@arteeninLA's Book Log

	A	B	C	D	E	I
1	#	Book	Date Completed	Amazon Smile	Highlights link or short review	Sign up for email updates from me here.
2		Green = MUST read

3	46	Attached	January 2024			Audible
4	45	Caffeine	December 2023			Audible
5	44	Finding the Words	October 2023			Audible
6	43	Crying Alone in H Mart	June 2023			Audible
7	42	Born a Crime	May 2023			Audible
8	41	Being Mortal	January 2023			Audible
9	40	Burn Rate	May 2022			Audible
10	39	Braiding Sweetgrass	March 2021			Audible
11	38	Everything Sad is Untrue	December 2021			Kindle
12	37	Letters to a Young Muslim	September 2021			Audible
13	36	Who	July 2021			Audible
14	35	Atomic Habits	June 2021			Audible
15	34	Blitzscaling	January 2021			Audible
16	33	The Alchemist	December 2020	Buy here	My mom put it best: "a simple book with a deep message". I had heard so much about this book over the years that I was super excited to finally read it. The message resonates heavily and it's a quick read/listen, but it didn't meet the personal expectations that I had for it. Overall felt like 3/4 of the book was set up for the final 1/4, but the final 1/4 was enjoyable and made me understand why so many others appreciate this book so much.	Audible
17	32	The Audacity of Hope	November 2020	Buy here	I finally got around to reading this one. When A Promised Land came out, I decided I'd rather read them all in order so I read this one instead. I'm a much bigger fan of Dreams from my Father, but I'll always appreciate the clarity of Barack Obama's writing when it comes to incredibly complex issues. If Dreams from my Father was a coming of age about a young man finding himself, The Audacity of Hope was a statement of the things that this found-man wants to do with his time and platform. What impressed me most, reading this in 2020, is how much of the platform he wrote about ended up being the focal points of his presidency. It makes you appreciate how intentional some of the major policies they passed (namely, the Affordable Care Act) were. I'll always be partial to the honesty and identity questions in Dreams from my Father, but for anyone who wants a thoughtful but quick, middle-left overview of politics in the early 2000s, this is a worthwhile read.	Audible
18	31	Better Allies	November 2020	Buy here	My favorite types of non-fiction are the ones that have super actionable takeaways that you can actually learn and implement. I loved this book for exactly this reason. Even as someone who feels relatively aware of many of the forms of bias that take place in the workplace, I walked away from this book with plenty of things I can use in my own day-to-day interactions to be a better ally. In particular, I appreciated the deep dive comparison between being a knight vs being an ally. I also loved how well-structured each chapter and the book was with summaries at the end of each chapter and a suite of resources at the end of the book.	Audible
19			November 2020		I decided to switch from individual posts to this log and short reviews. I'm reading more and more paperback or Audible in addition to Kindle, so the inconsistency started making these posts less valuable. I'll still post highlights when I do read on my Kindle and link them here.
20	30	Not Fade Away	October 2020	Buy here	Weirdly the second book this year about death that I was hooked on reading. Written by Liberty Media cofounder and CEO Peter Barton during the final months of his life and battle with cancer. This is a short read, I read it in ~36 hours. It goes to show that no matter who you are, how much money you make, or what type of legacy you want to create, our physical life ends the same way and the only thing we can control is how we react to it. Without moving into religion or spirituality, it urged me to think of life as an an amalgamation of experiences, complete in their oneness, rather than as a linear experience only to be "looked back on". I appreciated the tone of the book - for some reason, I felt happy the entire time. Not in the joyous sense of happiness, but in the complete or content sense of happiness. I imagine this is how the end of life will feel, or at least, I hope.	Paperback
21	29	The Educated Franchisee	August 2020	Buy here	I got obsessed with the franchising business model and wanted a deep-dive to nerd out on. If you for any reason are inrigued by franchising, this was a very valuable overview. If not, then continue your judgement of my bedside reading and go about your life merrily. This reads like somewhere between textbook and pamphlet, but was full of great tactical information as well as nuanced, expert advice.	Audible
22	28	Outside the Wire	July 2020	Buy here	You might remember Jason Kander from his campaign video that went viral - supporting background checks for guns while assembling his rifle blindfolded. This is his political memoir about being the first Millenial elected to statewide office. I loved how matter of fact it was and found it a valuable resource for anyone thinking of their own path into public office -- his candor, no pun intended, shined a light into where past experience in politics can be valuable as an elected official, but doesn't pretend that everyone knows what they are doing from day one. After serving in the Missouri House of Representatives and subsequently as Missouri Secretary of State, he narrowly lost a US Senator race and then dropped out of a mayoral race for Kansas City after sharing that he battles PTSD and depression and has since launched Let America Vote, an organization focused on ending voter suppression and gerrymandering around the country.	Audible
23	27	The Autobiography of Malcolm X	July 2020	Buy here	Book notes #14— The Autobiography of Malcolm X	Kindle
24	26	The Go Giver	May 2020	Buy here	This was a wonderful book. The type that makes you feel good about humanity and you want to gift it to your loved ones. Short and sweet, but full of guidance and anecdotes that will make you adjust or reflect on how you view the world. Has the sense of hearing a story passed down from your grandparents. We jotted down a quick overview of the five themes the book addresses here.	Audible
25	25	The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.	May 2020	Buy here	Book notes #13 — The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.	Kindle
26	24	When Breath Becomes Air	May 2020	Buy here	This one hit me like a ton of bricks. Like many, I think this book presented me with my own mortality. Of course, lots of that plays into my own ego as a brown first-generation American kid who grew up ambitious in Arizona, wanting to be a doctor, and feeling fortunate to have found some early successes in my professional life, but I think everyone can relate at some degree to Paul Kalanithi's story. A conflicted combination of prodigy doctor as well as creative writer, he always expected his life to include elements of both, but had been prioritizing his medical professional in the short term. Until late stage lung cancer in his 30s changed his expected timeline. In When Breath Becomes Air, he walks us through every step of his journey and battle in a way that was equal parts raw/authentic/human but also poised/polished/and yes, beautiful. In some ways the book ended feeling incomplete, yearning for more. That's a reflection of Paul's life; incredible for what it was, but with so much more left to give. I'm most glad that he was able to write this book before his passing; not only was it a gift to us, but in some sense, it felt like he was able to achieve the thing he had been yearning for for so long. This is on my list of must-reads, especially if you are comfortable reflecting on your own ambition and mortality.	Audible
27	23	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy	May 2020	Buy here	Book notes #12 — The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy	Paperback
28	22	Becoming Kareem	April 2020	Buy here	Book notes #11 — Becoming Kareem	Audible
29	21	The Mom Test	February 2020	Buy here	Quick read that is worthwhile for anyone who is ideating or building new products. Helps you understand how to ask questions and test products that would pass "The Mom Test", meaning, the questions are so well structured that you'd get actionable value out of the conversation, even with the biased responses you mother would give you. This is a good overview.	Paperback
30	20	First Round Capital: Management	January 2020	Buy here	I liked that this was broken up into chapters and each was written by a different leader. I think they basically compiled all their First Round Review blog posts on Management and created a book of them. With my first read through of it, much of this advice felt somewhat obvious; but then, as I started paying more attention to it in the companies that I work with, I realize how much of the obvious advice is not actually being followed. I'd use this book to level set what you are currently doing within your organization and pick from it the pieces that you think make the most sense to research further and potentially apply. You won't walk away from this one with a whole new framework (OKR structure, etc.); you will walk away with a dozen ideas that you should think on and research more deeply, then decide what you want to roll out within your company.	Paperback
31	19	Quit Like a Woman	November 2019	Buy here	Full disclosure, I'm a small investor in Tempest, the company that Holly Whitaker launched and discusses in this book. I know this book isn't going to be for everyone (some people may not care about the journey to becoming sober; some people may feel that Holly's journey to sobriety is not one that they can relate to; and some might feel that AA is the one and only solution), but I enjoyed it. Most importantly, I just loved seeing someone write something so authentic and raw about the realities a lot of hyperambitious, Type A executives face. While for Holly that path ended up being one that pushed her towards sobriety, I related to many aspects of this book even as someone who didn't identify with the overaraching plot. I'd also say I enjoyed seeing a scientific look at the pros/cons of alcohol (spoiler: not too many pros), understanding more about Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), and learning the history and potential drawbacks of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you are looking for an authentic and modern overview of one person's path to sobriety, in a judgement free zone, I'd give this a read.	Paperback
32	18	Letters to my Son	October 2019	Buy here	I saw a tweet about this book and decided to give it a read as I really enjoyed the essay on Loneliness and Solitude. Many aspects of the book felt a bit outdated and gendered, the overall sentiment was spot on. I think this is an example of the times, because all of the sentiment Kent Nerburn put forth is non-gendered-- I'd love for someone to republish this book as Letters to my Child and just alter the pronouns. I think it would be equally powerful. His prose read almost like poetry and each chapter (or essay) covered a major aspect of life that we grapple with: learning, travel, leaving, giving, wealth, possessions, love, strength, drugs, and more. This is one of those books I'll go back to and reread a few times, not because of complexity, but because of its simplicity. While reading it, I felt peaceful. It is full of wisdom. It's already become one I've started purchasing for my friends who are new fathers.	Paperback
33	17	Trillion Dollar Coach	August 2019	Buy here	This was an easy read about the legend who was Coach Bill Campbell (football coach turned business coach to trillion-dollar companies). My favorite part about this book was that it showed warmth and kindess are not mutually exclusive from mega-success and directness. The two things that stood out most about Bill Campbell after reading this were 1) putting in the energy to care about the families of those he worked with and 2) being a big and boisterous hugger. His persona is one that we are lacking more of in society, and at the very least, I was glad someone took the time to capture it on paper so that others, like me, who never met him, can do our best to emulate his footsteps.	Audible
34	16	Nonviolent Communication	July 2019	Buy here	A classic and one that really drills down to just 2-3 simple points, but that I am still not able to master. I think the title makes it easy to think "well, I'm not a violent communicator" and then brush it aside, but just like not being racist is different than being anti-racist, not being a violent communicator is different than being a nonviolent communicator. I'm glad I read this one. Admittedly I felt a lot of the advice was obvious, but then I realized later on that I wasn't doing even the obvious advice. It's a good reminder that even though you know something, it doesn't mean you always do it. I think improving your ability to nonviolently communicate can improve your relationships both personally and professionally. The book outlines almost a formula for how to achieve this and also has some exercises of its own in there, but there is plenty more available online if you really want to hone your skills. I'm working on it myself, and I think the way I will do that going forward is: 1) read this book once, but then 2) find exercises and other online resources that I can use to practice this rather than just rereading the book.	Audible
35	15	Dreams from My Father	July 2019	Buy here	Book notes #10 — Dreams from My Father	Audible
36	14	The Sales Development Playbook	July 2019	Buy here	A good tactical manual for improving or implementing a sales development team. Recurring Revenue is still the holy grail of books like this, so read that first if you haven't yet, but if you are looking to go deeper into tactics, The Sales Development Playbook is a worthwhile read. I particularly liked that she breaks out granular details like job descriptions, comp plans, quota planning, ramp plans, and more.	Kindle
37	13	Let My People Go Surfing	July 2019	Buy here	Book notes #15 — Let My People Go Surfing	Audible
38	12	Power of No	June 2019	Buy here	Book notes #16 — The Power of No	Audible
39	11	Essays in Love	April 2019	Buy here	Book notes #17 — Essays in Love	Audible
40	10	How to Win Friends and Influence People	March 2019	Buy here	Book notes #9 — How to Win Friends and Influence People	Audible
41	9	Bad Blood	October 2018	Buy here	Book notes #8 — Bad Blood	Audible
42	8	How to Change Your Mind	September 2018	Buy here	Michael Pollan, famous for his books on food and diet, wrote How to Change Your Mind to tell the history of psychedelic drugs in America and their underlying compound, psilocybin, which is most commonly found in magic mushrooms today. As a non-drug user, I found this book fascinating for the science and history behind it all. While there was a slant towards more progressive regulation of these substances, the debate was not rooted in propaganda, rather in science and history. It discusses the discovery then intersection of drugs like this with the political goals of the 1960s onwards in America. The book explains how we regulate certain more toxic substances like alcohol in a much different way than psilocybin, even barring ourselves from exploring the more positive applications of its use in things like treating mental health. At the very least, you'll finish reading this book and start to question the way we police drugs like this and whether or not we are leaving certain medical breakthroughs behind for imperfect reasons. I predict that just like we are seeing a reckoning with the war on drugs as it pertains to cannabis, we will see something similar with pscilocybin in the coming years. This book, perhaps intentionally, opened my eyes, and yes, changed my mind with regards to how I think about this topic.	Audible
43	7	Run for Something	July 2018	Buy here	Book notes #7 - Run for Something	Kindle
44	6	Sapiens	January 2018	Buy here	Book notes #6- Sapiens	Kindle
45	5	Hillbilly Elegy	November 2017	Buy here	Book notes #5- Hillbilly Elegy	Audible
46	4	But What If We're Wrong?	August 2017	Buy here	Book notes #4 — But What If We’re Wrong?	Audible
47	3	Thrive	May 2017	Buy here	Book notes #3— Thrive	Kindle
48	2	The Fourth Industrial Revolution	February 2017	Buy here	Book notes #2 — The Fourth Industrial Revolution	Audible
49	1	Shoe Dog	January 2017	Buy here	Book notes #1 — Shoe Dog	Kindle
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