As 2019 is coming to a close, I wanted to share my reading list for the year.
The list is sorted by how likely I recommend each book, and is accompanied by my short thoughts on each.
Enjoy!
All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I don’t go there – Peter Bevelin: 9/10
Bevelin artfully weaves 40+ years of transcripts and interviews from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger into a treatise on uncommon common sense. He delivers the wisdom as a conversation between the fictional ‘Seeker’, Buffett, Munger, and a Librarian. I’ve already re-read it.
Sapiens – Noah Yuval Harari: 9/10
An extraordinary summary of human history from the cognitive revolution 70,000 years ago, to the scientific revolution 500 years ago. It puts human progress into stunning perspective, and it reads like fiction.
This book was such a delight to read. Sobel deftly unfolds the story of John Harrison; the unlikeliest of scientific heroes. For hundreds of years, no one could establish how to measure longitude. Thousands died at sea due to poor navigation. The brightest minds, including Isaac Newton, thought the solution lay in the stars. However, John Harrison, a humble carpenter from rural England stunned the world by solving the problem with his watches that never lost the time.
Improv Wisdom – Patricia Ryan Madson: 8/10
Lessons for a happier and more fulfilled life from the world of improv theatre; there is much we can learn from this vulnerable theatre sport. I recommend the audiobook version so you can benefit from Madson’s delivery.
Pebbles of Perception – Lawrence Endersen: 8/10
An inspiring collection of ideas on making good life decisions. Endersen writes from a calm and centred perspective, and I lapped up the wisdom shared in this book. It also inspired this post.
Do the Work – Steven Pressfield: 8/10
Pressfield is a magician. Central to all his work is the idea of Resistance, and how we must overcome it in order to do our best work. If you’re new to Pressfield, you should start with The War of Art before turning to Do the Work.
The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday: 8/10
Stoic philosophy has resonated with me since reading Seneca’s ‘On the Shortness of Life‘ in 2014. However, Holiday has introduced Stoicism to a mainstream audience, and has done a great job at pioneering the pop-stoic culture. The central idea of the book is we may not control what happens to us, but we do have the ability to control our perception of those events, how we respond to them, and how we accept what we cannot change.
Bad Blood – John Carreyrou: 7/10
A cutting depiction of the dramatic downfall of Theranos, and the Silicon Valley darling, Elizabeth Holmes. Stunningly researched. Artfully told. As you read it, it feels like you’re watching Holmes deceive investors and put thousands of lives at risk with her lies about medical technology that never existed.
How to Stay Motivated – Zig Ziglar: 7/10
Ziglar is the grandfather of motivational speaking and self-improvement; he paved the way for the Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, and Seth Godins of our time. Ziglar’s ideas extend beyond motivation and cover identity, self-worth, daily affirmations, and inspiring anecdotes. Best consumed via the audiobook. Zig is inimitable.
The Elements of Style – William Strunk Jr: 6/10
A classic, short text on writing well. I revisit it regularly in an attempt to help rid myself of bad habits. Axioms like, “Omit needless words,” help me daily.
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline: 6/10
A fast-paced sci-fi gem. Never a dull moment, with likeable characters and classic 80s references carrying the story.
Widely regarded at the best insight into the psychology and practices of the world’s most successful sports team, the All Blacks. The behind the scenes access is unparalleled, especially the insight into practices off the training field that contribute to on-field performances.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work – David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried: 6/10
I needed this book this year. It’s a collection of ideas around what work should be, from the remarkable founders of software firm, Basecamp. It reminded me of the importance of a healthy mind, body, and home in enabling me to be my best self at work.
Superthinking – Gabriel Weinberg: 6/10
If you’re searching for a primer on mental models, this is your book. It weaves the explanation of hundreds of mental models into a narrative like structure. Better as an introduction rather than a study resource.
The Three-Body Problem – Cixin Liu: 5/10
This was my first experience of Chinese science fiction, and it didn’t disappoint. Set against the backdrop of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, it’s a tale of an academic’s journey to unearth the story behind an imminent alien invasion.
The Algebra of Happiness – Scott Galloway: 5/10
This is Galloway’s manifesto for a good life, taken from his annual 3 hour lecture to students in their final year at NYU. Galloway has become a respected critic of technology companies due to his distinct style, and he brings the same unapologetic, witty, and brash attitude to this book. You’re certain to disagree with some of his ideas, but you have to respect his boldness.
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos – Jordan Peterson: 5/10
I like the simplicity and clarity of Peterson’s 12 rules, along with his strong convictions. However, he takes the long way round to get to the point, whereas I gravitate towards direct and plainly written texts. Still ranked at 5/10 due to the underlying ideas.
The Four-hour Body – Tim Ferriss: 5/10
I used Tim Ferriss’ Slo-Carb diet, outlined in this book, to lose 8 kilograms and reduce my body fat by 5% pts. In particular, I found the concept of having one “cheat day” per week, where I can eat all my favourite foods, to be a psychological superpower in helping me achieve my health goals. However, I recommend it as 5/10 because this book won’t be helpful to the majority of people, unless you’re deliberately seeking to make drastic changes to your diet to achieve body recomposition objectives.
How to Fight a Hydra – Joshua Kaufman: 5/10
This was a fun book. A fable that serves as a great metaphor for taking on any ambitious task or project.
The Great Mental Models – Shane Parrish: 5/10
This is the antithesis to Weinberg’s Superthinking. Parrish covers 9 ‘general thinking’ mental models in great detail, but I prefer the vast collection of articles on his website Farnam Street. This is the first volume in a five part series.
The Decision Book – Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler: 5/10
A collection of 50 decision making principles and concepts to improve and better understand yourself and others. A number of concepts felt immediately applicable to my life, and I’m sure each reader will feel certain principles jump out at them in the same way.
The One Thing – Gary Keller: 4/10
There is only ever One Thing that’s important at any given moment. Our workflow should be designed around creating time to focus on that One Thing. Everything else is irrelevant and can be done later.
The Four – Scott Galloway: 3/10
A clear summary of the impact Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon have had on our economies, job prospects, attention, purchasing habits, and culture. The most enjoyable part are the charts and anecdotes illustrating the unbelievable scale of these companies.
Traction – Gabriel Weinberg: 3/10
A good primer on the 19 channels you can use to rapidly scale your business. However, it missed the obvious: you can focus on growth channels all you want, but you can’t grow a business that doesn’t yet have Product/Market Fit, which is when a product resonates with a widespread set of customers and solves a real need.
Blitzscaling – Reid Hoffman: 2/10
The IPO class of 2019 proves that the traditional Venture Capital strategy (piling huge amounts of money into companies with unsustainable business models in the hope they become a monopoly) has been proven wrong. Yet, this is the entire premise of Blitzscaling. The book came out in late 2018, and just like James Cameron’s Avatar, I don’t think it’ll age well. The benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing.