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The Observe and Rapport Newsletter
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A weekly guide of my favorite books, articles, products, and lifestyle habits.
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July 5th, 2024 | by Kyle Brennan
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Thought of the Week
As sports fans, it's rare to witness a single generational talent.
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Yet, in tennis, we fans were lucky enough to witness three GOATs compete against each other at the same time: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
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What's fascinating about them, however, is not what they have in common , but how uniquely they each approach the game (mentally and physically).
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Matthew Syed tells a wonderful story of watching them warm up before Wimbledon at Aorangi Park.
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Nadal was pure aggression. Sweat, biceps, grunting, and lunging
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Djokovic, the epitome of stoic - measured, emotionless, scientific
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Federer embodied finesse - exploring & caressing the ball with artistry
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Despite having three distinct approaches, all three were wildly successful and produced similar results (in terms of career wins and majors).
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The lesson here is that there is no such thing as the "right" way.
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It's a reminder to personalize your routine. Personalize your style. Personalize the way you express yourself. Personalize. Personalize. Personalize.
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Of course, we should learn from our competitors, and adapt our approach as we confront new challenges, but it's important not to confuse that with trying to craft ourselves into something we're not.
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Be the best version of yourself rather than a copy of someone else.
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What I'm Reading
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It wasn’t an exaggeration when practically everyone told me the sequels to Red Rising are much better, so thank you to the many people who begged me to check it out.
Golden Son is a remarkable improvement over some of the issues I had with Red Rising. The writing and plot are noticeably stronger. The characters are fleshed out more. The action and suspense are cranked up several more notches. Really, I couldn’t ask for more in a sequel.
This book was a breathtaking rollercoaster of political intrigue, betrayal, and epic battles that leave you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Pierce Brown @piercebrownofficial imagined and brought vivid, heart-pounding space battles and massacres to life, with high-tech spaceships, luscious palaces, and provocative characters.
I had previously said that the series combines Game of Thrones, The Martian, and The Hunger Games, but after reading the sequel, I would add Star Wars to that mix.
The world-building scale Pierce Brown has created is immense, with dense descriptions of complex characters, societies, planets, technology, and political hierarchies. I do not envy the screenplay writer or director who attempts to take Red Rising to the big screen.
Rating: 4.7 / 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Article I'm Reading
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This article by Niall Ferguson altered the way I look at how global politics is currently playing out.
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"... it only recently struck me that in this new Cold War, we—and not the Chinese—might be the Soviets. It’s a bit like that moment when the British comedians David Mitchell and Robert Webb, playing Waffen-SS officers toward the end of World War II, ask the immortal question: “Are we the baddies?”
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What I'm Watching
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It's rare for me to watch more than a season or two of any TV show. I don't watch much TV with the amount of time I spend reading great books, but when I do sit down to watch a new TV series, I find that I quickly get tired of the same plots/characters and lose interest.
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The Bear, however, has been consistently stellar and unpredictable. The screenplay is superb and the level of acting just blows me away in every single episode.
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Season 3 is unique, and also a lot funnier, with more emphasis on Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri's characters as the Fak brothers for comedic relief.
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My brother also sent me this great clip of Oliver Platt on the Rich Eisen show discussing the infamous 'Christmas episode.' Quite possibly one of the best episodes of television ever made.
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Bite-Sized Advice From Books
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If you don't find enough from the bite-sized book reviews I provide, Book Freak is another fantastic newsletter that offers short pieces of advice distilled from a wide range of books, including both popular and obscure fiction and non-fiction. The goal is to share practical wisdom and insights in an easy-to-digest format that you can apply to your daily life.
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On desire —Don't reveal too much about yourself too quickly when trying to attract someone. Maintain an air of mystery. The less people know, the more they will want to possess you.
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On empathy — Don't just listen to people's words. Pay attention to nonverbal cues like tone of voice, breathing patterns, and body language to truly understand their inner state.
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On thinking — Continually examine your own assumptions and beliefs. Most of what you think of as truth has been handed to you by others. Question it.
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My Favorite Books Through the First Half of 2024
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Here are my top 6 favorite ones:
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A multi-layered novel about friendship, love, and video games.
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Postman sees television’s entertainment value as a present-day “soma”, the fictitious pleasure drug in Brave New World, through which the citizens’ rights are exchanged for consumers’ entertainment.
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People are a lot more eager to have deep conversations than you think. In his latest book, David Brooks observes that people are typically far too shy about asking questions, not too aggressive.
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Never before has there been an available abundance of dopamine. The relentless pursuit of pleasure (and avoidance of pain) leads to pain. For every dopamine hit we indulge in, there is an equal pain response.
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s autobiography depicting her childhood amidst repressive Islamic bigotry and enslavement of the spirit in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia.
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Set in the 1950-60s, this novel surrounds the smart & beautiful Elizabeth Zott, a single mother and research scientist, whose passion for science has her seeing the world and people through the lens of chemistry.
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Have you read any of these? Have any other recommendations? Let me know! 📚
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Check out my favorites from 2022 and 2023!
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Podcast I'm Listening To
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If you told me five years ago that I'd be listening to Tucker Carlson regularly, I would probably call you crazy. But as much as I'd like to hate him, his new podcast is spectacular.
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While I certainly disagree with Tucker on a number of things, and I absolutely despise is laugh, I have a lot of respect for his honesty, integrity, and adherence to liberal values. His show is similar to Bill Maher's show in that it is a beacon of free speech and honest reporting in a media landscape dominated by misinformation and straight-up propaganda.
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I also love Matt Taibbi, and urge everyone to either 1) read his book Hate Inc. or 2) subscribe to his Substack 'Racket News'. He's one of the last great investigative journalists willing to say the uncomfortable things that are increasingly rare.
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On this episode, they discuss Taibbi's time living in Russia for ten years, Putin's rise to power, the Twitter Files, intel agencies, censorship, and the upcoming election.
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Quote I'm Pondering
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“It's so simple, yet makes such a difference. Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.'”
— Mary Kay Ash
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Keith and Kyle sit down to discuss Keith’s recent trip to Texas, the practice of applying selfishness as a path to happiness as discussed in Ayn Rand’s book “The Virtue of Selfishness”, The mind-opening and fascinating insight of Carl Jung as discussed in his autobiography “Memories, Dreams & Reflections”, and their top 3 topics for a public speaking event for teenagers.
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Books discussed in this episode:
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Check Out My Amazon Favorites Bookstore
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Browse my favorite book selections hand-curated by me. I also earn commissions so if you buy anything, those earnings get reinvested right back into this fancy newsletter ;)
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Kyle's Published Work
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33 Life Lessons on My 33rd Birthday
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Thirty-three was a big one. Mostly because I became a dad. Our daughter was born on New Year’s Eve — a fitting arrival for a kid destined to reset everything. It’s been a beautiful, if slightly sleep-deprived blur ever since. I’ve only been “Dad” for less than ten months, but if I’m being honest, I’ve been preparing for the role for over …
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Depth Over Downloads: Why Spending Time with Books Still Matters
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Everyone wants faster information. But no one asks if faster information leads to better understanding — or a better life. In the age of AI and tweet-sized wisdom, we’ve confused information with transformation. But there’s a massive difference between knowing what a book says and being changed by it. The Delusion of Instant Learning In a recent interview, political journalist Ezra Klein admitted he once believed …
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The Jack Reacher Approach to Never Being Caught Off Guard
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There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’ Either way, nothing happens.” —Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia I don’t read much fiction, but I’ve always been hooked on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. He’s not your typical …
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