Summer Reading List 2020

David Byttow
4 min readSep 19, 2020

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I read quite a bit during the unusual summer of 2020. Over half of these were consumed as audio books, generally while jogging in Central Park. outdoors. Below are the majority of them, with minor commentary.

Entertainment

The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim

The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985–1993 by Jordan Mechner

Self-Improvement

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine

Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity by Sam Harris

  • Packed with intriguing content in the form of interviews (and so best read as an audio book), I was most curious about the “Hard Problem” of consciousness, which is discussed in depth. Also, as a practitioner of Transcendental Medication (TM), I’ve become interested in other forms of meditation. I find mindful meditation with focus on consciousness to be effective and illuminating. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Sense-Conversations-Consciousness-Morality/dp/0062857789

Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life by Ken Robinson

Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin

You Are a Badass: by How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

Knowledge and Curiosity

The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton

Several short sentences about writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg

Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators by Clay Shirky

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull

In progress or queue

Rage by Bob Woodward

Game Feel: A Game Designer’s Guide to Virtual Sensation by Steve Swink

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress by Christopher Ryan

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