Mistborn Trilogy.
My favorite sci-fi or fantasy book I read this year. A ragtag group must band together and defeat a god-king who has ruled for 1000 years. It’s a familiar story, but it’s the details in the worldbuilding that really make this story stand apart. I thought the magic system of this book was exceptional — the rules are clearly defined, the civilization in the world adapts to the magic system, and the characters use magic in creative ways. You could also tell the author planned out the whole trilogy from the start, which I thought was extremely impressive. And I loved the grit of the main character. I’d also recommend the new series that begins with Alloy of Law.
History of the United States.
My hobby of learning about history continues with this long (40+ hour) audiobook / lecture series. Audiobooks in general have served me well when I want to take a break from the computer, which is both my work and default entertainment. I thought the 30 minute segments were in depth enough that I learned what was happening, but not so in depth that I would immediately forget all the details.
Atlas Shrugged.
Surprisingly this book turned out to be one of my favorites this year. I downloaded it on a whim thinking I should read some “good literature.” As a business person myself, I thought the casting of several industrialists as central characters to be interesting. I also thought the book was a good argument for the benefits of capitalism. The soundbite I knew about Ayn Rand before reading this book was that she “hates poor people” but I didn’t get that message just by reading the book. I took the message to be about striving to do great things and not blaming others for your faults. Definitely not for those who want a quick read (Hillary: Has Atlas shrugged yet? Me: Not yet… 800 pages left)