At the end of each month, I take stock of the best things that I have been reading and watching, and I examine what’s been occupying my thoughts. When the end of the year comes around, I look back through those monthly entries to reflect on how and on what I spent most of my time, efforts, and thoughts. As I’ve said before, it’s hard to know where you want to go if you don’t know where you’ve been.
Here’s the best things I read, watched, etc. in 2023:
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
As I child, I remember my grandfather watching the VHS tapes of this movie. I assumed it was a typical cowboy movie – not that there aren’t plenty of good ones.
This book, though, took me completely off guard. It is now entirely clear why it won a Pulitzer Prize, and it has become one of my favorite books of all time.
It’s the story of two friends joined by adventure, yet finding their philosophies to be entirely incongruent.
One lives a life set on avoiding mistakes, comfortably burdened by his own principles. The other lives with reckless hope, folly, and kindness, viewing life as an opportunity to educate and explore.
A wonderful meditation on how to live one’s life. Or else, a great cowboy novel.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Towles threads the elusive path of a cozy, hopeful novel enmeshed against the harsh realities of communist Russia. All while avoiding being overly forced or hokey. A perfect book. I only hope the TV adaptation can capture the spirit of such a beautiful work.
Outlive by Peter Attia
A practical and logically-supported framework for taking an extremely proactive approach to one’s health.This culminates in mission, strategy, & tactics to optimize not only one’s lifespan, but one’s healthspan: doing the things you love well into your final decades. And most importantly, Attia shares a highly-personal view of why this is such a worthy endeavor.
The Outpost by Jake Tapper
Tapper should win an award for the staggering researching & detail that went into this book. A cautionary tale of hubristic, short-sighted leadership and the people who sacrifice everything in our service.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (The Audiobook)
I would probably pay to hear Matthew McConaughey read the phone book. A deep & hilarious trove of stories about knowing who you are, while knowing you can still be better.
The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)
An utterly dysfunctional family of grifting televangelists navigating competitors, family infighting, and the always entertaining “Uncle Baby Billy.”Such a clever, playful production featuring a hilarious storyline that could stand alone as dark drama.
Stay in the Game by Drew Dickson
A story from that periodically resurfaces in my back catalog and always brings a smile. It’s important to remember that in a world of often terrible things, there’s still good out there. As James Baldwin once said, “We’ve got to be as clear-headed about human beings as possible, because we are still each other’s only hope.”
