Books

2025:

  1. Rich Girl Nation – Katie Gatti Tassin – 22Mar25 – 5/5
    Every once in a generation, a book comes along that doesn’t just educate and entertain, it transcends. Rich Girl Nation is that book. It is a revelation, a bold new tack for the personal finance milieu, a seismic shift in literature itself. To read it is to know beauty. Every line sings with a lyrical grace seldom seen in modern writing. A work of such staggering genius demands to be read, re-read, discussed, shared, purchased, and re-purchased for millennia. I am forever changed by this masterpiece.

  2. The Pathless Path – Paul Millerd – 22Feb25 – 4/5
    Ex-McKinsey consultant writes about finding his own way in work and life. Does a good job of reframing some big questions. Pretty easy read, and a nudge in the right direction. Notes here.

  3. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life – Robert Dallek – 25Jan25 – 4/5
    Impressive book. Learned a lot about the New Deal and WWII. Writing style was not entirely my jam. And I wish it covered some stuff more—e.g., end of WWII (albeit after FDR died) and Japanese internment (how?). But covered the hits very well: his family (he was TR’s 5th cousin), upbringing, polio, cabinet, relationships with Churchill and Stalin. Pretty inspiring level of service and belief in America. Notes here.

2024:

  1. The Wisdom of Life – Arthur Schopenhauer – 20Dec24 – 4/5
    Short collection of essays. Lots of cool ideas. Very readable. Notes here.

  2. The Terminal List – Jack Carr – 25Nov24 – 4/5
    Most MAGA book I’ve ever read. Kinda cringey at times. Violent Navy SEAL revenge fantasy deep-state thriller. Pretty fun to read but often a corny amount of military jargon, gun stuff, etc.

  3. Essays – Michel de Montaigne – 3Nov24 – 4/5
    Wonderful and dense collection of essais, or “trials.” (Montaigne was the first to use the word as a literary term.) What it lacks in structure and formality it makes up for in earnestness and usefulness. Many passages read like a wise and friendly neighbor sounding off on topics big and small—virtue, hygiene, talking during meals, society, character, bowel movements. He covers erectile dysfunction at length. Enjoyable because it avoids strenuous instruction and instead just ambles along with Montaigne’s natural curiosity. Sometimes challenging but definitely rewarding to read. Notes here.

  4. The Control of Nature – John McPhee – 15Sep24 – 3/5
    John McPhee pioneered creative nonfiction. I wanted to read an example. This book tells three stories about humanity’s war with nature: (1) holding the shape of the Mississippi River; (2) cooling lava in Iceland; and (3) confining massive debris flows in the mountains near Los Angeles. Bit of a slog to read. I could not follow the engineering jargon. Overall the book conferred a deep respect for nature and the people combating her, but got very bogged down with technical stuff. Really could have used some pictures or diagrams for us normies.

  5. After the Fact – Jeff Cooper – 3Aug24 – 4/5
    Surprisingly good and fast-paced legal thriller.

  6. Trust – Hernan Diaz – 27Jul24 – 5/5
    Amazing. Like the Great Gatsby meets Succession meets a mystery novel. Some of the most satisfying and beautiful writing I’ve ever read. It’s a novel made up of four interweaving stories. I don’t think it really had anything groundbreaking to say about wealth or power or whatever, but the writing was just so good. To read it felt like a luxury experience.

  7. The Partner – John Grisham – 8Jul24 – 5/5
    Spicy little legal thriller filled with shadowy figures and international intrigue.

  8. Skunk Works – Ben Rich – 27May24 – 4/5
    Fun read about Lockheed’s maverick engineering team and the mind-bending technology they produced. A little old-school for my taste. Enjoyed the military history but didn’t love the structure of the book. Bounced around a lot. Notes here.

  9. Soldiers Don’t Go Mad – Charles Glass – 19Feb24 – 4/5
    Book about British WW1 shell shock victims and their poetry. Excellent piece of historical non-fiction in that it totally captures the time, place, culture, attitudes, and events. But often a slog with way too much detail and thick British diction, e.g.: “Sassoon accepted the inequality, but he resolved with suitable noblesse oblige to succor his platoon as best he could.” I also didn’t love the lack of attention paid to the paradox of one of the main characters, Siegfried Sassoon. He developed a pacifist fervor but also demanded to be sent back to the front lines, and the reader never gets a satisfying reason why. Overall an impressive and sobering book. Shell shock is scary. Notes here.

  10. Based on a True Story: Not a Memoir – Norm Macdonald – 8Feb24 – 5/5
    Funniest and weirdest book I’ve ever read. If you’re familiar with Norm Macdonald, his schtick and his story, I highly recommend it. If not, start here.

  11. Born to Run – Christopher McDougall – 21Jan24 – 5/5
    Book about ultrarunning. Fun read. Profiles the Tarahumara, a remote and reclusive tribe of Mexican running wizards. Also explores and extols the minimalism of barefoot running and spartan nutrition. Author has a very punchy and engaging writing style. Cracked open in me the possibility that running just might be enjoyable. Notes here.

Hall of Fame: