Three books that kept me up at night this month
No, not what you think. Just a catchier headline than “What I read this month” which was my original title. I tend to read late at night, that’s all.
Readin’ and Writin’
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First off, I published my debut novel, Murder at First Principles, in June. Already wrote about that a few weeks ago. In its short life the novel is already getting straight five-star reviews, and not all of those are from my relatives. (But thanks Aunt Liz!).
If you like business strategy (ore serial murder, I guess), check it out. Novel number two about startup pitching is in final edit.
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My top three recommendations, from the books I read this month:
1. Noise
by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunstein
Loved it because: The authors do a good job of distinguishing noise from bias and categorizing the different types of noise that impact human decision-making.
But: Anything by Kahneman is genius, but this wasn’t as mind-blowing as Thinking Fast and Slow.
2. Super Founders
By Ali Tamaseb
Loved it because: Tamaseb is a fellow VC who wrote a book, obvi 💪👋. But also because he conducted painstaking research to try to determine what all of us investors want to know: is there a common dominator to successful startup founders and companies? The great value of the book is in dispelling prevalent myths about success in startups, such as “young college dropouts are more likely to succeed” or “solo founders can’t build unicorns.”
The data-driven analysis shows there are many potential (and often completely opposing yet perfectly viable) paths to success.
But: I understand why he laced the book with so many personal interviews but it’s obvious that each founder’s situation is different and there’s only so much you can learn from one successful person’s(self-told) story. I preferred the data parts to the personal anecdote parts. Also, given my obsession with pitches and pitch decks - more on that in my next novel - I didn’t appreciate (or agree with) the bashing that Tamaseb and Peter Thiel dish out on pitch deck prep towards the end.
3. Seven Pillars of Wisdom
By T.E. Lawrence
Loved it because: I knew T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) was an exceptional man but had no idea he was such an exceptional writer. This account of his exploits prior to and during the the Arab Revolt during World War I, which he masterminded, is nothing short of beautifully written. And even for those not living in the Middle East as I do, it’s helpful in understanding the factions and cultures whose descendants roam these parts today.
But: No but! This is simply an incredibly eloquent, detailed, and eye-opening account of an incredible man at an incredible time, in an incredible place doing incredible things … you get the idea.
Keep reading!
I’ll be posting at the beginning of each month about my reading and writing, and ~once mid-month about startups and venture investing, if I have something to say.