How it’s going -
Welcome to the 17th edition of Sunday Spiel. Today, we are changing up the format in a special edition of the newsletter. Feel free to share with friends. Let’s get into it:
📚 Top 10 Books I Read in 2023
A year ago, I realized I had only read maybe 5 books since high school, which is insane considering I used to love reading as a kid. So I decided to change my habits a bit and force myself to make the time. For 2023, I set a goal of reading at least one book a month. Turns out, I still love reading so I blew that goal out of the water. Twelve months later, I have read 24 books (yes, this is a brag and I’m super cool). Here are my 10 favorites of the year ranked.
Some quick honorable mentions: Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly. Ok, let’s get into it:
10. “Die with Zero” by Bill Perkins
To start our top 10, here’s a book that truly influenced my outlook on life and money. The book emphasizes that life is about accumulating memorable experiences rather than stacking money, so the way you spend your time should reflect that. If you want to reconsider how you use your money to optimize for fulfillment and happiness, then check this book out. It’s a quick read and well worth it in my opinion.
Favorite Quote: “We all have at least the potential to make more money in the future, we can never go back and recapture time that is now gone. So it makes no sense to let opportunities pass us by for fear of squandering our money. Squandering our lives should be a much greater worry.”
Ratings: 3.9/5 Goodreads | 4.6/5 Audible
9. “Mr. China” by Tim Clissold
Tim Clissold was one of the first foreign investors in China, and this is his memoir as his team deployed millions of capital into businesses like auto machinery, components, and even beer. The expectation was massive returns as China became a quasi-capitalist economy. However, in reality, Clissold got a crash course in cultural differences and bureaucracy as several of their companies went south. It’s a funny, insightful, and rough journey as his team tries to navigate China’s economic Wild West.
Favorite Quote: “To use a Chinese analogy, the boat has reached the middle of the river. There is no turning back to the old Maoist certainties of the planned economy; but equally there is no chart to help that very small group of people, the seven or eight men and one woman who constitute the core Chinese leadership, to navigate more than a billion passengers safely over to the other bank.”
Ratings: 4.0/5 Goodreads
8. “Medici Money” by Tim Parks
Brilliant book on the rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence. If you’re into history or finance, you will love this book. This family managed to start the first international bank, invent loans, bribe popes, and make forex arbitrage bets in the fifteenth century. On top of all that, they funded the Renaissance and commissioned some of the most famous paintings, sculptures, and buildings in Italy.
Favorite Quote: “‘Even if money could be made by waving a wand,’ Cosimo says, ‘I would still be a banker.’ Why? Banking involves manipulation, risk, power. It’s magic that works.”
Ratings: 3.6/5 Goodreads
7. “City of Thieves” by David Benioff
Benioff is a brilliant storyteller (he wrote Game of Thrones), and this novel will fully consume you as you read it. I dislike calling books “page-turners” but I can’t think of a better way to describe this one. Winter in Russia, WWII, love, and adventure - this book has it all.
Favorite Quote: “Truth might be stranger than fiction, but it needs a better editor.”
Ratings: 4.3/5 Goodreads | 4.6/5 Audible
6. “Churchill” by Paul Johnson
There are thousands of books written about Winston Churchill. So why do I like this one in particular? It’s under 200 pages. And in those 200 pages, it manages to tell the story of his entire life, which is a pretty remarkable feat. I won’t bore you with any Churchill history discussed in the book, I’ll just say that this has to be one of the more succinct and well-written pieces about him.
Favorite Quote: “Mr. Churchill, sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?” Without pause or hesitation, he replied: “Conservation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down” He then got into his limo.
Ratings: 3.7/5 Goodreads | 4.3/5 Audible
5. “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
This book is without a doubt one of the most beautifully written fiction novels around. Amor Towles keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire book, even though 90% of the story takes place inside the walls of a hotel. If you’re in the mood for an engrossing fiction book, A Gentleman in Moscow is the one for you.
Favorite Quote: “If patience wasn’t so easily tested, then it would hardly be a virtue. . .”
Ratings: 4.3/5 Goodreads | 4.7/5 Audible
4. “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann
This book deserves all of the credit it has been getting recently. It’s a brilliant and detailed account of the Osage murders and their historical significance. The story goes like this: the Osage become the richest per capita in the world after discovering oil on their land, people move to Osage territory to profit off of the newfound riches, and 20+ Osage members are killed as outsiders try to inherit their head-rights. Subsequently, the FBI is formed to look into the case and discover a massive conspiracy that involves the state government, police, and even doctors. It’s an incredible book about a harrowing story oil, evil, and justice. I recently watched the Scorcese movie based on the book as well and it lives up to the hype, worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet.
Favorite Quote: “As Sherlock Holmes famously said, ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’”
Ratings: 4.2/5 Goodreads | 4.5/5 Audible
3. “Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe
Talked in depth on this book recently in the Sunday Spiel #15, so I’ll try to keep this brief. Empire of Pain breaks down the Sackler family and how they became billionaires through the sale of Oxycontin, while simultaneously starting one of the worst crises in our time. The nefarious marketing and sales schemes the Sacklers used to pump out this “miracle drug” certainly contributed significantly to the opioid epidemic and is an important story for everyone to learn about. The 500-page story truly reads like a season of Succession, and it’s even better than the show.
Favorite Quote: “It is a peculiar hallmark of the American economy that you can produce a dangerous product and effectively off-load any legal liability for whatever destruction that product may cause by pointing to the individual responsibility of the consumer.”
Ratings: 4.5/5 Goodreads | 4.9/5 Audible
2. “Net Gains” by Ryan O’Hanlon
Into the top 2 now, and this one is for my fellow football lovers. Net Gains is without a doubt the most comprehensive and well-written book on data analytics in European football. While so many sports like baseball and basketball have been revolutionized by analytics, most soccer clubs are still stuck in the dark ages. This book covers all of the new metrics that people smarter than me have unveiled through data, and it tells a story that is counter to the philosophy of most clubs. It uses data to explain everything we see on a soccer pitch and how club directors should use that to inform their decision-making.
For example: playing a high-pressing, attacking style of football benefits a club two-fold. Statistically, it is the best-performing way to play the beautiful game. But also, when you score more goals your players become more valuable and demand higher transfer fees. Thus, data revealed how playing in a specific way is smarter for results on the pitch and the accounting books. If you nerd out on analytics in sports or soccer as much as I do, then Net Gains is required reading.
Ratings: 4.3/5 Goodreads | 4.6/5 Audible
1. “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts
My favorite book of the year also happens to be the first book I read in 2023 at the beginning of my reading kick. Shantaram is a 1,000-page fiction novel that delves into the underworld of Bombay in the 1980s. The story follows Linbaba who escapes from prison in Australia and flees to India to start a new life. Over time, Lin entrenches himself in the city - living in a slum, making friends with locals, falling in love, and working for the local criminal empire. Above all else though, it’s a love letter to the city of Bombay and the 10M+ people that live there.
Shantaram is one of the few books I physically could not put down when I started reading it. I carried it with me everywhere and read a few pages any chance I got. The book fully takes you into Bombay in the 80s and brings the characters to life in a way I have not experienced with any other book. It’s beautifully written and vividly descriptive. The book even forays into the realms of philosophy; it’s certainly ostentatious as the author attempts to do it all in 1,000 pages but I believe it is well worth the read. Shantaram is my favorite book I read this year and will likely remain one of my favorite fiction books of all time.
Favorite Quote: “If fate doesn’t make you laugh, then you just don’t get the joke.”
Ratings: 4.3/5 Goodreads | 4.7/5 Audible
I hope you all have a great weekend as we head into the new year. As always, stay goofy.
Charlie
Awesome recap Charlie! Adding all of these to my GoodReads :)