Book Recommendations
I love reading and talking about good books. In recent years, I’ve almost exclusively listened to audio books because of the convenience of being able to read/listen while I workout, drive, or do household chores. I have over 230 titles in my Audible library and there are many books that I often recommend to others.
I want to share a few books here that I feel like are “must reads”. This isn’t an exhaustive list. In the future, I may share a new list of books that I feel like others need to know about. But for now, enjoy this list of books that I think you will enjoy and that are worth your time!
The Wright Brothers
Summary: The story of two brothers who changed history by achieving human flight, showcasing their relentless determination and genius.
Reason to Read: This is the best book on the entrepreneurial and product development process I’ve ever read. The iterative, experimental approach to building an airplane that the Wright brothers took is fascinating and inspiring.
Atomic Habits
Summary: No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
Reason to Read: This is a supremely practical and useful book on how to build the right habits. It will change your life if you apply it. I reference it often and am always trying to implement it’s lessons in my life to build better habits.
Outlive
Summary: Outlive is a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual.
Reason to Read: This book is the best thing I’ve read on health and longevity. It is a book that I’ll re-read often. It is packed with enough practical information that you can learn and apply new things after each reading. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Summary: This book explores the world of death, the American rituals surrounding it, and the funeral industry with wit and insight, challenging societal norms.
Reason to Read: To confront and demystify the cultural taboos surrounding death. This book made me laugh, cry, and learn something new. It had me thinking about it for a long time after I finished the book.
Red Notice
Summary: A thrilling memoir detailing Bill Browder's perilous journey as he exposes corruption in Russia and becomes an enemy of the state.
Reason to Read: I couldn’t stop reading this book. It is a real life thriller that shows the true cost of confronting corruption at the highest levels.
The Road From Raqqa
Summary: A moving chronicle of two brothers' escape from Syria, shedding light on the human stories behind a war-torn nation.
Reason to Read: This book was beautiful and humanizes the stories of those affected by the Syrian conflict. I could imagine it being the source text of a future Broadway Musical, the way the Hamilton biography was for the musical. I even tweeted Lin-Manuel Miranda that he should write the musical for it!
The War of Art
Summary: A motivating guide on overcoming creative blocks and realizing artistic potential, urging readers to embrace resistance.
Reason to Read: This book is a must read for any professional. It is a quick and easy read that will help you overcome internal resistances and unlock your potential in almost any facet of your life.
Tattoos on the Heart
Summary: Father Gregory Boyle shares transformative stories from his work with gang members, emphasizing compassion and redemption.
Reason to Read: This book was deeply touching. It showed the transformative power that compassion, hope, and purpose can have on people’s lives who society has mostly given up on. It made me rethink how we should treat some people who have made serious mistakes in life.
Born a Crime
Summary: Trevor Noah's poignant yet humorous memoir, illustrating his life growing up in apartheid South Africa, highlighting resilience and the power of family.
Reason to Read: This is a book that will change how you view the world. Trevor Noah does a brilliant job helping readers grasp the realities of growing up under apartheid through humor and honesty.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Summary: A heartwarming exploration of life's profound lessons, conveyed through Albom's visits with his dying professor.
Reason to Read: This is a book that I re-read often. It is incredibly moving and helps me focus on the right priorities in life and maintain a positive outlook on the world.
The Actor’s Life
Summary: Jenna Fischer candidly shares her journey to success in Hollywood, offering guidance for aspiring actors.
Reason to Read: This was a fun read that will be enjoyable to any fan of The Office. I thought the lessons that Fischer shares about the dedication and resilience required to pursue an acting career are applicable to almost any pursuit in life.
Shoe Dog
Summary: A captivating tale of how Nike was built, revealing the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of entrepreneurship.
Reason to Read: I love reading about the origins of iconic companies like Nike. It’s fascinating to hear stories from the early days when success was far from obvious. The entrepreneurial spirit, grit, and luck that enabled Phil Knight to build one of the world's most successful brands is inspiring and informative.
American Kingpin
Summary: In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything—drugs, hacking software, forged passports, counterfeit cash, poisons—free of the government's watchful eye.
Reason to Read: This was a fascinating read and was tough to put down. It almost felt like a fiction novel and showed how quickly an idea can grow out of control.
Molly’s Game
Summary: The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons.
Reason to Read: Another fun read that is tough to put down. The players at Molly’s games included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob.
Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire
Summary: Astoria is the thrilling, true-adventure tale of the 1810 Astor Expedition, an epic, now forgotten, three-year journey to forge an American empire on the Pacific Coast. Peter Stark offers a harrowing saga in which a band of explorers battled nature, starvation, and madness to establish the first American settlement in the Pacific Northwest and opened up what would become the Oregon trail, permanently altering the nation's landscape and its global standing.
Reason to Read: The early settlers and frontiersman of American were unbelievable tough and a little insane. This book told jaw dropping stories of life and survival in America's early frontier days.
Principles: Life and Work
Summary: Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he’s developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business—and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.
Reason to Read: This book shares a framework that we all can use to develop our own principles, or set of rules that we can follow to achieve success and happiness in our own lives.
The Self-Driven Child
Summary: The Self-Driven Child offers a combination of cutting-edge brain science, the latest discoveries in behavioral therapy, and case studies drawn from thousands of kids and teens to teach you how to set your child on the real road to success.
Reason to Read: As parents, we can only drive our kids so far. At some point, they will have to take the wheel and map out their own path. This book teaches that there is a lot we can do before then to help them tackle the road with resilience and imagination.
Romney: A Reckoning
Summary: Romney: A Reckoning is a biography about the political life of U.S. Senator Mitt Romney. The book is largely based on Romney's reckoning with a Republican Party he once led, and his dismay at its political realignment in the era of 45th U.S. president Donald Trump. It contains many of Romney's interviews, private emails, text messages, diary entries, and documented personal grievences.
Reason to Read: This book gives fascinating insight into the US political system. It made me appreciate politicians like Romney who are willing to stand up for what they think is right, even when it goes against the party line. I did feel slightly depressed about how polarized and political our nation has become, but this is an important topic to think about so we can change it.
Five Facets of Health: Week 25
If you're new to the 5 Facets of Health, learn more here. Avoid trying to implement everything at once! These suggestions are meant to spark ideas. To build healthy habits, focus on one or two aspects over the next week.
Physical Health
Staying hydrated is a key component of physical health. Investing in a quality water bottle that you carry with you all the time will help you stay hydrated. When training for specific events where you will sweat a lot, it’s also important to replenish your electrolytes. There are lot of tasty electrolyte drink mixes that you can add to your water to stay hydrated.
“Drinking water is like washing out your insides. The water will cleanse the system, fill you up, decrease your caloric load and improve the function of all your tissues.”
— Kevin R. Stone
Action: Purchase a nice water bottle that you can carry with you and drink from it often.
Mental Health
Navigating the challenges of anxiety, depression, or past trauma is a journey best undertaken with professional guidance. Recognize the immense value in seeking a therapist who resonates with you and can support your path to mental health.
“Sadly, too often, the stigma around mental health prevents people who need help from seeking it. But that simply doesn’t make any sense. Whether an illness affects your heart, your arm, or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there shouldn’t be any distinction. We should make it clear that getting help isn’t a sign of weakness.”
— Michelle Obama
Action: Begin your search for a therapist or counselor who aligns with your needs.
Emotional Health
Our quest for safety, love, and appreciation is universal. Peculiar behaviors often stem from a deficiency in these areas. Aim to be a source of fulfillment for these needs in others, and assert your own needs constructively.
“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”
Booker T. Washington
Action: Identify and perform one act of kindness that could fulfill someone's emotional need today.
Spiritual Health
Faith is a choice. If we chose to be pessimistic and doubtful with regards to our spiritual faith, we will find evidence that supports that choice and our faith will die. If we chose to be optimistic and believing with our faith, we will find evidence that supports that choice and our faith will grow. Choose to have faith.
“Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.”
— Richard C. Edgley
Action: Commit to one daily affirmation or practice that strengthens your faith.
Financial Health
Consumer debt is a treacherous pitfall. Live within your means, and prioritize saving and investing over spending. Financial discipline today is the bedrock of tomorrow's prosperity.
"Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of."
— Henry Wheeler Shaw
Action: Review your expenses and identify one item you can forgo to bolster your savings this month.