• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Notepod

Podcasts, videos, and iPad art

  • About
  • All Posts
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Book Notes

Reading list for April 8, 2021

April 9, 2021

Just writing out a list of different books I’ve been reading with some thoughts.

Recently finished

  • Bitcoin Billionaires by Ben Mezrich — I got more interested in crypto/blockchain through NBA Top Shot and the NFT boom. I had some Bitcoin already, but NFT popularity made me realize how little I know about how it all works. This ended up only having high level explanations of Bitcoin. But the whole story of the Winklevoss twins’ second act was fascinating.
  • Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson — Great read the week leading up to getting married. There’s plenty about getting wealthy, but the happiness chapters were more timely. The audiobook was my companion on a couple long walks in the city. If you want to mainline some of Naval’s thinking, then this is the way to go.

In-progress

  • Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa — Still working on this. I started it in December and just crossed the halfway mark. About 450 pages to go. Somewhat slow going but getting very interesting now. Good reminder to lean into things I might not enjoy but that I’ll learn a lot from.
  • The Infinite Machine by Camila Russo — Continuing to learn mode about crypto/blockchain technology. This book is about the history of Ethereum, which is the main coin involved in the recent NFT a boom. The only history I know of Ethereum is that I wish I had bought some earlier. Just started this but one takeaway is that Vitalik Buterin started by writing for Bitcoin Magazine before building Ethereum.
  • Working Backwards by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr — Mostly here to learn about Amazon’s use of narrative writing instead of PowerPoints. (After seeing @TrungTPhan mention it in this thread.)
  • The Energy Paradox by Steven R. Gundry — I want to get my energy back. Basically: I can rarely stay awake through a full movie after a workday. And when I’m up I just don’t have any, as the book puts it, get-up-and-go (GUAG). I’ve felt better in the past and would love to get back to that.
  • Fast Forward: Hollywood, the Japanese, and the Onslaught of the VCR by James Lardner — Combining some learnings from last year’s books (1) I enjoy reading older books about some recent technology (like Michael Lewis’s Next) because it’s fun to re-live that time without it being filtered through a modern lens and (2) I enjoy reading about Hollywood/filmmaking (one of my favorites from last year was Robert Rodiguez’s Rebel Without a Crew).

Next up (maybe… there’s a ton I want to read)

  • Daemon by Daniel Suarez — Continuing the pattern of learning about crypto, I saw this book recommended somewhere. I really should’ve written down where I saw the recommendation because I’ve completely forgot now. Anyway, this is pretty much combining three thoughts: (1) I want to learn more about crypto/blockchain technology and (2) Musashi reminds me that I should read more fiction and (3) I admire Tiago Forte’s thinking and he wrote about the value of reading science fiction.

    Tiago: “I started reading sci-fi to pass the time. I had good memories of reading Jurassic Park as a kid. I continued because I noticed that it gave me something: a stronger imagination, a disrespect for the merely possible.”
  • Two Meals a Day by Mark Sisson — Trying to get my health back in order (I wrote a long post here). I have more information than I need for my goals but reading books does help keep motivation up. And I can try to share good bits and pieces to better frame my own learning and writing.
  • Soundtracks by Jon Acuff — I enjoyed all his previous books. I’m guessing I’ll like this one as well. I tend to overthink so this seemed like something that might help me either (1) stop overthinking or (2) start overthinking in a more useful way.
  • Book Notes
Reading List
Follow @activerecall

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the channel

Focusing on making videos in 2023.

✍️ Recent Posts

The finish line is also the starting line (and why the secret to a good morning routine is floss)

The absolute dead simple way for me to actually write something and publish it

Overnight success is rare (but you can definitely have an overnight failure)

Creativity, belief, and perfectionism

Bill Simmons on oversimplification

🎧 Recent Episodes

Takeaways: “Someday is Today” by Matthew Dicks | #126

125: Creativity x Fitness – Consistency, Classics, and Crane Kicks (3 links)

118: The Psychology of Fitness: 1, 2, 3

Popular Posts

  • Book Notes – “Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality” by Anthony de Mello
  • Lightning Round Questions
  • Kobe Bryant: Every day math
  • Journal: The first 8 weeks of Active Recall
  • How to succeed as a writer (What I’ve learned by reading Bill Simmons)

By Francis Cortez

  • About
  • YouTube Channel
  • Instagram (@activerecall)
  • Twitter (@activerecall)

Categories

  • iPad Pro
  • Podcast
  • Book Notes
  • Podcast Notes
  • Weblog
  • Videos
  • Fitness
  • Creative Pages
  • iPad
Back to homepage • By Francis Cortez (@activerecall)