East of Eden – John Steinbeck – Fiction
Classic for a reason. Story of a family growing up in Salinas Valley, CA with a rough Cain and Abel parallel. Incredible, beautiful writing.
My Brilliant Friend (audio) – Elena Ferrante – Fiction
Book one of the Neapolitan novels by the pseudonymous Elena Ferrante. Story of a girl and her friend growing up in a poor neighborhood in Naples. There are feelings that are hard to put into words and she knows how to put them into words in the most impressive way. Beautiful writing that takes a relatively average story and makes it impossible to stop listening.
The Story of a New Name (audio) – Elena Ferrante – Fiction
Book two of the Neapolitan novels. Just as good as the first. The four-book series is basically meant to read like one book. Quickly becoming my favorite books.
Calypso – David Sedaris – Nonfiction
Hilarious and brilliant. The best David Sedaris book by far imho.
Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari – Nonfiction
One of the most meaningful books that everyone should read. Simplifies the story of human history into one book for the layman.
The Power of Showing Up – Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson – Nonfiction
My first parenting book. Backed by research and an easy, practical read. Show up for your kids physically and emotionally and you can create a secure attachment with them that will literally wire their brain in a way that will increase their chances of success in life. Do this by following the four S’s: Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure.
Everything – Aaron Haspel – A book of Aphorisms
My favorites:
"One reads so as not to believe everything one reads."
"Untested beliefs are the most firmly held."
"To regard oneself as the exception is the rule."
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius – Nonfiction
A 2,000-year old classic book of Stoic wisdom.
Buddhism Without Beliefs – Stephen Batchelor – Nonfiction
Great primer on Buddhism and how you can implement it in your life without the religious components.
Shoe Dog (audio) – Phil Knight – Nonfiction
An incredible memoir for anyone into Nike, shoes, running, basketball, sports, or people.
Zealot – Reza Aslan – Nonfiction
Historical and thought-provoking context of the life of Jesus. Very interesting for any Christian in particular but also for anyone interested in the history of religion.
Grit (audio) – Angela Duckworth – Nonfiction
A MacArthur genius grant recipient, she summarizes her research on Grit. What it is, who has it, and how meaningful it is in predicting success.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong – Fiction
A young MacArthur genius grant recipient, poet, and novelist that writes about (I assume his story) growing up as a homosexual Vietnamese immigrant in the U.S. Great writer. Clearly a poet.
River of Doubt (audio) – Candice Millard – Nonfiction
The story of Teddy Roosevelt’s exploration of uncharted territory in the Brazilian Amazon after his presidency. Crazy that he did that, almost died several times, and everything that happened along the way. A real explorer it seems.
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark: A Novel (audio) – AJ Hartley and David Hewson – Fiction
I’m not a Shakespeare guy so I really liked this adaptation of the story into a more engaging novel.
Running With Scissors – Augusten Burroughs – Nonfiction
Funny, depressing, shocking memoir about growing up with a mother with mental illness, a crazy psychiatrist, an abusive pedophile boyfriend, and “getting out” of it. Kind of a dark comedy version of Hillbilly Elegy.
Riders of the Purple Sage – Zane Grey – Fiction
Classic Western novel about 1800s Mormon settlers and the dark rider that comes to town. Great, fun read as an intro to westerns.
Barrel Fever – David Sedaris – Nonfiction
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls – David Sedaris – Nonfiction
When You Are Engulfed in Flames – David Sedaris – Nonfiction
Love anything he writes, but strongly prefer his newer, more refined stuff like Calypso.
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