A list of the top 6 books I read in 2022, ranging from science fiction to non-fiction business. Each book on this list is on absolute epic and holds immense impact over my own life.
Antifragile is the single most influential book I read regarding my job. My day job managing lead generation for a solar company presents many unique problems. Many of the same problems I run into can be found in the finance world. Antifragile laid out an extremely clear picture of how I wanted to build a system that truly redefines our approach. It's critical to build a system that is robust and diverse, a.k.a. Doesn't depend on papa Zuck and Facebook. More importantly, its imperative to build a system that evolves as situations change. I plan on writing an entire post about this so when it's done it will be linked here.
I read this book in one sitting during a 20-hour cross-country road trip from Colorado to Oregon. I was about to start a new role at a new company. On my way to set up life in a new place, I related to Paul Atreidies. There were new people and power dynamics that I needed to navigate. New systems, protocols, and cultures I had to adopt. Out of its relevance to my life at the time the book is set in one of the core sci-fi universes that are just incredible. The worlds are so unique and intentional. The way Frank Herbert describes the universe is immaculate. The sequels are not very good and start to get a tad antisemitic. But the first book will forever be a classic and a must-read if you have already.
I noticed that with most books on this list, I read them almost entirely in one sitting, this was not an exception. Snow Crash is one of the most relevant books for the current technology age. Like many older science fiction books a lot of its predictions are coming to the surface much later than expected. By taking a look at retrograded interpretations of what the VR future would look like we can get a decent idea of what we are still missing from the picture. Books like Snow Crash help inspire me to think of the possibilities that the Metaverse and virtual real estate can offer. I noticed a significant pull this year to reinvest my time back into the Metaverse. Perhaps this will be a direction I go in during 2023.
Yet another one sitting read. Alex Hormozi is an absolute legend and after getting the opportunity to see him speak in person I took the 2 hours it took to listen to the book on a plane ride home. The concepts he talks about are so unbelievably simple and basic but often overlooked. I felt this was a fantastic book for someone who has little experience selling, and when looking at my own personal projects helped me position the value proposition for customers. This book coincided with a bunch of research into the value proposition canvas from the startup world.
Isaac Asimov is an absolute GOAT and the Foundation and Empire series stands tall as original source material for almost all modern science fiction. With blatantly duplicated story elements in Dune and Star Wars, the first book helps give an even older view of what the future could look like. I really love to look to the future from different points in history because it puts the current look toward the future into perspective. Many of the sci-fi books on my list dive deeper into political and interpersonal problem-solving. This was a big theme in my 2022 year and if you haven’t gone through that journey I highly recommend it. Some people think Foundation and Empire is boring. Those people just haven't played Age of Empires. This book is about the expansion of civilization across space over the course of hundreds of years. It's really fascinating concept and an incredible book. Side note the new Apple TV show butchers this whole universe. The primary rule in the book is that the conflicts are not solved through combat, and the show has countless combat scenes within the first season.
This book did an incredible job of helping motivate me to care about health. It got me excited about going to the doctor, eating better, and exercising. This book inspired me to get my inside tracker data, 23 and me, and hopefully soon some CGM tracking. Sergey Young breaks down all the scientific advancements in health and medicine and lays out a path to living past 150 years old. This book is a clone of the Tony Robbins book Life Force. I read both books in 2022 but the Tony Robbins book is a little too salesy for me. The way Sergey Young brings up the new technology is much more authentic.
