2021 Books Read

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami (series of short stories about men who lose their partners. It’s an okay read, kinda sad).
On Writing by Stephen King (I love Stephen King.) The guy is a workhorse, and he’s obviously very talented. But this book gives you the sense that he’s not doing anything particularly superhuman. He shows up and writes for 5 hours a day, everyday, just like he’s been doing since high school. The innate talent and gift is there, but I don’t think he’s at this totally alien level where only a few people have that. I think there are probably a lot of people who have his potential but don’t nurture the gift as devotedly. Which makes me think, I should spend more of my time on deep, creative work.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson (reread) (anti-anxiety medication in book form).
How to Make Money in Stocks by William J O’Neil – decent read, pairs pretty well with the 100-baggers book I started last year. The point of equities is to own something that will grow massively in value. There’s a valuable discussion to be had about what level of risk to take in pursuing that (which is a big part of my job), as well as what the long term consequences are of never taking any risk in the short term. You could have bought the index at the market top in 2007 and lost more than 50% in the next 2 and a half years. But you’d be money ahead today (by a lot, as of this writing in June 2021). Anyway, this book gives some good insight as to what’s worth owning that meets the actual objective of owning equities. Also, just to cover my butt, this isn’t investment advice, and as a rule of thumb, you probably shouldn’t hold money in stocks that you’ll need in the next 1-7 years (depending on your situation).
Reamde by Neal Stephenson – slow burn but the second half is phenomenal. It also got me thinking a little bit about aesthetics, the way things/characters look and feel throughout a book. This concept permeates your life in the ways you present yourself, as well as what you genuinely enjoy. All the ways you interact with the world are mediated to some extent by this. Stephenson does a great job of writing “indestructible pragmatists.” They’re inspiring, and intimidating. In the book he throws these people into conflict with each other for a great story, but the book got me thinking about how I’d like to engage with life. There’s a lot to be said for indestructible people.
Clockwork by Michael Michalowicz (thought-provoking concept on how to create a business that runs without you. Importantly, along the way this means greater clarity of focus, more profitable growth, and dedicating yourself to the activities where you have the greatest impact possible.)
The Rule by Larry Hite: Hite is one of my favorite traders from the market wizards books. His philosophy is “asymmetrical leverage,” meaning minimal downside and potentially very high upside. He’s had an interesting life and shares some good attitudes on success and money too. His appearances on Michael Covel’s Trendfollowing podcast are also insightful and entertaining. As books go, this had a little less information than I’d like though.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson – not quite as good as Reamde, but still a fun read. I’ve found that what I enjoy about these books is that the first half is like a crash course in some aspect of technology or startups, which is drawn on later in the book to illustrate exciting possibilities that drive the plot.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson – I didn’t realize how influential and referenced this book is. Everywhere I look I see little nods to this book. I can see why. There’s a little voice in my head (probably yours too) that shouts, “What the hell is this?” And this might be messed up, but I think a lot of people wish their life had more of that dog-chasing-a-squirrel-into-traffic energy. It’s destructive, maybe, but at the same time, what is life without it?
The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson – More madness and depravity. Good book. I think both these books are probably classics because when I finished them, I picked them back up and started them again. There’s something there.
The Messy Marketplace by Brent Beshore – Good crash course to set your expectations when selling your business. I’m a huge fan of the resources that Beshore has created for business owners.
The 80/80 Marriage: I think this did a lot of good for Michelle and me. It probably would help most people. The basic idea is that you err on the side of generosity, meeting your partner 80% of the way instead of 50% of the way. This works not just for marriages, but any kind of relationship or partnership. The key is to be a giver. Which is hard, but fruitful.
Jack Reacher: Killing Floor by Lee Child: exciting read, definitely a page turner. Read it in 3 days while camping.
Killing Commendatore by Harumi Murakami: Pretty standard work for Murakami. I thought it was helpful for appreciating paintings and portraiture, in terms of how a good portrait captures not only the visual likeness, but also key aspects of the subject’s personality. I’ve been getting into art more lately, and found that I could access greater depth in portraits after reading this book. Made my trip to Portland Art Museum more fun.
Insomnia by Stephen King: First half is good, second half gets weird. Felt like a long book, and it is.
How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski: Good book, particularly for people who feel like they don’t know what they would do if they retired. I wrote up some notes, as well as some thoughts on how to get the most out of the book, and shared them here: https://www.pihlfinancialplanning.com/post/how-to-retire-happy-wild-and-free-by-ernie-j-zelinski-summary-and-notes
Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller – Fantastic book, well worth a quarter of dedicated business improvement. A breakthrough in helping me understand (conceptually at least) how to communicate the value of what I do. Lot of breakthrough insights. I’ve read it twice now, and am on my third read-through. This time through, I’m actively taking notes, doing the exercises provided, and implementing the insights provided.
Hells Angels by Hunter S. Thompson (in progress) – abandoned. Probably interesting at the time that the Hell’s Angels were in the news, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Fellowship of the Ring (reread) – have I mentioned I love reading these books in the fall? Something about them.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King: I’d say that King is as good at writing fantasy epics as Tolkien is at writing spooky stories about writers living in Maine. I love Stephen King, but this isn’t his forte I think.
Natural Navigator by Tristan Gooley (in progress) – Interesting stuff not just about navigating through the wilderness, but about how all these little systems in nature work.
The Motley Fool Investment Guide by David Gartner: This was written early on in the history of the Motley Fool, and honestly, isn’t the most information rich resource of theirs any more. They’ve still been influential in my thinking, though, particularly paired with insight from the CFA program on the distribution of common stock returns. The key takeaway there is that a small number of companies account for the vast majority of investment returns in the stock indices. This tendency gets more extreme the longer the time horizon you look at. As of fairly recently, over the last 100 years, just 4% of stocks accounted for all of the positive returns of the index. So their belief that you should be aiming to own those exceptional companies, and hold them indefinitely, jives nicely with academic research.
The Relentless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: Jesus-y, possibly life changing. Take life at a slower pace. Do less. Take time for rest. Eliminate tv, social media, and mindless phone use.
My Name is Hope by John Mark Comer: Another Christian book, but also a good read. I liked Relentless Elimination of Hurry better, if you had to pick just one. But the gist of this is that we are living out of harmony with our spiritual selves, and the result is depression and anxiety. I definitely notice that some habits exacerbate my depression, whereas many spiritual practices alleviate it and leave me revitalized.
Pricing Creativity (in progress)
Motivational Interviewing (in progress)
The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori by Mark Ravina (in progress) – I’m really stalling out on this one, might abandon it.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (in progress)
The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack (in progress)
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins (in progress) – There’s a lot of useful stuff here. It’s interesting to me, because this book was written a while ago, and it’s diffused through our culture to a point where what’s here is more or less common knowledge. And yet, so few people really put it into practice. I’m taking notes as I read it, though, because I think it offers good practices and exercises to support more intentional living.

Overall, not my biggest year of reading. I guess I can include the CFA Level II exam books, as I have in the past. But I think I already counted those for last year. Anyway, I basically re-read them and finally got to take the test after 12 months of Covid delays in testing availability. And I passed the test! Only one more level to go.