We share a six-book reading stack and explain why switching between genres—biography, classic epic, mystery, gothic, and marketing—makes ideas stick. We show how fast first reads, slow second reads, and simple note-taking turn reading into a useful habit.
• six-book list from Lucas to Homer to Hopkins
• how the chapter-by-chapter “buffet” system works
• why second reads deepen insight and recall
• Daniel Pink’s note-taking approach we use https://youtu.be/vhZ6QAYlA_g?si=6d9GU0e3sWRZW1iq
• parallels between Appointment with Death and Mexican Gothic
• book recs from David Senra’s Founders podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7txiovdzPARhjm18NwMUYj?si=469d2cf689e2472e
• new arrivals:
Sam Walton https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553562835?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Ogilvy on Advertising https://www.amazon.com/dp/039472903X?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
• invite for listener book feedback via email
Please like, subscribe, share, tell your friends and family about the podcast
If you’ve read any of these books, send me an email: scott@scottownsend.info
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Resources and Links
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Scott Townsend Show, brought to you by
Dizoman Productions.
SPEAKER_00 (00:09):
Welcome back, everybody, to the Scott Townsend
Show.
Thanks for tuning in, listening.
Today we're going to be talkingabout some books that I'm
reading.
Uh riveting conversation, Iknow.
But no, these are some reallyinteresting books.
And uh I wanted to share themwith you.
Number one, George Lucas, a lifeby Brian J.
Jones.
(00:30):
Then we've got The Iliad byHomer, of course.
Appointment with Death by AgathaChristie.
Uh see here.
Scientific Advertising by ClaudeHopkins, Mexican Gothic by
Sylvia Moreno Garcia, and SourceCode by Bill Gates.
(00:51):
These uh one, two, three, four.
So six books.
And you know, how do how do Iread all these books at once?
Well, I just do it, uh, I'll doone chapter out of one book and
then I'll go to the otherchapters.
Kind of like a buffet, you justkind of pick and choose what you
want to do.
Sometimes I'll linger on onebook or I'll just read a chapter
(01:11):
and then go to the next book,read that chapter, then go to
the next book and read thatchapter.
It just kind of keeps itinteresting.
Uh, sometimes, like yesterday, Igot uh dug into uh George Lucas
A Life, uh, that book, and thatwas that's really super
interesting.
A couple things about thisreading list that I mentioned
(01:32):
today.
Appointment with no scientificadvertising and Mexican Gothic.
I'm reading for the second time.
Uh there's a lot of stuff inbooks.
You know, I read them, I readthem pretty quick on the first
go around, and then I'll put itdown and pick up another book.
(01:54):
But there are more and morebooks that I would rather just
uh you know read normally atfirst and then go back and do a
slower read, take some notes.
Uh Daniel Pink had a goodYouTube video on how to how to
uh take notes while you'rereading.
So I try to exercise that.
Uh so yeah, those two books I'mreading for the second time, and
(02:17):
I plan on doing more secondreadings in the future.
Uh something else interestingabout this reading list is
Appointment with Death andMexican Gothic.
They're very similar in thatthey have a central family, and
this family is dominated by oneparticular individual.
(02:38):
And so the the settings, ofcourse, are different, but it's
almost as if Silvia MorenoGarcia read Agatha Christie's
book and just kind of twistedit, spun it a different way, and
then um wrote her book.
But yeah, both of them, both ofthem are good books.
I enjoyed Mexican Gothic, uh,referred to me by my uh niece,
(03:02):
nephew, niece, Tanya.
So thanks, Tanya, for that.
And these other books, BillGates and Scientific Advertising
by Claude Hopkins.
Claude Hopkins and this BillGates book are have both been
recommended by David Sinra, whouh hosts the podcast called
(03:25):
Founders.
It's a super interesting podcastabout entrepreneurs,
millionaires, billionaires, andhow they got to where they are
and how they how they did it.
So he'll read a book and uh diveinto that book in book or books
based on his research on anindividual.
(03:46):
So I'm getting a I'm getting alot of uh book ideas from the
founders podcast.
Today, here's two other booksthat uh I I have been influenced
to read through that podcast,Founders Podcast.
And that is uh Sam Walton, MadeAmerica, that came in today, and
(04:06):
Ogil V on advertising that alsocame in today.
So I'm interested in jumpinginto those books, especially
since now I'm in retail.
I'd love to see what Sam Waltonhas has to say.
The the guy who really did agood job with retail, to say the
least.
So yeah, that's that's what I'mreading.
(04:28):
And uh, if you've read any ofthese books, you like them, or
you've got anything to say aboutthem, you know, you can always
send me an email, scott atscottownsend.info.
And other than that, uh pleaselike, subscribe, share, tell
your friends and family aboutthe podcast.
(04:48):
Hope they hope you enjoy it.
Hope I think they'll enjoy it.
Thanks for listening to theScott Townsend Show.
Have a great day.
Everything's gonna be all right,and we'll talk to you later.
SPEAKER_01 (05:01):
The Scott Townsend Show is a D So Man production.
For more episodes, visit theScott Townsend Show YouTube
channel, listen on ApplePodcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
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