There I go, turning the page on 2022

After sharing the 2021 book list, lots of recommendations have been sent my way - thank you to all those that shared and looking forward to continuing this train in 2023! As usual, the majority of the books consumed this year were audiobooks, my preferred method. One of the things that’s interesting to contemplate is the time taken by the author (or the team) to select the ideal person to read the book for the audio version. Of course, some authors opt to take this upon themselves, some delegate all the reading to one selected individual, and some make the audio file more of a production, with guests and music. Whatever the audio method selected, it gives us a small glimpse into how the author intended the literary work to be understood. Note: this only applies to relatively new books, as the thought of an audiobook likely didn’t cross Dale Carnegie’s mind when he published “How to Win Friends and Influence People” in 1936.

Overall, I don’t believe I have the authority to comment on the year that was 2022, so I’ll stick to my lane and comment on the books I was fortunate enough to enjoy. With books or life, I didn’t agree with or like everything that was included in the content published, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to gain additional perspective. There will be no negative comments about any of the books or the authors who wrote them: these will be a quick key take-away I pulled from the final product. And politics will be left out completely. If you find any of the titles sound of interest, the link to the Audible file is included, though I encourage you to access hard copies through a local store. Thank you to all the friends, family, and colleagues that recommended the titles below! Please continue sharing your recommendations.

These are the books I “read” throughout the year, starting in January. All of them were either first time reads for me or the first time since high school (perspectives certainly change over time). Prior to sitting down to create this summary, I finished my last book, so I don’t currently have anything on the go - give it an hour or so and I’ll be back in the saddle. Below is the list of most of the books consumed from January to December 2022, in the order they were originally completed.

Buy then Build by Walker Deibel

It’s much easier to make adjustments on a plane that is already flying than it is to build one from scratch and try to get it off the ground. This book is a guide on how to go about reviewing businesses for purchase and how to manage the banking/finances for pulling value forward. Walker has experience in both building and buying businesses, making him one of the few that can speak on these topics in earnest with strong fundamentals to share for the aspiring small business owner. His long term focus on relationship development to build together was refreshing: many books in this genre tend to focus on “dividing the pie” and getting as much as you can; Walker seems to take an “expand the pie” mindset, knowing that this deal surely won’t be his last and the world is small. 

Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio

History repeats itself. As Dalio explains: any financial or political circumstance we face today likely has a mirror in the past few hundred years. To detail this point, Dalio maps the past 500 years of world super power countries and the conditions that lead to their rises and falls. Through this work, there are trends of populations and social patterns that make it easier to predict how the power equation will move in the coming years. This book was heavily recommended by the “All In” podcast and it was well worth the read. Dalio predicts that we’re in times of change and grounding these feelings in historical facts helps move from a place of concern to a place of planning for next steps.

I would recommend the hard copy of this book: having consumed it via audiobook with the accompanying PDF supporting docs and then later reviewing the hard copy version of the title, I can confirm the hard copy is a much better way to consume the spectacular details put onto paper by Dalio.

Will by Will Smith and Mark Manson

Sadly, most people will remember Will Smith’s 2022 for the Oscar’s slap. I generally don’t watch the Academy Awards, but I actually was watching this year because I was hoping to see Will Smith win after reading this literary masterpiece. I’ve been a fan of Will as an actor and artist since I was a kid, but like most, I didn’t know much more about him beyond what was shown in his hand picked media appearances. In this book, he takes himself to the woodshed (likely thanks in part to Mark Manson being his co-writer, but he selected Mark, so he wanted this): it goes through every stage of his life (it’s a long book) and has everything from bankruptcies to domestic violence to psychedelic trips to wins and losses. It explained the human behind the performer. Plus, the production value was supreme, with Will singing, playing piano, and embellishing where needed. All that to say, it was one of my favourite books of the year and sadly made the slap on stage slightly less surprising than it otherwise would have been… not saying I could have predicted it, but anyone who had read the book knew there are demons being worked out below the surface.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

My sister told me to read this years ago and, given her understanding of the sciences and my relatively limited science acumen, I figured it wasn’t for me. So I avoided enjoying it for a few years. I WAS SO WRONG THIS BOOK CHANGED MY FRIGGIN’ LIFE AND BLEW MY MIND AND I LEARNED SO MUCH I’M NOT SURE HOW I MANAGED TO GET THIS FAR WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THESE CORE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN HISTORY UNTIL NOW. Evolution, origins of religion, creation of capitalism, human tendencies and basics of environmental history. This book has it all.

To say this was the best title I read this year would be an injustice to the book. It might be the best book I’ve ever read, period. Again, one doesn’t need to like the author to think the literary work is magnificent.

The Firm by Duff McDonald

The history of McKinsey & Company in many ways can be interwoven into the history of many of the companies we know today, given the respect and confidence many leaders put in the guidance provided by McKinsey. For those of us on the outside, we rarely have the opportunity to understand the impact McKinsey has, or even where they’ve spent time, due to the private nature of the strategy consulting world and their culture of staying tight lipped on past engagements. I read “The Firm” because I had heard there was a book set to release later in the year that was meant to be a bit of a hit-piece on McKinsey. “The Firm” was more of a history of the key players that created the organization and shaped it through the years - I wanted to have a perspective on the history of the business before reading “When McKinsey Comes to Town”. Anyone who has been in business in the last 50 years would likely find some element of “The Firm” interesting.

The Lost Bank by Kristen Grind

It’s likely partly because I was in undergrad when the 2008 financial crisis hit and partly because I’m somewhat of a pessimist at heart, but either way, I will read or consume anything to do with the financial crisis - I find it fascinating. I believe we can end up repeating a lot of past mistakes if we don’t attempt to learn more about how we got to where we are today. All that said, despite the interest, there is relatively little written about Washington Mutual - it wasn’t as sexy as much of the horse trading happening between the banks on Wall Street at the time. The rise and subsequent decimation of Washing Mutual was a fantastic story of management, relationships, and ego. Likely because it was somewhat novel in that the tale didn’t follow the Wall Street bros, but I found elements of the story even more surprising than those of the Wall Street banks… worth a read.

Bailout by Neil Barofsky
Given my propensity to enjoy 2008 financial crisis stories, “Bailout” was suggested to me by Audible after completing “The Lost Bank”. Neil Barofsky, a former US Attorney’s Office prosecutor, served as the special inspector general in charge of oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) from late 2008 through early 2011. He was charged with monitoring the use of the $700B TARP funds. He left the job sickened by the politics and gladhanding that went on across all the political spectre and I came out of the book feeling the same. The book is extremely detailed in certain parts, which was great but might not be for everyone. I think it’s likely a good one for anyone partisan to read, because it bursts the bubble of the left or right politicians being better or worse than the other: they’re all horse trading for tax-payer money and power, and they’ll do whatever it takes to secure both. (Note: I said I wouldn’t be political and I think I’m staying true to that: I’m equally disenchanted by all politicians)

Thicker than Water by Tyler Shultz

Before consuming “Thicker than Water”, read “Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou, if you haven’t already. Carreyrou is the Wall Street Journal reporter that opened the world’s eyes to the complete and utter sham that was Theranos. For Carryrou to gain the insights he included in the book, he worked with a handful of whistleblowers, chief among them being Tyler Shultz. Shultz is the grandson of Former United States Secretary of State, George Shulz, who was an intern then analyst at Theranos. As a young scientist in the organization, he was easily able to see through the lies that the Theranos business was built upon and knew lives were going to be negatively affected by improper blood testing - so he did something about it. This is an Audible Original and can be consumed in a long walk.

The Big Heist by Anthony M. DeStefano

Have you seen the 1990 Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas”? If you have, you know the basis of this story about the 1978 Lufthansa Airlines heist. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter DeStefano digs into the history of each mafia member involved in the heist, uncovering their past and looking through to 2017. I’m not afraid to say that I likely know less than the average bear about the Mafia and how the organization functions, and though I have seen Goodfellas, I think it was on a plane and I know it was a long time ago. Meaning I wasn’t the most informed of readers going into this book but I found the research and details quite captivating and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. Plus, it was fun to look up various characters and see who they were played by in the movie and learn what became of them since. Anyone that likes crime novels and gangster movies will likely enjoy this title.

Playing to Win by Micheal Lewis

This was an Audible Original that Lewis did, reviewing the life of a competitive athlete’s father. Lewis’ second daughter had just graduated from high school and was off to college on a softball scholarship. He and his family took stock of the time, energy, and effort expanded on her softball career thus far and asked her: was it worth it? As Lewis only knows how to be: he was thought provoking and sincere in his recounting of the experience (his wife apparently ordered he “not sugar coat” the story, as he quips at the start of the book). As a parent now of kids that may end up in competitive sports as they grow (my sons are 4 and almost 2 at time of writing, so we have some time), and as someone that was fortunate to play competitive sports when I was younger, this book put into perspective the sacrifices made by parents to give their children the shot at college scholarships, even through the odds are extremely slim of actually attaining this goal.

The Rookie Year by Sidney Crosby

Another Audible Original that was so fun as a hockey player and fan. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been my team since Mario made his return in the early 2000s. Then they drafted Sidney Crosby. Without my bias, Crosby is one of the best to play the game. And with my bias, he’s the absolute greatest of a generation. For me, one of the things that makes him so great is his seemingly humble attitude and almost complete aversion to the media - he’s here to play hockey, not to be a celebrity. But finally getting to hear a deep dive into Crosby’s rookie year, including the history leading up to it and the pressures of being such an awaited star was just incredible. Plus, being an Audible Original, it was “hosted” by Joe Manganiello, with inputs from the actual players involved in the stories, including a couple of the guys from the “Spittin’ Chicklets” podcast. Sports fans will love this short audiobook.

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

This book had been on my list for a while and never made it to the top until a friend told me it changed his way of operating. Goggins is a master of his mind: if he decides he is going to achieve something, he does. That’s it. He’s the only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force tactical air controller and now he does fun things like compete in ultra marathons around the world. Oh and he holds the world record for pull-ups in 24 hours, when he completed 4,030 on his third attempt to break the record. Looking at any of those feats would make him an incredibly strong human, mentally and physically. But doing all of them is almost unbelievable. This is all impressive, but what I find more impressive is that he overcame the truly terrible circumstances of his childhood and young life: for him to have become “average” would have been an accomplishment.

The audiobook version is read by the narrator but with interludes with David Goggins between each chapter to give additional context and details that aren’t in the hard copy. 

Rogues by Patrick Radden Keefe

Patrick wrote my favourite book of 2021: Empire of Pain. I believe he’s in a class all his own in terms of research efforts for an article or long form literary piece. Patrick’s books were my introduction to him as a writer, as opposed to his investigative journalism, the area in which his career spans a couple of decades. This book is a compilation of his favourite articles from over the years, with small updates added for context. Given the age of some of the pieces, I had limited view on some of these articles. They span from lunch with Anthony Bourdain to crimes involving the Heineken beer family to profiling the lawyer defending the Boston Marathon bomber - in a similar fashion to his books, some of the content is hard to consume, given the nature of the details, but it’s all thorough and thought provoking.

Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis

This was a re-read, as Audible released a new audio version in 2022 that was quite enjoyable and I hadn’t read the hard copy in almost a decade. Great production value in the new version of this audiobook, for those interested. Though the text is old and it’s not the most refined writing style (on a relative basis, given this was Lewis’ first book and he gets better and better with age), the themes of incentives and power and greed covered in this book seemingly could be applied to any era. Plus, it’s a good reminder that a large swath of the decisions that impact the markets and our world are being made by sleep deprived, caffeine (and other things) laden 20-somethings on a few trading floors around the world. An epic classic. As I type this, I want to listen again.

One Second After by Willian R. Forstchen

This novel scared the life out of me. Novels aren’t generally my thing, but I decided to change it up for once. Forstchen is a PhD in History with a focus on wars and their impacts on society. His writing in “One Second After” was meant to be as close as possible to what he believed would actually happen if the United States was hit by a Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attack (nuclear explosion without the actual explosion or radiation fall-out: knocks out all modern computer systems). The novel was touted by multiple high ranking Generals and historians as being painfully realistic in the event of one of these attacks: think about how much we rely on computers and then imagine ALL of them being rendered useless at once. It follows from the moment of the attack through the first year after being forced back into the dark ages. The population of earth expands to meet the technology and rules of law available to manage said population. You can imagine how the book rolls on… in painful and exceptional detail.

The Bond King by Mary Childs

For many years, Mary Childs has been a favourite NPR contributor of mine. This is a deep dive into the bond market, specifically focused on Bill Gross, who effectively created the present day bond market. It’s fascinating and there was clearly massive research and effort expanded into coming up with the content. One of the best things about Mary is her ability to avoid bias in her reporting. She manages to do this in the Bond King, but there were times in the book where I wanted to know her opinion - she’s far better trained in the subject matter than most readers of the content, so hearing her stance (good, bad, and ugly) would have been welcomed. But it was clear, she was up against considerable legal pushback about the contents included. Thus, I’d love the opportunity to have coffee with her and hear some of the stories that didn’t make it into the final cut.

The Billionaire Murders by Kevin Donovan

Barry and Honey Sherman were murdered in their home in December 2017. Barry was the Apotex CEO and Honey was a world class philanthropist. They were found next to the indoor pool in their Toronto home by their realtor, who was doing a showing. Donovan was one of the first to report on the incident and his investigative journalism for the Toronto Star at times seemed more coherent and detailed  than the investigation being completed by the Toronto Police. There were a number of factors that played into the perceived mishandling of the case, both internal and external: increased homicides in Toronto that week meant detectives not trained in homicide were first put on the case, driving an unfortunately inaccurate narrative; while the internal family dynamic of power struggle definitely didn’t help the flow of information. A sad book, given the content and the lack of answers, but a good read for gaining additional insight into the Sherman family and all they achieved. 

Build by Tony Fadell

Tony led the creation of the iPod, then the iPhone, and then went on to found Nest. An epic CV no matter how you cut it, but those weren’t the best parts of this book: he focuses so much on the perceived failures that taught him what he needed to learn in order to be successful in his more recent ventures. The stories are intriguing and the way Tony pulls the lessons forward for the reader is quite helpful - I actually went through it twice in a row, as I found the mindset he brings to early start-up problems to be fascinating. There are only a few books I’ve read that focus on team development through each stage of the business. And even fewer still where the author admits when he/she knew it was time to step back and let a more seasoned manager take over the role. This self-awareness and ability to put ego aside separates his style from others.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

There’s a reason this book is on most “must read lists” for highly successful people. Yes, it’s old; yes, it’s old fashioned; but yes, it’s encapsulation of core operating principles for success in business and life is unmatched. I hadn’t read this book since high school and I almost didn’t consume it again, given it would be a repeat, but I’m so glad I did. It will absolutely be a book layered into my regular rotation, as perspectives change as experience is gained and these grounding principles are important to remember: we’re always dealing with people. We, as people, are not always 100% rational. That’s part of the beauty of being human! But that means we need to take time to understand how we’ll be perceived and, especially in this time of instant messaging, take time to think through our communication.

NOTE ADDED ON JANUARY 3, 2023: I actually selected this book to read last year because I had re-listened to the Tim Ferriss show podcast where he interviews my idol, Ken Block. On the episode, Ken explains that the book is a constant point of reference for him - if it was good enough for him in his countless career and family successes, I should likely study the text further. RIP Ken Block.

Yearbook by Seth Rogen

I believe that most folks think of the “Pineapple Express” version of Seth Rogen when they think of him: smoking weed on the couch and not overly motivated. Though he does enjoy cannabis (I mean, who doesn’t?), he’s so much more than a “stoner” and this book delves a few layers deep into him as a person and why he does what he does. It doesn’t highlight many of his successes (doesn't even mention House Plant) but focuses on specific learnings he wanted to dig into. While a serious book at certain points, it’s delivered in easily the most consumable format: with Seth reading most of the book and countless other actors/celebrities speaking their own quotes in the stories being told. I found myself laughing out loud on the subway listening to it… people stared. Worth it.