcase by cloud2013 (CC BY 2.0)