The Books of 2023
““The sea gets deeper as you go further into it... The more you know, the more you realize how much there is to know”
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Dopamine and Discovery
As I reflect on this 8th collection of books I’ve read throughout the year, one recent insight I heard on a podcast stands out- the concept of a "Nerdy Dopamine Pathway," or the reward value of information (ironically, discovered as I was seeking out more information). There has been research conducted looking at how information stimulates the brain's dopamine-producing reward system in a manner similar to money or food. The brain seems to treat information as a reward in itself, regardless of its immediate usefulness.
I find this helps partly explain my motivation for continuing to explore widely and expand the ideas I take in. It's wonderful to have a way to describe the sensation I feel when learning, making connections, and experiencing that "aha moment" of insight when one more piece of an endless puzzle clicks into place.
The joy of discovery continues to excite me. With so many examples throughout history where the right book at the right time completely changes someone’s life and trajectory, I’d like to hope there are at least a handful of instances from the past 8 years of books I’ve talked about that have a meaningful impact.
P.S. I’d like to invite you to join my monthly BookMark email for 2024. I have a lot of great reading planned, and you can look forward to a once per month note full of my curated reading recommendations and things I’ve been enjoying.
With your email below, I’ll also send over my top reads of the year:
If you are still curious, you can also check out the lists I put together for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016.
On to the books…
Biography
Dark Days: A Memoir by D. Randall Blythe
One of the best books I've read in recent memory. Randy Blythe is the lead singer for heavy metal band Lamb of God, and I came across this memoir after Randy's conversation with Ryan Holiday, discussing how Stoicism helped him get through his time in a Czech prison. In June 2012, Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic and was indicted on manslaughter charges related to the 2010 death of a 19-year-old fan who fell off the stage, hit his head and died weeks later. Two years after that night, when Lamb of God came to play another show in Prague, Czech police arrested Randy at the airport. Hearing him describe the experience is incredible, and it is very well written. Reading his attempts to navigate the foreign prison system, make sense of his charges in a foreign language, as well as come to terms with the shock of being arrested two years later for something he never even knew happened makes for an intense and emotional story.
The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
I had seen this displayed in different bookstores over the years, and decided to read it after a trip to Disney this year. Bob Iger has been CEO of the Walt Disney Company for over 15 years, and there are a lot of great lessons and stories in here. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of his time with Steve Jobs and the Disney/Pixar negotiations. Follow it up with this recent article about the latest succession struggles at Disney.
The Dream of Solomeo: My life and The Idea of Humanistic Capitalism by Brunello Cucinelli
Back in February of 2020, I recommended the book Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, which I was introduced to based on a fascination with Cucinelli that had developed during a number of interviews I had read. After loving the podcast episode mentioned in the note above, I was determined to read Cucinelli's book explaining his philosophy of life and work (I didn't even know it existed). The only problem is it's out of print (unless you can read Italian), and can't currently be found for less than $500.
If you know me, you'll know that once I find a book I'm interested in, I get somewhat obsessive in tracking it down. If someone mentions it's almost impossible to get, it only makes me more eager. In this case, I actually received it for free, and it made my day. I stopped in at the local Brunello Cucinelli and asked if they happened to know of anywhere I might be able to buy a copy. At first, they had no idea what I was talking about and thought I was looking for the latest catalogue - they didn't know he had written a book. I was just about to walk out the door, but then another associate said, "oh- that book! Yes, I think we have a copy in the back." They mentioned it's usually only given out as a gift with particular purchases, but would let me have one. Needless to say, it's one of my favourite book finding adventures in recent memory, and a reminder to simply ask for help. Two of my favourite quotes from the book are:
"The greatest minds can convey deep and complex thoughts with words that are understandable to everyone" and "Enthusiastically build an extraordinary reality day after day."
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami
I re-read this in February after signing up to run my first Vancouver marathon in May. I think many people underestimate how challenging it is to write about writing or the act of being a writer. It's similar to trying to write about running and the thoughts that go through your head during a run. Murakami does both expertly, and I love hearing how his writing and running inform each other. A description from the back of the book calls it a "glimpse into the creative process of one of the world's great writers". There's crossover to be found with the Rick Rubin book I read this year, and the thing about reading so much is you start to see the principles that apply across disciplines- it's one of the things that keeps me excited about reading month after month.
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
I had been looking forward to this one for a while- Isaacson has written some of my favourite biographies (Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin), and this release date was highly anticipated.
The book captivated me for almost an entire month. The scope and scale of what Elon is building is mind boggling, including Tesla, SpaceX, Solar City, Neuralink, the Boring Company, Optimus, and now Twitter. I feel it would be foolish not to pay attention and learn from an extreme case like this. There are valuable lessons worth so much that are accessible for free, lessons earned through much pain, struggle and experimentation such as Elon's five part "algorithm":
Question Every Requirement
Delete Any Part or Process You Can
Simplify and Optimize
Accelerate Cycle Time
Automate
He is definitely polarizing, and Isaacson ends the book wondering whether being unfiltered and untethered is integral to who Musk is. The last sentence reads "crazy enough to think they can change the world," referring to the flaws of great innovators like Musk, Jobs and others. Well worth studying.
Philosophy
The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece by Three Initiates
There's something I find fascinating about the occult and esoteric philosophy- in months past, I've mentioned going down the rabbit hole of Aleister Crowley related books. I've seen the Kybalion on coffee tables and I've heard it mentioned many times, so I decided to spend some time digging into it. It outlines seven hermetic principles used to describe the universe, offering insights into the nature of reality, consciousness, and the interconnectedness of all things. I like to read somewhat weird books like this, keeping my mind open and nimble.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald Robertson
Marcus Aurelius' collection of writings, Meditations, remains my favourite book. While I think it's always best to just directly read the source, this book was a good exploration and expansion of Stoicism and the life of Marcus Aurelius. One paragraph stood out in particular as helpful in clearing up a common misconception of Stoicism:
"By now you’ll appreciate how much confusion is caused by people mixing up “Stoicism” (capital S) with “stoicism” (lowercase s). Lowercase stoicism is just a personality trait: it’s mental toughness or the ability to endure pain and adversity without complaining. Uppercase Stoicism is a whole school of Greek philosophy. Being emotionally tough or resilient is just one small part of that philosophy, and lowercase stoicism neglects the entire social dimension of Stoic virtue, which has to do with justice, fairness, and kindness to others. Also, when people talk about being stoic or having a stiff upper lip, they often mean just suppressing their feelings, which is actually known to be quite unhealthy. So it’s important to be very clear that’s not what Marcus Aurelius and other Stoics recommended. Stoic philosophy teaches us instead to transform unhealthy emotions into healthy ones."
This book offers many helpful ideas, and I appreciated that it allowed me to better understand the historical context of Marcus' life as well as the different philosophical ideas and schools.
Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren
I've been meaning to read this for a while now. It caught my eye again in a bookstore recently, and the fact that it's addressed to an audience as broad as artists, designers, poets & philosophers made me curious. The concept of Wabi-Sabi, which celebrates the beauty of imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness, resonates with me. Being an enthusiast of Japan and Japanese aesthetics, exploring Wabi-Sabi provided me with valuable insights into its underlying philosophy.
An example of embracing imperfection is the Japanese term kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery (typically with gold), making something broken even more beautiful than it was before.
The Girl Who Would Be Free: A Fable About Epictetus by Ryan Holiday
I picked up a signed copy of this at the Robert Green & Ryan Holiday event in September. It's become one of my daughter's favourite bedtime stories, which makes me happy (let's read about Epictetus Dad!!!). I like the concept of teaching Stoic philosophy in the form of a children's book, and thought this accomplished that especially well. I'll look to continue with similar stories- there's such a short window of precious bedtime opportunities to teach lessons and pass along wisdom, and I want to make the most of them.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
This is one of those books I'd like to give to everyone I know. What a beautiful book, with some profound insight on nearly every page. I can't remember the last time I read a book and then immediately wanted to start over at the beginning again. I've been anticipating it for years now, ever since I heard him mention he was working on writing it with Neil Strauss. I'd encourage you to at least listen to a few podcast conversations with Rick to get a flavour for who he is. I have a quote from him to share with you that I chose to guide me through the first part of 2023:
“What makes an artist great happens not in the making. It happens in the way of being in the world, the way of experiencing the world, the way of noticing the thing that someone else doesn’t notice. The way of seeing what’s beautiful when everyone else sees the mundane and being able to represent that back in a way that other people get a glimpse of what we saw that they didn’t notice.” - Rick Rubin
Business/Other
Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life by William Green
I listened to the MFM podcast episode titled "Asking My Friend How He Went From $0 To +$100M Before Age 30". That guest was Syed Balkhi, and I've enjoyed digging into his background. He has a great year in review post, and he mentioned that two of his mentors each gifted him this book. If you're looking for an introduction to some of the world's best investors and the way they think, this book would be a great place to start. I've read a lot of books on investing and mindset, and this stands out as one of the best collections of those ideas.
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen
I listened to a helpful Knowledge Project podcast between investor Ravi Gupta and Shane Parrish where Ravi brought this up as one of his favourite books. I found it to be a neat way of applying business principles to personal life- there's some great insights in here.
Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
I got rid of social media a while ago, but I still find myself sneaking onto my wife's account solely to check out what Dan is up to- at least on the surface, he leads a pretty epic life. There's some great playbooks and strategies outlined here, and it's one that I'll return to often as I continue to grow.
Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe by Brian Greene
One of my favourite bands, Avenged Sevenfold, put out a new album this year, and I listened to a lot of podcasts with the band to get some insight on their creative inputs. One of those was between their lead singer Matt and Joel Madden, where Matt mentioned this "until the end of time" book. It does a great job of putting physics and quantum mechanics into layman's terms, explaining what we know from the Big Bang all the way to where we’re at and where we’re going. I really had to wrestle with a lot of the concepts, and it expanded my thinking. Finishing it feels like a big meal that I need to take time to properly digest. Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, and has a good conversation with Joe Rogan that provides an introduction to some of the concepts.
Outdoor Kids in an Inside World by Steven Rinella
I'm making a conscious effort to read more about parenting and being the best dad possible. One of those things that I want to do is cultivate a love for the outdoors, with a respect for and understanding of nature. Growing up, I created some of my best memories with lots of time in the mountains, camping with family and spending time together outside. I'd like to make sure my daughter gets to experience that as well!
Related to parenting, something coach Dan Martell mentioned has stuck with me: "it's what's caught, not taught".
The Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with Less by Sahil Lavingia
I saw this book mentioned in a few places and decided to give it a read through. It was a nice way to challenge some of the conventional thinking about what a business needs to be and how to grow sustainably. There's some great lessons and insights here.
Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount
This book was given to me upon starting a new role, and it provided a good jolt of inspiration to start climbing the mountain of work that lies ahead.
The Age of AI: And Our Human Future by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt & Daniel Huttenlocher
I feel like I'm drinking from a firehose with all the AI developments and ChatGPT hype so far this year. In an attempt to keep up and educate myself, I decided to give this one a read. Eric Schmidt (Former Google CEO) also has a good podcast conversation with Tim Ferriss for an overview, and Wait but Why has a great series of articles from 2015 that I found extremely insightful on the "Road to Superintelligence".
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
I've previously written about traveller and adventurer Justin Alexander (check out the story of his suspicious disappearance in India's Parvati Valley in Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas). One of his final Instagram posts depicts him reading a book by firelight in a cave, and I became interested in discovering what that final book he read was. Luckily, "Lost in the Valley" identified the worn paperback as "The Geography of Bliss". In it, journalist Eric Weiner travels to countries considered to be the happiest in the world. I had a great spot to read this, out in a tiny house on Vancouver Island, and I couldn't help but wonder how Justin related to it during his travels. Overall, it was a fun read.
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish
I have a substantial backlog of things to read, so it's relatively rare that I'll move a recently released book to the top of the pile. Something like this from Shane Parrish is an exception, as I've been a longtime listener of his "Knowledge Project" podcast and follower of his "Farnam Street" blog, so I knew this would have some well thought out insights. There are many complex thoughts condensed into a concise and easy to read book. One of my favourite quotes from Charlie Munger is: "It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent." This book has been described as a "valuable antidote to stupidity," and it is one I'll return to often.
Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World
I've heard Lee Kuan Yew mentioned a number of times, and have been curious to find out more. Balaji Srinivasan mentioned him again on a podcast I was listening to recently, so I found this little book as a starting point. I really enjoyed the insights into his thinking, reading these things written in his own words. Learning through this book has broadened my perspective. Follow it up with Shane Parrish's "12 Things Lee Kuan Yew Taught Me About the World"
Fiction
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
"Without A Wizard of Earthsea, Harry Potter doesn’t exist, or at least wizarding schools as we’ve come to think about them. There are so many components of fantasy worlds that we take for granted now that would not have existed were it for A Wizard of Earthsea." I heard this on a podcast and was intrigued- I was a big Harry Potter fan growing up, so I decided to give this a go, and it was nice to return to some fantasy reading.
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
The Murakami section of my bookshelf felt neglected, seeming to stare at me when I walked by. I happened to slide this back off the shelf earlier in the year, and couldn't put it down. His writing just flows so effortlessly, and draws you in. On a separate note, I've been playing around with ChatGPT (like seemingly everyone else in the world at the moment), and asked it to "write me a short story in the style of Haruki Murakami"- what it managed to come up with was really quite amazing. I've been listening to a few podcasts with their CEO Sam Altman, and seeing the explosion of AI discussion has been fascinating.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
I heard this book referenced by Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers in his biography as his favourite, which also reminds me of a quote I just saw: "it's not the book you start with, it's the book it leads you to." The Master and Margarita was certainly an engaging read, and I'm almost sad to be through it. I just noticed in one of the reviews that this book spawned the Rolling Stones song “sympathy for the devil”- another rabbit hole for me to follow up on.
Ask the Dust by John Fante
Both Ryan Holiday and Neil Strauss list this as one of their favourite novels, and because it's set in LA, I read it during a recent trip there. It explores the journey of a struggling young writer in Los Angeles, and although I appreciated some of the comical insights into the mind of a writer, I'm not sure it lived up to the hype for me. Maybe it's one of those books that will mean something different to me as my perspective changes.
The Story of B by Daniel Quinn
I read an NYT article with Rick Rubin outlining some of his book recommendations. When asked his favorite book no one else has heard of, “The Story of B” came up. It's a thought-provoking fictional mystery, exploring themes of humanity's relationship with the natural world, the concept of civilization, and the impact of human activities on the planet.
Screwjack: A Short Story by Hunter S. Thompson
I picked this up as it was recently re-released with a new introduction by Lars Ulrich (Metallica's drummer). One review I just saw called it "wonderfully strange", and I think I'd have to agree- I look forward to reading more of Hunter S. Thompson's work.
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
If you've been with me on BookMark for a while, you'll know my love for Japanese fiction. I've previously written about a couple of Kawakami's other books, and this one was also a joy to read. The story revolves around the life of a young boy named Kojima, who is an outcast at his school due to his physical appearance- it explores themes of bullying & identity, and it left a mark on my memory.
The Stranger by Albert Camus
One of my favourite bands, Avenged Sevenfold, had an album coming out this year (Life is But a Dream). It's been nearly 7 years since they put out a record, so I was eagerly digging into a lot of podcasts with the band, getting some background on their thought process and inspirations for creating the new music.
Something I came across was that it was inspired by the writing of French philosopher Albert Camus. I hadn't ventured into his writing yet, and I thought it was really cool to be able to express the philosophy of existentialism and absurdism in the form of a novel. I look forward to reading more of his work.
As a side note, I also spent a lot of time learning about artist Wes Lang, who created the fascinating artwork for the new album. This GQ article was a great read on how the band and the artist inspired each other throughout the process.
The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Knausgaard is one of my favourite writers, so I get very excited when a new book of his comes out (I had the release date circled for months). It was beautiful, hard to put down. As follow up to his book The Morning Star from 2022, it has left me looking forward to the next one in the series. One review described Knausgaard well: "He is acutely in tune with the simultaneity of life’s majesty and banality."