2023 Reading List

#Reading #Books #Podcasts
Books read in 2023: 38
  1. On Becoming Baby Wise [1,000,000]Notes:
    • Extremely underwhelming - I heard great things about this book, but I found very little value from it as most of what they say I already knew from other sources.

  2. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People [0]Author(s):
    • Stephen Covey
    Notes:
    • Cannot recommend this book highly enough
    • Cheesy title, but a truly life-changing book

  3. Combat Strength Training: A No-Nonsense Retrofit for your Combat Chassis [1]Author(s):
    • Pat McNamara
    Notes:
    • Get intro to strength training and fitness

  4. Lazy Genius: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done [10]Author(s):
    • Kendra Adachi
    Notes:
    • Good book w/ some good practical advice for busy people (e.g. parents)

  5. Convict Conditioning [1]Author(s):
    • Paul Wade
    Notes:
    • Despite the overstated title, I think this book is actually really great!
    • Gives paths for progression through various body-weight exercises

  6. Fit to Fight: An Insanely Effective Strength and Conditioning Program for the Ultimate MMA Warrior [1000]Notes:
    • Not bad - some good advice on diet and inspiration for workouts
    • Ridiculous cover image

  7. Preparing for the Army Combat Fitness Test [10]Notes:
    • The army PT test serves as a good benchmark for a basic level of fitness
    • Helpful collection of exercises to improve various skills

  8. Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits–to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life [10]Author(s):
    • Gretchen Rubin
    Notes:
    • Interesting book which gives a helpful paradigm for understanding how different people build habits (and some helpful tips on doing so)

  9. Tiny House: Live Small, Dream Big [100]Notes:
    • Inspiring book to look through
    • Great pics, but they don’t do a good job of telling the story of each house

  10. M Is for Mama: A Rebellion Against Mediocre Motherhood [10]Author(s):
    • Abbie Halberstadt
    Notes:
    • Very encouraging and challenging book even for dads
    • A sort of ‘Extreme Ownership’ for moms

  11. The Magician’s Nephew [10]Author(s):
    • C. S. Lewis
    Notes:
    • Fantastic book - absolutely gets better with age

  12. The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization [10]Author(s):
    • Peter Zeihan
    Notes:
    • Fascinating book
    • Describes which countries are well-situated in the world he believes we are entering (US, most of N and S America as a whole, Argentina, France, Turkey, Australia/New Zealand)
    • One of his main theses is that geography and demographics matter - you can outrun population decline and can’t drive a truck across an ocean

  13. A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love [10]Author(s):
    • Milton Vincent
    Notes:
    • Very worshipful book that I want to study through more thoroughly

  14. The Mysterious Benedict Society [10]Author(s):
    • Trenton Lee Stewart
    Notes:
    • Very fun read and highly recommended for kids (and even adults)

  15. The Artist’s Way [1]Author(s):
    • Julia Cameron
    Notes:
    • A book I hope to read and re-read soon
    • As a Christian, I think I have an even more powerful impetus to practice what is in this book than those who believe only in a nebulous, impersonal presence or spirit

  16. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision [10]Author(s):
    • William Lane Craig
    Notes:
    • Good read - introduces a lot of classical apologetic techniques for what they are worth

  17. Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms [10]Author(s):
    • Justin Whitmel Earley
    Notes:
    • Encouraging and practical read for parents

  18. The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy [0]Author(s):
    • Timothy Keller
    Notes:
    • GREAT book - very insightful and challenging

  19. Way of the Warrior Kid 1: From wimpy to warrior the navy seal way [100]Author(s):
    • Jocko Willink
    Notes:
    • Good book for kids - helpful intro and application of Jocko’s principles
    • Chapter 7 contains various warrior codes which are worth reading in and of themselves

  20. The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath [100]Author(s):
    • Mark Buchanan
    Notes:
    • Good theology and some helpful tips in this book
    • Author wasn’t very concise and, in my opinion, was trying too hard to illustrate his points
    • This is a good book - but I recommend just finding a good outline/summary of the book and calling that good

  21. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World [1000]Author(s):
    • John Mark Comer
    Notes:
    • Not recommended
    • Author is trying to be too ‘cute’ and persuasive
    • Advice in this book is generally good, but not well-rooted in scripture. Author is playing fast and loose with scripture to try to root his words in the Bible instead of wisdom
    • Find a good outline and summary of this book and read that

  22. You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News [10]Author(s):
    • Kelly M. Kapic
    Notes:
    • Fascinating and encouraging read
    • I appreciated the point that some of what we call sin is really part of what it means to be a creature

  23. How to Talk to Strangers [1000]Author(s):
    • Amanda Myers
    Notes:
    • Not very helpful
    • Basically: Talking to strangers can be exciting and open doors although we have a cultural bias against and fear of strangers. When talking with strangers: smile, listen well, ask questions to find common ground

  24. Marc’s Mission: Way of the Warrior Kid [10]Author(s):
    • Jocko Willink
    Notes:
    • Very good book (I think even better than the first one)
    • Love the realization of who Nathan is and what his background is

  25. Lonely Planet Epic Bike Rides of the World 1 [10]Notes:
    • Fun read

  26. Forest: A Journey Through Wild and Magnificent Landscapes [1000]Author(s):
    • Matt Collins
    • Roo Lewis
    Notes:
    • Focuses more on individual tree species than forests as a whole
    • Mildly interesting book with some great photographs

  27. Fields of Dreams: Travels in the Wildflower Meadows of America [10]Notes:
    • Beautiful photographs - worth skimming for the photos alone

  28. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It [0]Author(s):
    • Chris Voss
    • Tahl Raz
    Notes:
    • Potentially life-changing book

  29. Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual [0]Author(s):
    • Jocko Willink
    Notes:
    • Fantastic book - definitely worth internalizing

  30. Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches - Grace Based Christian Parenting [1]Author(s):
    • Rachel Jankovic
    Notes:
    • Great book - very encouraging and helpful

  31. 150 Best Mini Interior Ideas [100]Author(s):
    • Francesc Zamora
    Notes:
    • Ok - some good ideas and inspiration
    • Does a decent job of telling full story of the home and its layout

  32. The Design of Everyday Things (Revised and Expanded Edition) [10]Author(s):
    • Don Norman
    Notes:
    • Underwhelming relative to the hype around this book - but still a very helpful book
    • For a book on design, I found the hierarchy of the book difficult to follow - it wasn’t clear to me from the headings whether a section was a new section of a subheading of the previous section. More clarity in this area would have been helpful.

  33. Don’t Read this Book: Time Management for Creative People [1]Author(s):
    • Donald Roos
    Notes:
    • Very good book w/ a lot of helpful advice

  34. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness [0]Author(s):
    • Andrew Peterson

  35. North! Or Be Eaten [1]Author(s):
    • Andrew Peterson

  36. The Monster in the Hollows [0]Author(s):
    • Andrew Peterson

  37. The Warden and the Wolf King [0]Author(s):
    • Andrew Peterson

  38. A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest [1000]Author(s):
    • Andrew Peterson
    Notes:
    • Mildly interesting, but not worth reading in my estimation

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