A Mind in Motion

Reading List – February 2019

February was a month of average listens. I completed six books, none of which I’d strongly recommend, and none of which I’d tell you to avoid.

If I were to pick a favorite, I think it would be “The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell. Going into this book, I thought that it was going to be heavy on spiritual metaphor, and light on insight, but I was wrong… at least for the first half of the book. Campbell seems to have really figured some things out, and I found much of the early information useful, and insightful. But then he drifts into the world of spirit.

There were no books this month that I would put on the ‘waste of time list’, but “You Do You” by Sarah Knight is close to falling into that category. The book seems to be written as entertainment, and not as the self help it’s marketed as. She tries more than a bit too hard to be funny, and doesn’t go into any topic deep enough to allow for actionable steps… but, with that said, she does cover some very important topics.

Here is my February reading list, in the order that I listened to them:

Power Moves – Adam Grant ***.5

You Do You – Sarah Knight ***

American Philosophy: A Love Story – ***

The Consciousness Instinct – Michael Gazzaniga ***.5

The Power of Myth – Joseph Campbell ***.5

Willpower Doesn’t Work – Benjamin Hardy ***

(if you are not yet an Audible member, you can get one of these books for free, by signing up for a 30 day trial – use this link, and you’ll help support my work as well – Audible Trial Membership)

Reading List – January 2019

January was another slim month of reading, with only five books completed. Again, the colder months make it difficult to take notes, as phones and recorders lose battery power quickly. Of the five books this month, two were outstanding, and one was very good.

Top honors are split between “Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke, and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.

There were no books this month that I would put on the ‘waste of time list’. They all have useful ideas and information.

Here is my January reading list, in the order that I listened to them:

Third Thoughts – Steven Weinberg ***
Resilient – Rick Hanson ****
Thinking in Bets – Annie Duke ****.5
The Power of Little Ideas – David Robertson ***
Atomic Habits – James Clear ****.5

Reading List – December 2018

December was a slim month of reading, completing only eight books. With cold temps and challenging workouts, it’s harder for me to take notes, so it takes me much longer to get through a book. Of the eight, there was only one that I’d recommend.

Top honors goes to “How to build self-discipline to exercise” by Martin Meadows. Martin has written many short books on motivation and self help, and I avoided his work for quite some time. But since they are so short, I thought I’d finally give one a try… I was pleasantly surprised. He knows his stuff. While I’m not a fan of the idea of self-discipline, I do agree with many of his ideas. This is a quick listen, and you’ll definitely find some valuable information.

The least valuable book of the month was tossup between “Mindshift” by Steve Chandler, and “The inside out revolution” by Michael Neill. Both of these books are dripping with spiritual drizzle. They make bold claims that can’t be backed up, and essentially position the ‘ego’ at the center their work. It’s unfortunate, because both of these men have produced other good works without the schlock. Don’t waste your time on these two.

Here is my December reading list, in the order that I listened to them:

TTC Becoming a Great Essayist ***
Super Coach – Michael Neill ***.5
TTC The Psychology of Performance – Eddie O’Connor ***.5
How to Build Self-Discipline to Exercise – Martin Meadows ****
The Inside Out Revolution – Michael Neill **.5
The Quiet Rise of Introverts – Brenda Knowles ***.5
Mindshift – Steve Chandler **.5
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John Maxwell ***

Reading List – November 2018

Of the ten books I listened to, there were four that I’d strongly recommend.

My favorite by far, getting a rare 5 star rating is “Radical Honesty” by Brad Blanton. This book doesn’t pull any punches, and is one of the most insightful books on psychology I’ve ever come across. Can’t recommend it enough.

There were no books that really tanked on this list, but of the bunch, I’d say that “Victorian Secrets” was the least interesting.

Here is my November reading list, in the order that I listened to them:

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind – Shunryu Suzuki ***
Turn Your Pain Into Art – Ariel Bloomer ***
In Search of Memory – Eric Kandel ****
Hi Bob! – Bob Newhart ***
Strong Ending – Audible Original ****
No Land’s Man – Aasif Mandvi ***.5
Victorian Secrets – Audible Original ***
Radical Honesty – Brad Blanton *****
Blue Dreams – Lauren Slater ****
Give and Take – Adam Grant ***.5

Reading List – October 2018

Of the eleven books I listened to, there were four that I’d strongly recommend.

My favorite by far, getting a rare 5 star rating is “The Future of Mental Health” by Eric Maisel. This book should be recommended reading to anyone in education, politics, leadership, mental health… well, everyone should read it.

There were no books that really tanked on this list, but of the bunch, I’d say that North by Scott Jurek was the least interesting.

Here is my October reading list, in the order that I listened to them:

Never Split The Difference – Chris Voss ****.5
The War on Normal People – Andrew Yang ****.5
Sapiens – Yuval Harari ****.5
The Future of Mental Health – Eric Maisel *****
Crushing It – Gary Vaynerchuck ***
Great at Work – Morten Hansen ***.5
A User’s Guide to the Brain – John Ratey ****
Where Should We Begin? – Esther Perel ***
North – Scott Jurek ***
Girls and Boys – Dennis Kelly ***
The Theater of War – Bryan Doerries ***.5