Clearly I read a lot, I haven’t posted this stuff here but I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve been intentionally reading more and keeping track since 2002, so longer than some of my children have been alive.

My top 10 takeaways in 2025:

  • We don’t rise to the level of our ambition but fall to the level of our systems. From Great by Choice
  • If you get a result from the majority of people the majority of the time it’s not the people it’s the system. From Learning Systems Thinking
  • Leaders who share in the risks they create don’t just earn trust, they sharpen their judgment. From Skin in the Game
  • If you don’t prioritize your life someone else will. From Essentialism
  • How we frame the problem determines what we see and what we don’t. From Clear Thinking
  • If you’re still making every decision, checking every detail, and solving every problem, you haven’t built a team. You’ve built a bottleneck with your name on it. From Product Driven
  • Instead of trying to get customers to say you exceeded my expectations, you are trying to get them to say you made that easy. From The Effortless Experience
  • It doesn’t feel like something to being wrong, it feels like being right. From Being Wrong
  • You are a story you tell yourself. From You Are Not So Smart
  • Effective leadership is more akin to gardening than chess. From Team of Teams

I also read a lot of fiction, stand outs are finishing the Hyperion series and starting the Expanse series. I also decided to read the rest of the Cosmere books from Brandon Sanderson which was a delight. Lots of ups, some downs. The surprising book that has lived rent free in my head is Tender is the Flesh. Disturbing to the core, and not for everyone.

I’m sharing because I keep thinking I need to participate in this community more, so nothing like starting the year off by contributing what I loved last year.

  • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    3·
    25 days ago

    Wow, I thought I read a lot with 21 books last year! Granted, 5 of them were Wheel of Time… but this is impressive!

    • BallShapedMan@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      25 days ago

      Lol thank you! And 21 books is a lot!

      So many people have tried to get me to read Wheel of Time, but with all the books that are out I’m just not sure I want to be addicted to that kind of a commitment. Like I’m sure crack is great while you’re using it but do I really want to be addicted to it? What are your thoughts on that?

      • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2·
        25 days ago

        I am nearly done with book 6, and while it’s an incredibly long and verbose story with impeccable world building, it is not for everyone.

        I haven’t read much high fantasy outside of Tolkien — and the Stormlight Archive — however. So this is really my first foray into fantasy outside of LOTR and the Hobbit.

        I think I really like it, and I have been enjoying learning about the world as the series progresses.

        Truthfully if you like Cosmere stuff you’ll probably like it. I’d give Eye of the World a spin and just roll with it. If you aren’t interested by the end of that book… well try the Great Hunt. Hah! I’ve heard that rereads also always glean more information that is hinted at super early on, so I think internal consistency is very well done.

        Jordan does a really good job of fleshing out character motivations based on unreliable information.

    • BallShapedMan@lemmy.worldOP
      3·
      25 days ago

      Thank you! I’ve gotten pretty nerdy about it after I missed my reading goal for 2017.

      And I can’t wait to keep reading it! Got through the first two books in a week and then Christmas vacation ended. I love what I do for a living and I’d rather be reading this series than working.

      I’ve been told there is a novella to read as well which I’ll pick up after the third book. And then I’ll try the TV series again. I couldn’t get into it when I tried the first time, I just left the first season totally confused.

      I’m not confused now!

      • Rokin@leminal.space
        2·
        25 days ago

        There is a collection of novellas and short stories from The Expanse called Memory’s Legion. I highly recommend it, though I don’t know the exact timeline of stories. I just read it after the ninth book.