12 Books You Need To Read (6 Fiction and 6 Non-Fiction)

My yearly round up of my favorite books!

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[davestagner]

Byung-Chul Han! His “The Burnout Society” is one of my favorite and most thought-provoking books of the past decade. And, for people who are interested in such ideas but don’t have the patience to read dense philosophy, try “Capitalist Realism”, by Mark Fisher, a philosopher who was also a punk music critic.

[sordel]

Okay, I subscribed ... feel free to start making more videos on this channel anytime you like. 🎉

[dtgarcia]

Got an immediate subscription from me! My two favorites from this last year were Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row” (wholeheartedly agree - he’s the GOAT) and “Practicing the Way” by John Mark Comer (this and his “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” have made a colossal impact on my spiritually). Loved the vid - looking forward to more!

[Cerasinum]

So happy to see more of you, Josh!

You may not think so, but you're an immensely charasmatic and interesting person and it's always a joy to hear you talk about your passions. You put some books on the radar for me, and I'll definitely check them out.

[TeleCarlitos]

Thanks for sharing these! Gladwell is always great! Godin also brings it!

[yousse]

Crazy how I saw your comment randomly today on Rhett’s video (the one he played bass in) and subscribed to this channel thinking you prob weren’t gonna post on here again. And out of nowhere you posted. Glad I subscribed

[pierremichaud]

Love your work. Thank you for existing!

[marshallcox]

Excellent choices, Josh. Got to check out Murakami!

[fivewattworld]

Nice! I’ll give you one in each category. Non-fiction “Die With Zero” by Bill Perkins. For me it was a great companion to McKeons books. After rereading Willa Cather’s “My Antonia” I went on a Cather binge. If you’re from the central part of the country her prairie trilogy is great. If you’re a fan of Berry’s writing you’ll see where some of his stuff is coming from historically.
Good to know you’re a reader Josh.

[gardenhorseband]

Great vid. Essentialism is getting added to my list. Favorite book of the year for me was “Right Thing, Right Now” by Ryan Holiday

[danielarnis]

Great list Josh. After reading Jayber Crow 2 years ago (yes, I cried many times too) it has become my go-to recommendation to anyone asks if I have read any good books lately. If you have not read Jayber Crow, it should be your next up.

[TeleCarlitos]

I may be Hispanic but I did live 2 years and n Ashland KY for middle school. It was a lovely experience. A part of me craves going deeper into the “southern experience” your fiction recommendations seem to provide!

[PedalChainsAddiction]

Thanks for sharing your books. It’s sometimes tough to find good recommendation. 2 of my favorite fiction: Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevon; Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eckhouse. These are both riffs on creating/the creative process and drawing inspiration from the world around us. Two quite different reads that are spectacular.

[MakeSomething]

The Practice is in my all-time favorite books of all -time. I think it's 2nd only to The Creative Act.

[Jimbowholivesinsoup]

Thanks for the suggestions! Nice way to start the new year! Thanks 🎉

[stringstandard]

I read fewer books this year than in past years, but my favorite was The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.

[timwasem]

Wendell Berry is a national treasure. I did a podcast for awhile about him and we interviewed some great guests. It was called The Membership. Jayber Crow has been in my top 10 for a very long time. And couldn't agree more about Steinbeck. My custom decals for partscasters say "Timshel" (from East of Eden) in Fender font. Thanks for sharing, Josh!

[kalebmiears]

I didn't think that I could appreciate Josh any more with all your thoughtful work... You enjoying Berry's Jayber Crow and the collection by Flannery O'Conner just seals the deal.

Two southern (at least in feel) fiction books I read this year that I loved are Marilynne Robinson's Jack (part of a triology) and Paul Harding's Tinkers. Both incredible and moving.

[cridbass]

The Bell Labs book was AMAZING!! So inspiring how many amazing innovations came from that group!

[lindelholden]

Second your position on Steinbeck. Listened to "East of Eden" on a road trip in 2024. I'm "re-reading" books I loved reading on audible during road trips. You might be interested in "Flow", by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi or his other books. he is a proponent of not multi-tasking, but focusing on one thing at time with all your attention to get into a state of "flow".