3 Books With Neil Pasricha

A few years ago I was in LA and I went with my friend Chad to a "Judd Apatow and friends" comedy show where I was blown away by the lineup he brought out. Ray Romano! Zach Galifianakis! And, of course, the incredible Pete Holmes.
Pete was my favorite comic that night. I have loved his comedy for years! And his book '​Comedy Sex God​' was a wonderful read. My parents are Hindu but I grew up in the secular suburbs of Toronto being exposed to many different religions. Pete was very religious, and then wasn't, and now is again ... in this thoughtful, examining, spiritual way. His book, which is essentially his memoir, chronicles his journey through faith with lots of laughs and his trademark mind-expanding insights along the way.
Pete's podcast ​You Made It Weird​ is a comedic exploration of the meaning of life, with guests ranging from ​Ryan Holiday​ to ​Mayim Bialik​ to ​Ben Stiller​.
Pete also starred in the HBO show ​Crashing​ which he executive produced with Judd Apatow. And, big news, he is currently touring! He's in ​Miami​, ​LA​, ​Royal Oaks​, ​Irving​, ​Madison​, and ​Denver​ before the summer.
Check out his comedy specials: ​Impregnated with Wonder​ (2011), ​Nice Try, The Devil​ (2013), ​Faces and Sounds​ (2016), ​Dirty Clean​ (2018), and ​I Am Not For Everyone​ (2023).
So flip the page back to Chapter 40 of 3 Books and talk about why we withhold love, why myths are always true and sometimes really happen, why our brains want certainty but our hearts are comfortable with mystery, the salty sweet conundrum of life, and, of course, Pete's 3 most formative books.
I hope you enjoy this classic chapter with Pete Holmes.

Paul Hawken is a brilliant thinker, author, activist, and elder who masterfully distills wisdom about our planetary home.
I remember hearing Paul's 2009 commencement speech called "​You Are Brilliant and The Earth is Hiring​" where he said "You are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on Earth at a time when every living system is declining and the rate of decline is accelerating." 
Paul is the author of nine bestselling books including '​Drawdown​', '​Regeneration​', and his latest book '​Carbon, The Book of Life​'—an incredible book that came out in 2025 and masterfully distills endless planetary wisdom into simple truths we all need to hear. (I included it in '​The Very Best Books I Read in 2025​.') 
Grab a seat between us and let's talk about how nature cooperates, why fighting climate change is the wrong metaphor, why the climate crisis is a human crisis, how jargon disconnects, and what decades of activism have taught Paul about being human.
This conversation with a sage of sages stuck with me and I think it'll stick with you.
Let's flip the page into Chapter 157 now ...

Thirteen years ago I was surfing online when I stumbled on a blog post called "​How To Read More — A Lot More​" by someone I'd never heard of named Ryan Holiday.
I started reading the post and got sucked in. He had a point! Many great points, actually. And he was young. 26 years old! A 26-year-old young man telling the world to read more books? In an era where most twenty-something men read, uh, none?
I found Ryan to be a breath of fresh air.
I immediately began to copy everything he did!
He launched a ​monthly book club​. I launched a ​monthly book club​! (With his blessing, of course.)
He was talking about reading fifty then a hundred and then hundreds of books a year.
Well, I started reading five books and then ten books and then fifty books a year.
I began cancelling news subscriptions and consciously put my phone away. I installed a bookshelf at my front door. I moved my TV to the basement!
And, of course, I started this podcast—all about reading.
In a way 3 Books would not exist without Ryan Holiday. In some ways I can probably trace my rediscovered passion for reading all the way back to that 2013 blog post.
But Ryan is not just a blogger anymore. He's not just a writer guy on the internet anymore.
Ryan Holiday has sold over 10 million books (!) and essentially leads the repopularization of stoic philosophy. Some of his books include '​The Obstacle Is The Way​', '​Ego Is The Enemy​', '​Stillness Is The Key​', '​Discipline is Destiny​', and his new book, out just a few months ago, '​Wisdom Takes Work​'.
Ryan also runs ​DailyStoic.com​, the consulting company ​Brass Check​, ​Daily Dad​, and ​The Painted Porch​ indie bookstore in Bastrop, Texas. He and his wife Sam live with their two sons in nearby Austin.
He's become a friend and I have definitely caught his bug.
So in Chapter 38 of 3 Books we're going to fly down to Ryan's home in Austin and get 4 of his most formative books. (You'll hear why on the show.) Among other things Ryan shares how to decide who to trust, how he got fired from his first job, and why we shouldn't turn parenting into a job.
I hope you enjoy this classic chapter of 3 Books with Mr. Ryan Holiday.

Africa is the world's second largest continent—by land and population!
 
One and a half billion people spread across fifty-five countries. It's huge! Even a trip there, even many trips there, can only scratch the surface. But we're trying! My mum was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1950, and I recently returned from my first journey to Africa where I met incredible people and heard remarkable stories.
 
In this third African chapter of 3 Books I sat down with Salim Amin where we discuss what it means to be a great citizen in the world today and how leading with compassion and curiosity can be some of the balm the world needs. 
 
As some background Salim's father Mo Amin lived from 1943 to 1996 and at his peak was the single most well-known photographer ... in the world! His photos of the 1984 Ethiopian famine were the basis of the famous Live Aid concert and directly responsible for saving millions of lives. Salim is going to share some of the most memorable stories from his dad's remarkable career and legacy ... all of which happened before he tragically died in a hijacked plane that crashed into the Indian Ocean.
 
Today Salim is the CEO of Camerapix, the legendary (and first-ever!) African media agency, which owns all his dad's photos—of dictators, wildlife, assassinations, and more—and he's become a documentary filmmaker, producer, author, journalist, and TV host in his own right.
 
Salim's documentary "Mo & Me" won over a dozen prestigious awards including the "Grand Jury Prize" at the New York Film Festival and I loved his stunning photo book "Kenya: Through My Father's Eyes".
 
I was thrilled to sit down in-person—in Nairobi!—with Salim, at the Camerapix office, to discuss legacy, identity, fatherhood, purpose, and formative books. There are some absolutely wild stories in this chat you won't soon forget!
 
Let's flip the page into Chapter 156 now...

Happy Solstice, everyone!
In the northern hemisphere today we have the least amount of daylight of any day of the year. Below the equator it has the most!
And as we do every December solstice it's time for our annual "Best Of" episode of 3 Books.
3 Books is our award-winning 22-year-long conversation to uncover and discuss the 1000 most formative books in the world ... 3 books at a time.
This year we recorded shows in Nairobi, Ottawa, Del Mar, and even a few on the street ... journeying to collect stories and lessons that can help us all live richer lives of meaning and intention.
Featuring clips from...
​Nick Sweetman​ - Street muralist
​Lindyman​ - Lindy Effect evangelist
​Emily Nagoski​ - Sex educator
​Nickisha​ - Dog walker ​
Ginny Yurich​ - Founder of '​1000 Hours Outside​'
​John and Alison​ - Booksellers, ​Camino Books​, Del Mar, CA ​
Jean Chrétien​ - Former Canadian Prime Minister ​
The Holderness Family​ - YouTubers and authors '​ADHD is Awesome​' ​
Robin Sloan​ - Novelist, '​Moonbound​' / '​Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore​' ​
Carl Honoré​ - Author, '​In Praise of Slowness​' ​
Peter Kimani​ - Novelist, '​Dance of the Jakaranda​' ​
Abdullahi Bulle​ - Bookseller, ​Nuria Books​, Nairobi, Kenya
Thank you for being a 3 Booker and spending time with our incredible community of book lovers spread across the world.
Listen on your walk, drive, or workout, on your own, or with a friend, and let's continue to celebrate the awe in this world while striving to live our lives the best we can...