John Casey's 3 favorite reads in 2023

I've never been overly interested in philosophy. I poked around in it while in college and even took an advanced philosophy class. But it never seemed to be anything more than a cursory, occasional interest for me. However, I must say that I found Meditations to be an immersive and profound read.

The Penguin Classics edition is a beautiful translation with a lengthy introduction by Diskin Clay and a plethora of notes, providing beneficial biographical, literary, and historical context.

Aurelius' words drew me in, particularly how he wrote the book, not as a treatise or framework prescribed for the world to follow but instead as reflections. It is almost a diary—he wrote the book to himself.

This has the effect of making everything written in Meditations fully genuine, imparted with humility, and thus, so intimately relatable. And that an emperor of Rome was the man to create such a masterpiece on spirituality, metaphysics, and stoicism… makes it all the more remarkable.

Many people have read this book, and recommending it here may seem like “the easy thing to do.” However, it’s that good. 

James Clear provides real, actionable methods for changing negative patterns of behavior and creating new, better ones. The underlying concepts of this book dovetail nicely with another I love, Mindsight, by Daniel Siegel. Seigel’s book explains neurology in the way we form patterns of behavior (and the underlying causes of many mental disorders).

Atomic Habits is written in a way that makes it much easier for the reader with step-by-step strategies. Who might benefit from a book like this? Well, anyone, really. It helped me a great deal. Check it out!

As an author, I tend (naturally) to read the types of books I like to write. For me, that means thrillers and poetry. Amazingly, Ryan Kovacs has combined the two.

Create Destruction is a thrilling apocalyptic story that is written in verse. And no, it is not traditional poetry—it is in free verse, but in verse nonetheless. And to answer the question some might have about whether this form of writing detracts from the pace or the flow, the answer is a resounding NO. It is the tale of a boy with parapsychic powers who is held captive by a maniacal doctor aiming to groom and harness the boy’s capabilities so he can set the world on a path of destruction.

The question is, will twelve-year-old Thomas comply, or will he be completely consumed by his own inner conflict?

Create Destruction is a masterfully written edge-of-your-seat thriller, and the good news is the sequel will be released in November 2023.