Reading

I read a lot. Probably 40-60 books a year, plus an unhealthy amount of essays and long-form writing. This page is the distilled version – the stuff that actually changed how I think or live, not just the stuff I finished. If something’s on here, I’d stake a dinner on you getting something out of it.

If you only have time for a few, start with the ones marked with a *.

Books - Nonfiction

These shaped how I see the world. I’ve tried to say why for each one, because a title and an Amazon link never convinced anyone of anything.

* The Snowball – The definitive Buffett biography. Less about investing than about how a single person can compound judgment over decades. I re-read sections of this constantly.
* Fooled by Randomness – Taleb at his best and most accessible. Rewired how I think about luck, skill, and the stories we tell ourselves about our own success.
* Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers – If I could prescribe one book for high school students to read, it would be this one. The best explanation of what chronic stress does to the human body, written by a neuroscientist who’s also a genuinely great writer.
* Lost Connections – Singularly the best overview of the non-chemical causes of depression, the low efficacy of pharmaceuticals, and experimental data on effective lifestyle interventions. Changed how I think about mental health entirely.
The Fish That Ate The Whale – The insane true story of Sam Zemurray and the banana trade. Reads like fiction. If you like stories about scrappy operators who reshape industries, this is your book.
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. – Chernow’s best work (and he wrote the Hamilton biography). The scale of what Rockefeller built and the methods he used are almost incomprehensible.
Biography of Ulysses S. Grant – Another Chernow. Grant’s life is the most underrated American story – failed businessman, alcoholic, savior of the Union, underappreciated president.
The Sovereign Individual – Written in 1997, reads like it was written yesterday. Predicted the erosion of nation-state power and the rise of digital sovereignty with eerie accuracy.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions – Where the phrase “paradigm shift” comes from. Short, dense, and will change how you think about how knowledge actually advances (hint: not gradually).
How To Live: A Life of Montaigne – A biography structured around the questions Montaigne spent his life trying to answer. It’s a book about how to think, disguised as a biography.
Thinking In Systems – Once you learn to see systems, you can’t unsee them. Changed how I evaluate businesses, cities, and policies.
The Box – A history of the shipping container. Sounds boring. It isn’t. It’s about how a single, mundane innovation reshaped the entire global economy.
Bare Essentials: The ALDI Story – The most underrated business book I’ve read. ALDI’s operating model is a masterclass in simplicity and discipline.
Finite & Infinite Games – James Carse’s original, not the Simon Sinek rip-off. A short philosophy book that reframes how you think about competition, relationships, and what you’re actually playing for.
Seeing Like A State – Why top-down planning fails. Essential reading for anyone who builds things in the physical world or works with governments.
The Outsiders – Eight CEOs who massively outperformed by thinking about capital allocation differently than everyone else. Short, data-driven, and changed how I evaluate management teams.
Manufacturing Consent – Herman and Chomsky’s framework for how mass media shapes public opinion. Written in ‘88 but more relevant now than ever.

Books - Fiction

Some of my favorite books are listed below, but I would generally recommend anything written by Richard Powers, Daniel Suarez, James S.A. Corey, Pierce Brown, and Andy Weir. If you like one of their books, you’ll like all of them.

* Nexus – My favorite book ever. The entire trilogy. Near-future sci-fi about brain-computer interfaces that feels less fictional every year. If you read one thing from this page, read this.
Red Rising – This entire series is captivating but I don’t recommend it for bedtime, it’s too suspenseful. Reaper forever!
Daemon Series – An extremely prescient illustration of a very believable near future. Suarez was writing about autonomous AI systems and decentralized networks before most people had heard those words.
Ready Player One and Two – Pure fun. The literary equivalent of comfort food for anyone who grew up on video games and ’80s culture.
The Overstory – Richard Powers at the height of his powers. A novel about trees that is really a novel about time, interconnection, and what we owe to things that outlast us.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – This is one of two books that has made me cry.
Song of Achilles – This is the other one.

Obsessions

I will read anything written about a few topics. These are rabbit holes I’ve been going down for years and probably will for the rest of my life. If you know of a book or body of work on one of these subjects, please let me know.

The Apollo Program – I will never tire of reading about the incredible feat of science and cooperation that led to man’s landing on the moon. Start with Apollo by Charles Murray if you read nothing else about it. Then go deeper with Digital Apollo, Flight (Chris Kraft’s memoir), Rocket Men, and The Secret of Apollo. And watch Apollo 11 (remastered footage) – try to watch it without crying.

Napoleon – Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts is the definitive modern biography. Pair it with The Corsican and Napoleon: In His Own Words to hear him speak for himself.

Charlie Munger – Start with Poor Charlie’s Almanac, then listen to his Psychology of Human Misjudgment lecture (Audio / PDF). If you want the investing side, pair it with The Intelligent Investor.

Writers I Follow

I believe the precursor to solving society’s biggest challenges is an open public square for ideas and dissent. These are writers I read consistently and whose work I trust to challenge my thinking:

Henrik Karlsson - Escaping Flatland – One of the best writers on the internet right now. Essays on education, creativity, and how to live well.
Cremieux – Rigorous, data-driven writing on social science and policy.
The Scholar’s Stage – Deep essays on history, strategy, and geopolitics.
Bari Weiss & The Free Press – Independent journalism covering the stories mainstream outlets won’t touch.
Mike Solana / Pirate Wires – Tech, politics, and culture from a perspective you won’t find elsewhere.
Mason Hartman – Sharp, independent thinking on technology and society.

Essays and Memos

Some standalone pieces that stuck with me:

Ryan Holiday’s lifetime body of work at ryanholiday.net, especially: The Next Step, You Can Do Whatever You Want, Never Be Like Them, Comparison, and Ego Is The Enemy
Enforcing Rules on Oneself by Thomas Schelling – A brilliant 1985 paper on why we make rules for ourselves and how to make them stick.
Warren Buffett’s Letters to Shareholders – The best free business education available anywhere.
Jeff Bezos’ Letters to Shareholders – The blueprint for long-term thinking in business.
How To Be Successful by Sam Altman

I keep clippings and readings in a digital commonplace journal – filter to BestOf for my favorites. I also keep highlights in Readwise.