Henry Bolo

Some books I’ve enjoyed

Fiction

  1. Cover of Red Rising by Pierce BrownCover of Golden Son by Pierce BrownCover of Morning Star by Pierce BrownCover of Iron Gold by Pierce BrownCover of Dark Age by Pierce BrownCover of Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

    Red Rising series

    by Pierce Brown

    The first sci-fi series I got into. Sometimes drags for 20–50 pages, then becomes impossible to put down as you lose yourself in the world-building, characters, and changing dynamics across the various factions

  2. Cover of 0 by Haruki MurakamiCover of 1 by Haruki MurakamiCover of 2 by Haruki Murakami

    Selected Haruki Murakami books

    by Haruki Murakami

    Kafka on the Shore, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and 1Q84. Can be slow to start and don’t always stick the landing (in my opinion), but in between they feature worlds I lost myself in

  3. Cover of Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr.Cover of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

    Once a Runner

    by John L. Parker Jr.

    What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

    by Haruki Murakami

    Answers to the question “Why do you run?” in novel form

  4. Cover of The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick RothfussCover of The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

    The Kingkiller Chronicle

    by Patrick Rothfuss

    Annoying that the series is unfinished. It has a Harry Potter-esque pull with more complexity

  5. Cover of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

    The Lincoln Highway

    by Amor Towles

    Fun, warm, and easy to get pulled into

  6. Cover of The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

    The Fountainhead

    by Ayn Rand

    One does not need to love every aspect of Ayn Rand's philosophy or writing style to resonate with Howard Roark's strong belief system and unwillingness to compromise

Nonfiction

  1. Cover of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

    Born to Run

    by Christopher McDougall

    The first running book I read, and the one that gave me the bug. I loved following McDougall’s journey as he brings a team of American ultrarunners into Mexico’s Copper Canyons to race the Rarámuri

  2. Cover of 0 by Adharanand FinnCover of 1 by Adharanand FinnCover of 2 by Adharanand Finn

    Running books by Adharanand Finn

    by Adharanand Finn

    Running with the Kenyans, The Way of the Runner, and The Rise of the Ultra Runners. Immersive views into different running cultures and traditions. Great for nurturing the running bug

  3. Cover of Seven Powers by Hamilton Helmer

    Seven Powers

    by Hamilton Helmer

    Not a page-turner, but possibly the best framework for thinking about strategy

  4. Cover of The Qualified Sales Leader: Proven Lessons from a Five Time CRO by John McMahon

    The Qualified Sales Leader: Proven Lessons from a Five Time CRO

    by John McMahon

    Also not a page-turner. An actionable field guide for driving B2B sales

  5. Cover of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

    Elon Musk

    by Walter Isaacson

    Effectively an updated version of Ashlee Vance’s biography of the most influential entrepreneur of my lifetime

  6. Cover of Michael O'Leary: Turbulent Times for the Man Who Made Ryanair by Matt Cooper

    Michael O'Leary: Turbulent Times for the Man Who Made Ryanair

    by Matt Cooper

    A slightly dated account of how Ryanair became an industry leader under CEO Michael O’Leary. TL;DR: a clearly defined strategy with consistent decision-making on tradeoffs works

  7. Cover of Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon by William D. Cohan

    Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon

    by William D. Cohan

    The rise and fall of GE, documented in remarkable detail. Helped me appreciate the nuance in greater detail

  8. Cover of The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

    The Coddling of the American Mind

    by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

    Haidt is controversial for making claims ahead of scientifically-validated evidence. Be that as it may, I appreciate his (what I think is) prescience and clarity of thought

  9. Cover of Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides

    Hellhound on His Trail

    by Hampton Sides

    A page-turning account of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the days and months that followed. The narrative gave me a better appreciation of both the era and King’s life and work

  10. Cover of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar

    Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World

    by Henry Grabar

    Parking is one of those things hiding in plain sight, negatively impacting city dwellers more than we realize

  11. Cover of The Caesars Palace Coup by Sujeet Indap and Max Frumes

    The Caesars Palace Coup

    by Sujeet Indap and Max Frumes

    A finance book that manages to be simple without being simplistic. Surprisingly readable

  12. Cover of Grant by Ron Chernow

    Grant

    by Ron Chernow

    A big book to get through, but a rewarding underdog story

  13. Cover of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

    Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

    by James Nestor

    Pairs well with What Doesn’t Kill Us; a compelling case that traditional breathing practices were ahead of modern science

  14. Cover of What Doesn't Kill Us by Scott Carney

    What Doesn't Kill Us

    by Scott Carney

    An entertaining read by a unique author who genuinely walks the walk; my introduction to Wim Hof and breathwork, which had a big impact on me in 2020

  15. Cover of Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga by Benjamin Lorr

    Hell-Bent

    by Benjamin Lorr

    I haven’t done yoga in over a decade and still love this book; a funny, deeply reported look at obsession, pain, and the strange world of competitive yoga