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Brad Feld

Co-founder of Foundry Group and Techstars; has blogged at Feld Thoughts since 2004 and co-written nine non-fiction books on startups and venture capital.

33 things

J. Geiger shadesHardware J. Geiger

loved

We have shades from J. Geiger

Mentioned while describing the home-automation setup at his house; the full line reads “We have shades from J. Geiger, which we love.”

2026-09-03·feld.com ↗

Dungeon Crawler CarlBook Matt Dinniman

loved

I’ve savored this series for the past eight months, listening to about one a month on Audible while I run.

A post on finishing the eighth book in the series; he lists all eight and says “Start at the beginning.”

2026-07-26·feld.com ↗

How to Rule the WorldBook Theo Baker

loved

I was entranced, horrified, and amused, often on the same page.

A post written within a day of reading Baker’s memoir of his freshman year reporting at Stanford.

2026-05-22·feld.com ↗

The Lean StartupBook Eric Ries

loved

Eric Ries wrote The Lean Startup in 2011 and changed how a generation of founders thought about building companies.

Announcing a fireside chat with Eric Ries about Ries's forthcoming book.

2026-04-20·feld.com ↗

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceBook Robert M. Pirsig

loved

I’ve read it at least a half dozen times since. I’ve listened to it on Audible twice.

A post prompted by Ted Gioia’s piece on the book’s history; he had every employee at his first company read it.

2026-03-25·feld.com ↗

Capital Evolution: The New American EconomyBook Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride

loved

Seth and his co-author, Elizabeth MacBride, do an outstanding job of defining capitalism clearly and explaining how it evolved into today’s approach.

Launch-day post for the book by his Foundry partner Seth Levine, whom he calls "My partner Seth Levine" in the first line.

2025-12-09·feld.com ↗

EnshittificationBook Cory Doctorow

loved

I’ve been a long-time Cory Doctorow fan. His new book Enshittification is delicious.

A post about Doctorow's coinage and the book built on it.

2025-11-21·feld.com ↗

EnsorcelledBook Eliot Peper

loved

Ensorcelled by Eliot Peper is genius. It’s a unique format that can be read in one setting. The writing is beautiful.

A weekend of reading books written by friends; he states each friendship in the post. He says in the post that Peper has become a dear friend.

2025-09-03·feld.com ↗

City on the EdgeBook Jonathan Weber

loved

It’s fantastic and is going to be a powerful and definitive story of San Francisco from 1990 to the present day.

A weekend of reading books written by friends; he states each friendship in the post. He read the first three chapters as a draft PDF and has known Weber for decades.

2025-09-03·feld.com ↗

The System: A Novel of the Deep StateBook Barry Eisler

loved

I love Barry’s writing and read every book he writes. He has total mastery of the contemporary thriller with extraordinarily vibrant characters and a zillion endnotes that tie to things that are actually happening in the real world.

Two books finished in one night in Aspen, during the launch week of his own book.

2025-06-19·feld.com ↗

Carrie Soto Is BackBook Taylor Jenkins Reid

loved

But Carrie Soto Is Back was spectacular.

Two novels read on the couch over a bad weekend.

2025-05-05·feld.com ↗

Levels of the GameBook John McPhee

loved

I’ve read many books about tennis, but it’s still my favorite

A post on McPhee, writers and editors, prompted by his irritation with ChatGPT prose.

2023-05-21·feld.com ↗

Hiking Zen: Train Your Mind in NatureBook Brother Phap Xa and Brother Phap Luu

liked

The book isn’t about covering miles or conquering peaks. It’s about what happens when you pay attention on a trail.

A post on three books he read in one day, all about founders coming apart and what comes next.

2026-03-22·feld.com ↗

Echoes of OctoberBook

liked

I approached Echoes of October with trepidation. A graphic novel about violence and grief isn’t easy terrain. But it succeeds in a haunting, urgent way.

A review of a graphic novel about the year leading into October 7, 2023.

2025-10-11·feld.com ↗

The Night SlayerBook George Jankovic

liked

George would write an epic YA coming-of-age fantasy series that moves faster than the Percy Jackson books

A weekend of reading books written by friends; he states each friendship in the post. He notes he funded Jankovic's first company in the 1990s.

2025-09-03·feld.com ↗

The Big GambleBook Michael McGarrity

liked

The Big Gamble was good.

Two novels read on the couch over a bad weekend.

2025-05-05·feld.com ↗

IncorruptibleBook Eric Ries

recommended

The Lean Startup helps you build a valuable company. Incorruptible is about how and why to protect it, keeping a company mission-driven over the long term instead of letting it rot from the inside.

Announcing a fireside chat with Eric Ries about Ries's forthcoming book.

2026-04-20·feld.com ↗

Burn Bright, Not OutBook James Oliver Jr. and Django De Gree

recommended

His book Burn Bright, Not Out - co-authored with Django De Gree - is what I wish had existed a long time ago.

A post on three books he read in one day, all about founders coming apart and what comes next.

2026-03-22·feld.com ↗

AI & IPodcast Every

recommended

If you want the short version, the recent AI & I podcast with Reid is an excellent way to get a feel for it.

A review of Reid Hoffman's AI book.

2025-09-12·feld.com ↗

Ecosystem Arabia: The Making of a New EconomyBook Amir Hagazi

recommended

I have written forewords for Amir in the past on two of his prior books, Ecosystem Arabia: The Making of a New Economy and Venture Adventure: Startup Fundraising Advice from Top Global Investors, both of which I recommend.

Supporting a book by a friend; he notes he wrote forewords for two of the author's earlier books and no longer does blurbs.

2025-04-22·feld.com ↗

Avid Reader: A LifeBook Robert Gottlieb

recommended

If you want to understand that in-depth, grab a copy of Avid Reader: A Life by Robert Gottlieb.

A post on McPhee, writers and editors, prompted by his irritation with ChatGPT prose.

2023-05-21·feld.com ↗

Little Black Classics Box SetBook Penguin

read

It’s my summer reading project, which is a curated library of eighty pocket-sized books that encapsulate the breadth and diversity of literary history.

Two books finished in one night in Aspen, during the launch week of his own book.

2025-06-19·feld.com ↗

SavantSoftware Savant Systems

disliked

One of them is a Savant system that both Amy and I are sick of because it’s so pathetic.

Listing the several home-automation apps in his house that drove him to build his own dashboard.

2026-09-03·feld.com ↗

Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.

The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.

A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.

What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:

Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.