Field Notes - March 2026
A thought
For this month’s field notes, I thought I’d share a list of what I read in Q1, and offer a few thoughts on each.
Here we go...
Non-fiction
The Molecule of More – Daniel Z. Lieberman & Michael E. Long - This is a fascinating deep dive on how dopamine works inside the brain
The Art of Spending Money – Morgan Housel - This was really enjoyable. Housel offers some a lot of reflections backed by research about how we should think about money and its use in our lives.
Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert - Not one that would have been usually on my list, but a strong recommendation by a trusted friend put this on my radar. This is a poignant reflection on the role and power of creativity in our lives. I really enjoyed it.
Liturgies of the Wild – Martin Shaw - I’ve mentioned this one in a prior newsletter - excellent
Little Chapel on the River – Gwendolyn Bounds - A beautiful memoir on the power of consistent presence in a community
Four Thousand Weeks – Oliver Burkeman - A best seller, I didn’t love it but more because I felt like I had encountered a lot of the ideas in other sources before.
Runnin’ Down a Dream – Bill Gurley - I skimmed through this quickly - Would be a great resource for a college student / new grad. Honest thoughts and wisdom about how to find a life’s work.
The Art of Learning – Josh Waitzkin - This was a re-read for me. Josh is an exceptionally deep thinker, so I find it worthwhile to wade in to his idea periodically because you need to encounter them several times to fully appreciate the wisdom therein.
Fiction
Stone Yard Devotional – Charlotte Wood - Still scratching my head over this one. I enjoyed it, haven’t wrestled what I think about it down yet
Savage Son – Jack Carr - Another in the Terminal List series (source for the TV show) - intense
The Dream Hotel – Laila Lalami- Good concept but lacked the big plot twist to make it exceptionally gripping
4 of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series - always entertaining
A quote
There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.
Peter Drucker
A book I’m reading
The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg―and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema
“The untold, intimate story of how three young visionaries―Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg―revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history while risking everything, redefining friendship, and shaping Hollywood as we know it.”