Reading

I consume most of my books via Audible these days. I drive monthly between Tuscaloosa and Cleveland to see my son…that’s about 10 hours each way. Most of the listening happens there. The rest fills in during walks, mindless tasks, and the occasional insomnia night.

Here’s the thing though: for the first 46 years of my life, I’d read less than 10 books…and 7 of them started with “Harry Potter and the…” So almost everything on this list has happened in the last 5 years. Audiobooks changed everything for me.

Here’s what’s on the list and what’s shaped how I think.

Currently Reading

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Third book in the Empyrean series. Dragons, war college, and chaos.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson Multiverse travel with a sharp take on identity and privilege.

14 by Peter Clines There’s something wrong with Nate’s apartment building. Lovecraftian vibes.

Exodus: The Archimedes Engine by Peter F. Hamilton New epic sci-fi set 40,000 years after humanity fled Earth.

Recently Finished

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force #1) by Craig Alanson
SpecOps (Expeditionary Force #2) by Craig Alanson
Paradise (Expeditionary Force #3) by Craig Alanson
Black Ops (Expeditionary Force #4) by Craig Alanson
Zero Hour (Expeditionary Force #5) by Craig Alanson
Mavericks (Expeditionary Force #6) by Craig Alanson
Renegades (Expeditionary Force #7) by Craig Alanson
Armageddon (Expeditionary Force #8) by Craig Alanson
Valkyrie (Expeditionary Force #9) by Craig Alanson
Critical Mass (Expeditionary Force #10) by Craig Alanson
Homefront (Expeditionary Force #7.5) by Craig Alanson
Not Till We Are Lost (Bobiverse #5) by Dennis E. Taylor
Heaven’s River (Bobiverse #4) by Dennis E. Taylor
All These Worlds (Bobiverse #3) by Dennis E. Taylor
For We Are Many (Bobiverse #2) by Dennis E. Taylor
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse #1) by Dennis E. Taylor
Flybot by Dennis E. Taylor
Earthside (Quantum Earth #2) by Dennis E. Taylor
Outland (Quantum Earth #1) by Dennis E. Taylor
Roadkill by Dennis E. Taylor
The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor
Feedback by Dennis E. Taylor
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Martian by Andy Weir
Randomize by Andy Weir
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Upgrade by Blake Crouch
Run by Blake Crouch
Abandon by Blake Crouch
Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch
Wayward (Wayward Pines #2) by Blake Crouch
Quantum Radio by A.G. Riddle
Lost in Time by A.G. Riddle
Reset by Brian Andrews
Dune by Frank Herbert
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
All Systems Red (Murderbot #1) by Martha Wells
The Downloaded by Robert J. Sawyer
Legend by Marie Lu
Transmission by Morgan Rice
Arrival by Morgan Rice
Time and Again by Jack Finney
11-22-63 by Stephen King
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Fourth Wing (Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
Iron Flame (Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Patient Zero (Joe Ledger #1) by Jonathan Maberry
The Dragon Factory (Joe Ledger #2) by Jonathan Maberry
The King of Plagues (Joe Ledger #3) by Jonathan Maberry
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Trial by Fire (Worldwalker #1) by Josephine Angelini
Firewalker (Worldwalker #2) by Josephine Angelini
Witch’s Pyre (Worldwalker #3) by Josephine Angelini
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Final Girls by Riley Sager

Harry Potter (Annual Tradition)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Star Wars

Path of Destruction (Darth Bane #1) by Drew Karpyshyn
Rule of Two (Darth Bane #2) by Drew Karpyshyn
Dynasty of Evil (Darth Bane #3) by Drew Karpyshyn
Star Wars: The Old Republic - Revan by Drew Karpyshyn
Thrawn by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
Star Wars: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed

Business & Self-Development

Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. by Colin C. Campbell
Traction by Gino Wickman
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Day Trading Attention by Gary Vaynerchuk
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Spare by Prince Harry
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
The Entrepreneurial Mindset Advantage by Gary G. Schoeniger
The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz
The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Other

The Old Man by Thomas Perry
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
Do You Mind If I Cancel? by Gary Janetti

Couldn’t or Didn’t Finish

Not every book is for me. No shame in putting something down.

Alchemised by SenLinYu
Able Bodied Soldier 1 by Jason Anspach
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Variation by Rebecca Yarros
Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan
Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan
Departure by A.G. Riddle
The Extinction Trials by A.G. Riddle
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Caesars Palace Coup by Max Frumes
And Then She Vanished by Nick Jones
Dietrich by Don Winslow
Brand It Like Serhant by Ryan Serhant
World War Z by Max Brooks
Prodigy by Marie Lu
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk
Trouble on Paradise by Craig Alanson

Why I Read What I Read

I’m drawn to stories about people solving impossible problems with logic, creativity, and persistence. Usually alone or with a small team. Usually against the clock. The protagonists in these books think their way out of situations rather than fighting their way out.

That resonates.

The Bobiverse series is probably my favorite…which is why my AI assistant is named Guppi. If you know, you know.

Recommendations?

Always looking for the next great listen. If you’ve got something you think I’d like based on this list, hit me up at doug@mrdoug.com.