In 2026, I realized that few things make me happier than giving someone a book. So I decided to be intentional about it and try to give away 100 books.
This page is just a way for me to keep track of this effort.
This is not meant to be self-congratulatory. It’s meant to encourage me to proactively think about other readers. I want to look for connections with people that I can “bless” with a book. And I want to remember the stories of these connections.
Since starting this project, I have given away 14 books.
September 2026
Tim used to be an employee of mine, when he worked in tech. He since walked away from that and started a business that builds decks during the summer and does custom woodwork in the winter. This book was basically written for him.
I visited with my friend Jeff in Boston. We went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and spent time talking about this amateur treasure hunt he had enjoyed. I thought he would like a book about one of the great treasure hunts of the 20th century.
My friend Tom is very conservative and pro-business. We have had a long-running debate over text message. We both respect each other’s opinions and thought processes, though we don’t agree on much. I knew he would love a book where The Left calls out The Left.
I visited my friend Seth in Northhampton, Massachusetts. He took me to three bookstores in their downtown, and I kept buying books I wanted him to read and giving them to him.
Shawn is a friend who loves military history. We used to be roommates, and I remember he had this set of Time-Life books about the Vietnam War in the living room. All the while reading this, I kept thinking he would love it.
August 2026
My friend Noel works in tech like me, but maintains his own cars. He helped me change the oil and replace the brakes on mine, so we’ve had some conversations about the nature of mental work vs. physical work. This seemed like a perfect book to read together, so I got him a copy.
I sent a copy of this to my son, who — like the last person I sent it to — I also hope will read it with me again.
I had been talking with a friend about this book, so I sent them a copy. I’m hoping he’ll read it with me when I go back through it. He’s very theologically conservative, I thought he would enjoy it and we might come together on some points of agreement.
I have a friend who lives in the Hamptons who has been very hospitable to me on a couple occasions. I decided that anyone who lives on Long Island needs to have a copy of The Power Broker in their house. After he received it, he sent me a lovely picture of it on display in his living room.
I met a guy about my age at Wind River Ranch and had some nice conversations about books with him. He seemed interested in the same type of books as me, and these two books had really meant a lot to me in terms of figure out the last third of my life.
July 2026
A twenty-something girl working at Wind River Ranch named Reagan was talking about how she was enjoying a book by David Brooks. I was encouraged that a young person was reading Brooks, so when I was down in a bookstore in Estes Park, I bought her another Brooks title that I had enjoyed.
