2024 - Year in Books

Not sure why I got into this book but it turned out to be a nice read. Truth is I have always had a lot of friends and family in the 12 step program and so it's been a big part of my life. I also typically do Dry January, so this helped contextualize my temporary sobriety a bit more. The truth is, we ALL struggle with compulsion and addiciton--it's the human state. Addiction is a manifestation of the spiritual state, and the more we till the soil of the soul, the less addictive weeds we'll find in the crop.

Sheesh, idk how many times I've read Meditations, but it's a lot. At least once a year. Keeps me grounded in the Stoic mindset and reminds me of a lot of the quotes/one-liners I like to recall from time to time. If you're going to read it, this is the edition to read.

This is the 3rd or 4th books of Sadhguru's that I've read...I love his writing. It's entertaining, easy to read, accessible. "Inner Engineering" is actually a whole formal program Sadhguru does through the Isha Institute (which I've also done). It lays the essential groundwork for his yoga/program. Even if you don't read one of his books or do his program, you should definitely follow him on Instagram.

'23/'24 is the first time re-reading the Trilogy since college. The movies are still some of my favorites, so it's fun to get the full story through reading.

I read "The Power of Now" several years ago and had wanted to work through some of Tolle's other works. This was great, but it didn't feel as 'robust' as The Power of Now. Here's my take: if you're and avid reader and want to jump into the deep end, read The Power of Now. If you don't read as much but want to get the gist of Tolle, start with "A New Earth".

As you know, Ram Dass is one of my primary spiritual guides so I try to spend as much time with him has possible. This is a book that was written a bit later in his life, and is primarily a book about getting old and dying. This might sound morbid (it is!), but this is the stuff of the spiritual life. Gaining a better understanding of the aging process, how the ego ages, how the mind changes, what to be focused on as our body degrades--these are all incredible things to meditate on.

I talk about Deida's other book, "The Way of the Superior Man" all the time and it's the book give out the most. This volume is a more comprehensive overview of his model of sexuality, and it spends more time talking through both the masculine and feminine energies.

Deida's model of human sexuality is one that I'll end up spending a lot of time talking about in the years to come--it's changed my life and I'm excited to share it with you🫶

Fairly simple, straight-forward book written from the Toltec spiritual tradition (like midievil Colombia, I believe.) It's made the rounds from a 'popular spiritual' perspective so I wanted to give it a try. Sarah read this book too, and one of the things that we've referenced several times is Agreement #1: "Always be impeccible with your word" and and Agreement #3: "Don't Make Assumptions." The would be a good book to read together with a relationship partner, come to think of it.

Definitely dragged a lot more than I remember from college. Lots of long sections without breaks. Still good, just different reading it 10 years after the first read through.

This volume came out after "The Essential Rumi", and apparently Coleman Barks (the translator) prefers some of his translations in this volume. But "The Essential Rumi" is still the best in my opinion.

Have written about this elsewhere, but this was a pretty transformative read for me. It helped to bridge the gap between a.) what I've been learning spiritually, b.) what I've been learning psychedelically, and c.) what I know about modern psychology (namely, that it doesn't mesh well with what I know spiritually and psychedelically.)

Main premise is that Freudian psychology has permeated our psychological landscape for the past 100 years, but one of his contemporaries--Alfred Adler--might provide a more compelling way to understand trauma, compulsive disorders, addictions, and relationship drama. Highly recommend. It's written as a socratic dialogue, so it's very easy and entertaining to read.

Singer has a few other books I would recommend more, like The Untethered Soul. Wouldn't recommend this book--it's a bit underdeveloped and written too early on in Singer's career, when I don't think he had fully thought everything out.

I just love this book. I think Siddhartha gave me permission to 'live life', in a way. It's okay for you to go through seasons of your life when you're completely engrossed in "something", whatever that is. Could be career, could be family, could be drugs or sex, or it could be education. Just keep doing 'the next right thing' for you in your life and trust that the universe is going to shape your life in the best way possible.

READ THE BHAGAVAD GITA! Seriously, if you're open to any eastern spirituality, even like the Tao Te Ching, this is going to resonate with you. And if you do read it, pick up this translation.

This is the translation I've read for years. It may not be as readable as the Stephen Mitchell translation, but it flows well and is really 'memorable' in my opinion.

If you're reading the Tao for the first time, this is probably a good place to start. Super readable, nice volume. Same guy that translates the version of the Bhagavad Gita above.

This is a 'loose exposition' of the Gita by Ram Dass--definitely a great companion to the Gita if you decide to read it:)

Good translation, but I wouldn't start here.

My old trusty. I read this book every day.

Believe it or not this is the FIRST Tony Robbins book I've read! I really like the guy, I believe in his energy, and when I heard him talk about this book on a podcast I had to give it a go. I do work in finance and I've spent a lot of time thinking about personal economics--I've also been through some very difficult times financially!! I appreciated that Robbins focuses on 'income generation' rather than 'expense mitigation'. I think there are a lot of people out there saying that you need to just save everything, live debt-free, and not spend much money. But in my opinion (and Robbins seems to be aligned), you should focus on making money by creating value in the world, and then figure out how best to apply that money to live the life you want. That MAY (and probably should) involve some sort of savings. But you shouldn't be afraid of debt, and you should look to leverage the financial tools available to you in the modern economy to extend what you're able to do in the world.

Interesting book about the Apostle Paul. If you're a 'recoverying conservative Christian' looking for a better way of understanding the New Testament, this could be a good book for you.

Less than 100 pages. Pretty good. Just another perspective.

Hart provides what he consideres a 'Theologically unbiased' translation of the New Testament. I like it.

The least readable version of the Tao that I've read, but I enjoy the commentary that is included on each page.

Read these stories to the kids at night this year. Good time:)