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Journal

What I’m Reading, Watching & Listening To

4/15/2022

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Every so often someone will ask me to recommend something good to read, watch or listen to. This was particularly true in 2020 - 2021 when we were either shut out from the majority of the world, or simply looking for a diversion from the current hardships. 

Truth be told though, I’m always a little hesitant to respond to questions like that.

While I feel I have some pretty poignant thoughts on leadership, customer experience or process improvement, my binge watching of “Beat Bobby Flay” might not exactly offer the same level of insights. Be that as it may, the following is my current status and thoughts around what I’m reading, watching and listening to.

Reading
I’ll be honest. I’ve gone an embarrassingly long time without picking up a book (and that includes the digital kind) for just the sheer enjoyment of it. It’s not that I stopped enjoying reading, or didn’t have the time. It was just that I was filling up that time with something else. Work, kids, house/yard chores all have a way of sneaking in and demanding more attention. Having recently decided to become a bit more intentional about picking up the habit again, I’m currently reading:


  • “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey
  • “The Little Book” of Hygge by Meik Wiking

“Greenlights” was a gift from my wife and probably not one that would have hit my radar on its own. That being said, I do enjoy hearing McConaughey’s perspective on life and how to live it.  Hygge (Danish sense of coziness and well being) has long been a topic of interest for me, and I thought it was finally time I read this well known book on the subject.

Since I’ve already confessed to not having read for a long time, it won’t surprise you to learn I don’t have any current recommendations. However, there are a couple of older books that still jump out to me as excellent reads. 


  • “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand
  • “The Shack” by Wm. Paul Young

Being a World War II buff “Unbroken” was a must read for me. It’s the amazing true life story of Louie Zamperini written by Hillenbrand who also authored “Seabiscuit” (another great book). If you’ve ever pondered Heaven or God, “The Shack” does an excellent job of addressing the how’s and why’s that inevitabley surface with that kind of exploration. The book moved me like none other. 

Watching
Unlike what my reading track record produced, my what to watch list is top rate! While most of these are pretty common and won’t necessarily surprise you, they all are definitely binge-worthy (a skill I honed over the last 2 years).

Two series that I loved and recently rewatched are:


  • Game of Thrones (HBO)
  • Silicon Valley (HBO)

I was surprised to learned that rewatching was at least AS enjoyable as the first time, and perhaps even MORE so. There were some subtleties that I just missed the first time around, and discovering them later on was so much fun! I imagine the same is true for books.

In no particular order, you can’t go wrong watching the following series. Some were specific to the pandemic lockdown, and others more recent.


  • The Crown (Netflix)
  • Broadchurch (Netflix) - Each season brings a new crime to solve
  • The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
  • The Fall (Netflix) - Irish serial killer
  • Homeland (Hulu) - Originally aired on Showtime
  • Defending Jacob (Apple TV)
  • Tehran (Apple TV)
  • The Last Kingdom (Netflix) - Not as good as Game of Thrones, but it helped fill the void
  • Messiah (Netflix) 
  • The Night Manager (Prime)
  • Cobra Kai (Netflix) - Really silly, but fun if you remember the original movie
  • Servant (Apple TV)
  • Greatest Events of WWII (Netflix) 
  • For All Mankind (Apple TV) - Would you drop a new season already?!
  • Ted Lasso (Apple TV) - It’s enjoyable enough, but I think I’m the only person who doesn’t absolutely love it
  • The Sinner (Netflix) - Currently airs on USA
  • Mindhunter (Netflix) - FBI forms unit to track serial killers
  • Ozark (Netflix) - Duh
  • Succession (HBO)
  • Dopesick (Hulu)
  • The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
  • wecrashed (Apple TV) 

Listening
Like so many others, since 2020 I’ve been working from home and that looks to remain for the foreseeable future. As a result, my Spotify subscription gets a heavy workout.

During the day, you’ll find me listening to low-fi chill music. The “Workday Lounge” playlist curated by Spotify is usually my go too. Others like “Chill Tracks” and “Chillhop”  are in the rotation as well. During the previous two summers my wife and I would grab a bottle of wine and sit on our back deck for some Parisian cafe vibes. Playlists like “French Cafe Lounge” would help set the mood.

All other times I’m usually listening to my personal “Liked” playlist. Unfortunately, it’s not natively shareable.
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