books

1. 1 January 2022

   Books I enjoyed in 2021

   Happy new year! As with previous years, I'm starting with a list of books I enjoyed in 2021 and would recommend widely. This year's list is shorter — partly because I read less non-fiction, partly bec…

2. 8 January 2021

   Read some of these fiction books in 2021

   As with 2020, I’m starting the year with fiction I’m delighted to recommend. I’ve deliberately avoided the obvious names — no Lee Child or Malcolm Gladwell — and leaned into books many readers may not…

3. 1 January 2021

   Read some of these non-fiction books in 2021

   Starting the year with non-fiction recommendations. My filter: books most people won't already have seen on the usual lists — so nothing from Lee Child or Malcolm Gladwell, just good books. Richard Me…

4. 17 January 2020

   Get lit! (with these non-fiction books)

   When kids say something is "lit", it means something gives them satisfaction in the same way good literature gives them satisfaction. Right?!? Right???!! At the request of readers and friends, here's…

5. 10 January 2020

   Get lit! (with these fiction books)

   When kids say something is "lit", it means it gives them satisfaction in the same way good literature gives them satisfaction. Right?!? Right???!! At the request of readers and friends, here's a small…

6. 11 October 2019

   The last safe investment is YOU

   I love books that swing for the fences. The Last Safe Investment is one — a personal development book with a strong financial focus. I disagree with chunks of it, and the authors strawman mainstream a…

7. 17 December 2018

   A curmudgeon reads The Barefoot Investor

   Scott Pape, aka The Barefoot Investor, has a cult-like following on both sides of the Tasman. I like his values — he bats for the consumer and calls out things most people in the financial services in…

8. 11 April 2018

   “The truth is usually better than the nightmare.” What do we do when the unthinkable happens?

   How do people respond when the unthinkable happens? How should we respond? Amanda Ripley's terrific book The Unthinkable looks at extreme circumstances and how people actually act — with guidance for…

9. 23 May 2017

   Time travel movies and books

   Fiction that plays with time seems to stick with me. Whether it's because I tend to think of the future in pluralistic terms, I'm not sure. All I know is I like 'em. A personal list of time travel boo…

10. 5 May 2017

    “If money doesn’t make you happy then you probably aren’t spending it right”

    Money can buy happiness — we're just usually bad at spending it in ways that deliver. There's research identifying eight principles for spending in ways that actually make you happier: buy experiences…

11. 4 December 2014

    “‘Show me the numbers.’ Big hearts and hard heads can come wrapped in the same skin.”

    David Myers' Intuition: Its Powers and Perils shaped how I think about probability. Big hearts and hard heads can come wrapped in the same skin — being wise means asking to see the numbers, even when…

12. 2 May 2007

    Stumbling on Happiness

    Daniel Gilbert hasn't written a prescription for how to be happy. He's written a description of the psychological stumbling blocks we face in pursuing it. We're unique among animals in our ability to…