LIVE A LITTLE is a style and lifestyle journal for the adventurous man—written from the pen of a full-time menswear copywriter.
For the price of one coffee a month ($5/Month, $50/Year) paid subscribers to LIVE A LITTLE gain exclusive access to additional men’s lifestyle content.
Paid subscribers to LIVE A LITTLE gain access to style breakdowns like: the 35 Coolest Gadgets I’ve Found in 2025, the 24 Best Jackets Under $300, and the 57 Gifts for the Man Leveling Up His Life.
Today’s post is free to all subscribers, but I encourage you to try a free 7-day trial to LIVE A LITTLE paid below.
TO LIVE A LITTLE is to stay curious. And few things satisfy that hunger quite like a good book.
Last year around this time, I published my favorite reads of 2024. In July, I shared “8 Iconic Books Every Guy Should Read This Summer,” with picks like Barbarian Days and Education of a Wandering Man.
The LIVE A LITTLE Winter Reading List adds a third chapter to my ongoing library. It’s filled with a mix of long and short reads—curated and selected for those long winter days when the world slows down. Inside, you’ll find titles that include a biography that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972, an English translation of a menswear essential, and a James Joyce title that’s considered one of the greatest short story collections ever written.
How & When I Read
The greatest tip I’ve ever learned on how to read is you don’t have to finish a book all in one go. I’m pretty sure I heard that tip from Naval Ravikant. Since then, I’ve been what I like to call a “book surfer.”
Some readers have a disdain for book surfers, but if reading is a way of following your curiosity, why not put a title down when you start losing interest? My days of AP Literature class are over. I don’t want to feel like I’m stuck on a reading assignment.
So, if you feel like you want to dive into another title do it. Catch these waves with me. Life’s too short. Keep reading low stakes and enjoyable.
As for advice on when I read, my best time is before bed. I set my phone out in the kitchen and turn the alarm up loud so I hear it in the morning. Then, I get into bed and open a book or my Kindle. About 30 minutes into reading, my eyes get heavy, and I start falling into slumber. It’s my best reading—and sleep—hack.
Read more: 16 Hard-Earned Truths From a Decade of Writing
In the mornings when I make my coffee I occasionally read. At the airport and on the plane is a solid opportunity to open a book. Walking the treadmill at the gym is a great way to consume pages during the cold weather months. Then, there’s coffee shops and the public library. Most of the time I’m visiting those spots on the weekends.
The LIVE A LITTLE Winter Reading List
The winter reading list is primed for the season ahead, but really it’s evergreen. Most of the books are price-friendly—and many of them you can at your local library.
By the end of the list, I hope you’ve found one or two titles that have peaked your interest. Motivated your to step out of your comfort zone. Lined up some intentional time away from doomscrolling.
Bonus points if you sit by the fire and read these titles like a gentleman. You know, cigar in hand and a whiskey on the rocks nearby for sipping.
Best New Biography: Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, a Writer’s Life by Todd Goddard
In November when I traveled to Charleston, I pulled up the publication of the city-based Garden & Gun magazine. It’s a great regional publication. Similar to how Texas Monthly holds high prestige here in Austin.
I read a story on Garden & Gun about two new biographies by southern writers: one biography on Jim Harrison and the other on Peter Matthiessen. The Jim Harrison book by Todd Goddard caught my attention, and I immediately went to make a purchase.
Read more: 23 Watches That Will Never Go Out of Style
Some might be familiar with Harrison, but those who aren’t should know he’s one of America’s most iconic writers. He was emotional, rugged, and soulful. He’s most known for his his novel Legends of the Fall, which became a Brad Pitt movie years later. Harrison also penned essays, memoirs, food writing, and poetry.
Years ago, I was first introduced to Jim Harrison through Anthony Bourdain. Harrison appeared on Parts Unknown: Montana. He was well into old age at that point, but still sharp in the mind. He also wore a yellow Patagonia puffer jacket. Harrison wearing it inspired me to buy a yellow Patagonia Nano Puff. I’ve been wearing that jacket going on 5+ years now.
The Must-Own Menswear Book: Take Ivy
On a recent flight back to Austin, I listened Avery Trufelman’s podcast Articles of Interest about Ivy style. One episode talked about Take Ivy, the famous fashion book where a group of Japanese men came to the U.S. to photograph and document American style on Ivy League campuses. The episode inspired me to pick up my English translation copy from my library.
Take Ivy was published in 1965. Authored by Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu, and Hajime Hasegawa. Photographed by Teruyoshi Hayashida. It’s filled with images of college students hanging in dining halls, strutting campus, and studying in libraries.
Take Ivy is mostly images, but the English captions make it fun to absorb the POV of the authors. The caption above is one of my favorites: “A student wearing a football jersey top, a pair of cutoff shorts, and leather sandals. A typical example of uncouth style.”
The Book on Mastering Your Craft: Working by Robert Caro
Not only is Robert Caro on the Mount Rushmore of biographers, he’s probably the best of them all. Caro’s most notably penned The Power Broker, a story about New York’s Robert Moses, and The Years of Lyndon Johnson, a multi-book biography series that’s technically still not finished in Caro’s eyes.
I learned about Robert Caro in 2024 when I first listened to The Power Broker on audiobook. Then this summer, I went to the LBJ Presidential Library with my cousin, and we got into a long conversation about Caro’s biography on one of history’s most complex political masterminds.
So what is Working by Robert Caro? Well, it’s a like a memoir from Caro describing how and why he does what he does. Caro reflect on his writing career, and when he learned he wanted to write about powerful figures. He touches on the importance of writing itself, and gets into further topics about craft and bringing a good story to life.
It might help to read (or listen) to one of the OG Caro biographies first, but Working is a much shorter title and will give a peak behind the curtain of how deep-researched works come to life.
The Easy Essential Read: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Many of us are probably familiar with The Alchemist. When I first read it years ago, right when I got out of college, I was moved by the story of a shepard named Santiago who travels from his home in Spain to the Pyramids in Egypt in search for treasure. It’s a tale about finding meaning in life, and how some things we can only explain through faith.
This book has had a funny way of showing up in conversations. Recently, I was in downtown Austin watching a Georgia Tech football game with a group of friends. (I didn’t go to GT, but everyone else there did.) One of the girls at the table asked me what’s a book I’d recommend every person read. The Alchemist was my answer. It’s short, easy, and leaves an impact.
The other book I recommended was The Great Gatsby.
Best History Read: Stillwell and the American Experience in China by Barbara W. Tuchman
I have an uncle who has lived in China for well over a decade now. He’s built a life over there and has a beautiful family. This summer, I got to see him at a family reunion in Colorado. He gave me this biography about general Joseph Stillwell.
I’m sure he knew how much I liked history and biographies before giving me the title. But the interesting detail he mentioned about the Stillwell biography is he says it paints a good picture of how China and U.S. relations developed in the early 20th century and through World War II.
Stillwell is an interesting and complicated guy. He was determined to be successful. Forever fearless. His nickname was “Vinegar Joe.” He had a great life motto too: Illegitimati non carborundum, which is a mock-Latin phrase he translated to, “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
For the Future Creative Director: The Outdoor Archive by Chase Anderson and Clint Pumphrey
Outdoor Recreation Archive (@outdoorrecarchive) is an IG account that collects old outdoor magazines, scans them, then posts for the online world to see. ORA is spearheaded by Utah State’s Outdoor Product Design and Development program (OPDD), and this year they were able to publish a coffee table book of many pieces inside their archive.
I’m a little bummed there are no Patagonia ads inside. Probably a legal thing they ran into. But aside from that one qualm, this book is rich in reference material. It why I call it a book for the budding creative director. You can draw so much inspiration out of it.
Dabble in Short Stories: Dubliners by James Joyce
I hadn’t been familiar with James Joyce’s Dubliners until I stumbled upon it at Ryan Holiday’s bookstore, The Painted Porch, this fall in Bastrop, Texas.
The book is regarded as one of the greatest short story collections of all-time, offering 15 vivid stories of what life was like in Dublin around the turn of the 20th century.
My goal for this book is for it to serve as a primer to one day read Joyce’s masterpiece, Ulysses.
Best Book for Explorers: The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina
Ian Urbina is one badass journalist. He’s made a career reporting on how humans interact with our oceans. Many of them stories of criminal activities and people navigating through a bunch of legal grey space.
As soon as I jumped into this book, I was fascinated with how much I actually didn’t know about our oceans. There’s a story Urbina tells about illegal fishing trade, and how one group of environmental protectors followed an infamous fishing vessel called F/V Thunder for over 100 days to try and bring the captains to justice. Wicked stories. Can’t wait to dive into the pages more.
Best Book to Get You Inspired: Poems & Prayers by Matthew McConaughey
How deep and profound can a poetry book by Matthew McConaughey be? The answer is as much as you want.
But on a real note, Con-Man is one of my favorite actors. Some people might find his appeal to be a little over-the-top, but I see it as confidence. I was lucky to go to McConaughey’s Poems & Prayers final tour stop here in Austin a few months back. I left feeling greatly inspired to write some poetry of my own—something I haven’t done since college.
Get this book, follow poems as you please. Imitate their forms. Break out of your shell and see what poetry you can create.
For the Bourdain Fan: The Anthony Bourdain Reader
I’m a huge Bourdain fan. I still rewatch Parts Unknown episodes to this day. So when I learned The Anthony Bourdain Reader would be releasing end of October, I knew I needed a copy.
The book offers a collection of new, rediscovered writings across Bourdain’s lifetime. What I also discovered is the book includes excerpts of his best writings—already published pieces that are organized into this book like a “best of” anthology.
Read more: 8 Great Life Lessons I Learned From Anthony Bourdain
It’s sad to think it’s been well over half a decade since Bourdain passed. I think this book does him justice, and being the chapter-hopper I am, the format of all the writings inside suits my reading style. As for the physical book itself, it’s got a really nice textured cover and think pages and binding. Makes a fun gift for yourself and for other Bourdain fans you know.
Best Book About Business: Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic by Mel & Patricia Ziegler
Before Banana Republic became what it is now, there was the OG company. Forget saying the phrase “military-inspired.” Banana Republic was literally started by husband and wife founders (Mel and Patricia) by buying up a bunch of military surplus shirts and reselling them in a fashion lens.
Wild Company retells the brand’s origins by its founders, but it also reveals greater lessons in being sales, product, marketing savvy. Sometimes you just gotta say f-it and do the damn thing.
An Exciting Vampire Read: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
One of my favorite films in all of 2025 was Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Spoiler alert: It’s a movie about vampires, and it all starts with an Irish vampire that’s hundreds of years old.
So when I saw a writeup about The Buffalo Hunter Hunter being a story about a Native American named Good Stab becoming a vampire himself, I was like, “Damn, this sounds wild.” Here’s how The New York Times frames the novel:
“Good Stab is an Indigenous man from the Blackfeet tribe living in Montana around the time of the 1870 Marias Massacre, when U.S. Army troops killed nearly 200 unarmed women, children and elderly members of the Blackfeet Nation, a tragedy that figures in a multitude of ways throughout this gruesome joyride of a novel.”
I’ve done enough buying books in 2025, so I’ve put in a reservation for it at the Austin public library. I suggest you do the same at your local library.
Best Science Book: The Explorer’s Gene by Alex Hutchinson
Author of the iconic bestseller Endure (2018), Alex Hutchinson released The Explorer’s Gene earlier this spring. The new book is Hutchinson taking a fresh take on why humans are driven to explore.
Hutchinson shows that even exploration on the smallest of scales—whether it’s trying a new food spot, changing jobs, or deciding to train for a marathon—is good for the mind, body, and soul.
Read more: 21 Ways to Live a Little More Each Day
Last note: Alex Hutchison has a great column he currently writes for Outside mag called “Sweat Science.” Give that a read too.
Another Great Historical Fiction Read: Trust by Hernan Diaz
Much of the fiction I’m gravitating towards in this reading list leans towards historical narrative. Trust is a story about a fictional Wall Street power broker named Benjamin Rask and his wife Helen. They rise to the top of the world. But what for? At what cost?
The book gives me real Succession-type of vibes. The cool thing about historical fiction is you can bookmark notes along the way. So far, I’ve already learned more than I ever would’ve expected about the Panic of 1893 and the Panic of 1907.
LIVE A LITTLE
Enjoy this old TikTok of me reading under a tree in New York, wearing my yellow Patagonia.
Trying to create a game plan for more short-form video content for LIVE A LITTLE in 2026.
More From the Archives
Are you caught up on all my latest posts? Here’s what you might’ve missed.
I shared the #1 lesson that rewired how I approach work. Now, I just wish I learned it earlier in life.
We’re over 90% through 2025. My story on the 21 Ways to Live a Little More Each Day shares what I’ve been doing to make life sweeter, easier, and healthier.
This fall, I published my first vlog for LIVE A LITTLE. It talks the LAL origin story, and what I hope to accomplish as we approach year two of this newsletter.
I wrote an essay on the style code of Cormac McCarthy. He once wrote in the margins of a book on men’s style that slip-on dress shoes were “disgusting.”
Thanks for Your Support
Leave a comment, or send me a DM, if you wanna talk style and gear. If you liked today’s post and want to get more exclusive content from LIVE A LITTLE, I recommend becoming a paid subscriber for the cost of a coffee per month.
Just when I thought my TBR was long enough...
Based on the cover, isn't the title of Jones' book actually "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter"?