My Top 5 Books from 2023
Hi Friends,
Thanks for making last week’s launch of Life & Legacy Properties such a success.
I’m excited to build something in real time that is an invitation to myself and to anyone who joins in to create meaningful lives - both in our present experience and in the legacies that we will one day leave behind. My hope is that these emails can be a regular part of it.
Each email will consist of three short sections:
Life is about stuff that’s interesting to me, like this week’s Top 5 Books of 2023 list.
Legacy is about thoughts or ideas that inspire and challenge.
Properties will cover something real estate related, as my primary job continues to be helping people buy and sell homes across the Denver metro.
See where I came up with the clever business name? Life. Legacy. Properties.
I’d be honored if you hang with me and participate in the journey.
- Kevin
Life
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
Side Note: I shouldn’t have told myself I would make a Top 5 list, because my top five list is actually like 13 books long. (Oh well. See all the books that didn’t make the cut over on my Goodreads).
My Top 5 Books from 2023
#1 - All the Broken Places by John Boyne
This was my favorite novel of the year. It’s a present day story about a 91 year old lady named Gretel Fernsby who has to come to grips with her complicated history with her family and WWII, and how that history still won’t leave her alone. (for fans of William Kent Krueger and Kristin Hannah)
#2 - Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes by Morgan Housel
“Want to understand the changing world? Start with what stays the same.” Housel is one of the best writers I know at explaining ideas simply and memorably. This book will help you make better decisions when life gets hard. (for fans of Simon Sinek and Adam Grant)
#3 - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This book is 359 pages of “Yoooo, this is crazy” tales of American history that involve oil, wealth, theft, racism, murder, and government cover up. Recently made into a movie with the same title, but as always, I’m guessing the book is better. (for fans of Jon Krakauer and Erik Larson)
#4 - All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore
One of my good friends is good friends with Beth, and he says she’s the real deal, so I was excited to read this one. Beth is a now world-famous Bible teacher who grew up in humble beginnings in small-town Arkansas. If your own family upbringing is “complicated” and you’re trying to sort it out as an adult, perhaps this book will encourage you and you’ll find yourself a compassionate friend in Beth. (for fans of memoirs and well-seasoned cast iron skillets)
#5 - The Winners (Beartown, #3) by Fredrik Backman
This is the final book in a trilogy about a small town hockey team. Sound lame? Give it a chance. This series takes you into the intimate lives and stories of people who represent many in small-town America and Canada. Sometimes the interesting story is why people leave; other times what’s more interesting is why they stay. (for fans his other NYT best sellers A Man Called Ove and Anxious People)
Legacy
“When you practice doing the little things the right way, it helps the big things fall in place.”
- Rich Paul, Lucky Me
Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement…It is only when looking back two, five, or perhaps ten years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent.”
- James Clear, Atomic Habits
Properties
It’s infinitely easier to look smart when making predictions than when reviewing their accuracy later on.
That’s why annual housing market forecasts are generally a waste of time.
Check out this recent summary of the industry key-players’ predictions for 2024.
Who’s going to be right?
I have no clue. Real estate isn’t a twelve-month strategy for me.
And it shouldn’t be for you either.
Instead of analyzing short term predictions, I choose to focus on long term trends.
The reason I believe real estate is a good long term investment is because of what I learn from the last 50 years.
That is why I have this quote featured on my website:
“Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.”
I believe a core reason that real estate ownership should be part of everyone’s plans for life and legacy is NOT because of risky ambitions for getting rich quick, but rather because of real estate’s proven history of increased value over time.
If you have current real estate questions or are considering a move of your own this coming year, please let me know! I’d love to help.
Kevin
Update: Adding a list of your favorites from 2023 that you shared with me on Facebook and via email.
Fiction
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
Beasts of Prey - Arana Gray
Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros
All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer
The Truth According to Us - Annie Barrows
Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt
Fairy Tale - Stephen King
The Reading List - Sarah Nisha Adams
The Measure - Nikki Erlick
Undercover Amish - Ashley Emma
Candy House - Jennifer Egan
Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe - Emma Törzs
The Dictionary of Lost Words - Pip Williams
Kaikeyi - Vaishnavi Patel
Hester - Laurie Albanese
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver
Daisy Jones & the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Rose Code - Kate Quinn
Non-Fiction (memoir, self-help, religion)
Ghost Boy - Martin Pistorius
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr - Clayborne Carson
Lead Yourself First - Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin
Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing - Matthew Perry
Spare - Prince Harry
The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama
Finding Me - Viola Davis
Odd Girl Out - Laura James
The 5 Second Rule - Mel Robbins
Letter to be Remembered - Maya Angelou
The Connected Parent - Dr. Karyn Purvis
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog - Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalavitz
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Gentle and Lowly - Dane Ortlund
All My Knotted Up Life - Beth Moore
Everything Sad is Untrue - Daniel Nayeri
The Joy of Politics - Amy Klobucha
Essentialism - Greg McKeown
The Comfort Crisis - Michael Easter
Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann
How God Sees Women - Terran Williams
Anatomy of the Soul - Curt Thompson, M.D.
The Deepest Place - Curt Thompson, M.D.
When the Body Says No - Gabor Maté M.D.
Soul Boom - Rainn Wilson
Inspired - Rachel Held Evans
