Unlocking Great Books

Matt Heath, known for his lively and yobbo media persona, surprises readers with a thoughtful exploration of life’s complexities and personal reflections.

Is this a self-help book? Or is it a serious attempt to communicate some pretty deep philosophy to readers who may not have heard it before? We debate where this sits in the literary universe.

• We are powered by The Curiosity Company - unleash the power of insatiable curiosity :-) curiositycompany.co.nz
• Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)
• Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.
• Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
• Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

Stop, read and repeat :-)

This 2023 book explores six fundamental materials that have transformed humanity. Welcome to the world of sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium.

"In many ways the title doesn't do justice to this book. You might be able to pass by this book in a bookshop, but we're here to tell you don't sleep on this." — Carl

And with that, welcome to a great UGB episode!

• We are powered by The Curiosity Company - unleash the power of insatiable curiosity :-) curiositycompany.co.nz
• Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)
• Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.
• Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
• Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

Stop, read and repeat :-)

Today we dive into a book from one of our favourite podcasters David McWilliams on the history of money. 'Mac' is a powerhouse thinker and storyteller and in Money, he makes the case for money as THE social technology.

We contrast this book with his excellent podcasting on economics. Does it translate well into the book?

• We are powered by The Curiosity Company - unleash the power of insatiable curiosity :-) curiositycompany.co.nz
• Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)
• Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.
• Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
• Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

Stop, read and repeat :-)

Today we unpack the book that explored the high-powered craziness of NASA's Project Mercury programme and the people involved . This is a fulsome read and an interesting insight into high performance.

• We are powered by The Curiosity Company - unleash the power of insatiable curiosity :-) curiositycompany.co.nz
• Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)
• Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.
• Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
• Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

Stop, read and repeat :-)

Welcome to Season 6. We're excited to be back!

We start the season with a 2026 bestseller - Inside the Box. In this episode we dive into constraints and whether this is really a novel concept.

• We are powered by The Curiosity Company - unleash the power of insatiable curiosity :-) curiositycompany.co.nz

• Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)

• Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.

• Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
• Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

Stop, read and repeat :-)

https://www.impactprofessional.nz/unlockinggreatbooks 

We reflect on our last batch of 10 books, known as Season 5.

We discuss what moved us, what changed us and kick around a few ideas for what is next. Let us know what you think and please rate the show.

Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)

Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.

Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

We took another dive into the large pile of books…and came up with Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

ZAMM, as it is affectionately known, is a huge book in so many dimensions. Carl describes it as a "cultural phenomenon".

We have been itching to take on this on for a while. Carl referred to the Smithsonian exhibit - this is a great article that explores Pirsig, the trip, his tools of the writing trade and the impact of his writing: https://motorcyclestudies.org/volume-17-2021/chrome-and-black-and-dusty-robert-pirsigs-motorcycle-heritage-paul-f-johnston/ 

Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)

Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.

Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

We took another dive into the large pile of books…and came up with handfuls of fiction!!

Today we chat fiction, why we read fiction, and why you should read fiction too. Carl introduces the Sorbet/Teppenyaki/Kale framework, and Seán discusses books to share with others, and books to escape.

The longlist of what we covered:

• Gregg Hurwitz Orphan X series (we talked about the latest episode, "Nemesis)
• Mick Herron Slow Horses series
• Richard Flanagan "The Narrow Road to the Deep North"
• Hanya Yanagihara, "A Little Life"
• Leo Tolstoy “War and Peace”
• Richard Osman “Thursday Murder Club” and series
• Robert Ludlum “The Bourne Identity”
• Tom Clancy “Hunt for Red October”
• Lucinda Riley “The Seven Sisters”
• Graham Greene “Our Man in Havana”
• Lee Child Jack Reacher series
• Judith Kerr “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit”
• James Joyce “The Dead” - a short story.

Fill your boots! And let us know some goodies.

Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)

or find out where to grab these books here: ⁠https://booko.co.nz/

Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.

Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠

We took another dive into the large pile of books…and came up with The Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Welcome to the dawn of computing, but not as you know it. This book tells the story of leading black female mathematicians and their pivotal role in aeronautics and the space race. A truly important story, but did we love this book?

Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-)

or find out where to grab the book here: ⁠https://booko.co.nz/w/7756775/Hidden-Figures_by_Margot-Lee-Shetterly

Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube or wherever you listen (or watch!) your podcasts.

Connect with us here: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Get Sean’s book The Impact Professional at: ⁠⁠⁠impactprofessional.nz⁠