the books of 2018
Looking over the books from 2018, I realize the variety of learning and reading one can accomplish over the course of a year. My relationship to reading felt like it changed and developed. I feel an increasing anxiety surrounding books, a sense that I'm potentially missing out or choosing to spend limited time with unnecessary reading. I have difficulty committing to one book at a time, even though I know the value of sitting and spending time with ideas instead of constantly chasing the next thing. Growth is often painful, recognizing something that you feel you should have known all along, and when that hit of recognition comes, I am both glad for the discovery and disappointed that I hadn't learned it earlier.
Reading widely helps in this self-awareness and understanding, seeing the world from multiple perspectives. Overall, choosing reading as a top priority and making the time is extremely valuable, and I can think of few better things than immersing yourself in a great book. I still believe that even if I only get one new idea, it is well worth the investment in a book. If you feel a similar anxiety around choosing what to read, I spend a lot of time researching, qualifying and vetting which books to spend time on, and would love to share this with you through the monthly recommendations I’ve been putting together over the past few years. To join the growing list of BookMark readers, enter your email below and you'll receive a short message from me once a month with a list of books I've been enjoying.
I'll leave you with a quote I've been thinking about from Neil Gaiman: "I've been looking for there for so long, and every time I think I reach it, it just turns out to be another here".
philosophy
Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by James Carse
I've found this book has come up a lot across a wide variety of intelligent people, influencing thinkers I admire like Kevin Kelly (who has praised it for "altering his thinking about life, the universe, and everything.") It's a shift in perspective, a different take on philosophy. I think it will take a few reads through to wrap my mind around it. It gets quite dense, but the first and last chapters will give you the general idea. Related to this, you might enjoy learning about Stewart Brand and the Long Now Foundation.
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
This book was fascinating. I had been anticipating its release for quite a while, as it's a subject that naturally sparks curiosity, and I was looking forward to seeing it covered by such a prominent journalist (author of the Omnivore's Dilemma). From one description: "It will surprise you, perhaps shock you, and definitely make you think differently." It is an in-depth exploration of psychedelics, really consciousness in general, from a historical perspective, but also a personal perspective. Pollan's first hand descriptions of "trips" as a 63 year old are amazing, and wonderfully written. If you give it a chance, read it the whole way through with an open mind, I guarantee your mind will be changed. For more, see this article, or this one, the NY Times Review, along with Pollan's interview on the Tim Ferris Show.
BIOGRAPHY
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami
An amazing memoir from my favourite novelist about the intersection and connection between running and writing. A beautiful meditation outlining his philosophy on what it takes to be a consistent writer, and the role that running has played in his life. Murakami is truly unique. Thinking about the quality that makes me enjoy him so much as a writer is that uniqueness. There's nothing quite like him, and this book is a wonderful glimpse into his mind and process.
The Legacy of the Beast: The Life, Work, and Influence of Aleister Crowley by Gerald Suster
A look into the controversial life of Aleister Crowley. I became increasingly interested in learning about Crowley after seeing his name continually come up, especially in the music world. I remember hearing about Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page's obsession with Crowley to the point of purchasing his old mansion. Once labeled by the press as the "wickedest man in the world", this book was an interesting starting point into to many of his ideas and adventures.
It's Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life by Lance Armstrong
This was a timely read after following the Tour de France while gearing up to participate in the Gran Fondo event, biking from Vancouver to Whistler. I'm becoming more and more interested in endurance and individual sport, and I can see cycling starting to take shape as a new passion in my life. I found a lot of inspiration in this book, particularly from the detailed description of his struggles with cancer and journey back to becoming a world class athlete. I also discovered his podcast, which has a number of big name guests worth listening to.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
I had written this book off for months. I kept seeing it on shelves everywhere I went, and I had the false impression that it was just another one of these boring, popular bestsellers with little substance. I didn't know anything about Phil Knight, and mistakenly identified him as some dull executive with a memoir. What I discovered when I finally dug into the book was a deep, detailed insight into the journey to get to where Nike is today. Something about the personal voice it is written in really connected with me. I enjoyed hearing stories of the early days, found myself glued to the pages during his tales outlining his world travel in pursuit of his "crazy idea". I was interested to learn that for years, before Nike existed, he operated a business importing Onitsuka shoes to the US under the company name "Blue Ribbon" (which has a tremendous origin story during his initial trip to Japan). Overall, it provides a valuable and thorough insight into his mindset at different stages. There were critical moments of financial despair, elation after new contracts won, and everything in-between. As I've mentioned before, I'm extremely interested in diving deep into individuals at the top of their chosen field, what makes them tick and the factors that have impacted their success. This was up there with one of the best business biographies I've read.
The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery, and Paris by Jackie Kai Ellis
I often visit the place that Jackie started in Vancouver, Beaucoup Bakery. High standards and attention to detail shine through, and praise they receive for the best croissant in town is well warranted. I saw her Memoir on the shelf when I stopped in and thought it looked like something that might interest my wife. After flipping through the pages, I was quickly drawn in, and found I couldn't stop reading. It was unexpectedly dark, vulnerable, and written with refreshing authenticity.
BUSINESS/OTHER
Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur by Derek Sivers
Derek Sivers seems to be a wonderful human, and the short lessons in this book will go a long way in setting you on the right track. Founder of CD Baby, Derek strikes me as unique in the noisy world of "Entrepreneurship". If you enjoy this book, take some time to check out his blog. It reminds me of Seth Godin, with its concise and thought-provoking posts.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
I'm spending time learning more about characters like Musk and Bezos, what makes them tick and the factors that have impacted their success. This book also provided great insight into Amazon, and dives deep into some of the strategy. Overall, it provided much more insight on Amazon as a company than Bezos as a person.
The Cheat Code by Brian Wong
The youngest student to Graduate from UBC's school of business, Brian Wong went on to co-found mobile ad company Kiip. His energy and enthusiasm comes across in this book, and each short chapter is packed with practical advice. This one's been on my list for a while, with the cover catching my eye often in the bookstore.
What to Do When it's Your Turn: (And it's Always Your Turn) by Seth Godin
This is one to keep on the shelf. Good to turn to if you're looking for a bit of inspiration, and Seth Godin rarely disappoints.
In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki
I discovered this during Tim Ferriss' great conversation with Gretchen Rubin. It's a strange, short little read on Japanese aesthetics, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm trying to read and learn more about things outside of the norm, expanding into territory outside of material I may normally be attracted to reading. It's all part of expanding my mind and habits of thinking.
Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday
This was hard to put down, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It's an example of the principles and strategy that Ryan Holiday often talks about in the form of an unbelievable true story. The task of crafting a narrative around this was ambitious, and I found it really showed Holiday's skills as a writer. Overall, brilliantly executed.
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman
Neil's wife Amanda Palmer put on an awesome event during the TED conference here in Vancouver called NinjaTed, raising money for the Vancouver food bank and allowing the rest of Vancouver to enjoy access to some of the great speakers in town for prohibitively expensive TED. Neil has long been one of my favourite writers (if you haven't yet, listen to the audiobook version of Graveyard Book, read by the author. Hands down the best audiobook I've ever heard). I got to see him read his poem Mushroom Hunters, as well as perform an excerpt from Sandman alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This particular book collects his various bits and pieces of non-fiction, and it reminded me why I love his writing so much.
Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb
Reading Taleb makes me feel more intelligent. Antifragile introduced a lot of important concepts to my way of thinking. However, I found his writing in this to be quite cynical and unnecessarily arrogant at times. There's definitely no room for BS. This book is primarily about risk, and as the subtitle suggests, the "hidden asymmetries in daily life".
Own the Day, Own Your Life by Aubrey Marcus
I've long followed this CEO of supplement and fitness company Onnit (the Onnit primal bells are probably the coolest piece of workout gear), first coming across him through the Joe Rogan podcast. Aubrey puts out a tremendous amount of good into the world, through his company and his own podcast, and it's great to be able to support his book. While I found the writing a bit cutesy, there's some good stuff in here, and at the very least it has made me question or test some of my daily habits. One easily applicable takeaway: start the day with water, lemon and a pinch of Himalayan salt.
Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat
I came across this recommendation through the conversation between Peter Attia and Tim Ferriss on Peter's new podcast, which you should definitely check out. Written by the Chief Business Officer of Google X, it takes an engineering approach to happiness. There is also a lot of emotional pain that comes through in the writing, as he struggles with the death of his son due to a medical error. This context makes a lot of the advice more immediate and relevant.
Diary of a Drug Fiend by Aleister Crowley
An interesting portrayal of what it looks like inside the chaotic mind of a drug addict. Reading it, you really sense what it's like to experience those whirlwind adventures first hand. Crowley is a rabbit hole you could follow down a long ways.
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
I find these two co-founders of Basecamp to be very clear, concise writers. After getting a lot out of their other two books, Re-work & Remote, I was really looking forward to seeing this one come out. It is a timely read, as I'm actively working to combat some of the craziness and become more effective with my time. It's always great to see the best practices others have come up with after stress-testing in different environments. This is a relatively short read, and does a good job of distilling their learnings about work and business philosophy into easily digestible and memorable takeaways.
Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway
I picked this up after hearing high praise from Josh Waitzkin during his interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast, and he describes it well: "If someone wants to get to know Hemingway it's just a fantastic compilation of all of Hemingway's writing in letters, in his books, in his articles, everywhere, put together thematically. Basically it’s Hemingway on the writing process, I think it's one of the most important little collections on creativity that I've ever run into."
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
Robert Greene’s books are so well researched, and it’s almost like reading a collection of various biographies and historical stories, presented to emphasize various truisms of human nature. The main point I gather from this book is to remain a continuous student of Human Nature, and this book provides a great starting point to understand the fundamentals for this study.
FICTION
Annihilation: Book One of the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
I was wandering around a bookstore earlier in the year (surprise), and I overheard someone at the checkout talking about a book they just "couldn't put down", and couldn't wait to get home and read the next in the series. I'm always curious when I hear things like that, and afterwards I asked the girl working what it was all about. I had never heard of Jeff VanderMeer, but I guess this book was being made into a movie starring Natalie Portman. It's definitely weird, and you'll either love or hate it. I still haven't decided, but I'm interested enough to read the second book, "Authority".
The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Amazon's Jeff Bezos has mentioned this as his favourite novel, and I'm endlessly curious about things that influence peoples thinking.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts by Douglas Adams
I had some time during our trip earlier in the year to focus on fiction reading, and this came recommended from a number of sources. A "sci-fi/comedy", it falls outside of my usual interest, so i thought I'd give it a go. I also wanted to read it because of it's heavy influence on Elon Musk. A copy of the book was in the glove box of the Tesla he recently launched into space, along with the words "Don't Panic" (did you see that?!) To some people, it's their all-time favourite book, but I couldn't really get that into it.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Continuing on about Neil Gaiman... I listened to this audiobook at night before bed, and I swear I'd listen to him read the phonebook. His voice is simply delightful.
The Invisibility Cloak by Ge Fei
I believe I heard this recommended by Kevin Kelly, editor of Wired magazine. It was described of the Chinese version of Haruki Murakami. It's a relatively short piece of fiction, and all though it didn't live up to Murakami, I see the similarities and it held my attention.
What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg
This has been on my list for a while. Ryan Holiday frequently cites this as his favourite novel, so I figured it had to be good. Set in early Hollywood, the story follows Sammy Glick as he climbs the ladder of success in the movie business. It's a not so subtle story about ambition and its pitfalls. If you've seen the show Entourage, you can picture a character like Ari Gold. Really enjoyed this as my evening fiction!
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
I've never been into comics or graphic novels, but after reading and loving so much of Gaiman's other work, I wanted to give this series a try. It's more entertaining reading than anything, but I've often found that life's truths are hidden in fiction, fantasy and myth. It's important to explore things outside of your comfort zone, and I'm always open to expanding with new ideas.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
This book was consistently recommended and mentioned by some high-performing individuals, and I finally finished it this year. Mark Cuban liked it so much, he even named his yacht after the book. Given the types of people singing its praise, I wasn't surprised with the theme I took away. My interpretation is it's about being true to yourself, in all circumstances, especially when it's difficult to do so, or when everyone else around you isn't holding high standards. I had made my way through about half of it prior to putting it down for a few months, and as I got closer and closer to the end, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever finish. Turning the last few pages, I realized that the main payoff from this long of a read comes from putting in the time to sit with the characters, become invested and attached to them, and truly understanding the context. The characters were strong, well-developed and memorable. Everything all tied together well on the last page, and there are some beautifully written passages that I will be returning to again.
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
Whenever anyone asks my favourite writers, Murakami always comes to mind as the top fiction author. The way he pulls you in to the worlds he creates, weaving fantastical themes into everyday lives, is unlike any other reading experience to me. I love the glimpse into the Japanese mindset, and the recognition of themes and struggles that are common to us as humans. I dove into this world he created in his recent “Killing Commendatore”, and enjoyed my time there. I personally felt it to be a bit unnecessarily long at certain points, and while not my favourite work of his, I still enjoyed inhabiting the mind of his characters.
If you’ve made it this far and are still curious, you can also check out the lists I put together for 2016 and 2017.