Most of the important things I’ve learned have come from books, articles, speeches, and other media. After seeing how Derek Sivers, Nat Eliason and The Rabbit Hole publicize their book notes, I decided I would publicize all of my summaries and notes from books, speeches, articles, and other things I was reading.
To get the notes, click on any linked title. I included short snippets and ratings to give you an idea of what you might find interesting. I’ve roughly categorized it by topic, some of these are broad, some are narrow.
- Must Read: books I want my children to read. These improve anyone’s life, are timeless and can be re-read.
- Recommended: useful to most people. Provide something practical or a mind-shift. Unlikely to re-read.
- Optional: useful to people interested in the topic, but of little value to others. There are “better” books on the topic.
- Skip This: provide very little to no value and you’re better off reading something else.
Note: I read 50-150 books per year and encounter “better” books on a topic all the time. I review the below list once per year and move books up (very rarely) and down (likely) based on new books I’ve read that year or a re-reading of that particular book.
The notes and summaries are meant to be concise, reminding me of high-level concepts and personal lessons, and not trying to recreate the whole book. You can use them to remind yourself of something you read or to decide on something new to read.
Disclaimer: I’m an Amazon Associate and earn a commission when you buy a book on Amazon via any of the links on this site.
All Book Notes
Table of Contents
Must Read Books
$100M Offers by Alex Hormozi – Business | Marketing
No fluff and 100% practical. Everything is explained, can be applied immediately and improve any kind of business. The value in this book is insane.
All I Want To Know Is Where I’m Going To Die So I’ll Never Go There – Decision Making
Bevelin compiled quotes from Buffett and Munger and wrapped them in an entertaining story. Covers investing, decision making and life. Similar quality as his Seeking Wisdom, with an even better structure.
Antifragile by Nassim Taleb – Decision Making | Statistics
This book has impacted my thinking greatly. It’s all about asymmetries in life and how to have them work for you. “Just worry about Black Swan exposures, and life is easy” sums it up perfectly. A book to reread.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson – History
Bryson has written a fascinating, enthralling, accessible book on the history of the natural sciences, covering topics as diverse as cosmology, quantum physics, paleontology and chemistry. Complement it with Sapiens (anthropology), The Lessons of History (society, politics, economy) and Genome (DNA).
Atomic Habits by James Clear – Learning
Explains everything you need to know about habits and habit formation. Research-backed and practical. Worthy of its fame.
Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull – Business Biography
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh – Business Biography
Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus – Philosophy
The Enchiridion is great, the Discourses are really good and the Fragments are meh. I prefer Seneca and Marcus Aurelius over Epictetus but Discourses is a book with practical, timeless wisdom that I’ll reread, nonetheless.
Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto – Philosophy
The Japanese version of Stoicism, in my opinion. Full of wisdom on how to live with purpose, be prepared for anything, be your best self and how to lead and deal with others.
How The Scots Invented The Modern World by Arthur Herman – History
A beautiful and well-organized retelling of Scotland’s rise in the 17th and 18th centuries and subsequent impact across the world in the 19th century – which is still felt today. A great read into the 200-300 year cycles of (global) superpowers.
How To Get Rich – Biography
Cringe title but an amazing biography. Teaches what the title says and written with lots of personality. Biggest lesson: go to the mountain which produces money with your name on it.
Influence by Robert Cialdini – Psychology
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca – Philosophy
A practical guide to preparing for and dealing with adversity. You have little control over external factors, but complete control over internal ones.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Gregory Hays – Philosophy
Reminders of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius to himself on what the world is like, how to do his job well, how to live well and how to be a good person. Incredible insights into the mind of the world’s most powerful man at the time.
On The Shortness Of Life by Seneca – Philosophy
A free therapy session with a Stoic to improve the quality of, happiness and tranquillity in our lives. Seneca touches on time, grief and peace of mind over 3 essays. Worth rereading until the day I die.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser – Writing
The best and only book on writing you’ll ever need.
Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger – Investing | Psychology
A collection of Charlie Munger’s talks and checklists. Contains his principles for living a good, successful and wealthy life. His talk “The Psychology of Human Misjudgment” is better than any psychology book or course out there. Anyone would do well to (at least) read the eleven talks in this book.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari – History
Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin – Decision Making
The best book on decision making, learning how to think better, and better understanding ourselves (rationally) and others. Discusses our decision-making from different angles and includes useful questions to improve our decision-making and results in life.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse – Philosophy
I can think, I can wait, I can fast.
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu – Philosophy
Trying to narrow down the philosophy of the Tao Te Ching with limiting words is to violate its primordial essence. A book that reveals something new every time you read it.
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin – Biography | History
The American Dream, articulated, in words guaranteed to be understood by everyone. You close this book knowing not just about these people, you actually feel like you know them, especially Lincoln. A fascinating read.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries – Marketing
The quintessential marketing book. Always worth referring back to.
The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous – Economics | Investing
The book that got me into Bitcoin, blockchain, cryptocurrency and renewed my interest in economics.
The Complete Works of Zhuangzi by Zhuangzi – Philosophy
More approachable than Tao Te Ching, yet has equal depth. Parts 1-7 are must (re)reads. Skip the rest, which is unlikely to be written by Zhuangzi, as its prose and content offer little.
The Dhandho Investor by Mohnish Pabrai – Business | Investing
Pabrai explains all the core concepts of investing in an entertaining, simple and clear manner. Mandatory reading for those interested in investing or entrepreneurship.
The Economic Organisation of a P.O.W. Camp – Economics
It’s only 13 pages (and free!) but it’s the most enlightening “book” on the market economy I’ve read. It details how prisoners during WWII created their own market economy and adapted it based on changes in supply/demand and external forces.
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker – Management | Productivity
The best book on getting important work done. Read this instead of every other “productivity” book.
The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale – Philosophy
The Inner Game of Tennis – Psychology
Amazing book on performing under pressure, changing habits and beliefs, and learning in a more natural way. Uses tennis examples but applies equally to other endeavours in life.
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham – Investing
The first read-through is useful. But this book reveals its true depth on rereads. The more experience you have, the more you learn. The first read may not be profound, the 3rd/4th/5th – if a few years apart – almost certainly will. Most valuable chapters are 8 and 20.
The Odyssey by Homer – Fiction
One of the oldest written stories in existence. A classic that has inspired many modern-day fiction writers. A great story and very well-written. No fluff.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason – Finance | Investing
Best personal finance book out there. Provides little, but everything you need for a financially stable and free life.
The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh – Management | Sports
The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles Mann – History | Science
Discusses two approaches – scientific (pushing boundaries) and ecological (as mother nature intended) – to various environmental and humanitarian issues from the 1800s until now: climate change, global warming, food and water supply, energy. The value of this book lies in its emphasis on perspective: both approaches are right and both are wrong.
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – Health
Explains everything you need to know about sleep and sleeping better. Research-backed and practical. The only book on sleep you’ll need.
Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden – Leadership | Sports
Recommended Books
12 Months to $1 Million by Ryan Daniel Moran – Business
The most practical business book I had read until I came across $100M Offers. Focuses on e-commerce but many of the principles apply to other businesses too.
A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy – Philosophy
Every day 1 page filled with quotes from history’s greatest philosophers and writers. A bit repetitive.
A Short History Of Financial Euphoria by John Kenneth Galbraith – History | Investing
Every boom and bust cycle in the history of financial markets revolves around 2 things: mass psychology and leverage. Financial memory lasts about ~20 years before history repeats itself. This short book should be mandatory reading for anyone wanting to invest.
Am I Being Too Subtle? – Biography
An entertaining read: Sam writes with a lot of personality. He’s known for real estate but considers himself an “opportunity man.” I agree. Lots of no-nonsense takeaways for entrepreneurs, managers and investors.
Amazon Unbound by Brad Stone – Business Biography
A well-crafted and well-researched look at multiple Amazon and Jeff Bezos initiatives from 2010 to 2021 and reads like fiction. I just missed a deeper insight into the departments that truly drove Amazon’s growth during that time.
Angel by Jason Calacanis – Investing
Awareness by Anthony de Mello – Philosophy
A great, practical philosophy book that makes you look at life, circumstances and others differently. Great for beginners. My advice: read one chapter (1~3 pages) per day.
Beating The Street by Peter Lynch – Investing
An autobiography of Lynch’s time at Fidelity, focusing on his investment approach and how he learnt the craft. Very practical, easy-to-read and filled with case studies of stock and business analyses.
Bitcoin Whitepaper – Economics
The paper that started it all for cryptocurrencies and blockchains. A must-read for anyone mildly interested in the topic.
Bloomberg by Bloomberg – Biography
The first 2/3 is great: it covers his personal journey and how he built Bloomberg. The last 1/3 focuses on his philanthropic efforts and some nods to his experience as a mayor – interesting but lacking depth and feel written with a different intention (candidacy for the presidency?).
Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuck – Business | Marketing
Direct Truth by Kapil Gupta – Philosophy
The book covers many common questions and struggles we have in life and is 100% written in Q&A format. One of the easier philosophy books to get into.
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance – Biography
Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson – Business
Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov – Fiction | Sci-Fi
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley – Biology | Science
A great entry point into the human genome, how it works and what genes do (and don’t do). Still useful 25 years after publication.
Good To Great by James Collins – Business
Great People Decisions by Claudiu Fernandez-Araoz – Business | Management
How to skate a 10k – Learning
Van der Poel details the training regimen that got him 2x Olympic Gold, 2x world records and the Allround Championship. He does fewer things than other skaters, but does them more excessively. He sums it up nicely: “You become good at what you train for.”
How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie – Psychology | Relationships
Humankind by Rutger Bregman – History
Read this instead of the widely acclaimed Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.
Inner Engineering by Sadhguru – Biography | Philosophy
The first half covers Sadhguru’s journey to becoming a yoga guru, the second half covers the body, mind and energy/spirit. Part biography, part philosophy. Each philosophical chapter has a practical exercise at the end.
Letters From a Self-Made Merchant to His Son – Decision Making
Sensible and practical advice on how to conduct oneself in life and in business. Amazing, funny and succinct writing. He makes the points, repeats them with metaphors, then ties them up with a real-life example about someone else. For its writing alone, it’s worth a read.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – Biography | Psychology
Margin of Safety by Seth Klarman – Investing
A great explanation of value investment principles, valuation methods and how to avoid investment failure. A shorter, easier and, for most people, more useful read than The Intelligent Investor.
Mastery by Robert Greene – Learning
Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success by Carol Dweck – Psychology
Models of My Life by Herbert A. Simon – Biography
An in-depth look at all facets of a Nobel Prize winner and polymath’s life: his career, his work, his relationships, his beliefs, his values and his learning and teaching methods. Long-winded at times, but worth the read.
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss – Communication
Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein – Psychology
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy – Marketing | Writing
On Writing by Stephen King – Writing
Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool – Learning
The best book on mastering a skill I’ve found. Anders is the real deal, doing most of the research that other books on this topic are based on. If you only read one book on mastering your craft, read this one.
Pour Your Heart Into It – Biography
Interesting read on the early years and later transformation of both Starbucks and Howard Schultz. Great pacing and covers every major event up to 1997. Great lessons on what a company stands for (its raison d’être) and how to translate this to products and services that delight your tribe.
Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman – Psychology
Principles by Ray Dalio – Management | Philosophy
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki – Finance | Investing
Science of Yoga by Ann Swanson – Body | Health
Scrum Master by Geoff Watts – Management
The best and most practical book on the scrum management style and how to implement it (properly) in your business.
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli – Science
Small Giants by Bo Burlingham – Business
Striking Thoughts by Bruce Lee – Philosophy
A great book filled with aphorisms by Bruce Lee. A mixture of Eastern spirituality, Western and Stoic philosophy, scientific method, and simply practical thought to answer one question: how to live a good life. I recommend reading 1 page a day.
Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman by Richard Feynman – Biography
Pursue your curiosity, be a practitioner, explain the theoretical practically, and a variety of skills and experiences does wonders, as exhibited and retold in this polymath and Nobel laureate’s autobiography.
Tao of Charlie Munger – Decision Making
It’s an easy, short read and a great “coffee table” or “bedside” book: each page provides a stand-alone maxim with commentary. I prefer Poor Charlie’s Almanack and Peter Bevelin’s books over Tao of Charlie Munger. Both have more depth and narrative tying everything together, making it easier to internalize his wisdom.
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene – Psychology
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey – Productivity
The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman – Marketing | Writing
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Naval Ravikant and Eric Jorgenson – Business | Philosophy
The Analects of Confucius by Confucius – Philosophy
An ancient Chinese book with aphorisms on how to conduct yourself, lead/govern others and live a good life. Has some traces of Stoicism, minus the spirituality. Don’t read it hoping for enlightenment, it’s not that kind of book.
The Art of Getting Money by P.T. Barnum – Business | Finance
P.T. Barnum’s golden rules for financial success and, to a lesser extent, a fulfilling life. A short read that has aged well and serves as a great reminder of the things we know we should be doing, but aren’t.
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin – Learning
The Art of War by Sun Tzu – Philosophy
The Bed of Procrustes by Nassim Taleb – Philosophy
A great collection of aphorisms that gets you thinking. It summarizes Taleb’s philosophy of antifragility and asymmetry in life well. Don’t read this as your first Taleb book.
The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb – Decision Making | Statistics
Changed my thinking about sudden, unexpected events. It provides models that help maximize the potential for sudden success while minimizing the risk of sudden ruin. The writing style is not for everyone.
The Book of Life by Krishnamurti – Philosophy
A conversational and enlightening book that covers topics as time, perception, brain and transformation. The material is heavy but digestible because of its daily 1-page nature.
The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo – Philosophy
A book on the history and spirit of the art of Japanese tea-making. Strong emphasis on its Taoist and Zen Buddhist roots. Great introduction for a Westerner to these Asian philosophies.
The Boron Letters – Marketing
Legendary copywriter Gary Halbert’s personal letters to his son. Contains life, entrepreneurship and copywriting advice.
The Innovation Stack by Jim McKelvey – Business Biography
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene – Psychology
The Lessons of History by Will Durant – History
A 120ish page summary of his 11-volume The Story of Civilization. Touches on developments in economy, politics, philosophy and other social changes throughout history. Heavy emphasis on the Western world and suffers from survivorship bias but a great starter book on human & societal development. History doesn’t repeat itself but human nature does.
The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant – Biography | Sports
The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler – Psychology
The Mental Game of Poker 2 by Jared Tendler – Psychology
The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller – Business | Management
My summary and lessons learnt (in Dutch): Video | Audio | Blog
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick – Business | Sales
A short and practical book for testing (business) ideas and holding conversations with potential customers. Filled with useful questions and checklists. Wish I had read this earlier in my career.
The Pirate’s Guide to Sales by Tyler Menke – Relationships | Sales
The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim – Business | Fiction
The Power Broker by Robert Caro – Biography | History
This massive 1200-page biography has won every award imaginable and for good reason. Robert Moses shaped the physical nature of New York for 40+ years and his influence is felt around the world. This book covers his ascent, control and loss of power. Many things to learn from his life. Extremely well-researched and well-written. The only reason I don’t rank it higher is its length.
The Robert Collier Letter Book – Marketing
A great, nearly 100-year-old book on copywriting with tons of examples and technique breakdowns. Can’t go wrong studying this if you want to write more persuasively.
The Silva Mind Control Method by Jose Silva – Mindfulness
The Tao of Philosophy by Alan Watts – Philosophy
Alan Watts contrasts Eastern and Western philosophies. You’ll question basic assumptions that you’ve never examined, but which have dominated your life so far.
The Theban Plays by Sophocles – Fiction
The 3-part story of Oedipus and the origin of Freud’s Oedipus Complex. A different style from modern-day fiction but easy to follow and well-written nonetheless. These plays have a lot to teach about human nature.
The Third Door by Alex Banayan – Biography | Relationships
The Tycoons by Charles Morris – History
Great historical overview of Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gould and J.P. Morgan, their businesses and the times they lived in.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – Business | Philosophy
Read this article as a counter-argument to what Napoleon Hill preaches in this book.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman – Psychology
Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt – Business
University of Berkshire Hathaway – Investing
Notes of 30 years of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meetings by 2 investors. Great summary with added context. Still can’t beat watching/listening to the actual meetings though.
When Coffee & Kale Compete by Alan Klement – Business | Marketing
Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel – Learning | Philosophy
Zen in the Art of Archery is an enjoyable first-hand account of a Westerner (German) learning about Zen Buddhism through Japanese archery over multiple years.
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki – Philosophy
Optional Books
A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway – Fiction
I found this Hemingway’s most interesting work. The succinctness of his dialogues – for which he became known – really shines in this book.
A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition by Ernest Hemingway – Biography
Interesting to read about Paris in the 1920s but not very engaging or practical. There are more interesting biographies out there.
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers – Business Biography
Derek Sivers’ (contrarian) philosophy on life and business, including examples from his time building CD Baby. A nice read for anyone feeling overworked, stressed or thinking every company needs to become a billion dollar business.
Blockbusters by Anita Elberse – Business | Marketing
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James Collins – Business
Business for Punks – Business Biography
Create a crusade, not a company. A strong focus on how BrewDog created and lived its crusade. There’s little on James Watt. It reads like a 200+ page advertising campaign but has useful lessons for entrepreneurs.
Catalyst by Chandramouli Venkatesan – Business | Philosophy
Charlie Munger The Complete Investor by Tren Griffin – Investing
A short introduction to (1) value investing and (2) Charlie Munger’s way of thinking. The book is filled with Munger quotes. Great starting point for those interested in investing or Munger; a skip for everyone else.
Common Stocks And Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher – Investing
This bible of growth investors provides a useful 15 point framework to qualitatively evaluate companies. Combined with a more quantitative value approach, you can get a more complete picture of a possible investment. But it’s not worth the 300 pages; a good summary gives 99% of the value.
Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway – Writing
Stephen King’s “On Writing” is more enjoyable, practical and insightful.
Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb – Decision Making | Statistics
A good primer on the effect of randomness and asymmetry in our life, in business and in the world. Not as practical as Taleb’s Antifragile or Black Swan.
For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway – Fiction
How The Mighty Fall by James Collins – Business
How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big by Scott Adams – Biography
Scott Adams’ philosophy on life and attaining success. Lots of practical perspectives and (simple) systems to apply to your life. “Timing drives success. Try different things, ensuring you fail forward, until you get timing down by luck. Prioritize personal energy.”
How To Read A Book by Mortimer Adler – Learning
The classic book on becoming a better reader that could’ve been half as long. The system Adler outlines to “read better” works best with non-fiction. This book changed my reading list: I no longer read books written in the last 5-10 years.
Investing: The Last Liberal Art by Robert Hagstrom – Decision Making | Investing
Hagstrom covers a few mental models from different fields – such as physics, biology and psychology – and how they can be applied to improve investment decisions. He neglected some important mental models and could’ve covered more ground. Seeking Wisdom provides more.
Making Websites Win by Karl Blanks – Marketing | Technology
More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places by Michael Mauboussin – Decision Making | Investing
A primer on mental models in investing. Easier to read and more entertaining than Seeking Wisdom, but less than half the depth and breadth. The second half is repetitive and redundant.
My Inventions: The Autobiography Of Nikola Tesla by Nikola Tesla – Biography
Tesla’s autobiography. Devote yourself to something, read in leisure. Work on the biggest idea or problem. Build up ideas in your imagination.
Nature Via Nurture by Matt Ridley – Biology | Science
An extension of Genome. In 1 sentence: Genes are designed to take their cues from nurture.
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi – Relationships
One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch – Investing
Out Of The Crisis by W. Edwards Deming – Business
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz – Psychology
Risk Game – Biography
Billionaire real estate mogul and literary agent Francis Greenburger shares his life and professional lessons. Compared to Sam Zell’s biography, it’s heavier on his personal life and various relationships. Entertaining, less to learn from.
Science of Yoga by Ann Swanson – Health
An amazing book on what different yoga poses do to the body. The first 40 pages explain all the “systems” in our body in language a 10-year old can understand. The illustrations are a great aid too. For anyone interested in yoga or a better understanding of our bodies.
Sell It Like Serhant by Ryan Serhant – Business Biography
Nothing groundbreaking, but has quite some practical advice you can implement directly in your life.
Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa – Philosophy
Shift – Business
Gary Keller – from Keller Williams, a large real estate agency – shares a 12-step plan for real estate agents to deal with a down-market. He focuses on the fundamentals, which resonates with me. Very useful for agents, useful for entrepreneurs and investors, useless for everybody else.
Skin In The Game by Nassim Taleb – Decision Making | Statistics
Taleb dives deep into (1) skin in the game, (2) Lindy Effect, (3) Minority Rule, (4) static vs dynamic equality. For fans of Taleb or books on risk and asymmetry. Read Antifragile first.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson – Fiction | Sci-Fi
Sophocles: Four Tragedies by Sophocles – Fiction
Some overlap with The Theban Plays (above), the remaining two stories – Ajax, Philoctetus – have interesting character developments in their own right, but can’t measure up to the Oedipus trilogy.
Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training by Thomas Kurz – Body | Sports
Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management by Taiichi Ohno – Management
The Acquirer’s Multiple by Tobias Carlisle – Investing
Shorter and easier to read than Deep Value and tells the same story: (1) use the Acquirer’s Multiple to find the most undervalued stocks and (2) buy them with the largest margin of safety to give yourself the best odds to (3) benefit from mean reversion. Could be 3/4 shorter.
The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin – Biography
Benjamin Franklin recounts his life until the late 1750s and shares his life lessons and best practices.
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi – Philosophy
Musashi’s book on developing expertise and living a focused life. It had a stronger impact at age 24 than it did when I reread it at 31.
The Captain Class by Sam Walker – Leadership
The Complete Greek Tragedies: Aeschylus by Aeschylus – Fiction
These plays were written before Sophocles and are very, very different from modern fiction. Aeschylus focuses more on the setting and much less on character development. Very interesting style I haven’t seen before, but not for everyone. Prometheus Bound was his best play. The Oresteia trilogy was a good read too (and a classic). Skip his 3 remaining plays.
The Complete I Ching by Alfred Huang – Philosophy
This book of divination is the foundation on which Chinese philosophy (Confucianism, Taoism, among others) is built. Like the Tao Te Ching, its depth is insane. There’s a lot to learn but only for those really interested in the topic.
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday – Philosophy
The Education of a Value Investor by Guy Spier – Biography | Investing
Spier’s journey from a typical Harvard Business grad turned Wall Street investor to a secluded, calm and life-enjoying value investor. Heavy on self-reflection and one’s inner journey, light on investment advice.
The Evolution of Everything by Matt Ridley – History
The flywheel of history is incremental change through trial and error, with innovation driven by recombination. A decentralised, bottom-up, trade-centric approach leads to more innovation, prosperity and less violence. Interesting read, but ridden with confirming anecdotal evidence.
The Fish That Ate The Whale by Rich Cohen – Biography | Business Biography
A recount of the American banana industry from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century, with a focus on the rise and fall of Sam Zemurray (Sam the Banana Man). Long-winded, but many lessons for entrepreneurs.
The Future Is Faster Than You Think by Peter Diamandis – Technology
The Greatest Salesman In The World – Sales
A combination of The Richest Man in Babylon and Think and Grow Rich but focuses on sales. More about spirit, less about technique. “A great salesman (1) improves knowledge of self, mankind and product; (2) practices and improves 1 sales pitch; (3) improves his manners and grace.”
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz – Business Biography | Management
Ben Horowitz’ war stories from founding, growing and taking VC-backed technology companies public in the 1990s to mid-2000s. Outlines in detail how he dealt with many situations, but I think you’re better off reading Drucker or Grove.
The Little Book Of Sideways Markets by Vitaliy Katsenelson – Investing
Bull markets are often followed not by bear markets, but by sideways markets in which P/E ratios revert to the mean and most stock returns come from dividends. Buy-and-hold works well in bull markets; an active buy-and-sell approach works better in sideways markets. Focus on companies with the right Quality, Growth and Value characteristics.
The Little Book Of Valuation by Aswath Damodaran – Investing
Provides relative and intrinsic valuation methods for stocks of businesses in all stages of their lifecycle. A very in-depth explanation. Also includes business drivers for each type of business. Beware that this is just one man’s way of valuing businesses.
The Most Important Thing Illuminated by Howard Marks – Investing
A great book on the philosophy and emotional side of investing and all its nuances. Commentary throughout the book is great too. Not recommended for beginning investors, however, as the concepts and way of writing are quite advanced.
The Power To Compete by Hiroshi Mikitani and Ryoichi Mikitani – Business | Economics
How did Japan lose its way? Can it come back?
In The Power to Compete, Rakuten founder Hiroshi Mikitani and his economist father lay out a five-point plan for revitalizing Japan’s economy, which includes relaxing regulations on business, encouraging innovation, engaging more globally, and building up the “Made in Japan” brand.
The Sports Gene by David Epstein – History | Sports
The Tiger: A True Story Of Vengeance And Survival by John Vaillant – Biography | History
An exciting, albeit drawn-out, retelling of man vs man-eating tiger in Russia’s Far East. Reads like good fiction.
The Unfettered Mind by Takuan Soho – Philosophy
Letters and essays from a 17th-century Japanese Zen Buddhist monk. Easy to read, difficult to grasp what Soho was aiming for – as is the case with most Zen texts. I recommend Zen in the Art of Archery and Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind over this book.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield – Productivity | Writing
Great writers are professionals who show up every day. Everyone who struggles is an amateur that waits for inspiration. Writing is a craft and a job. View it that way and everything becomes easier.
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss – Learning
Traction – Marketing
This book helps you strategically decide which customer acquisition channels suit your business and how to approach it tactically. I appreciated the interviews with practitioners who built their businesses on 1 specific channel.
Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss – Learning
Ultralearning by Scott Young – Learning
Unscaled – Technology
How AI will affect different industries and the way we do business. Taneja predicts AI will “unscale” industries and everyone (can) become a business of 1, instead of the large corporations we have today. Nothing earth-shattering but made me rethink leverage. Appreciated the historical overviews of each industry.
Value Investing: From Graham To Buffett And Beyond by Bruce Greenwald – Investing
A good beginner book on value investing. The first half covers valuation and investment principles; the second half covers multiple value investors and their different styles.
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis – Fiction
Take Awareness (above), personify it in Zorba, wrap it in a early 19th century Greek setting and have him talk with and share experiences with a literate everyday man. A novel with philosophical components that’s easy and entertaining to read. The writing has a lot of personality so it’s not for everyone (it was for me).
Skip These Books
A Few Lessons From Sherlock Holmes – Decision Making
A compilation of Sherlock Holmes quotes, meant to improve logidcal thinking and decision making. Perhaps it’s the source material, perhaps because it’s Bevelin’s first book, but this is nowhere close to the level of his Seeking Wisdom.
Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman – Mindfulness
Offers a lot of scientific support to the benefits of meditation and mentions a few different types of meditation, but offers little in the way of implementing it in your own life.
Breath by James Nestor – Health
Read The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath instead. If you want to read about a man’s self-experimentation with mouth (bad) and nasal (good) breathing, read this book.
Either way, the TL;DR is: breathe deeply, more slowly and through your nose at all times to improve your health and mood.
Deep Value by Tobias Carlisle – Investing
240 pages of research results, anecdotal evidence and Graham, Buffett and Icahn quotes and stories to make the case that (deep) value investing is the way to invest in stocks. Limited how-to. Read the shorter, less academic The Acquirer’s Multiple instead.
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman – Psychology
A lot of fluff. Read Goleman’s Primal Leadership instead.
Factfulness by Hans Rosling – History
We (humans & society) are doing better than you think we are. As a civilization, we make progress every day. I saved you 8+ hours of reading. You’re welcome. Want examples or statistics? Then read the book.
Four Tragedies by Sophocles – Fiction
The remaining plays of Sophocles are simply not as interesting as nor have the depth of the ones above.
Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got by Jay Abraham – Business
Jay Abraham shares his methodology to grow your business by (1) maximizing what you have and (2) multiplying that maximum. Great ideas and checklists but instead of reading this book you’re better off watching his YouTube seminars (which are great).
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success by Adam Grant – Psychology
Had high hopes but was quite disappointed. The title says it all. This book could have easily been a blog post. Not to mention how common sense it is.
Hooked – Marketing
An organized, surface-level summary on habit formation (read Atomic Habits instead) and heuristics (read Wikipedia instead).
Irrational Exuberance by Robert Shiller – Investing
An attempt to explain booms and busts in financial markets. Long-winded, boring and there is a danger to become oblivious to the real causes: leverage and human psychology. Read A Short History Of Financial Euphoria instead.
Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens – Philosophy
A great writer and a contrarian thinker that rambles on. It’s light on advice for a budding contrarian or young individual.
Made To Stick – Psychology
Read the introduction and you’ll know everything you need to know. There’s some value in their SUCCESs framework but doesn’t warrant an entire book.
Mastering The Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish – Business | Management
Identify your business’ chokepoint, have 1 priority, only plan 10-25 years and 3 months, keep everything stupidly simple and the best data is firsthand data. All you need from this book. For more, read Titan instead.
The $100 Startup – Business
Highlights of people who attained “freedom” as an entrepreneur or online business owner on a shoestring budget. Shallow and feels like a series of blog posts. Motivational maybe but lacks utility.
The E-Myth Revisited – Business
Work ON your business, not IN your business. Thpat’s all you need to remember.
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek – Business
Treat life and business not as finite games with winners and losers but as infinite games with no defined endpoint and changing rules and players. Focus on your next step. That’s all there is to the book. Happy to have saved you some time and money.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries – Business
Supposed to be the book that started the lean startup ideology, but surprisingly light in useful detail. Read Zero To One by Peter Thiel instead.
The Manager by Mike Carson – Management | Sports
Dry, dull and poorly written with generic management advice. Little background. Read The Effective Executive (management) or The Score Takes Care Of Itself (sports) instead.
The One Thing by Gary Keller – Productivity
Focus on one thing. Saved you some money and time. Atomic Habits by James Clear is vastly superior.
The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley – History
Life now is better than at any point in humanity’s past and living standards will continue to rise as long as we encourage trade, exchange and specialization. Read The Wizard And The Prophet for a more nuanced view.
The Red Queen by Matt Ridley – Biology | Science
Matt Ridley’s first book on biology and natural selection, full of logical flaws and sloppy arguments. Read his much better Genome instead.
The Sticking Point Solution by Jay Abraham – Business
Jay Abraham provides playbooks to overcome the 9 most common struggles businesses face (in a recession). Useful, but longer than needs be. I recommend his YouTube seminars over this.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway – Fiction
Out of his 4 prized works (not including his short stories), this is his weakest.
The Torrents of Spring by Ernest Hemingway – Fiction
Entertaining but unremarkable.
The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes – Business | Sales
Chet Holmes provides a decent overview of sales and running a sales department, with examples and checklists. But I found nothing that wasn’t better said in other business books. And after reading this I reaffirmed my belief: sales is learnt by doing, not by reading.
Zero to One by Peter Thiel – Business
Be contrarian: think for yourself. In business it pays to: be a last-mover, dominate your niche, scale up, create a monopoly. We should celebrate bold founders. I found it useful at age 20, weak at age 30.