Opportunity Solutions Trees! I found this book right when I needed it, so it resonated.

9 easily digestible naval leadership stories.

Entertaining airport pickup. Don't think too much about it and the story will surprise you.

I'm probably pre-disposed to agree with a lot of the thoughts in this book. But from a science perspective, it stayed very high-level, not getting into details of how studies rely on flawed methodology (despite a few pages on biases).

Enjoyable backstory and some very different suggestions on how to write well. His philosophy: stories are like fossils; you need to uncover as much of the story intact as possible. He also is big on picking characters and putting them in situations to discover the plot

Maybe closer to a 4. The first part has some beautiful prose, but it strays from uncertainty a bit and ends without some strong conclusions about how to deal with uncertainty more effectively (although this is probably the point.)

TBD

Quick, easy read full of useful frameworks and tips for conversing better. I learned a lot from this book.

Really interesting if you're into dinosaurs. Among the things I learned: fossils can tell us what color the dinosaurs were; the asteroid wiped out most dinosaurs within a day; dinosaurs evolved wings before they knew how to fly; birds are definitely dinosaur descendents.

Submarine espionage - sort of cool. Also, a lot of 'close calls' coupled with 'not much happened.' Sort of amazing to know what was technically feasible, even back in the 60s (like landing a submarine on the ocean floor and having divers tap a phone cable), and the lengths the US went to spy on the USSR.

I really appreciated the science that went into the beginning, as well as the 4 column framework. Lots of examples in the middle chapters make this a bit tedious.

Great beach read! A historical non-fiction that reads like a narrative.

Really interesting read, but I liked how it dives equally deep into the strategy and tactics of the battle, as well as the context and political/cultural aftermath.

I learned as much how our brains operate as I did about telling stories. I came away with a better understanding of how I think, why I think the way I do, better equipped to tell stories, and with loads of fun facts. What more could you want?

Very interesting and accessible look into the evolving theories of why cancer originates and spreads. Very focused on a specific aspect of cancer, but if you're interested in that, then it's a good read.

Quick enough read. I really like the writing suggestions, but it steers you towards writing like Axios newsletters.

Ended up being a little repetitive, but also clearly articulates why I've hated some jobs, and what I value in work. Product Manager can very easily be a bullshit job.

Just an amazing, inspiring story.

An incredibly detailed look into Robert Moses' career in public service, with some interesting notes about getting things done. I come away with a very mixed perception of Moses - disagree with his tactics/strategy, but he got things done.

Super tactical; a pretty good primer on a very specific topic, but I still had questions walking away from it.

A super informative and well-written book, but the topic is quite narrow. I'd recommend starting with The Emperor of All Maladies

An easy read, full of pratical advice for telling better stories, writing effectively, and presenting so you can captivate your audience.

Breaks down each of the wars into 5 steps: Attack, Resistance, Clash, Closing the Net, Knowing When to Stop. Hearing about the great generals of antiquity is interesting, and the author offers a nuanced perspective, balancing praise for the general's leadership with plain luck. The biggest takeaway is the importance of 'audacity'.

Pretty technical deep dive into the US healthcare landscape. The focus on the individual policy proposals during the Trump administration was interesting, but felt less relevant now. The most important question: should better-off individuals help subsidize care for less fortunate ones?

Interesting stories, especially the insights into politics in NYC and Illinois. Otherwise, I didn't learn as much about working in a regulated environment as I would've hoped.

Probably the best novel I've read, maybe ever, but certainly in the last few years.

Some good tidbits. Some rather crazy viewpoints. I still don't know how well Thiel understands statistics/Divine Providence.

Enlightening look at what makes a good strategy, and how to construct one.

At this point, it seems a bit dated, but it's interesting to see which predicitions came true (such as the rise of specialty/urgent care clinics). Some overall principles may hold true, but it's probably better to focus on 'jobs to be done' more holistically.

Very detailed examples of AI from 2019. Possibly too optimistic; certainly a little hard to think about.

Engaging and easy read, with a lot of well-sourced substance to back up the narrative.

Disappointing. Lots of interesting insights, but presented as a tale of stiched-together anecdotes

I'm sure this book contains some useful concepts, but I just couldn't read more than 5 pages without falling asleep

Like a TED talk that got expanded into a novel. Some redeemable parts, though.

4 Cs - cultural, creative, communal, conscious

It's just about his early life. I didn't realize. Pretty well written, though.

Some chapters were worthless, but there are some really deep sections on things like team formation and how to get the most out of diverse teams that more than make up for it.

A bunch of random anecdotes, but overall a pretty entertaining book with interesting historical anecdotes that you can finish in a day.

Very interesting historical context, and good explanations of monetary theories, much like you'd expect from the host of Planet Money.

Amazing book for understanding mission-type tactics, and how to be a better executive.