Notes, quotes, and lessons from books

These are not—nor do they intend to be—summaries. These are my highlights and notes, the things that I enjoyed the most from the book.

Don't supplement reading these notes for reading the actual book. If it's posted, I highly recommend reading it. I don't have a rating system because if the book wasn't at least a 7/10, I wouldn't take notes on it.

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Feynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow

Book notes and ideas from Feynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow....

The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum

A few short lessons and ideas about living well, finding success, getting rich, and not being a fool....

Book Notes on 'Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S Truman'

I have a strange affection for Harry Truman. Maybe it's because we were both born in Missouri—and both proud to be so—or maybe it's because David McCullough's biography of him is one of the first full-scale biographies I read of a President. Whatever it may be, I love him. He never let the office of the President of the United States—or the perks of the office—get to him or his head. And unlike so many others after they leave the White House, he moved back to where he was from, Independence, Mis...

Notes on Thoughts for Young Men by JC Ryle

"Remember what I say: if you would cling to earthly pleasures--these are the things which murder souls," JC Ryle wrote. "There is no surer way to get ......

Book Notes and Review of 'The Patriots by Winston Groom'

Three founding fathers and the country they created....

Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

What I learned reading Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough...

Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Life in War, Law, and Ideas

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. believed in hard work and knowledge. He remarked, “most things in this world, half their terrors vanish when you walk up and......

Sailing the Graveyard Sea by Richard Snow

Every good story-at-sea has at least two of three elements: a shipwreck, murder, or mutiny. While this tale definitely had the second, the third is qu......

1776

An intense saga of Washington and War....

The Gathering Storm

Book notes and insights on Winston Churchill's The Gathering Storm, volume one of his Memoirs of the Second World War....

JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century

Notes, insights, and ideas....

Spillane: King of Pulp Fiction by Max Collins

The events, stories, and quotes that made Mickey Spillane the king of pulp fiction....

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Some instructions on writing and life....

Notes: American Prometheus by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin

A sordid read full of science and sarcasm, dialogue and drama, love and war....

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Book notes, insights, and thoughts....

Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami

How a world-renowned novelist writes....

The Splendid and the Vile

A intense look at Churchill and London during the Blitz....

Working by Robert Caro

Advice on writing, researching, and political power....

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Books notes and what I learned from reading “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson....

Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday

Book notes takeaways from reading Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday...

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Book notes: The Writing Life by Annie Dillard...

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Book notes on The War of Art by Steven Pressfield...

American Moonshot by Douglas Brinkley

An intense saga of politics and space....

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

A captivating book about the African American women who helped send a man to the moon....

Ernest Hemingway by Mary V. Dearborn

Though The Washington Post touted this book as 'The most fully faceted portrait of Hemingway now available', I was unimpressed....

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Killers of the Flower Moon opened my narrow mind to a new (for me) genre of writing: narrative non-fiction. I highly recommend....

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

A book for the soul, not the mind....

Leonardo da Vinci

I could not have been happier with the few hours I spent reading this book. How da Vinci's life ebbs and flows through his curiosity is a whirlwind of unbelievable stories....

The Care and Culture of Men by David Starr Jordan

A collection of his speeches from the founding president of Stanford University....

The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs by Steven Brusatte

The author's enthusiasm for dinosaurs and the mysteries of Earth 66 million years ago is contagious....

What Do You Care What Other People Think? By Richard Feynman

I have a deep admiration for Feynman's beliefs on life, knowledge, and science, but that admiration went deeper still as I followed the stories of his life told by the man himself....

Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday

The overexposure to a powerful concept has watered down a powerful idea, the idea that you, and only you, control your life. This book brings the idea back into reality....

The Library: A Fragile History

A brief history on the institution of the library and a fascinating look at the history of books....

The Man From The Future

This book explores the life of a time-traveler. Someone who theorized, pondered, and invented tools that would create the lives of some and destroy the lives of many....

Pieces of the Action

The foreword to this book, written by Ben Reinhardt, puts it well by saying, 'I went into this book with little more than a name and came out with the closest thing to a mentor someone you've never met can be.'...

The Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick

Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World....

Revolt of the Public

Book notes....

12 Rules For Life

A dense book packed with tangents that (mostly) lead to some interesting insights....

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons From 15 Years as CEO of The Walt Disney Company

At all costs, you must be willing to innovate the way you do business and what your company delivers; Innovate or Die mentality....

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Tipping Points can be caused by the right people, with the right information, in the right context; all we have to do is find those variables....

Think Like a Rocket Scientist

This is an exceptional book on thinking outside the box, innovating when others think to go with the safe route, and the necessity to think from first principles. Plus, there are some interesting behind the scenes stories of successful and failed NASA missions....

What We See When We Read

Written by a creative director, this book takes you through the ups and downs of, as the title suggests, what you see when you read. It's an interesting book with some neat ideas, but I felt it never came together. Maybe that's the point of the book, but I felt Mendelsund was trying to communicate how important it is we be aware of where the pictures in our minds come from when we read, but he never said that so directly....

The Dip by Seth Godin

Winners never quit is an incorrect statement; they do quit, they just know what to quit and when....

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

A short read, but interesting nonetheless. This book doesn't have a ton of practical insights, but gives some motivation to show what you're doing in public. An interesting argument and helpful for someone like me who is so young and feel like I haven't accomplished anything yet....

Junior: Writing Your Way Ahead in Advertising

This book is very helpful for anyone who wants to get into freelance or agency marketing. It gives some practical writing advice, but it's mainly tips and strategies on how to create good campaigns inside of an agency....

Essentialism by Greg Mckeowen

he Essentialist mindset is all about doing less, but better....

Einstein: His Life and Universe

Key insights, learnings, and things that surprised me while reading Einstein's biography....

How We Got to Now

A brilliant overview of the key innovations that paved the way for others to build upon. Truly explains 'how we got to now.'...

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

This is a book about money....

Range by David Epstein

Being able to think and solve problems in a general sense allows for innovative breakthroughs and discoveries in a niche field....