Book & Podcast Reviews
Knowledge worth sharing
In the spirit of curious exploration, these reviews highlight books and podcasts that have helped me expand my knowledge across various disciplines. Some challenge assumptions, expand perspectives and some are deeper explorations on famous figures through biographies.
Pathfinders
It’s getting a bit difficult to break out of the Audible algorithm at the moment. Even though I’ve been branching out across different categories, whenever I come across new books through podcasts the recommendations still tend to pull me back towards investing.
I decided to give Pathfinders by JL Collins a go.
Embracing Hope
Periodically I re read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, yet until recently I’d never ventured into any of his other books. I’m not entirely sure why, given the value I seem to take from Man’s Search every time I revisit it. Regardless, I’m glad I broke the pattern when I picked up Embracing Hope during a recent visit to the local bookstore.
Soul In The Game: The Art of a Meaningful Life
As any avid reader will know, there are periods where it becomes surprisingly difficult to find something new worth reading.
I’d been in one of those stretches recently when I came across an interview with Vitaliy Katsenelson on the Excess Returns podcast.
Born To Be Wired
I have to confess I had little to no knowledge of John Malone before diving into Born to Be Wired. The book came up during a recent episode of We Study Billionaires, which explored Malone’s approach to deal making and valuation structuring.
The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power
It’s not unusual for me to pick up recommended titles without digging too deeply into the synopsis. When I came across The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power, I assumed it would be a fairly straightforward biography of Peter Thiel.
The Richest Man in Babylon
I can’t even recall what originally prompted me to buy The Richest Man in Babylon, although I suspect I heard it referenced either in an investing book or on one of the many recommended reading lists I’ve come across over the years.
Warren Buffett: Inside The Ultimate Money Mind
I became familiar with Robert Hagstrom a good few years ago now, taking a particular liking to his books The Warren Buffett Way and Investing: The Last Liberal Art. Recently, through the The 100 Year Thinkers podcast, I’ve become reacquainted with him so to speak, as part of the monthly show he participates in with Bogumil Baranowski and Matt Ziegler.
Simple But Not Easy
On a recent episode of Talking Billions, Bogumil interviewed Richard Oldfield, who referenced his book Simple But Not Easy a couple of times during the conversation. I enjoyed the episode and, by association, tend to hold Bogumil’s guests in reasonably high regard
The Way of Excellence
Generally, if I come across a book highlighted on the Richer, Wiser, Happier podcast, I can be reasonably confident I’m going to enjoy it. That was certainly the case when I picked up Brad Stulberg’s latest book after hearing him on RWH.
The Thinking Machine
I read The Nvidia Way last year and for a while now, The Thinking Machine by Stephen Witt has been sitting in my Audible recommendations. After a couple of recent below par book selections, I decided to give this one a go.
Open: An Autobiography
I didn’t have this on my radar at all, but I’m glad I stumbled across it. Open: An Autobiography came to my attention after David Senra reviewed it on the Founders podcast, stepping outside his usual focus on business owners and entrepreneurs.
The Intrinsic Value Podcast
I’ve mentioned The Investors Podcast network before when reviewing Richer, Wiser, Happier, and The Intrinsic Value Podcast sits under the same umbrella while maintaining its own dedicated feed.
Talking Billions
Among the podcasts I listen to regularly, Talking Billions hosted by Bogumil Baranowski is one of the more recent additions, although it’s been a good few months now since I discovered it. In that time, it’s quickly become one of my favourites.
Extreme Ownership
I first read Extreme Ownership not long after its release just over a decade ago. I can’t recall exactly how I came across Jocko Willink for the first time, though I strongly suspect it was through a guest appearance on a podcast.
The Joys Of Compounding
I recently listened to The Joys of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit of Lifelong Learning by Gautam Baid following the audiobook release mid last year. It’s a wonderful book that I can’t recommend highly enough, both to investors and generalists alike.
Robin
Dave Itzkoff’s biography of Robin Williams. It’s a strange thing to read about someone you feel like you know a lot about only to realise how little you actually understood. The book revisits films I’d forgotten Williams was in, along with others I didn’t even realise were part of his catalogue.
The Tao of Coaching
Last summer I had a well overdue catch up with an old friend and colleague visiting from Australia. On the train back home, he asked about the book I had with me (I can’t actually recall which one it was now) but also mentioned that he’d just finished The Tao of Coaching.
The Culture Map
How late is late enough to warrant a message to the awaiting party? Two minutes? Ten? Fifteen? How did your last performance review really go? Did you excel, or were there areas for improvement? More importantly, are you certain your interpretation is the same as your managers?
Rule Breaker Investing
Off the back of 100 Baggers, Rule Breaker Investing by David Gardner popped up in my Audible recommendations. I’ve never really developed the habit of regularly checking The Motley Fool or listening to its podcasts, but I decided to give this a try anyway as sometimes the medium makes all the difference.
The Art of Winning
Whenever I head into town, I tend to drop into the local Waterstones and pick up a book without necessarily having one in mind. The Art of Winning by Dan Carter was one I picked up on a such a visit and what a find it turned out to be.