1. Draft No. 4 by John McPhee. This is one of the best books about nonfiction writing that I’ve ever read. Be forewarned that it skips the hand-wavy platitudes and gets straight to the nitty-gritty details, as all McPheesian stories do. 2. Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez. This is probably my favorite nonfiction book of the last five years. I received it as a Christmas gift, I devoured it in one week, and nearly every page is covered in highlighter. It’s truly that phenomenal. Barry’s mastery of structure and the written word echoes of John McPhee, and the beauty of his prose reminds me of Mary Oliver. Repeatedly, I found myself saying aloud, “Wow. How does someone DO this?” 3. The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future by Sebastian Mallaby. I expected to know most of the venture history, but there were a ton of behind-the-scenes stories and details that I hadn’t heard before. It was also fun to get more background on at least a dozen game-changers who have been on the podcast (Bill Gurley, Patrick Collison, Roelof Botha, etc.). 4. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara. This was recommended to me by a past podcast guest and dear friend. His text read: “I don’t exactly know why, but I cannot stop thinking about this book.” 5. ​The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen. This is a brilliant book, and I appreciate it more each year. Reading it for a third time on Kindle, I was struck by how much my old highlights differ from what I’m highlighting now. Different life chapters have different contexts, different challenges, and different hopes—yet another reason to reread certain books. ​6. The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O’Neil. The advice is great, the sample scripts are a boon, and Dennis’ delivery is both deep and hilarious. Kudos to the author for a job spectacularly well done.