Lift & Read Issue 12

Welcome back to another edition of the "Lift & Read" series.

It's been a few weeks since the last update.

So let's start with the fiction. 

After a 2.5 year hiatus, I'm picking the "Red Rising" series back up. I read the first 3 books (which was initially supposed to simply be a trilogy) within a few short months in 2023. 

Woah! What an emotional rollercoaster. 

I was blown away by the books, but they left me absolutely drained. Seriously. They're so well-written that I was stressed out. That's right. Me! Of all people, was stressed out from reading something totally fictional and that had nothing to do with me. That's impressive, folks.

After I finished the 3rd book (of the, currently, 6 book series) I put it down, placed it back on the shelf, exhaled and said some words about how great, how entertaining, and how dreadfully exhausting the 3 books were. But I was glad the third book ended exactly as I would want it to end. Seriously. It was so great because the first 2 books ended on extreme drama, shock, and heart ache. As a result, I decided I needed to step away and take a break from the series.

I had to emotionally heal from the roller coasters auther, Pierce Brown, took me on (I'm being dramatic, yet truthful). Don't get me wrong – these are phenomenal books. But the longer my break away lasted, the more I thought I may not finish the series. 

But then, one of my friends started reading the series this year. Starting with book 1 and slowly working his way through the first trilogy. Listening to him talk about his experiences getting roped into this extravagant world and burning the midnight oil, binge reading these fiction books.....well, it motivated me to pick the series back up.

These books are pretty long. Book 4, "Iron Gold" was a little over 600 pages but I read the book in just a couple weeks, despite a busy work and extracurricular schedule. It's tough to put these books down. So difficult, in fact, that my boss and friend (who is responsible for introducing me to the series) said he had to stop even picking the books up at night because he'd never go to sleep. That may be the case, in which, I suggest carving out 30-60 minutes of time in the morning or middle of the day to read these, if you so choose. 

Now, I've moved onto book 5, "Dark Ages." This 5th book is around 750 pages but it's already action packed and filled with twists and turns. 

Again, these are great books. I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I recommend this series to everyone. I plan to finish the series this year so I'm fresh and ready to read the 7th (and presumably final) book of the series when it comes out next year.

On non-fiction side of things...

I'm reading: "Disciplines of a Godly Man," by R. Kent Hughes. I'm early on in it but it seems great so far. If you're a Christian man, or someone interested in becoming a Christian man, I think it's a good book to read. Again, I'm only 4 chapters deep, but it's been powerful and instructive so far. If nothing else, reading a few pages has been a good form of meditation in the mornings. We could all use some more actionable personal development and discipline – especially in this current era where moral rotting and laziness and temptations to sin surround us visually, orally, and audibly every second of every day. It's nice reading these perspectives from a down-to-earth pastor who uses appropriate scripture to guide our lifestyle choices.

In the physical culture and health side of things...

I'm reading: "Eat, Stop, Eat," by Brad Pilon. Brad is a great researcher, trainer, nutritionist, and was formerly in the supplement industry (many years ago). He's a guy the walks the walk of eating, training, and looking fit, lean, and chiseled despite having a full time job, a family, and approaching the half century mark. 

In "Eat, Stop, Eat," he discusses the science of fasting, nutrition, building muscle, losing body fat, and how to practically use fasting and training to lose body fat. This isn't just 16/8 intermittent fasting. He talks about all forms of fasting, but really seems to focus on occasional or even weekly 24 hours fasts (sometimes suggesting 2 weekly 24 hour fasts). 

It's fascinating and it's something I've been experimenting with a lot since January 2025. I'll definitely be sharing some passages from this book in the future. It's really clearly written, no BS, very practical, and actionable. 

Brad Pilon is a great – though, intentionally underrated (he doesn't play the influencer game) – resource in this industry and he spells out facts and myths with research and plain-speak. It's a really eye-opening book that I think everyone should read. Truly.

That wraps up this update. Have a great weekend and don't forget to lift weights and read this week.