2023 Books and Podcasts Review

Each year I post my list of books and podcasts that I've consumed in order to spark more recommendations and ideas. Reading became an important part of my life in 2015 thanks to Richard Williams, a mentor who led us through a book + discussion for 2+ years. Ever since then, I've come to rely on books/audiobooks and podcasts to shape my thinking and learn from others much smarter than I am. To me, taking decades of learning that others have distilled into a few hours of content seems like a great tradeoff. My goal isn't to fully understand a topic or gain 100% of the knowledge for each topic, but simply to become 1% smarter every week. A 1% growth compounded week over week leads to incredible results.

This year I listened to 136 podcasts and read/listened to 25 books. Looking back, the focus of this year was on reading Fiction. Early on in my reading journey my general sentiment was that fiction was rather pointless, the sugary candy of literature. In more recent years I have found that fiction can often convey what non-fiction cannot, as well as provide a mental release and help to de-stress from my every day worries. I have found myself gravitating towards longer series and books - 10 of the books I read were over 10 hours long and 6 more were over 15 hours long.

The new podcast this year that I found was Acquired, which tells the story of businesses in a really enjoyable and well-researched way. I suggested starting with the history of Nintendo (spoiler alert: the Japanese Mafia was involved at one point) and I'm fairly sure you may end up listening to the 5+ hours on Warren Buffet just like I did. I still highly recommend My First Million (business podcast) and the BEMA Podcast (spiritual) as I continue to glean from these sources month after month.

Please let me know in the comments if you have recommendations or thoughts to share on the books I've listed.

Business/Personal

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

This book goes deep into our distracted culture and our lack of ability to focus. What I appreciated was that the author attacked the problem at multiple levels, rather than just simplifying the issue to a need for more willpower or discipline. He examines the importance of focus, how our world is designed to steal our attention, how our society is built on these principles, and casts a vision for alternative incentives or potential paths forward. By definition "to focus" means that you are cutting things out of your vision, and I believe that in order to experience a more full and contented life that we as humans need to focus on less, not more - regardless of what our culture tells us. This book was recommended by Nick Burnett .

StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Excellent book on marketing, branding, and your company story. It includes very practical guides for building your own company brand story, which can be for potential customers, employees, investors, etc. Highly recommend. The credit for this recommendation goes to Amanda J. Garcia, MBA, StoryBrand Certified Guide , who is a StoryBrand certified guide herself.

10x Rule by Grant Cardone

This is sort of a pump-up book on business and efficiency but I remember being really into it for a few weeks. It was a good shot in the arm for me and gave me a boost.

Do Hard Things by Steve Magness

This book went through the aspects of toughness and the myths around how to push through hard things. Some of the author's points were aligned with my experience while others challenged my previously held beliefs.

?

History/Biography

American Cartel: Inside the Battle to Being Down The Opioid Industry by Higham and Horwitz

This may be the book that I've talked about the most from this list. The book follows the opioid crisis through the perspective of a DEA agent and a lawyer, both working tirelessly to unravel the twisted web of deceit and corruption that fueled the opioid epidemic. There were nearly 645k deaths due to opioid overdose from 1999-2021, and that's just what the CDC was able to track. Drug overdose was 6x more prevalent in 2021 than in 1999. This book gave me a new insight into the causes of the epidemic (namely greed) and the healthcare structures currently in place that are easily manipulated or set up to fail the patient. Please read this book if you want to learn more about the flaws in the healthcare system and the challenges that still lay ahead of us when it comes to providing excellent, patient-centric healthcare to all.

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

I wanted this book to be better, as it has a really good title. It covered a decent amount of history but wasn't really able to capture my attention the way that some other history books have been able to. Maybe it was mistaken expectations on my part, as I thought it was going to give a deep dive analysis into the military advancements, plagues and immunities, and resource developments that drove the wheels of history. It did not hit this mark the way I hoped.

The Courage to be Free by Ron DeSantis

I read this book in an attempt to learn more about a potential presidential candidate and at a recommendation from a friend. In general, there are a lot of things to like about Ron's background and pedigree - I'm surprised he never seemed to do well in the presidential poll despite a poor field of candidates. I often shy away from politics but have intentionally tried to build up this area with biographies on Obama, Bush, etc.

?

Spiritual

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

The main thing I remember about this book was needing to pause the audiobook a lot to make a note of all of the impactful quotes. That's usually a good sign in a book. Would definitely recommend. I'm not 100% sure who gets the credit on this one but this feels like something that Tyler Wittmer or Daniel K. Cornett would recommend to me.

Prayer by Timothy Keller

Tim Keller himself said that there were many wonderful books on prayer. His goal was to pull from some of the deep material and make it more accessible, and expound on some of the more well-known concepts to build on their foundation.

?

Fiction

The Lightbrighter Series: Books 1-3 by Brent Weeks (The Black Prism, The Blinding Knife, The Broken Eye)

While this list of fiction book isn't ranked, I did list this series first as it absolutely has me wrapped up in the story. I already read Book 4 and I'm about to wrap up the final book; I wish the series was longer than 5 books. What starts out appearing to be a basic fantasy/action series escalates into a web of unveiled secrets and deep character development. This series kept me guessing with its twists and turns - you truly never know when the rug will get pulled out from under the characters and throw the plot into chaos. This excellent recommendation was from Oliver Karabardak .

Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien

As a longtime fan of the series and the movies, it was time that I listen to the books. I preferred listening to this trilogy as the voice acting adds an enjoyable element and when Tolkien decides to describe a landscape for 2 pages you can just let the words roll past your ears (if you're like me). There is definitely a reason why this is such an enduring trilogy. My wife Emily Ashby Kinney gets the credit for this recommendation, as she has been a LOTR fan much longer than I have.

Heir to the Empire Trilogy by Timothy Zahn

The series takes place after Episode 6 and follows Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of the Star Wars gang of their mission to solidify the budding new peace they've established in the aftermath of the fall of the Deathstar. It was to see more of this original Star Wars crew fighting the save the galaxy, especially since they were only a shadow of themselves in Episode 7-9. There are rumors that some of these plot points are being set up by the Mandalorian and new Ahsoka series. Credit for the recommendation goes to Corey Johnson .

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

An excellent, fast-moving thriller with a time-travel twist. Hard to put down. Definitely worth reading. This book was recommended by Sam Parr of the My First Million Podcast.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I've been trying to read some of the famous and "culture-shaping" books of the past 50-100 years. I liked this book better than 1984, but the plot still left something to be desired.

The Firm by John Grisham

A classic John Grisham novel that was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise. The movie made a few plot tweaks that I didn't care for, nor did it add to the story. But the books kept you reading and on the edge of your seat.

The Odyssey by Homer

A classic that has been on my list for a while. It's amazing to think how long ago the author sat down to write this epic story, and that it has been preserved to this day.

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Oh boy, I was obsessed with this book. This is Harry Potter for adults, full of intense heartbreak, wild twists, and an immersive world that feels as though it should actually exist in some far-off country. I've already bought the second book and can't wait to start. Small warning though, this is supposed to be a trilogy and it's been over ten years since Book 2 was released and we are still waiting for Book 3. I knew this going into the first book and it definitely wouldn't change my recommendation, but if you are someone who needs closure you may want to steer clear. This book was recommended by Paul London .

Dune: Messiah by Frank Herbert

This is the second Dune book written by the original author (other authors added to the series with additional books based in the Dune universe) and continues the story several years after the events of Dune. In some ways it is the conclusion to the main story, although I'm sure the rest of the books provide enjoyable stories as well.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I'd heard a lot of good things about Neil Gaiman as an author, and then realized that many of his works have already been translated to Netflix series. I haven't watched any of the series yet, but I enjoyed the book and the new world it imagined. This book was recommended by Griffin Frugé .