Asthe clock ticks closer to midnight on New Year’s Eve, it’s fun to look back at what you’ve accomplished this year. December is a great time to take stock of everything you’ve done over the last twelve months -- including all of the books you’ve read.
随着时钟滴答滴答地接近新年的午夜，回顾你在这一年里都完成了什么将是一件有趣的事。12月是最佳的时间来盘点你在过去十二个月里都做了什么，包括所有你读过的书。
Because I’m a data guy, I like to look at my reading list and see if any trends emerge. This year, I picked up a bit more fiction than usual. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I seemed to be drawn to stories that let me explore another world.
由于我是一个数据控，我喜欢观察自己的阅读清单，看能否在其中发现趋势。今年，我比以往看了更多的小说。这并不是有意为之，然而这些让我得以探索另一个世界的故事，似乎令我十分着迷。
Along with A Gentleman in Moscow and An American Marriage, I read The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (very bizarre and very good), Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (amazingly clever but a bit hard to follow), and The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion (I love this series). I even picked up a short story collection in David Foster Wallace’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.
继《莫斯科绅士》与《美国式婚姻》之后，我读了西格丽德努涅斯的《朋友》（既非常怪诞又十分出色），大卫·米歇尔的《云图》（这故事奇妙至极，但要跟上进度还有些难度），还有格雷姆·辛浦生的《罗西结局》（The Rosie Result，中文名暂译）（我很喜欢这套书），甚至还读了大卫·福斯特·华莱士的《男人众生相》中的一个短篇小说集。
Maybe next year’s end-of-year books post will finally include the Wallace novel I’ve been wanting to read for a while: Infinite Jest.
或许在明年的年末书单里，我将最终收录华莱士的这本我长久以来一直想读的小说：《无尽的笑话》。
For this year’s holiday books list, I chose five titles that I think you’ll also enjoy reading. These weren’t necessarily my favorite books of the year -- but I think they’re all good choices to help wrap up your 2019 or start 2020 on a good note:
至于今年的冬季书单，我选了五本我想你们也一定会喜欢的书。这些并不一定是今年我最喜爱的书，但我觉得它们都是不错的选择，可以帮助你完成对2019年的总结或是很好地开启2020年。
01
An American Marriage《美国式婚姻》
By Tayari Jones / 塔亚莉·琼斯【美】
An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones. My daughter Jenn recommended that I read this novel, which tells the story of a black couple in the South whose marriage gets torn apart by a horrible incident of injustice. Jones is such a good writer that she manages to make you empathize with both of her main characters, even after one makes a difficult decision. The subject matter is heavy but thought-provoking, and I got sucked into Roy and Celestial’s tragic love story.
我女儿珍妮推荐我读这本小说，它讲述了南方一对黑人夫妇的故事，他们的婚姻因一个可怕的不公正事件而破裂。琼斯是一位出色的作家，她让你对她故事里的两位主人公都报以同情，即便是在其中一位做出了艰难决定之后。书的主题很沉重但发人深省，它让我沉浸于罗伊与瑟蕾希尔悲惨的爱情故事中。
02
These Truths《这些真相》（中文名暂译）
By Jill Lepore / 吉尔·莱波雷【美】
These Truths, by Jill Lepore. Lepore has pulled off the seemingly impossible in her latest book: covering the entire history of the United States in just 800 pages. She’s made a deliberate choice to make diverse points of view central to the narrative, and the result is the most honest and unflinching account of the American story I’ve ever read. Even if you’ve read a lot about U.S. history, I’m confident you will learn something new from These Truths.
莱波雷在她的新作里完成了看似不可能的事，用仅仅800页囊括了整个美国历史。她做了一个审慎的选择，将不同的观点作为核心叙事，其结果是呈现出一个我所读到过最为坦诚而坚毅的美国故事。即便你读过许多关于美国历史的书，我确信你仍将从这本书里学到一些新东西。
03
Growth《增长》（中文名暂译）
By Vaclav Smil / 瓦科拉夫·斯米尔【加】
Growth, by Vaclav Smil. When I first heard that one of my favorite authors was working on a new book about growth, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. (Two years ago, I wrote that I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next Star Wars movie. I stand by that statement.) His latest doesn’t disappoint. As always, I don’t agree with everything Smil says, but he remains one of the best thinkers out there at documenting the past and seeing the big picture.
当我第一次听说我最喜欢的作家之一正在写一本关于增长的书，我迫不及待地想要读到它。（两年前，我写道我像一些人在等下一部《星球大战》电影一样在等斯米尔的新书。这话如今依然有效。）他的新作没有让人失望。和往常一样，我并不认同斯米尔所说的一切，但他仍是在记录过往和着眼大局方面最出色的思想家之一。
04
Prepared《准备好》（中文名暂译）
By Diane Tavenner / 戴安·塔文纳【美】
Prepared, by Diane Tavenner. As any parent knows, preparing your kids for life after high school is a long and sometimes difficult journey. Tavenner -- who created a network of some of the best performing schools in the nation -- has put together a helpful guidebook about how to make that process as smooth and fruitful as possible. Along the way, she shares what she’s learned about teaching kids not just what they need to get into college, but how to live a good life.
正如任何父母所知道的，预备你的孩子进入高中之后的生活，这是一个漫长且有时候艰难的旅程。塔文纳（她曾为国内一些成绩最好的学校创建了一个联络网）整理出一部有用的指南，指导如何使这一过程尽可能的顺利和富有成效。在这本书里，她分享了自己的心得，那就是不要只教孩子能让他们考上大学的知识，而是教他们如何过好一生的功课。
05
Why We Sleep《为什么要睡觉》
By Matthew Walker / 马修·沃克【美】
Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker. I read a couple of great books this year about human behavior, and this was one of the most interesting and profound. Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is important -- but what exactly counts as a good night’s sleep? And how do you make one happen? Walker has persuaded me to change my bedtime habits to up my chances. If your New Year’s resolution is to be healthier in 2020, his advice is a good place to start.
今年我读了几本关于人类行为的好书，这本是最有趣、最深刻的其中之一。人人都知道夜里睡个好觉有多么重要，但是具体什么才算好的睡眠？你怎样才能睡一个好觉呢？沃克说服了我改变睡眠习惯来增加睡好觉的机会。如果你的新年愿望是在2020年变得更加健康，听从沃克的建议是一个不错的开始。
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