Books and Podcasts

On this page you will find my favorite podcasts and books. Most of these I have read in the audio version while running, hiking, driving, or working on projects around the house. I suggest a subscription to Audible.

Last updated: April 2023.

Podcasts

These are the main podcasts that I listen to now:

The All-in Podcast - discussions about startups, economy, politics, world, technology, news by four well known venture capitalists, collectively worth few $B with unique view on the current events.



Making sense with Sam Harris - thought-provoking exploration of philosophy, neuroscience, and politics, featuring in-depth conversations with experts and thought leaders. Paid podcast - worth every penny. Sam Harris is is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, and author.


Lex Fridman - features deep conversations with scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and experts across various fields, diving into the complexities of AI, technology, and human nature. Lex Fridman is human-robot interaction and machine learning researcher at MIT.



Moonshots And Mindsets - from the founder of X Prize and serial entrepreneur Peter Diamantis. He and his guests discuss topics from space travel to longevity, solutions to humanity’s grand challenges, health, technology, AI, and science.



Darknet Diaries - this is a podcast about hackers, breaches, shadow government activity, hacktivism, cybercrime, and all the things that dwell on the hidden parts of the network. Jack Rhysider is the host and does a wonderful job finding and researching cool topics and producing this show.


I used to listen to these podcasts below in the past, but not so much these days. Having said that, you may still find these interesting.


Radiolab - superb podcast about all things in life, scientifically oriented, but in layman terms. My favorite! For sure #1 podcast in the world! 99% of episodes are safe and useful for kids.



Freakonomics - outstanding podcast from authors of the Freakonomics book about the "hidden side of everything". High quality content.


Endurance Planet - podcast for endurance sports athletes - all about running, cycling, triathlon and  other kinds of endurance training and races.




TED.com and "NPR: TED radio hour" - host videos with many smart and inspiring ideas from hundreds of scientists, researchers, leaders and other innovators. Very cool. Some episodes are  excellent podcast to listen together with kids.



Books

Science and Technology

World and politics

Memoirs and Biographies

Philosophy & Social Issues

  • Questions of Value
    By professor Patrick Grim.
    One of the best lectures I have ever listened to. Covers ethics, life, death, love, hate, suffering, lobotomy, psychoanalysis, behavioral therapies and anything in between. Could also be available on CDs from your local library.
  • The rational optimist
    By Matt Ridley.
    The book is about evolution of ideas (as opposed to evolution of species). The book explains how humans are able to evolve by socializing and how we should be very optimistic about our future. Great read - quite educational and inspirational.
  • Psychology of Human Behavior
    By Professor David W. Martin.
    A very excellent set of audio lectures (18 hours total) on many aspects of human psychology.
  • Predictably Irrational
    The upside of Irrationality
    By Dan Ariely.
    Great insight into the human motivation and behavior and the way we make choices. Absolutely loved it! Audio version is available (for your runs or long home renovation projects :-).
  • Lying
    By: Sam Harris.
    Examining the ethical implications of lying and the value of honesty in society.
  • The End of Faith
    By: Sam Harris.
    A critique of religious faith and its impact on human life.
  • Letter to a Christian Nation
    By Sam Harris.
    A critique of organized religion and its impact on society, from a scientific and philosophical perspective.
  • Animal Farm
    By George Orwell.
    A satirical allegory reflecting on the events leading up to the Russian Revolution and Stalin's rise to power.

Business and Economics Books

History

Adventure

  • 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea
    By: Jonathan Franklin
    The incredible true story of a fisherman's harrowing ordeal, surviving 438 days adrift at sea.
  • Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
    By Alfred Lansing.
    If you grew up in US you most likely read this at school, but since I grew up in Russia this was a revelation to me. The expedition to the South Pole failed to reach its goal, but it showed the world that humans have indestructible body and spirit. A-m-a-z-i-n-g.
  • “Beyond the Horizon”
    By Colin Angus.
    Canadian adventurer who completed the journey around Earth in less than two years using his muscle power alone. No motors, no sails – only the power of his arms and legs. He traveled total distance of 43,000 km from Vancouver by bike to Alaska, rowed thru the Bering Sea, biked and trekked all across Siberia via Moscow to Portugal, rowed across Atlantic to Costa Rica and biked back to Vancouver. Colin also has few other epic adventures and books. His other books I loved are "Lost in Mongolia" and "Amazon Extreme". Awesome stuff!
  • "Into Thin Air"
    By John Krakauer.
    Amazing story of several teams trying to climb Mt. Everest and the account of their fatal mistakes. I knew Everest was no walk in the park, but I had no idea...
  • "Deep Survival: True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death"
    By Laurence Gonzales.
    Educational book about survival strategies. This book may have saved my life one summer when I was on the river rafting trip with boyscouts and decided to do something that was very risky. Thank goodness I have just finished the book a couple of days before this happened or I may not have been writing this now...
  • Touching the Void
    By Joe Simpson

Sports Books

  • Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    This book has contributed to the barefoot running movement and is such a fun read. Audio version is available. It is very sad that Cbalo Blanka - the main guy in this novel has died in 2012 during one of his trail runs from heart failure... :-(
  • Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon - this is one of the best marathon coaches in the world and he has free training plans and published amazing book "MARATHON - The Ultimate Training Guide " (see his website for details). I used Hal's training plan for my marathon and it worked great.
  • The Triathlete's Training Bible
    A must read book for any triathlete. I use it to build my training.
  • The Runner's Body
    Avery excellent book about training, running injuries and prevention, running form and overall body systems and how they work for runners. This book answered many questions I had as a beginning runner and made me train smarter. 
  • Beyond training
    By Ben Greenfield.
    Covers training, recovery, nutrition, lifestyle, mental issues in great deal of detail on 470 pages in small font. Quite amazing that one author could cover all of this in one book. Lots of smart and practical advice for athletes.
  • The Duel
    By Hal Higdon.
    Very cool story about the duel     between Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley at the 1982 Boston Marathon. Absolutely and positively exciting reading.
  • Once a Runner
    Some people call this the best novel ever written about running and I tend to agree. I have not read them all :-), but this one is pretty darn good.
  • I am here to win
    By Chris McCormack, Ironman Champion 2010.
    Amazing story of his life, triathlon training, many Ironman championships and his two wins in Kona. Excellent reading. Audio version available.
  • A Life Without Limits
    By Crissie Wellington, 4 times Ironman World Champion.
    Totally loved the book.
  • Iron War
    The story of the 1989 IronMan race between Mark Allen and Dave Scott. Very well written, however not entirely true to history as Mark and Dave have publicly stated their un-approval of the facts in this book. Nevertheless a great read.
  • It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
    By Lance Armstrong.
    Inspiring story of his cancer recovery, world class bike racing, high human spirits and his superhuman riding ability. Audio version of the book is available. It is 2013 now and we all learned about the drug issues that Lance has finally confessed to, but I still like the book as it is a good read, even though the Lance himself is no longer a role model. Too bad...
  • First: What It Takes to Win
    By Rich Froning, multiple times CrossFit World Champion.
    Story about his life and journey to the top of the podium in the hardest sport known to men. 
  • Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself
    By Rich Roll.
    Even if only 1/3 of the stories in this book are real, this would still make for an amazing and inspirational read about endurance and human body.
  • The Running Revolution: How to Run Faster, Farther, and Injury-Free - For Life
    By Dr. Nicholas Romanov, Kurt Brungardt - Provides techniques for improving running form and reducing injuries.
  • How Champions Think: In Sports and in Life
    By Dr. Bob Rotella - Shares insights from top athletes and coaches on how to develop a winning mindset.
  • Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
    by Scott Jurek, Steve Friedman - A memoir by one of the world's top ultramarathon runners, detailing his training and nutrition strategies.
  • The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
    By Steven Kotler - Explores the neuroscience and psychology of flow states, and how extreme athletes and other performers use these states to achieve peak performance.
  • How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle
    By: Matt Fitzgerald
    Exploring the mental aspects of endurance sports and techniques to improve performance.
  • Running Man: A Memoir
    By: Charlie Engle
    An inspiring memoir of overcoming addiction through ultra-running and personal growth.
  • The Ultra Mindset
    By: Travis Macy, John Hanc
    Developing a mindset to achieve success in endurance sports and everyday life.

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