I love to read. But it’s hard to find great books. There’s a lot of bad ones out there. And more bad ones are published every year.
But there is no need to tolerate a bad book: There are more great books to read than you have time to read them.
Moreover, there are more great books worth reading that are also enjoyable to read than you have time to read them.
So I’m always seeking out books that belong to that subset.
My primary book source is my dad. He has been reading for decades.
So when he tells me such and such book he read in 1981 is still with him and worth reading, I listen.
If you know an older person who reads a lot, I recommend asking them for their all timers.
I thought I would list some of my favorites here with some thoughts on why they resonated with me.
If you like the sound of any of them, I recommend buying second hand copies online (Amazon, World of Books etc.).
52 PickUp - Elmore Leonard
Really slick, down-and-dirty tale of extortion set in Baltimore.
I don’t know of anyone who writes scumbags like Leonard. The dialogue in particular is terrific. I've heard Quentin Tarantino namecheck
Elmore Leonard a few times in podcast interviews (he also adpated and filmed Lenoard's book Rum Punch as Jackie Brown). I suspect he takes quite
a bit of inspiration from books like this when putting together his movie scripts.
Anything You Want - Derek Sivers
Derek Sivers scaled and sold a company called CD Baby. This book recounts lessons learned along the way.
He points out that your company doesn’t have to follow any particular path.
For example, it is fine to ignore the venture capitalist’s plea to take their money and get big.
Your business can stay small. Maybe that would be better. In short, it can be anything you want. Incidentally, Derek's website (https://sive.rs) is worth a visit.
Mila 18 - Leon Uris
Set in the Warsaw Ghetto during WW2. A story about human resilience and love and dignity.
One of the most moving books I have ever read.
The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith
I have never rooted so hard for a villain. That's all I'll say.
Down Under - Bill Bryson
If Bill Bryson toured a carpark and wrote about it I would read it. His books are that fun and that funny. This time out he heads down under.
Australia gets minimal air time in the western news media.
And that makes sense: It is very far away. Their time zone is way out of sync. And there's little turmoil (coups, riots etc.) to report on.
But there’s still plenty going on.
Expect to learn about the strange drowning of PM Harold Holt in the 60s, the wallop of a sting from a box jellyfish, the goofy founding story of the Gold Coast,
and the icomrehesible scale of the outback.
Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
Really fun send up of Wall Street WASP culture. There’s also a profound father-son passage that forms the basis for what I think being an adult is.
Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
Crazy story about the founding and rise of Nike (written by the founder of Nike). Look out for the passage on how a waffle iron inspired the design on the base of your trainers.
It gets a little dull toward the end when it's all money and anecdotes about other rich CEOs. But the first three quarters are really fun.
Casino Royale - Ian Fleming
I’d recommend any of the Bond novels I’ve read. I’ve opted for this one simply because it is the first.
It's nice to get that fresh introduction to the Bond character, rather than thinking of Connery, Moore etc.
Also Fleming is a great writer. Like Bond, he’s a bit snobby and fussy about champagne and cars and foods and cigarettes and so on.
So there's lots of sensuous passages about the finer things in there alongside the sex and thrills and harder edged stuff we associate with Bond stories.
Skyfaring - Mark Voeneracker
A British Airways pilot talks about his love of flying, from technical aspects to the joys of listening to music on a plane while high over Greenland.
I now relish flying. I emailed Mr Voeneracker to tell him so and he responded very thoughtfully, which was nice.
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