Books
I like to read. I think books are fantastic. More people should read more books. I should read more books. Here are the books I've read this year, along with some commentary and scores, ranked by how highly I recommend them.
By the way, you don’t see any terrible scores because I stop reading any book I can’t get into. Life’s too short for bad books.
2026
Montaigne (10/10) I loved this little book. So much so that I wrote a blog about it.
A Calamity of Souls (9/10) — A courtroom drama set in 1968 Virginia where two lawyers, one white and one Black, fight to save a wrongfully accused man from the electric chair in a town that doesn't want justice. Loved it.
Horror Date (9/10) — A terminally ill man convinces his healthy best friend to take his place on a blind date with a dying woman, and everything goes spectacularly wrong. Loved it.
The Practice of Groundedness (8/10) — A case against hustle culture and for building sustainable performance from a stable internal foundation. Liked it.
The Answer is No (6/10) by Fredrick Backman — A happy introvert's carefully curated solitude unravels when his apartment board drags him into an absurd investigation over a mysteriously abandoned frying pan. Don't read this. I only finished it because I was on my trainer.
2025
22 books, not great but also not terrible. I'll shoot for 26 in 26.
All the 10s are must-reads in my opinion. Can't go wrong with the 9s either.
- Man's Search for Meaning (10/10) — It took me a long time and a lot of courage to read this book. One of the best books I've ever read.
- Greenlights (10/10) — Matthew McConaughey's book, which is fantastic and should be listened to as an audiobook. Great for a road trip.
- Cabin (10/10) — Guy in advertising buys a small cabin, renovates it himself, and changes his life along the way.
- Tunnel 29 (10/10) — Guy escapes from East to West Germany and then spends the next few decades digging tunnels to help others. Unbelievable read.
- Eigentlich bin Ich ein super Typ (10/10) — Mario Basler was one of the most interesting German soccer players ever.
- Der Schlauste Mann der Welt (10/10) — A modern fable by Andreas Eschbach about wealth, life, and having ten days left to reflect.
- From Strength to Strength (9/10) — Arthur Brooks explores how our careers and lives could evolve as we age.
- Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World (9/10) — One of the most significant historical figures in human history. Fun, easy read.
- Ich bin dann mal weg (9/10) — Hape Kerkeling's Camino de Santiago journey. A bucket list item for me.
- The Art of Spending Money (9/10) — A great read for savers and investors. As solid as every Morgan Housel book.
- The Widow (9/10) — I love everything John Grisham writes. Great, though not his very best.
- Peak Performance (8/10) — A strong revisit on work/life balance and performance.
- 1929 (8/10) — A look at the 1929 stock market crash that made me ponder today's economy.
- Revenge of the Tipping Point (8/10) — Good follow-up, though less relevant for marketers.
- Never Enough (8/10) — Enjoyed learning more about the author's entrepreneurial journey.
- Character Limit (8/10) — Sold my Twitter shares to Elon. Glad I did.
- Meditations for Mortals (8/10) — A one-month sprint toward mindfulness. Great bedside read.
- Abundance (8/10) — A call to get back to building our way to a better society.
- Who Knew (8/10) — Barry Diller's biography. One of the great media entrepreneurs.
- Careless People (7/10) — A revealing look at dysfunction inside Facebook.
- Kochland (7/10) — How the Koch brothers built one of America's largest private companies.
- Covered Calls for Beginners (6/10) — Basic, but it did the trick.