A list of books I am currently reading, have tried to read, or have read.
I have consistently been an inconsistent reader throughout my life. I go through phases where I read every day and phases where I don’t read for weeks or months on end. So this list comes with no guarantees.
I started this list in May 2020. So it only includes books I’ve read since then. I try to write a short review of each book I read. For those where I’ve written a review, I link the title to the review in the list below.
- No Plan B, a Reacher Novel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (March-April 2023), Kindle ebook version: This was an entertaining read but Reacher didn’t feel as well-developed in this book, especially compared to the earliest Reacher books. Honestly, this might be most enjoyable for someone who isn’t a Reacher fan as the thing that bugged me was that Reacher himself seemed to lack depth.
- Gone Tomorrow, a Reacher Novel by Lee Child (March 2023): I picked this book off my shelf to read for a second (or third?) time. It’s a solid entry in the Reacher series, but re-reading it reinforced my existing position that the Reacher books get weaker the deeper you get into the series. The first few are the best.
- Sundial by Catriona Ward (March 2023): I picked up Sundial on a whim in the Miami airport and read it in two days. A good read if you’re into psychological horror (think: Stephen King), but it does contain a lot of material that may be disturbing (child abuse, violence committed to and by children, animal abuse, psychological torment and manipulation, etc).
- On a reading hiatus February 2021-February 2023: My youngest daughter was born in February 2021 and I didn’t read a single book for two years.
- Humankind by Rutger Bregman (January-February 2021); 10/10, perhaps the most important book I’ve ever read. Everyone should read it
- Cross Country: A 3,700-Mile Run to Explore Unseen America by Rickey Gates (February 2021); 9/10, read in a single day, inspiring, moving, I only wish it was a bit longer
- Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (September 2020-January 2021 with a break in Nov-Dec 2020); 8/10, solid book, would recommend and read again
- Relentless Forward Progress by Bryon Powell (October 2020-November 2020); 8/10, solid, will refer back too from time to time
- Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel by Jason Robillard (October 2020); 4/10, some funny stories
- Into the Furnace by Cory Reese with Luke Thoreson (September-October 2020); 7/10, inspiring, worth your time
- Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes (September 2020); 6/10, inspiring but asks for a bit more faith than I was willing to give
- Nowhere Near First by Cory Reese (September 2020); 6/10, funny, positive, inspiring
- Breathe by James Nestor (August 2020-September 2020); 7/10, extremely well-written, interesting
- The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton (June-August 2020), quit approximately 350 pages in; 2/10, would not recommend
- Both Feet on the Ground by Marshall Ulrich (July 2020); 8/10, inspiring, interesting, worth a second reading
- Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright (July 2020); 8/10, eye-opening, well-written, worth a second and third reading
- Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich (June 2020); 8/10, inspiring, interesting, worth a second reading
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins (June 2020); 8/10, incredibly inspiring
- Run Less Run Faster by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss (June 2020); 8/10, useful, will refer back to, repeatedly
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (June 2020); 8/10, inspiring and interesting
- Deep Work by Cal Newport (May-June 2020); 8/10, incredibly valuable if applied
- Waking Up by Sam Harris (May 2020); 7/10, interesting, well-written, can get a bit dry
- Free Will by Sam Harris (May 2020); 8/10, interesting and thought-provoking, but extremely short, more like a long blog post or magazine article than a book
- Measure What Matters by John Doerr (April-May 2020); 6/10, well-written, useful, I have a hard time getting excited about business books and this is perhaps the best I’ve read
