James
@jking819.bsky.social
Dad, reader, runner and occasional thinker.
56th book of 2025 was The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman. Three short stories, all great, but the middle one (And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer), about dealing with an aging parent hit me the hardest #Booksky
December 28, 2025 at 12:09 AM
56th book of 2025 was The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman. Three short stories, all great, but the middle one (And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer), about dealing with an aging parent hit me the hardest #Booksky
55th book of the year was Good to Go by Christie Aschwanden. Admittedly, I chose this book by its cover. Learned how science doesn’t back up most recovery practices targeted at endurance athletes…and multivitamins are a scam #Booksky
December 24, 2025 at 1:01 AM
55th book of the year was Good to Go by Christie Aschwanden. Admittedly, I chose this book by its cover. Learned how science doesn’t back up most recovery practices targeted at endurance athletes…and multivitamins are a scam #Booksky
54th book of the year was Who is Government by Michael Lewis and other authors. Easy, fun read that puts faces on public servants in the US who work tirelessly to solve important problems #Booksky
December 17, 2025 at 12:49 AM
54th book of the year was Who is Government by Michael Lewis and other authors. Easy, fun read that puts faces on public servants in the US who work tirelessly to solve important problems #Booksky
53rd book of the year was The Status Game by Will Storr. Enjoyed Storr’s use of examples to explain how humans have always tried to advance their status. Reinforced the need to be content with my life #Booksky
December 10, 2025 at 6:19 PM
53rd book of the year was The Status Game by Will Storr. Enjoyed Storr’s use of examples to explain how humans have always tried to advance their status. Reinforced the need to be content with my life #Booksky
52nd book of the year was Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Appreciated the worldview of removing bottlenecks to focus on building & inventing in order to solve big problems (housing shortage, climate change, etc.) #Booksky
December 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM
52nd book of the year was Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Appreciated the worldview of removing bottlenecks to focus on building & inventing in order to solve big problems (housing shortage, climate change, etc.) #Booksky
51st book of 2025 was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I took away the lesson that leaning into adventures makes life enjoyable #Booksky
November 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
51st book of 2025 was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I took away the lesson that leaning into adventures makes life enjoyable #Booksky
50th book of the year was Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Would recommend for anyone who strives to keep checking items off their to-do list. Life is not a race, but a series of adventures to cherish #Booksky
November 23, 2025 at 1:24 PM
50th book of the year was Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Would recommend for anyone who strives to keep checking items off their to-do list. Life is not a race, but a series of adventures to cherish #Booksky
49th book of the year was Finding Chika by Mitch Albom. I slowed down while reading to avoid crying in public places. Lovely quote “The most precious thing you can give someone is your time, Chicka, because you can never get it back” #Booksky
November 16, 2025 at 12:14 AM
49th book of the year was Finding Chika by Mitch Albom. I slowed down while reading to avoid crying in public places. Lovely quote “The most precious thing you can give someone is your time, Chicka, because you can never get it back” #Booksky
48th book of the year was Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Read this about 3 weeks before the last SciFi/Fantasy book club of the year, but will definitely remember its humour, action, and hyper intelligent spy cats #Booksky
November 11, 2025 at 1:06 AM
48th book of the year was Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Read this about 3 weeks before the last SciFi/Fantasy book club of the year, but will definitely remember its humour, action, and hyper intelligent spy cats #Booksky
47th book of the year was Nightshade by Michael Connelly. Fun read about a cop solving a murder that borders on a conspiracy case. Interested to see if there will be a followup #Booksky
November 5, 2025 at 1:41 PM
47th book of the year was Nightshade by Michael Connelly. Fun read about a cop solving a murder that borders on a conspiracy case. Interested to see if there will be a followup #Booksky
46th book of 2025 was The Art of Spending Money by @morganhousel.bsky.social. Takeaway was to test more ways to spend money that create memories for which future me will experience nostalgia #Booksky
October 31, 2025 at 12:49 PM
46th book of 2025 was The Art of Spending Money by @morganhousel.bsky.social. Takeaway was to test more ways to spend money that create memories for which future me will experience nostalgia #Booksky
45th book of 2025 was The System by Barry Eisler. Fun, fast-paced story interweaving politics, AI and romance. Takeaway: be true to your self, since it’s impossible to please everyone #Booksky
October 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
45th book of 2025 was The System by Barry Eisler. Fun, fast-paced story interweaving politics, AI and romance. Takeaway: be true to your self, since it’s impossible to please everyone #Booksky
44th book of 2025 was The Moth Presents: A Point of Beauty. I’ve long enjoyed The Moth podcast, but appreciated some new stories I had not yet heard. Even the introduction by Mike Birbiglia was entertaining #Booksky
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
44th book of 2025 was The Moth Presents: A Point of Beauty. I’ve long enjoyed The Moth podcast, but appreciated some new stories I had not yet heard. Even the introduction by Mike Birbiglia was entertaining #Booksky
43rd book of the year was My Friends by Fredrik Backman. A quote ”at the end of his life, he only wished for what almost all of us wish for: to have our childhood summers back”. #Booksky
October 15, 2025 at 8:38 PM
43rd book of the year was My Friends by Fredrik Backman. A quote ”at the end of his life, he only wished for what almost all of us wish for: to have our childhood summers back”. #Booksky
42nd book of the year was The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr. Learned that stories should focus on the change resulting from the protagonist overcoming their tragic flaw. Highly pertinent examples were well used #Booksky
October 7, 2025 at 10:52 PM
42nd book of the year was The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr. Learned that stories should focus on the change resulting from the protagonist overcoming their tragic flaw. Highly pertinent examples were well used #Booksky
41st book of the year was The World for Sale by Javier Blas. I enjoyed this well researched book that provided a timeline of the growth and evolution of commodity trading houses. Fun read that’s relevant to my work #Booksky
October 2, 2025 at 8:44 PM
41st book of the year was The World for Sale by Javier Blas. I enjoyed this well researched book that provided a timeline of the growth and evolution of commodity trading houses. Fun read that’s relevant to my work #Booksky
40th book of the year was The Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt. Main takeaways as a parent are to delay smartphones for kids as long as possible, no social media before 16, and to provide my kids opportunities for unstructured free play #Booksky
September 25, 2025 at 2:43 AM
40th book of the year was The Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt. Main takeaways as a parent are to delay smartphones for kids as long as possible, no social media before 16, and to provide my kids opportunities for unstructured free play #Booksky
39th book of 2025 was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A re-read from high school that reminded me to stop chasing the past, we can‘t recapture a feeling or experience. #Booksky
September 18, 2025 at 12:28 PM
39th book of 2025 was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A re-read from high school that reminded me to stop chasing the past, we can‘t recapture a feeling or experience. #Booksky
38th book of the year was Win the Inside Game by @stevemagness.bsky.social. Appreciated Steve’s candour regarding his whistleblowing saga, and was reminded of the importance of having a flexible identity. Main takeaway was to focus on process vs outcome #Booksky
September 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
38th book of the year was Win the Inside Game by @stevemagness.bsky.social. Appreciated Steve’s candour regarding his whistleblowing saga, and was reminded of the importance of having a flexible identity. Main takeaway was to focus on process vs outcome #Booksky
37th book of the year was Plunder by Brendan Ballou. Enjoyed reading about the private equity playbook of loading a business with debt, sale and leaseback of real estate, dividend recap, cut costs, increase prices, charge management fees while ultimately looking to flip or let it fail #Booksky
September 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
37th book of the year was Plunder by Brendan Ballou. Enjoyed reading about the private equity playbook of loading a business with debt, sale and leaseback of real estate, dividend recap, cut costs, increase prices, charge management fees while ultimately looking to flip or let it fail #Booksky
36th book of 2025 was Antifragile by Nassim Taleb. This reread reminded me to look for “free options” in life, as well as to avoid any actions that make me more fragile. Although sometimes controversial, Taleb operates with soul in the game #Booksky
September 4, 2025 at 11:04 PM
36th book of 2025 was Antifragile by Nassim Taleb. This reread reminded me to look for “free options” in life, as well as to avoid any actions that make me more fragile. Although sometimes controversial, Taleb operates with soul in the game #Booksky
35th book of 2025 was Make Your Bed by admiral William McRaven. Quick read expanding on 10 ideas set forth in a viral commencement speech that could help set your life on the right track #Booksky
August 26, 2025 at 10:53 PM
35th book of 2025 was Make Your Bed by admiral William McRaven. Quick read expanding on 10 ideas set forth in a viral commencement speech that could help set your life on the right track #Booksky
34th book of 2025 was The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks. Fun vacation read that provided some insight into the craziness associated with making a movie #Booksky
August 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
34th book of 2025 was The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks. Fun vacation read that provided some insight into the craziness associated with making a movie #Booksky
33rd book of 2025 was The World According to Garp by John Irving. A challenging vacation read given the sexual and violent overtones, but a wonderful story, and perpetually relevant themes #Booksky
August 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
33rd book of 2025 was The World According to Garp by John Irving. A challenging vacation read given the sexual and violent overtones, but a wonderful story, and perpetually relevant themes #Booksky
32nd book of 2025 was Lessons in History by Will & Ariel Durant. So much knowledge crammed into ~100 pages. As relevant now as when it was published many years ago. Takeaway was history is written by conquerors, and the other side’s story is often lost #Booksky
August 11, 2025 at 2:28 PM
32nd book of 2025 was Lessons in History by Will & Ariel Durant. So much knowledge crammed into ~100 pages. As relevant now as when it was published many years ago. Takeaway was history is written by conquerors, and the other side’s story is often lost #Booksky