In 2021 I added reading 10 pages to my daily habits and the compounding effects cannot be overstated.
Physical Books – Non-fiction
I read non-fiction because I often need to lookup a definition or pause and think about a paragraph or an idea.
#15 2023 – Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
Start at chapter 10. The first 9 chapters are great for academics and nerds; You will understand the WHY in these chapters. Chapters 10 and onwards answer the question of HOW we improve our healthspan.
#14 2023 – When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
The most common question for cancer patience is “Why me?”. When Paul the neurosurgeon was diagnosed with cancer he knew the answer: “Why not me?”
#13 2023 – The Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Free market capitalism has brought more prosperity to human society than ever thought possible.
#12 2023 – Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
A blogpost turned into a book. The main concept is the difference between responsibility and ownership. The big missing piece of the puzzle in this book is dichotomy that arises when you try to adopt contradictory principles. This is addressed in the Dichotomy of Leadership.
#11 2023 – How to Write Short
Not recommended.
#10 2023 – The Expectant Father
I’ve learned that I can expect delivery room chairs to be very uncomfortable 🤣
#9 2023 – The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
Another habit book.
#8 2023 – 1984 by George Orwell
DoubleThink and Dichotomy are two sides of the same coin.
#7 2023 – Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Collective belief is what shapes our world. Only by humans collectively believing in money, government, and even human rights, do those things come to exist and manifest in a physical reality.
#6 2023 – Scrum by Jeff Sutherland
Teams organization.
#5 2023 – The Personal MBA by Jeff Kaufman
Jeff does not respect or value the traditional MBA. This book touches the tip of the iceberg.
#4 2023 – Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey
The two main ideas in this book:
- Avoid distractions at all costs while focused.
- ScatterFocus – A period of time which you allow mind to wander and generate ideas.
#3 2023 – Atomic Habits by James Clear
The best habit book I’ve read. Accountability Agreements were my biggest takeaway however the whole books is filled with actionable things you can do to improve your habits.
#2 2023 – The Power of Discipline
Not Recommended. A much worse version of Atomic Habits.
#1 2023 – The Tyranny of Talent
Ideas: People can’t define talent, and it’s not worth trying to identify it in children.
Fiction (Audiobooks)
I love listening to fiction while doing repetitive physical tasks. These range from walking to biking to painting walls to driving.
#1 2024 – Enders Shadow by Orson Scott Card
This is a parallel book and I hope more authors adopt this concept (PIERCE BROWN I’M TALKING TO YOU). It is the same story as Ender’s Game but told from the perspective of Bean, an equally epic character.
2023 – Ender’s Saga #4 – Children of the Mind
The conclusions to some of the best sci-fi based philosophy I’ve ever read.
2023 – Ender’s Saga #3 -Xenocide
With the new race of Pequeninos learning more from the humans the world prepares to make the same decision it did 3000 years ago vs the buggers. This book is philosophically my favorite of all sci-fi.
2023 Ender’s Saga #2 Speaker for the Dead.
Ender’s game was turned into a novel so this book could be written. Valentine and Peter Wiggin. The Fantasy Game. The conclusion of Ender’s game. All of those were added afterwards so that Ender Wiggin could become The Speaker for the Dead 3000 years after the great war.
2023 – Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Why didn’t you stop kicking him when he was down?
Knocking him down won me the first battle. I wanted to win every battle after that.