On Becoming a Person, by Carl Rogers (started, not finished)
A Therapeutic Journey: Lessons form the School of Life, by Alain de Botton (started, not finished)
The 80/20 Principle, by Richard Koch. This is a near-annual read for me. Always helpful and interesting. I think the most helpful thing is the leisurely approach he takes, and the encouragement he offers to enjoy a relaxed, thoughtful, and effective life. To me, this book isn’t about wringing the most out of life, or optimizing every variable, but simply letting go of what doesn’t work and using your time and energy for more fruitful activities.
LOTR the Two Towers, by JRR Tolkien. I’ve reread this a few times. Honestly, it was between this and rewatching some tv shows. I’m happy with my choice.
The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love. Very enjoyable. There is so much that is destructible in our lives and in our thinking, but love is the one thing that cannot be destroyed or corrupted. Her thesis is that God is love, because God is also beyond destruction or corruption. The life of Jesus offers a path to oneness with God because it is a life characterized by constant, unconditional love. I think this concept is really at the core of my spirituality. There are some interesting meditations in it too.
Simplicity, by Richard Rohr. These are a transcript of a lecture he gave in Germany in the early ’90s.
Dating Essentials for Men by Robert Glover: Did everything in this book age well? No. But I think there are a couple core insights that I had been missing. One, was how to consider relationships in a way that works for me, rather than depleting and exhausting me. It’s important to have my own life, make time for my own responsibilities and hobbies and rest. I’ve struggled to do that in the past. Tactically, a useful tip he shared was to only use texting and calling to set up in-person get togethers. Which is really useful with dating because now I have time to take care of myself and my own projects. I think it could probably translate well to friendships too. Two, is just the role that relationships have. They can’t be a source of ultimate personal validation. A quote that stands out to me is, “a good relationship is the icing, not the cake. You need to create your own cake.”
The Ultimate Introduction to NLP by Richard Bandler, Alessio Roberti, Owen Fitzpatrick: Pretty good read. I think it had some useful tips on communication, like matching the language used by the other person around sight, vision, and feeling. “I see what you mean, I hear you, I feel that.”
Endurance, by Alfred Lansing. I don’t think Lansing meant for this book to be so funny, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Every time their predicament was as bad as I could possibly imagine, just as I was asking myself, “how are they even alive?” it gets worse. He has the highest admiration for their leader, Ernest Shackleton who seems to be the epitome of servant leadership. Lot of interesting historical insights too, seeing an odd combination of technologies around the time of World War One. They were still using a sextant, or some modified form of it for navigation, even while operating a steam-ship. Wooden sailing ships were used as well.
Modern Man in Search of a Soul, by Carl Jung (started, not finished)
On the Road by Kerouac (started, not finished)
I, Claudius, by Graves (started, not finished)
The End of the World is Just the Beginning, by Peter Zeihan. Long story short, there are some structural factors that are going to create some discomfort for many in the century ahead. Similar to what George Friedman said in The Next 100 Years, Zeihan argues that many nations will experience major disruptions and even existential crises as globalization ebbs. The US will be mostly ok, due to its energy independence, food security, (relatively) young and slowly aging population, lack of hostile neighbors, and low dependence on foreign trade. Western Europe, China, Southern Asia, South America, and Africa are not nearly so lucky. Some of these areas have had a long history of poverty and underdevelopment, owing largely to structural factors.
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerrer. I liked the idea that all of life is a gift, and that the proper thing for us to do is to pay it forward. It isn’t about transactional relationships, nor scarcity, but about living and being one with the world. This is very much how I think about generosity personally. There is so much in my life that has come from beyond me, even down to the food I eat, the work I do, the body I occupy. I feel very fortunate at times to be alive, and I sometimes marvel that I even exist at all. It couldn’t possibly be paid back. It can only be paid forward, understanding that whatever I give didn’t come from me, and only flows through me. My role is not “creator” but “conduit.” I didn’t create the electricity, I merely carry it.
Neuromancer by William Gibson (started, not finished): Just couldn’t get into it. It was a really chaotic read, hard to follow.
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami: I’m a bit disappointed because I didn’t find this book as immersive others of his. It’s a series of short stories, of which some are good, some are forced, and some feel like they ought to be developed into something fuller.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: This is maybe one of my favorite books. I especially enjoyed his section on taking a sabbath each week, and have been putting it into practice for myself. Friday night through Saturday night, I leave the phone off, the tv off, and the computer off. No work. It’s incredibly restorative for me. One night, I sat alone in my chair, put down my book and laughed for a minute straight. Like a crazy person. I just saw all my fretting thoughts from a third person’s perspective, and found it so funny. I’d been so hunched up and serious. Too tense to enjoy life.
Andrew Carnegie biography
Andrew Carnegie Gospel of Wealth Lectures
Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
The Baroque Trilogy by Neal Stephenson: This one is a little rough. I’m struggling to get through it. I usually like his books and how they conclude, but this is too close to historical fan-fiction for me. I might keep trying here and there, but man.