December 2022 Reading List
Hey friends,
Here’s my reading list for the last month of 2022. I didn’t read as much as I wanted to in December, mainly because I underestimated just how long it would take to get through The Age of Football. It’s a fascinating book, but a long one and it took a good two weeks to read. So this meant I had less time for other books, and I only managed to read two more during the holiday period.
So, here’s my brief list of the books I read during December:
The Age of Football – As I mentioned above, this book took up the bulk of my reading in December. I enjoyed it, as I learnt a lot about football in various places around the globe. The section on European football and the many challenges it faces was also enlightening. However this is very much a book for a football aficionado, if you don’t like football, it’s not for you. It’s 600 pages and if you don’t follow the game, it might be hard to keep poring through the minutiae of football in various countries. That said, if you do like football, you’ll find a lot of value in the book and learn more about the way the game is run and not often for the better!
An Answer To The Question: ‘What Is Enlightenment?’ – This is the first piece of writing by the philosopher Immanuel Kant I’ve ever read and it was an interesting and short read about his thoughts on enlightenment. At only 100 pages long, it’s a collection of some of his pamphlets that act as a brief guide to his philosophy. It was intriguing and gave me some interesting things to think about. A lot of it focuses on political systems and it shows how ahead of his time Kant was writing this in the 1800s when there was still a monarchy in Prussia, advocating for republics. I’m inclined to read more Kant after this, and if you’re looking for an overview of his philosophy, it’s a good place to start!
Under a White Sky – I read this book in a couple of days and could have read it in a day if I’m honest. It’s one of the best books I read in the whole of 2022, though I read it too late to include it in my list of best books of the year! The book, written by the formidable Elizabeth Kolbert, looks at various attempts to control the environment and the relative failures of those endeavours. It’s a cautionary tale on the hubris of humanity believing we can control nature. The title refers to the crazy idea of turning the sky white in order to mitigate climate change! It’s an enthralling, eye-opening and sometimes scary book that I recommend everyone reads!
I hope you get around to reading a few of these selections. Whether you read them in the next month or year, I’m not bothered. The idea of my reading lists is to encourage you, the reader, to read more.
If more of us read, and read books outside of our comfort zone, the world would be a better place. You don’t know what you don’t know. Reading is one of the best ways to fill in those gaps in your knowledge.
If you have any comments about the books, maybe you’ve read one before. Or if you have some recommendations for me, I’m all ears. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Until next time,
Tom