The Decline of Reading

Reading, bone broth and small events

Author

Joel Hansen
January 20, 2026

Happy 3rd Tuesday of 2026,

I’m nursing one neck of a sore throat this week, but back at the keyboard to stick to my word. Welcome back to Stay Curious — a newsletter I write once per week on 3 things keeping me curious or I send one of you $100 as a penalty.

Here’s what’s on my mind this week:

1. Bone Broth

If you’re a health nut, you’ll love Justin Mares.

He created Kettle & Fire and a few other things.

I finally got around to trying his beef broth, and wow - it’s doing wonders for my throat. If you’re catching the flu like me this month, give it a shot.

2. Decline of Reading

Warren Buffett retired Dec 31st, 2025. One hell of a run.

Whenever he was asked about life advice, he told people to become obsessed with reading.

Here are his 10 most referenced books if you wanna pick one up:

1/ The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
2/ Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham & David Dodd
3/ Business Adventures by John Brooks
4/ How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
5/ The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William N. Thorndike Jr.
6/ Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger by Charles T. Munger
7/ The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor by Howard Marks
8/ Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip A. Fisher
9/ Where Are the Customers’ Yachts? by Fred Schwed Jr.
10/ The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle

P.S. Trung Phan did an exceptional write-up on how Warren and other founders get their best ideas from reading. Worth a skim.

3. 20 Person Events > 200 Person Events

Tomorrow I’m taking out the first 20 North House founders for a surprise event.

And I don’t know what is, but I’m more excited for that time with 20 people than events that host 200+

I think it’s because the intimacy is higher and the memories are stronger.

But something I’m curious about in 2026 is how the future of small events vs large events will pan out.

—

P.S. if you’re in Vancouver Feb 3rd, join this event we’re hosting at North House

Liked today’s deep dive? Forward it to a friend.

Joel

You can hit me up on Twitter or LinkedIn. But the true besties hit me up on Strava and IG.

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