The Sadler's Honest Book Reviews Series
unvarnished discussions of recent works in practical philosophy, personal development, leadership, relationships, and other topics
This is a video series that provides precisely what the title suggests. I review books that either have been sent to me or that I’ve picked up in order to review. The most important term, of course, is “honest.” After putting in enough time reading and rereading, I aim to tell other readers precisely what I think about the book. The good, the bad, the ugly, and whatever else needs to be said.
For the most part, the series focuses on recent works falling within the scope of practical philosophy — in a very broad sense of that term. So you’ll notice titles that are by philosophers and are works of philosophy, delving into matters like ethics and moral philosophy, philosophy as a way of life, human nature, and personal identity.
There are a lot of connected fields that make an appearance as well in these books, including psychology, history, religion, sociology, and literature. Some of the works focus on leadership, organizations, relationships, personal development, or self-help. So there’s a pretty wide ambit covered.
For each of the books, I first discuss the style and structure, and provide a summary. Then I highlight some of the key points and ideas of the work. After that, I explain what I think is particularly good about the book, as well as anything I found problematic about it.
If you’ve got a book that you would like to send my way for review, feel free to contact me about how to send a copy — I don’t review digital copies, just physical ones I can hold in my hand
As I do more of these reviews, I’ll add them here to this list. For each of the books I’ve reviewed, you’ll find them below, along with links that will take you straight to the video reviews, as well as to the Amazon pages for those books. (Full disclosure: those are affiliate links, so I earn a little bit if you get yourself a copy of the book through them)
Links to the Reviews and The Books
Bob Robinson, The Stoic Habit: How To Own Your Choices Even When It Is Difficult (Cider Mill Press. 2026) — watch the video review | get the book
William C. Spears, Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy: Insights on the Morality of Military Service (Casemate. 2025) — watch the video review | get the book
Michael Surkes, Developing Practical Wisdom (Austin Macauley Publishers. 2025) — watch the video review | get the book
Chuck Chakrapani, Power To Change: Stoic Strategies To Transform Your Life (John Murray Business: 2025) — watch the video review | get the book
Massimo Pigliucci, Gregory Lopez, and Meredith Alexander Kunz, Beyond Stoicism: A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers (The Experiment, 2025) — watch the video review | get the book
Krista Thomason, Dancing With The Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good (Oxford University Press, 2024) — watch the video review | get the book
Lucian Samms, Bear And Forbear: Zen In “The Art Of Living” (Barnes & Noble Press. 2024) — watch the video review | get the book [not recommended]
Mark Tuitert, The Stoic Mindset: Living The Ten Principles of Stoicism (St. Martin’s Press. 2024) — watch the video review | get the book
Christopher Gill and Brittany Polat, Stoic Ethics: The Basics (Routledge, 2024) — watch the video review | get the book
The Essential Stoic: The Most Influential Writings From The Masters with foreward by Mark Tuitert (St. Martin’s Press. 2024) — watch the video review | get the book [not recommended]
Mahmoud Rasmi, Philosophy for Business Leaders: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and the Quest for Meaning (Mahmoud Rasmi: 2023) — watch the video review | get the book
Vittorio Bufacchi, Why Cicero Matters (Bloomsbury Academic. 2023) — watch the video review | get the book
Will Johncock, Beyond the Individual: Stoic Philosophy on Community and Connection (Pickwick Publications, 2023) — watch the video review | get the book
William Irwin, The Meaning Of Metallica: Ride The Lyrics (ECW Press. 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
E. B. Bartels, Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here And Hereafter (Mariner Books. 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
Karen Armstrong, Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond With The Natural (Knopf, 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
David Fideler, Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living (W. W. Norton & Company 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
Tim Iverson, Calm and Curious: Mindfulness, Stoicism, and Philosophy (Ivermind Press. 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
Carneades (pseudonym) Are All Lives Equal?: Why Cost Benefit Analysis Values Rich Lives More and How Philosophy Can Fix It (Carneades.org. 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
Donald Robertson, Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius (St. Martin’s Press, 2022) — watch the video review | get the book
Myisha Cherry, The Case For Rage: Why Anger Is Essential For Anti-Racist Struggle (Oxford University Press. 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Julian Baggini, The Great Guide: What David Hume Can Teach Us About Being Human And Living Well. (Princeton University Press, 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Phil Van Treuren, The Stock Horse and the Stable Cat (Stoic Simple Press. 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Cicero and Quintilian, How To Tell A Joke: An Ancient Guide To The Art of Humor, translated by Michael Fontaine (Princeton University Press, 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Massimo Pigliucci, A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living (Basic Books, 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Kai Whiting and Leonidas Konstantakos, Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In (New World Library, 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Eliot Rosenstock, The Ego And Its Hyperstate: A Psychoanalytically Informed Dialectical Analysis of Self-Interest (Zero Books, 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Simon Drew, The Poet and the Sage: A Journey Beyond The Distant Hills (Imago Printing International Limited, 2021) — watch the video review | get the book
Ansgar Allen, Cynicism (MIT Press. 2020) — watch the video review | get the book
The Selected Writings of Pierre Hadot: Philosophy As Practice, translated by Matthew Sharpe and Federico Testa (Bloomsbury Academic, 2020) — watch the video review | get the book
John Sellars, The Pocket Stoic (University of Chicago Press. 2020) — watch the video review | get the book
Barbara H. Rosenwein, Anger: The Conflicted History of An Emotion (Yale University Press: 2020) — watch the video review | get the book
J. David Velleman, On Being Me: A Personal Invitation To Philosophy (Princeton University Press. 2020) — watch the video review | get the book
Matthew Van Natta, The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism: Tools for Emotional Resilience and Positivity & The 5-minute Stoicism Journal: Create Space for Joy, Positivity, and Reflection (2019, Althea Press) — watch the video review | get the book and the other book
Antonia Macaro, More than Happiness: Buddhist and Stoic Wisdom for a Skeptical Age (Icon Books. 2019) — watch the video review | get the book
Piotr Stankiewicz, Does Happiness Write Blank Pages? On Stoicism and Artistic Creativity (Vernon Press, 2019) — watch the video review | get the book
Gordon Marino, The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age (HarperOne: 2018) — watch the video review | get the book
Chris Bateman, The Virtuous Cyborg (Eyewear Publishing, 2018) — watch the video review | get the book
Epictetus, How To Be Free: An Ancient Guide To The Stoic Life, translated and edited by A.A. Long (Princeton University Press: 2018) — watch the video review | get the book
Simon Blackburn, On Truth (Oxford University Press. 2018) — watch the video review | get the book
Marcus Tullius Cicero, How To Be A Friend: An Ancient Guide to True Friendship, translated and edited by Philip Freeman (Princeton University Press, 2018) — watch the video review | get the book
Heidi Grant, Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You (Harvard Business Review Press. 2018) — watch the video review | get the book
Dariusz Karlowicz, Socrates and Other Saints: Early Christian Understandings of Reason & Philosophy (Kalos. 2017) — watch the video review | get the book
Massimo Pigliucci, How To Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy To Live A Modern Life (Basic Books, 2017) — watch the video review | get the book
Seneca, How To Die: An Ancient Guide To The End Of Life, translated and edited by James S. Romm (Princeton University Press: 2017) — watch the video review | get the book
Pat McGeehan, Stoicism and the Statehouse: An Old Philosophy Serving a New Idea (Wythe-North Publishing, 2017) — watch the video review| get the book
William Ferraiolo, Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure: Stoic Exercises for Mental Fitness (O Books, 2017) — watch the video review | get the book [not recommended]
George J. Bradley, A Better Human: The Stoic Heart, Mind, and Soul (Bradley Publishing Inc.: 2017) — watch the video review | get the book [not recommended]
Ben Irvine, Mindfulness and the Big Questions: Philosophy for Now (Leaping Hare Press 2017) — watch the video review | get the book
Martha Nussbaum, Anger & Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice (Oxford. 2016) — watch the video review | get the book
Kevin Vost, The Porch and the Cross: Ancient Stoic Wisdom for Modern Christian Living (Angelico Press, 2016) — watch the video review | get the book
Chuck Chakrapani, Unshakeable Freedom: Ancient Stoic Secrets Applied to Modern Life (Stoic Gym: 2016) — watch the video review | get the book
Hiram Crespo, Tending The Epicurean Garden (Humanist Press 2014) — watch the video review | get the book
Barbara J. King, How Animals Grieve (University of Chicago Press. 2013) — watch the video review | get the book
John Sellars, The Art of Living: The Stoics on the Nature and Function of Philosophy (Bristol Classical Press. 2009) — watch the video review | get the book
I'm reading WHY CICERO MATTERS, and your review was extremely helpful in highlighting some of the weak points of the book. That said, as you mentioned, it's still worth reading but is pretty narrow.