Twenty-one books may not sound too high for the seasoned reader but for me it was my first time surpassing twenty in my life. Next year I hope to read twenty-five but unless my lifestyle drastically changes I doubt I will venture beyond that. These were my five favorite books of the year.

Why five? Well the line has to be drawn somewhere and the top 23.8 percent is as good a place as any. Note also they are in no particular order past the whim of my mind.

The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck Historical Fiction
I don’t read much fiction, in fact Steinbeck’s seminal work was one of only two. (The other being The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein, a delightfully fun read in its own regard and whose premise I may have to come back to in the future.) Steinbeck, in one novel became my favorite fiction author, toppling Isaac Asimov off the pedestal. His style and ability to describe a scene so vividly that the images do not merely flow off the page but place you into the story. You can feel the gritty dirt trickling between your fingers, the sun baking bare skin on the back of your neck, and the pain of loosing your home and your place in society. It is a long bit of literature, but not lacking in depth, every page is utilized to paint the elements of a epic tragedy. Although the ending is a bit weird even in its poetry.

Nihilism and Technology – Nolen Gertz Modern Philosophy
I picked up this book purely off of its cover and with that in mind it was surely a lucky find. This book is dense, it is philosophy for those who think of themselves as students of philosophy. Nolen Gertz explores several different avenues in the relation between humanity and technology. In one chapter he categorizes technology into distinct groups. Simply put the categories are based on how it affects us as humans, how it affects the environment, and how we affect it. This idea completely shattered my preconceived views of technology. This book is for those trying to decide on their relationship with technology rather than let commercialism and society choose for them. Technophiles and technophobes alike will glean some insightful ideas from this book and perhaps drift from their islands into a more developed stance.

The Autobiography of Malcom X – Malcom X, Alex Haley Autobiography
My favorite type of reading (and you will see this later with another autobiography of sorts) is of great people writing about their life. As if becoming a fly on the wall of greatness from the source themselves, one can understand the complexities of their character, the complexities of their situation. Although Malcom X is not as highly regarded in the collective mind as say Martin Luther King, his story from beginning to end is so steep and jagged that he is of the same caliber if not greater. The book follows his life from the very beginning, growing up in a segregated nation, to being stripped from his mother after his father was killed possibly by racial lynching, through his young adulthood, exploring black culture and falling into criminal activities. Then to a rebirth in the Islamic faith, reconning with corruption and backstabbing within his faith, and leading movements of activism against the atrocities which were as formative as they were destructive in his youth. Malcom X is a divisive figure, but aren’t we all?

How to Not Die Alone – Logan Ury Romantic Self Help
I try to keep my input of “self help” books to a couple a year as in my opinion they tend to be a lot of fluff and more inspiration wood than anything. How to Not Die Alone by was a bit different, it offers an understanding of relationships from data and psychology as apposed to the whims of hopeless romantic’s or seasoned players. It definitely adjusted my expectations and understanding of what makes a good relationship and how to make good relationships work. Don’t expect it to get you a soul mate and I think you should be fine. It made the top five because of how many ideas from the book I have sense incorporated into my life, for generally the better.

The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank Autobiographical Diary
The Diary of a Young Girl was a classic written in an attic in Nazi Germany by a persecuted Anne Frank. You can tell while reading that she treated this collection of entrees as a close friend when there were none to be found. It is plain to see her growth as a person page by page, reconciling with a hateful world which seeks her termination. This book tells a story on the human level, a level which most nonfiction surrounding the holocaust fails to capture. I don’t know how a young girl of her age and situation was able to diligently record events with such eloquence and devotion but I am surely glad that she did.