Ranking the 26 Books I Read in 2024. 📚

📍 Location: Bitcoin Jungle, Costa Rica.

📖 Reading Time: ~15 minutes.

🍵 Vibe Check: Rooted down in Costa Rica after 2.5 months of visiting all 3 North American countries. I feel strong and excited, with a healthy amount of anticipation for the year ahead. It’s going to be a big one across the board. Also: my brother Justin Noppé, an extraordinary learning expert, has a workshop on accelerated language learning tomorrow. Get all the details here. Highly recommended.

Ladies and gentlemen…

Happy New Year! 🥳

I’ve been on a ride the last few months. While I’ve been quiet for a bit, we’re 84 pieces deep over at Blood & Ink…

Almost a month in Mexico in November for the latest Apotheosis Retreat followed by a 2-week Marosa master plant diet at the brilliant Kumankaya. A full piece out on that heart initiation soon.

Spent December visiting family in Canada & the US. It was 3 years since I had a white Christmas and 5+ years since I’ve been snowboarding! Snow is kind of a crazy thing when you don’t live in it. A different way of living and the trials of being around family are always a good mirror for spiritual progress. 😅

Bitcoin crossed yet another threshold in the cultural zeitgeist: breaking $100kUSD for the first time. This year is going to be one to be remembered, with the potential of several nation-states joining the race for the only fixed-supply asset in existence.

If you’re ready for a refresher, I’ve written about the philosophy behind Bitcoin several times: Sound Money & the Global Renaissance, The Juggernaut of Currency, & How I Became My Own Bank.

I’ve started to hone in a new direction for my writing, my work, and my life. I’ll be sharing about that likely next week, with a substantial update coming toward the end of the month. I’m excited about this one, it feels fresh, organic, and alive.

Thank you, as always, for being here. It means a lot to me. I respect your time and attention and always strive to put something valuable in front of you.

You deserve nothing less.

I’m back with an annual tradition: recapping the books I read last year. We seem to have kept our pace with last year, hitting 26 total, with a graveyard of half-read, abandoned books along the way.

These are listed in the order I read them, not by their rank. As a reminder, most of the rankings are going to be high, because if the book is ~6/10 or lower, I never finish it, and it never makes this list.

Essentialism - Greg McKeown (8/10)

Surprised it took me so long to get to this one. Minimalism the aesthetic practice and the philosophical orientation have been a cornerstone in my life for almost 15 years now.

Essentialism applies this philosophy to life, particularly work. It is mercilessly effective at helping you ‘keep the main thing, the main thing’. Some sharp, poignant reminders, but a bit repetitive after a while. Probably could have been a blog post with 80% effectiveness of the entire book, but worth reading if you haven’t.

The Bhagavad Gita - Eknath Easwaran (10/10)

If you remember way back last year I set a ‘misogi’ for myself: a major annual goal instead of a series of resolutions. That failed miserably, which I’ll write about for exploration and accountability soon.

But the misogi was yoga-related, so I jumped back in to re-read the Gita. The Gita is one of the Great Books of history. I’ve read it in full ~4-5 times now. The translation by Eknath is top-notch. It is a staple in my life and expands far, far beyond yogic philosophy into the very nature of Reality and how to be a human on this planet.

The Doors of Perception - Aldous Huxley (9/10)

Re-read The Doors of Perception as a book club I was participating in was reading it. Unbelievable classic. Huxley’s range and raw skill as a writer are unparalleled.

The man has Doors of Perception, Brave New World, Island, and the Perennial Philosophy all under his belt! He was a genius, and far too underrated even today. While the book is fantastic for its writing, I was already deep in the psychedelic space before I read this, so the revelations weren’t as earth-shattering as they may otherwise be for the uninitiated.

Ultimate Guide to Methylene Blue - Mark Sloan (10/10)

I am going to write an entire long-form essay about the following two books by Mark Sloan, covering methylene blue and red light therapy.

Everything about this book is perfectly executed. It is specific, unbelievably thorough and rigorously cited with quality studies, and explores the truly remarkable substance of methylene blue.

He advances a novel theory on cancer: the metabolic theory, rather than the genetic theory that is so commonly accepted by the medical establishment. It is metabolic inefficiencies in the cells that allow cancer to take root and proliferate, and if you fix metabolism, you can conquer, and even reverse, cancer.

Two of the most accessible, affordable, powerful metabolic therapies available? Methylene blue, and red light therapy.

Red Light Therapy: Miracle Medicine - Mark Sloan (10/10)

Mr. Sloan has a formula for how he writes, and it works. This book is short, meticulous, insanely well-cited, and incredibly well-argued.

I’m like a ‘layman doctor’. I can follow medical concepts to an extent, but certainly have no background in organic chemistry or a degree in medicine. His writing is perfect for it. He doesn’t insult your intelligence by watering things down, but his writing is clear, accessible, and straightforward.

I’ve invested heavily in red light and methylene blue protocols as a result of these two books. It works. More to come on this.

Becoming Bodhisattvas - Pema Chodron (8/10)

A brilliant double-whammy. First, it’s Pema. Pema’s heart-centred wisdom and depth of Buddhist practice are incredible. Second, it’s her commentary on another legendary text, The Way of the Bodhisattva.

This is half poetry, half how-to-guide outlining the Mahayana Buddhist’s view of the bodhisattva while grounding it in practical advice for your practice and daily way of being. Beautiful, inspiring, motivating, and accessible.

Inside the Yoga Sutras - Jaganath Carrera (8/10)

Another remaining piece of the yogic explorations. A re-read for me. This is a commentary/companion piece exploring the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

If you are keen to get nerdy about yogic philosophy and the practice of yoga, this is your book. It goes deep into history, philosophy, theory, etymology, and the entire yogic view of the world. It is dense and can be a tough read at times, but the depth it provides the intrepid explorer on the other side is invaluable.

Ressurection Blues - Arthur Miller (7/10)

This is a weird one. I think I only finished this because it’s so unbelievably short. It’s like an experimental work that is written as a script for a play. Like you see the character’s names and what their lines are.

But with that format it explores some timeless and beautiful topics, touching the head and the heart equally with part playfulness, part tragedy, and part humour. Well done and well executed, albeit unexpected.

The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin (7/10)

Josh Waitzkin shouldn’t need much of an introduction. The legendary child chess prodigy that the movie ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’ was based on. After mastering chess, he jumped over to Tai Chi Chuan (push hands) and became a world champion at that too. Now, he’s tackling his latest mastery path: hydrofoil big wave surfing.

His understanding of true mastery and the art of learning (no pun intended) is unparalleled. This isn’t a book to go from 0-80% good, this is a book to go from 80-100% world-class at something. While the fundamentals and content of the book are excellent, writing is certainly a skill Waitzkin has not yet mastered.

Leadership: Strategy & Tactics - Jocko Willink (8/10)

Putting aside his public persona, Jocko was an accomplished Navy SEAL. If you have ever tried to coordinate and lead a group of people (as I have done, and failed at many times), it’s hard. Simple effective coordination of people is a challenge.

I faced some leadership challenges this year, across Phoenix Culture, Apotheosis Retreats, and working as a team member with other organizations. So, I took a quick detour through some military leadership training with Jocko. He writes exactly like you’d expect, but many of the ideas are powerful and important. Worth a read.

No More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert Glover (10/10)

This book came at the right time, written in the right way for me. Everyone I know who’s read this says that. For most of my adult life I suffered from ‘Nice Guy Syndrome’ or as I called it, a ‘martyr complex’.

No More Mr. Nice Guy is a painful yet significant read. It methodically dismantles your personality structure, showing you exactly what’s wrong with acting that way, how it’s hurting you and everyone around you, and simple activities to begin changing things. I’m not a huge fan of ‘classic self-help’ but sometimes that’s exactly the medicine you need. Fantastic.

Becoming a Barbarian - Jack Donovan (9/10)

Jack Donovan—masculine philosophy for masculine men. Jack’s writing drips with the solar energy of masculinity in its fullness. This book might be a challenge for some people: advocating the lost wisdom of barbarian cultures.

That’s an abstract way of saying: this is why you should, and must, care about your tribe more than other people. Tribal belonging, tribal dynamics, tight-knit ingroup/outgroup dynamics. If you tend to fall into the “love everyone, we’re all just one big human family” group, this is a strong sparring partner to poke some holes in that way of thinking. Bitter medicine for the love and light crew, but a very good read.

The Way of Men - Jack Donovan (9/10)

Brilliant. This is the men’s book for all men. If you need in any way to reclaim healthy masculinity, The Way of Men is fantastic. Donovan explores what he considers the 4 pillars of true masculinity: strength, courage, honour, and mastery.

Going into why these are necessary, how to develop them, why they are traditionally masculine, and dynamics between men and men, men and women, and in group and out group as it relates to these 4. Easy, but no less valuable of a read. Loved it.

The Warrior Ethos - Steven Pressfield (8/10)

You can tell I started taking jiu-jitsu classes around this point of the year. The Warrior Ethos is a quick, juicy, historically-accurate read from the acclaimed writer Steven Pressfield.

I loved it. I love Warrior cultures. I love the Warrior archetype. I love the history, the lore, the virtues. This is a study of the warrior cultures of history, how they rose and fell, the values they held, and how it all can apply to you in your life now. Simple, not necessarily paradigm-shifting, but a great read nonetheless.

The Bushido of Bitcoin - Aleksandar Svetski (10/10)

Every so often you come across a book that you wish you wrote. This is that book. Funny enough, I did help to write, edit, and release this book! More to come on that in a future post.

Svetski is a legendary entrepreneur, philosopher, and modern-day warrior. He takes a really interesting approach: let’s assume Bitcoin has won, and become a global monetary standard—who will we be, and who will we become, when that happens?

Done are the days of the nyan-cat crypto lambos, the pump-and-dump scams. Svetski calls out the best of us, outlining the 10 virtues of a new Bushido– a new moral code for a world on a new socioeconomic standard. An absolute behemoth, with challenging ideas, brilliant etymological history, and powerful calls to action for all of us at this time in history.

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand (12/10)

Last year I allowed myself the leniance to go over 10, and I’m doing that here for both of Ayn Rand’s masterpieces. 12/10 without question.

It’s 12/10 because it honestly expanded my definition of what constitutes a good book. This is a true masterpiece. It is both a brilliant work of fiction, just the storytelling, character and plot development, and vivid imagery she provides—AND the most clear, sharp, devastating critique of egalitarian lim-dick communistic philosophy that exists.

Randian philosophy is sharp, sometimes offensive, but deeply empowering to the individual. The human spirit and beauty of humanity pour forth in her work triumphantly. This is a masterpiece, and I don’t say that lightly and should be required reading for all humans who participate in society.

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand (12/10)

Again, another unbelievable piece from Rand. Taking an entirely different context, and still managing to weave out the metaphorical significance of deeply entrenched ways of thinking and acting in the world.

This was written before Atlas Shrugged, and you can tell. She was gearing up, sharpening her sword. But it’s also shorter, more poetic in some ways, and still as elegantly merciless as a black widow spider. Game-changing. You should read it.

The Holy Bible (??/10)

Not a book I ever thought would make it into my reading list, but I guess it was inevitable. I have read every sacred spiritual text from nearly every world religion, the Quran, the Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching, you name it. But the Bible!? I never thought so. But it happened.

You might remember some of my posts exploring the psycho-spiritual scaffolding that Christianity has provided the West. I had to read it. I’m not yet sure how I would rank it. While some aspects of it are profoundly important and very beautiful, some of it I still don’t understand, am confused about, or otherwise still processing.

What I do feel strongly about now, more than ever before, is that I don’t believe I consider our modern-day Godless culture ‘better’ than the societies that had a religion at their center. That will be a much longer exploration to come this year, don’t you worry.

The Tao Te Ching (12/10)

As always, you know the drill. Re-read this bad boy at least once a year. It’s medicine for me at this point. Necessary to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Taoism, Ch’an, and Zen have been transformative in my life. Nothing comes close. All roads in my life lead me back to it, at deeper and deeper levels. Not much to say on this other than it happened, again.

The Way of the Superior Man - David Deida (10/10)

Wow, this one was unexpected. I read this while on my 2-week master plant diet at Kumankaya, and it was perfect. It’s written similarly to the Tao Te Ching, a collection of short pieces, deeply approachable but profound and significant.

Deida outlines and advances, as you might imagine, his idea of the Superior Man. Outlining in a crude way, that how you relate your sexuality, your sexual energy, and your purpose shows you how you relate to everything in your life. It is sharp, simple, straightforward, and an important message for all men looking to become their best selves. I highly recommend reading this.

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership - CLG (8/10)

Re-read of the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. This is one of the required books everyone at Mindbloom has to read, and it’s fantastic. It’s like an 80/20 split between typical business management reading and spiritual guidance.

The Conscious Leadership Group does a good job balancing an otherwise difficult dance between the two of those worlds. Started this as an additive to my leadership explorations. Even if you’re not a leader, or even not in a company, this is good advice for all humans.

Tao: The Watercourse Way - Alan Watts (8/10)

With a renewed interest in Zen and Taoism coming off of my diet, I jumped back into Mr. Watts. Not much needs to be said here. Alan Watts needs no introduction.

What I do love about some of his writings is something that doesn’t come across a lot when you listen to many of his lectures later in his life: the man was a ferocious academic. His mastery and depth of study into the Orient and theology are immense, and it’s in his writings that this comes through. Quoting multiple translations, ancient scriptures and anecdotes, he went deep into this world. A fantastic read for anyone interested in exploring Taoism. Ranking an 8 because after exploring Taoism myself, it wasn’t exactly revelatory.

The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra (8/10)

This one was a doozy. Written by an accomplished quantum physicist, Capra describes in immaculate and at times pedantic detail the conclusions one must draw when exploring the overlap between the bleeding edge of quantum physics and the timeless teachings of the Eastern spiritual traditions.

It is a ~70/30 split, focused more on the scientific research and advancements that reinforce the fundamental concepts so accepted by Eastern spirituality: the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, the lack of a material basis, the lack of time/self/other.

It is extremely dense, and I’ve been reading this on/off for 2 years now. But if you really want to nerd out on the bleeding edge of quantum physics, and see clearly and directly how it confirms and validates the cardinal truths of Eastern religions, this is The Bible you need to read.

Violence of Mind - Varg Freeborn (8/10)

This was a tough one for me. It confronts you with the reality of violence, what it means to be prepared to defend yourself, and how to go about doing that if the situation truly calls for it.

It’s one thing to say that you would ‘fight for your family’ or something like that, it’s another to be able to do it. It’s another to be there standing in front of someone as a situation escalates into a fatal encounter. It’s another to keep your adrenaline under control when something terrible is happening around you and be useful.

Violence of Mind explores these states from a man who has been in more mortal fights than he’d like to admit and has the training and experience to back it up. Valuable to read, but challenging if you’re not in the right and stable mindset for it.

100 Deadly Skills: Combat Edition, General Edition, & Survival Edition.

Written by an ex-Navy SEAL, the 100 Deadly Skills series explores small quick tricks that you can use for everything from espionage, self-defence, staying alive, combat, evasion, you name it.

It’s a fun, James-Bond-style skill acquisition read. How to fight, how to disappear, how to protect yourself. I loved it, he’s got one on Combat, Survival, and General skills.

Thank you, enjoy the new year. 💛
EB.