Nate's Reviews of non-Book Products

Sacred Places of a Lifetime by National Geographic

Sacred Places of a Lifetime by National Geographic is an excellent coffee table style reference book showcasing some of the great sacred places around the world.

The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor

The Complete Stories is the only collection that includes every short story Flannery O’Connor ever wrote — including “The Geranium,” which she submitted as part of her master’s thesis at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. If you’re going to read her, this is the one to get.

6+ Favorite Books About Trees and Forests (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books About Trees and Forests…so far.

Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson

I don’t usually read best-selling political books of the moment. They feel too tied to whatever news cycle is happening right now, and I’d rather read something that has aged a bit.

But it feels like we’re at a genuine inflection point in American politics. The party coalitions that formed in the late 60s and early 70s—now going on 50 years old—are breaking down.

Consolations by David Whyte

Consolations is a collection of short essays and poems. Each entry is just a page or two—a few hundred words at most. But Whyte packs an incredible amount of meaning into that small space.

No Nonsense Spirituality by Britt Hartley

I picked this book up after hearing the author interviewed on a podcast — and by “picked up” I mean it was on sale on Amazon and seemed worth a quick read.

6+ Favorite Books on Religious Violence (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Religious Violence…so far.

Discourses by Epictetus

I picked up The Discourses by Epictetus from Standard Ebooks, then ended up buying the print Penguin edition as well. Stoic philosophy has had waves of popularity over the years, and I love that the most recent wave has brought a blossoming of new translations, resources, and accessible texts.

6+ Favorite Books on Urban-Rural Divides (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Urban-Rural Divides…so far.

Useful Not True by Derek Sivers

The core premise is straightforward: humans create stories and frameworks that aren’t literally true, but are still incredibly useful. Not useful in a “white lie” kind of way. Useful in a “this is how civilization actually functions” kind of way.

6+ Favorite Philosophical Novels (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Philosophical Novels…so far.

DK Eyewitness Chicago (or, Why Printed Travel Guides Prevent Overtourism)

I’ve found that printed travel books do something that no algorithm can – they help you discover places you don’t know that you don’t know.

6+ Favorite Books on Urban Wildlife (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Urban Wildlife…so far.

America’s Great Forest Trails by Tim Palmer

I picked up America’s Great Forest Trails by Tim Palmer after seeing it on a shelf at my local bookstore. It’s a coffee table reference book highlighting America’s great forest trails—of which we have thousands and thousands of miles.

6+ Favorite Books on Modern Africa (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Modern Africa…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Personal Identity (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Personal Identity…so far.

6+ Favorite Haruki Murakami Novels (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Haruki Murakami Novels…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Wilderness Navigation (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Wilderness Navigation…so far.

Deep Tech by Pablos Holman

Deep Tech by Pablos Holman is a book by one of the most perennial hard tech entrepreneurs in America. Holman is known for his work at Blue Origin and Intellectual Ventures, and he currently runs a venture capital firm focused on what he calls “hard tech” — using technology to solve problems in the physical world rather than in the software or digital world that has been the focus of Silicon Valley for so long.

How To Read The Bible by Harvey Cox

How to Read the Bible by Harvey Cox is an accessible, nuanced, and genuinely creative introduction to engaging with the best-selling and most influential single book in the world.

The Elephants Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

The Elephant Vanishes is a short story collection by Haruki Murakami, and it’s one of his best. I’m generally a…

This Dark Road To Mercy by Wiley Cash

This Dark Road to Mercy is another memorable novel from Cash. Without getting into too many spoilers, the book follows two young sisters in 1990s North Carolina who find themselves on the run with their estranged father. It’s a tense, propulsive story that weaves together themes of family, poverty, and redemption against the backdrop of Appalachian culture.

6+ Favorite Books on Islamic History and Culture (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Islamic History and Culture…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Farming and Agriculture (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Farming and Agriculture…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Arctic and Northern Exploration (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Arctic and Northern Exploration…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Hiking and Outdoor Adventures (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Hiking and Outdoor Adventures…so far.

A Happy Death by Albert Camus

A Happy Death by Albert Camus is essentially a prequel to The Stranger — and it’s best understood that way.

6+ Favorite Books on Pakistani and Indian Life (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Pakistani and Indian Life…so far.

6+ Favorite Lawrence Osborne’s Asian Fiction (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Lawrence Osbornes Asian Fiction…so far.

Courage To Be by Paul Tillich

Sometimes a name shows up everywhere in the same week. That happened to me with Paul Tillich. His name popped…

Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich

I picked up Dynamics of Faith at a used bookstore along with The Courage to Be — same author, same…

6+ Favorite Crime Fiction Set in Scandinavia (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Crime Fiction Set in Scandinavia…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Sustainable Living and Environmentalism (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Sustainable Living and Environmentalism…so far.

The Myth of Sisyphus & Other Essays by Albert Camus

The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus is one of those books I’ve read a couple of times and finally just decided to own. I picked up the Vintage Books edition specifically because it includes bonus essays — particularly “Summer in Algiers” — that I think represent some of Camus’s best work.

Antimemetics by Nadia Asparouhova

The core premise of antimemetics is deceptively simple: we live in an age where ideas spread faster than ever, and yet some ideas don’t spread at all. Not because they’re obscure or unimportant — but because of something specific about their nature.

Asparouhova calls these antimemes.

Camping Georgia by Jimmy Jacobs

Camping Georgia by Jimmy Jacobs is a Falcon Guide focused on finding good tent camping spots at established campgrounds throughout Georgia.

Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss

I picked up Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss after getting so much value from The 4-Hour Work Week. That book did an excellent job helping me reframe and understand the world of business and productivity, so I figured this would be another solid read.

6+ Favorite Books on The American West (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on The American West…so far.

Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman

I picked up Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman after a weekend that included visiting the Martin Luther King…

6+ Favorite Books on Global Economics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Global Economics…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Asian Culture and History (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Asian Culture and History…so far.

I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter

I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter is possibly one of the best science books I’ve ever read — even though I’m not entirely sure I understood half of it.

Human Condition by Hannah Arendt

I picked up The Human Condition because I thought Hannah Arendt might have something useful to say about living in…

6+ Favorite Books on Self-Experimentation (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Self-Experimentation…so far.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

I picked up Oedipus Rex as part of reading through the Theban trilogy. I was browsing Standard Ebooks and the collection caught my eye. I hadn’t read it since a required literature class in college, so I figured it was time to revisit and see how it held up.

6+ Favorite Books on Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy…so far.

The First Man by Albert Camus

The First Man is the manuscript that was found at Albert Camus’s side after his death in a car accident in 1960. It sat unpublished for decades — held back by his estate, his daughter and granddaughter — before finally being released to the public.

6+ Favorite Books on Media Criticism (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Media Criticism…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Family Dynamics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Family Dynamics…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Behavioral Economics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Behavioral Economics…so far.

Antigone by Sophocles

I read Antigone by Sophocles after finishing Oedipus Rex. Both are part of the Theban Trilogy, which I grabbed from Standard Ebooks.

Network State by Balaji Srinavasen

The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan is a book I picked up mainly because my work is tech-adjacent, and for a while this book was everywhere among the tech elite. Even though it seemed ridiculous on the cover, I wanted to understand what my peers were paying attention to.

Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles

I picked up Oedipus at Colonus from Standard Ebooks as part of the Theban Trilogy, along with Antigone and Oedipus Rex.

6+ Favorite Books on Global Travel Adventures (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Global Travel Adventures…so far.

6+ Favorite Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction…so far.

Behave by Robert Sapolsky

I picked up Behave out of frustration. The popular discourse around brain chemistry had gotten to be too much. Dopamine…

6+ Favorite Books on Personal Finance Strategies (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Personal Finance Strategies…so far.

The Woman Behind The New Deal by Kirstin Downey

Perkins may have had more direct impact on the everyday lives of ordinary Americans than almost anyone else in the 20th century. The 40-hour work week. The minimum wage. Social Security. Child labor laws. Unemployment insurance. These aren’t abstractions — they are the literal architecture of how Americans work, save, retire, and survive hard times. Frances Perkins built most of that architecture.

That was a serious underestimate.

Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

I’ve read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon. He’s my favorite mystery character, and I’ve worked my way through every story…

6+ Favorite Books on Internet Economics (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Internet Economics…so far.

Superbloom by Nicholas Carr

Superbloom by Nicholas Carr is the latest book from the author of The Shallows and The Glass Cage. It’s about how technologies of connection tear us apart—or more precisely, how they scale up both the best and worst of human nature to unprecedented heights.

6+ Favorite Books on Sports Business (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Sports Business…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Real Estate and Housing (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Real Estate and Housing…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Faith Perspectives (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Faith Perspectives…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Historical Conflicts (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Historical Conflicts…so far.

Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet is really two completely separate stories. One takes place in Victorian London with Holmes and Watson investigating a murder. The other takes place in the American West—Utah, specifically—decades earlier.

Ultimate Hiker’s Guide by Andrew Skurka

The Ultimate Hiker’s Guide by Andrew Skurka is the best backpacking book I’ve ever purchased. Not the most inspiring. Not the most beautiful. The best.

6+ Favorite Books on Global Economic History (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Global Economic History…so far.

How To Have Impossible Conversations by Peter Boghossian

How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay is a book I picked…

6+ Favorite Books on Northern Europe and Scandinavia (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Northern Europe and Scandinavia…so far.

American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag

I picked up American Philosophy, A Love Story after reading Kaag’s earlier book Hiking with Nietzsche and coming across several of his essays in The Atlantic. John Kaag is, in my opinion, one of the most talented working writers who also happens to be an actual practicing professor of philosophy. That combination — the rigor of the academic and the accessibility of a great essayist — makes him worth following closely.

Hiking with Nietzsche by John Kaag

I picked up Hiking with Nietzsche after reading John Kaag’s book on American philosophy. He’s a fabulous writer who uses personal anecdotes to weave deeper, more modern, and more personal connections to big philosophical ideas.

6+ Favorite Books on Human Rights and Justice (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Human Rights and Justice…so far.

Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell

Tobacco Road follows the desperate lives of the Lester family, poor white sharecroppers struggling to survive in Depression-era Georgia. The novel’s unflinching portrayal of poverty and moral degradation shocked readers when it was published in 1932, sparking controversy while highlighting the harsh realities of rural Southern life.

6+ Favorite Books on Maritime and River Exploration (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Maritime and River Exploration…so far.

Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill by John Stuart Mill

The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill is a Modern Library compendium of Mill’s most famous works—On Liberty, The Subjugation of Women, Utilitarianism, and more. I bought it years ago for a college philosophy class and ended up keeping it, not because I reference it constantly, but because rereading essays like On Liberty reminded me of something important.

Field Guide To The Cohutta Wilderness by Javier Velazquez

A Field Guide to the Cohutta Wilderness by Javier Velazquez is a book I have wanted to exist in the world for so long that a couple years ago, I started sketching out whether I could write it myself. I am deeply grateful to the author for putting in the time and effort to create a proper field guide to the natural and environmental history of the Cohutta Mountains.

6+ Favorite Books on Transportation (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Transportation…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Human Evolution and Psychology (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Human Evolution and Psychology…so far.

6+ Favorite Books on Apocalyptic Scenarios (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Apocalyptic Scenarios…so far.

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

The book argues that our brains weren’t designed for the modern world. We evolved in an environment of scarcity, where pleasure was rare and hard to come by. Now we live in what Lembke calls a “dopamine tsunami” – unlimited access to anything that feels good, all the time, right at our fingertips.

6+ Favorite Books on Georgia History and Culture (So Far!)

A Roundup of My Favorite Books on Georgia History and Culture…so far.

Ultimate Companion To Meat by Anthony Puharich

I picked up this massive meat cookbook as part of a work project for a cooking website. I had no idea that the world of meat and meat cooking would be this in-depth and thorough. It was like going down a rabbit hole about a very specific culinary segment.

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