September. Labor Day. Already.
Ah well, it has been a great summer here at Kibanda.
This was the year we conclusively decided not to tear it down and build new. If you’ve read the saga you know it was in pretty desperate shape when we bought it back in 2017 and the fallback was always to bring in the bulldozers.
We didn’t, opting to fix it up and nurse it along. Then, about three years ago, we began seriously thinking about a new build. For a variety of reasons, instead we have decided to embrace the inherent kintsugi of Kibanda. Indeed, had I known at the time of this Japanese concept of seeing and celebrating the beauty of the imperfect and flawed, Kintsugi would be the little cottage’s name.
That decision made, this became the summer of too long delayed repairs. After all…
Why replace that leaking roof? We’ll be tearing the place down soon enough.
Why tuck point the crumbling chimney? We’ll be tearing the place down soon enough.
Why tear off the rotting screen porch? We’ll be tearing the whole place down soon enough.
Why finish the closets and add better lighting? We’ll be tearing the place down soon enough.
Why lure friends to visit and then have them sand and oil the flaking decks (thanks Amanda & Paul!)? We’ll be tearing the place down soon enough.
Why replace the failed septic system? Well, it’s not like that can wait!
Of course, none of this can be allowed to interfere with enjoying the place during the the time we are here each year. For me, sitting on that once flaking deck and reading is an important part.
Here are a few of those reads that stood out:
This is best described as the biography of the index fund. Compelling reading if you are a huge fan of these things and how they’ve vastly improved the investment world for us individual investors. But even if your interest is mild, Robin Wigglesworth does such a brilliant job you’ll likely find it a compelling read.
For me, it tied together the tale I’d pieced together on my own over the years, and connected the missing pieces. It also corrected me in some details I’d gotten wrong.
Jack Bogle plays a key role of course, as well he should.
If you want a fully focused read on the man I call a Fiscal Saint, here’s the book:
The Bogle Effect, by Eric Balchunas.
Routinely I get comments or emails sharing some article or post making the case that index funds will destroy the markets. These are mostly fear mongering nonsense written by those who have a vested interest in scaring people back into their high-fee active arms.
But there are some legitimate issues worth considering.
If you’d like a balanced overview pick up a copy of The Bogle Effect and read Chapter 8: ‘Some Worry’.
My pal Christine Benz very kindly sent this to me after her visit to Kibanda this summer. She is even quoted in it a few times, which is fun to see, along with several other luminaries in the fiscal world. Balchunas put this together in a fairly unique format with these quotes and lots of cool charts. Works for me!
BTW, Christine has her own new book coming out September 17th:
20 lessons for a happy, successful, and wealthy retirement.
As the subtitle suggests, she went out and gathered information on various aspects of retirement from 20 well known writers on the subject. While I haven’t read this one yet, I’ve listened to a couple of her interviews describing the contents and am very much looking forward to it.
Full disclosure: JL Collins is one of the 20. But don’t let that put you off.
Like Trillons, this is a biography not of a person but, in this case of Einstein’s famous equation.
My pal Mr. 1500 sent this one to me and I confess I was slow to pick it up. This equation, E=MC2, is rather intimidating for us mere mortals and something I understood only a bit – and that bit was probably wrong.
Mr 1500 doing his Einstein impression
But this book is anything but intimidating and it is far from a dense text in theoretical physics. Rather it is an extremely engaging story of how the world’s most famous equation came to be and the fascinating people who laid the groundwork.
Read it for the sheer entertainment and, as a bonus, like me you might just come away with a better understanding of the equation. Better than your friends anyway and, be honest, that’s what you really want.
The sharper eyed among you will have noticed this is the book the lovely lady on the deck pictured above is reading. Great choice.
I stand in awe of what author Jackie Cummings Koski has done here. This is a comprehensive overview of what FIRE is and how it is done, fashioned in the famous “for dummies” template. I wouldn’t have known how to even begin to pull this together, let alone gotten it over the finish line in such fine form.
You’ll want to read through it and then keep it handy for reference. I did and do.
Dave Mason has gotten in the habit of sending me his books as they come out. They always go to the top of my queue. I’ve long thought failure gets a bum rap, maybe because I’ve personally had my share and then some. I even wrote my own book about one of my most painful:
How I Lost Money in Real Estate before it was Fashionable
I guess maybe folks don’t like to hear it because of my three books, this one has enjoyed the least success.
I trust Dave’s will do much better as it points out failure is the precursor to almost all success. Provided you get back up and move forward with the lessons hopefully learned. It is filled with stories of the uber successful and their failures.
It is also, like mine, lavishly illustrated. Indeed, the illustration style was so similar I even checked to see if he’d stumbeled on the same artist I’d used.
So, embrace your setbacks and let Dave show you how to fail faster, cheaper and far more effectively.
While I’m thinking about it, here’s another of his books I quite enjoyed:
This last one is kind of a cheat. I’ve only just begun reading it. But I have absolutely savored those first pages:
A new history of the world
My only complaint is that I wish there were more and better maps. This book deals with parts of the world that are unfamiliar, at least to me. This is part of the appeal. But maps would help me get my bearings more easily.
Embarrassing admission: While I’ve heard the term “Asia Minor” for decades, it was only in the reading of this book I realized I really had no idea where this was. I do now.
My pal Travis, who recommended The Silk Roads to me, is currently traveling through “The Stans” as a result of his own read of it. I can see why.
I can also see, reading through this post, that I have left the impression I only read non-fiction. Not true. I love fiction. If you do too, and you have yet to discover CJ Box, you are in for a treat. Here is the latest in his series of Joe Picket novels:
If you like it, I suggest reading the series from the beginning in order.
For what it is worth, this is the only one of his 25 odd novels Joe Pickett novels that left me disappointed in the ending. See what you think.
That’s enough for now and should keep you busy for a bit. I read them in the summer sun, but they’d be just as good in front of winter’s fireplace.
