Tag: audiobooks

Here are the 24 books on my 2024 reading list.

Some people are Sneakerheads. Others are Deadheads. I am a Bookhead. I collect books. I organize them. And I display them. As a result, I always have unread books in my home. So at the start of 2023, I collected 12 physical books from my personal library as my reading list for the year. It was interesting to look at the mini-library and know that I was expected to plow through the stack over the course of the year.

Having a stack of 12 books also gave me a defined list to choose from each month. It allowed me to decide if I was going to take on something big and meaty or smaller and lighter each month. Then I also decided to read 12 audiobooks that were random and unplanned. Or what I call Nick Cannon-style.

Like disciples, eggs, and donuts, my books come in twelves.

But then something interesting happened. I blew past my 2023 reading goal and had my best reading year ever. In fact, I finished 41 books last year. You can read the list and a short review of each of the books here. 

So I am back with a new stack of 24 books in ’24. (Which is wicked symmetrical.) This time I went a step further and predetermined both the Let’s Get Physical books and the Big Audio Dynamite books. Here are the lists, and why I chose each title.

My 12 Let’s Get Physical Books

The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton M Christensen:  

Because I enjoy a good dilemma. Which sounds like a contraction of Dali Lama.

Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield 

Because I loved The War of Art. And it’s short.

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini: 

Because it’s legendary like kites themselves.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. 

Because everyone loves it.

Arete’ by Brian Johnson.

Because I want to activate my heroic potential. And my new ATM card.

The Body by Bill Bryson 

Bryson is informative and hilarious. Or Infolarious.

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

I was a psychology major in college. And I think money is important. I want to know why I think that. So I’m going to lie on a couch and read this.

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin 

Because I want to learn all I can about creativity. And a like a good Rubin.

My Father’s Business by Cal Turner Jr. 

I want to know how to start a discount store so people can discount on me, like Discount Dracula.

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.

A lot of reasonable people have recommended this to me.

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

This book is referenced everywhere. And power seems like a good thing to know about. Plus, I want to know if Ty and Jude made the list.

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith 

This book is the foundation of economics. Plus I dig authors named Adam.

My 12 Big Audio Dynamite Books

This week I discovered that Spotify Premium allows you to listen to audiobooks. This is a total game-changer. Because I love audiobooks, but the library app I use to listen to them limits my time with each title. And I often have long wait times to listen to popular titles. So I am expecting 2024 to be my best year of audiobooks ever, both in terms of quantity and quality. Here are the books in my audio library.

Good Inside by Becky Kennedy

I spend a lot of good time outside. And I would like to do the same inside.

Life On The Mississippi by Rinker Buck

I’m fascinated by river travel. Plus I want to take a canoe from Milwaukee to New Orleans. It would be a good way to earn my beignets.

Vibrate Higher Daily by Lalah Delia

I’m into good vibrations. Like The Beach Boys.

Soundtracks by Jon Acuff

This came highly recommended. Plus, I like the cover art.

The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt

Because nobody in their righteous mind wouldn’t want to read this.

The Woman In Me by Brittany Spears

Because I like a good success story. And a good train wreck. This offers both.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

I want to know nearly everything. This book seems like a good start.

Think Faster. Talk Smarter. by Matt Abrahams

I don’t do either of these things very goodly. But I would like to.

Hidden Potential by Adam Grant

I like everything I’ve read by Grant. And I’m a big fan of his tomb.

The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday

This title is so silly I have to hear the story behind it. Plus, I get a lot of great book recommendations from Ryan Holiday, whose name I always say like Madonna would. I expect all of his books to be good too.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

You had me at the title…

Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I want to be useful. I would also like to have as many useful tools for life as I have dwarfs.

Key Takeaway

Reading is an important part of your self-improvement plan. Your self-directed education adds to your world knowledge, increases creativity, and enhances both your vocabulary and writing skills. Create a reading habit that works for you. Start small. And once you recognize how much it helps you will naturally find ways to read more.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this list, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Do you listen to audiobooks? (Here’s an easy opportunity to be mentioned in mine.)

A year ago this week, I published my first book, titled What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? The response to the book has been extremely rewarding. People have appreciated the book enough to write great reviews and gift the book to others. And so far, no school districts, governments, or Tipper Gores have banned or burned the book.

But over the past year, there is one question I have been asked over and over, again. (Like Tim McGraw and Nelly.)

“When is the audiobook version of your book coming out?”

I would love to have an audio version of the book. I listen to audiobooks all the time. They are great to listen to when I am driving. Because I have found that when I read regular books while driving bad things tend to happen.

The book is currently available in paperback, hardback, and digitalback.

However, I wrote this book in my writing style, which also mirrors my speaking style. My ‘voice’ contains regular, random asides and uncited pop culture references. Because I wanna know who really gets my jokes. (And I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?)

Because I wrote the book in my voice, readers have insisted that I also record the audiobook. Which means that I have to find the time to read and record the audio version.

Recording the audiobook entails reading for about an hour each morning, day after day, until I finish the 290-page book. I would read first thing in the morning to ensure a consistent sound to my voice. And I expect I can only read for about an hour before fatigue would make me sound less enthusiastic than listeners deserve.

I am considering making the recording an End-of-2022 Project. But before I wake up and read my book to myself and my recording device for a couple weeks I have 2 questions for you.

1. Do you listen to audiobooks?

2. If so, where and when do you listen to them?

Your Opportunity:

Please leave your response below, text me at 614-256-2850 or email me at adam@theweaponry.com. If you provide your feedback, and I do record the audio version, I’ll include you in my acknowledgments section of the book. Heck, you can even game the system and share this with all your friends and family. Whoever responds will get included. (If no one responds and I record the book anyway, I will dedicate the book to crickets. And the sound of silence.)

Key Takeaway

It’s easy to make the mistake of creating products, services, or entire businesses with no natural audience. Before you jump into creating something new, do a little market research to see if there is an audience interested in what you are about to create. That way you ensure you invest your time, energy, and money into projects expected to offer good returns.

*If you know someone who would like to be mentioned in an audiobook, please share this with them.

+If you still need an inexpensive Christmas gift written to help readers learn a little, laugh a little and lift a little, you can find What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? here.

Why you should take more big chances.

I would never take candy from a stranger. But I will take life lessons from anyone. Even Rick Pitino. Pitino, the controversial former basketball coach at the University of Louisville (and Kentucky, The Knicks, The Celtics and Providence) is back in the news again. Not for having naughty relations in a restaurant with the wife of his assistant coach. Or setting up recruits with ‘hired lady friends’. He is back in the headlines today, rumored to be a potential new head coach of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks.

What Rick Told Me.

All this Pitino-talk reminds me of an interesting story he once told me. That’s right. As I was driving to work in Atlanta, Rick told me about his first encounter with the 3-point shot. No, Rick and I weren’t carpooling to pass the notorious Atlanta traffic. I was listening to his audio book, Success Is A Choice.  

Eastern Kentucky v Louisville
Rick Pitino, checking out the scoreboard of his life.

The Power Of The 3-Pointer

Pitino thought the introduction of the 3-point shot would have a significant impact on college basketball. In fact, the first year the 3-point shot was introduced to the college game he told his team that he expected them to take fifteen 3-point shots in every game.

The Russians

Then a funny thing happened. His team played an exhibition game against the Russian national team. And the Russian team attempted twenty-one 3-pointers, in the first half!  Of course many of those shots were nothing but nyet. (Sorry, I could nyet help myself.)

Even though Coach Pitino knew the 3-pointer would have a significant impact on the game of basketball, he grossly underestimated it. Probably because he was surrounded by athletes, not mathletes. Because shooting 50% from 2-point land gets the same result as shooting 33% from 3-point land.

50% from 2-Pointville = 33% from 3-Pointtown

Bigger Rewards

This math holds true in business and in our personal lives too. Taking smaller chances reaps smaller rewards. Taking larger chances reaps larger rewards. So stretch, grow, try, and learn. You can attempt shots with lower percentages and still enjoy a higher payout because of the higher value of each shot made. Don’t limit yourself to the easy stuff. Sooner or later you will regret it.

So step back and think bigger. Try the hard things. And pretty soon you’ll find you’re success rate on the hard stuff will catch up to the success rate on the easier stuff. You’ll be lighting up your own scoreboard. And when you do, you can tell me all about it as I drive.

*For more life lessons I’ve learned from winners and sinners consider subscribing to this blog.