About Me
I am just a regular, middle-aged guy with a wife I adore, five super cool kids, an interesting job, and a couple of hobbies, looking to add something of benefit to the world. One of those hobbies has become a passion for me and in the past nine years I have listened to, or read over 200 books.
When I started it was out of a desire to make better use of my time while driving. But as I got more into it I spent more days taking the long way home from work in order to get a few more minutes in my book. Taking this opportunity to read has expanded my knowledge and challenged me to examine the many views and beliefs that I have held.
My biggest frustration in the process has been finding the next book as I have found most sources leave much to be desired. I rely heavily on friends and acquaintances and frequently ask for a book that they feel passionate about. My goal with this website is to become the best place to go to reliably find your next book.
Inspiration
Growing up I was a dedicated student and I excelled at getting good grades. Sadly, knowledge and learning were never my passion.
In 2013 I came across a Facebook post from a friend who had publicly committed to reading more and documenting his efforts by posting book reviews. It’s unclear what from those book reviews had such a profound impact on me and inspired me to start reading.
Perhaps it was a recognition that I needed to be more deliberate with my time. Regardless of the cause of that inspiration, I could not be more grateful for the path I started down that day and the impact of that simple post.
Through the gift of reading I have traveled the world – from the streets of apartheid South Africa to the snowy mountain peaks of the Italian Alps in WWII. I walked with John Lewis across the Edmund Pettus bridge to Selma, Alabama and suffered with Ernest Shackleton and his men in the bitter cold of the antarctic. I have explored the history and the virtues of psychedelics and have reflected seriously if I would ever use one. I learned about life’s first mountain and started my trek up The Second Mountain with David Brooks.
From Steven Pressfield I learned about the call of the Universe to create, and the role that Resistance plays to keep us from that calling. I read an in depth book about Why We Sleep, and immediately changed my attitude and habits.
Rabbi Kushner expounded on fifty years of service to his congregation and imparted the nine essential things he’s learned in life – which have changed mine.
My long-held beliefs of human nature were challenged by Rutger Bregman, but he finally did convince me that humans are good by nature and kindness is the key to solving society’s challenges. But perhaps most important, thanks to Mo Gawdat, I have set out on my personal path to Solve for Happy.
I have sailed with the Dread Pirate Roberts to the corners of the dark web, and toiled with Michaelangelo as he sculpted The David. I have seen despair at the US/ Mexican border, witnessed the assassination of Martin Luther King, and experienced countless other places and events throughout history. After reading Dr Fung’s complete Guide to Fasting, I fasted for five days.
If I had to pick the most important lesson I have learned, it is to be open to the world and what it has to offer me.
Through these books I have been given the gift of seeing life from a different perspective. Life extends far outside of the comforts of the middle-class suburbs of Salt Lake City. As these authors have shared their experiences and ideas I have developed greater compassion for those who suffer greatly in this world. I have learned that life is complex – filled with inexplicable joys and incomprehensible sorrows. I have experienced the truth that Frederick Douglas proclaimed, “Once you learn to read, you will forever be free.”
In my bio I made reference to my love for recommending books. It truly brings me joy to hear feedback from someone that they loved my recommendation. The world just seems pretty great when I’m engrossed in a book. Yet, somehow it’s even better than that when someone else is enjoying one as well.
I have spent countless hours scouring the web for books to read but I often don’t have the information I need to make an educated choice. There are so many books to read and so little time. Every book counts! I created this website to help you find your next book, and to hear about the books that have changed your life.
George R. R. Martin once said, A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…. The man who never reads lives only one.” I am passionate about reading and I hope I can help you to find your next great book!