10 Comments
Oct 28Liked by Joe Hovde

I love this chart and want to make one too! I first got 'So Good They Can't Ignore You' back in 2018 but couldn't finish it. When I tried reading it again two months ago, it made so much sense that I also read Cal Newport's 'Deep Work.' This got me interested in reading 'Peak' by Anders Ericsson this month which talks a lot about how to practice well. I think it’s also one of my favorites now.

You're really good at recommending books! 'Only the Paranoid Survive’ was one of the best books I read this year and learned this book from you! 🙂 I tried reading 'Educated' too in 2018, but since I used to be Mormon, it was too hard to finish!! 😂 Will read the other books you’ve mentioned!

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Ah im glad you’ve liked them! Let me know if you make a similar chart, they’re a fun way to think about what you’ve read

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Love the fun x impact framework!

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Thanks! Those feel most important to me. What's on your list??

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Oct 27Liked by Joe Hovde

Most impactful nonfiction I’ve read is “How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World” by Harry Browne. It opened my eyes to Libertarianism.

It occurs to me that “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.“ In other words, the impact of a book depends critically on where you are in your intellectual journey at the time you read it. You have to be both open to and ready for receive the messages in the book.

“The Discoverers” by Boorstein is a beautiful tour of human ingenuity.

“Six Easy Pieces” by Feynman exposes the brilliance of this genius.

“The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” by Tufte. Changed the way I look at communication.

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Several I will read and report back on thanks for sharing.

What about Libertarianism appealed to you / what point in your life was it?

And yes totally agree about the point in the journey you are in. The "knowledge" books that were most impactful to me I read when I a teenager or in college. Lately the things that have been more impactful have been spiritual or about meaning in some way

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Oct 28Liked by Joe Hovde

Re Libertarianism, I had had no economic or philosophical training in high school, and I read it toward the end of high school. So it wasn’t really replacing any existing philosophy I adhered to as much as filling a void. Libertarianism is a simple set of principles as you are likely aware, that is, easy to apprehend. However, this author applied it in his every day life and business relationships. I began to see it, not as a theory, but as a practical guide to life. Libertarianism also fits well with the “economic man“ that one learns of in economics 101 in college. Only later did I read Mike Porter’s Strategy book that explorers and categorizes the exceptions to smoothly operating markets, or one could say situations where a free market may not prevail for one reason or another, leading to profits (“economic rents”) and or monopolistic dysfunctionality. Thus in my journey I became a mild Libertarian, convinced of the value of personal freedom, but also wary of its potential abuses. Life is so rich!

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I will add that I am very impressed by how well-read you are, Joe

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Three that I have read and re-read:

The Federalist Papers--always stimulates my admiration of and gratitude to our Founding Fathers.

Aristotle's Essays, particularly the Nicomachean Ethics and Politics--going back to an early and important development in critical thinking.

Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans--short and easily read biographies of early leaders of our Western World.

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I have never read them but will try!

I have the benefit of audiobooks that I can walk around with which you did not, and I often do that for nonfiction :)

Thank you for sharing!!

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