From all the books I have read I would recommend these most strongly: Feeling Good, How To Win Friends & Influence People, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.
This list is based on the order in which I read them.
True stories from 19th and 20th centuries figures ranging from Lincoln to Rockefeller all demonstrate how to be a nice person and the wonders it can have in dealing with people. I’d sign a petition to append this to the bible.
7 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend. Worth rereading.
Wisdom of a life well lived. There is no doubt of the author’s authenticity and no doubt that all who read this will be better off for it.
13 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend. Worth rereading.
Dating, parking, sock drawers, slot-machines, vacation days, auctions, and more fascinating crossovers of computer science theory into everyday life decision making, strategy, and business.
11 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
Accumulate assets and “pay yourself first”. An interesting perspective on money with some practical advice squeezed between endorsements of skeevy business practices and non-sense
6 hour audiobook. Read with caution.
An entertaining mix of pop-culture and hindsight bias from one man’s interpretation of historical patterns, modern icons, and success stories.
7 hour audiobook. For entertainment only.
A seminal work in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I started this book habitually depressed and oversleeping during the day, finished this book feeling empowered with a new perspective and energy for life. Actions precede motivation.
13 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend. Worth rereading.
I even bought the hard-copy after listening to it to read it again and to share.
Life is not an emergency, your inbox won’t be empty when you die, and other easy bite-sized life lessons that can reduce stress and change the world for the better.
4 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend. Worth rereading.
This book made me confident that I’m more of a listen-learner than a visual-reader. A good reminder to introspect and pursue one’s strengths.
1 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
Both surprising and not surprising insights based on clinical research that can put some science handles around your goals through healthy practices of body and mind.
8 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
Questionable ethics, brash, intense, empowering, snake-oily, braggy, do-it-now, selfish, and travel-blogging are some words that come to mind about this book. Those who make it through can learn the benefits of delegating/outsourcing, automating, remote-working, the business value of time, and the cult-like perspective of the “New Rich”.
13 hour audiobook. Read with caution.
Charmingly optimistic with very loose and flowy motivational ideas. Not super memorable but keeps a positive message for a wide audience.
10 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
Are you pushing a ‘pull’ door? User error is design error. This human interface design guide by an academic and the first person with “User Experience” in his title at Apple makes the case for the pleasure of functionality and ease of use.
8 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
Invest half in index funds and half long term bonds. A thicc brick of value investing complete with outdated examples, laws, and language that bore the reader and distract from Benjamin Graham’s wise and proven approach to investing. Thank god for Jason Zwiegs chapter summary/comments/sparknotes.
10 hour audiobook. Take it or leave it. (or just read Zweig’s chapter comments)
Cringey rap quotes and other unrelatable CEO stories for the lay-entrepenuer from the personal memoirs of Ben Horrowitz. An interesting story sprinkled with pointers relevant to dealing with product development, employees, sales, funding, partnerships, and risk taking.
8 hour audiobook. Take it or leave it.
A short, witty, anti-establishment perspective on how to do business today. The author successfully persuades the reader of his opinionated ideas about company culture, product, customer relations, work time and meetings. He even explains how to do (some) of it.
3 hours. Would recommend to a friend.
Revolution, power, murder, public work projects, and sound-bytes. A terrifying illustration on how language and strategic force can be used to control social hierarchy and government.
3 hours. Would recommend to a friend.
So descriptive the story and chronology of events get lost in the language. What I did manage to understand was a real downer about how difficult life can be and the horror or racism.
1 hour audiobook. Would not recommend to a friend.
Nearly started crying in the middle of downtown San Francisco because of how inspiring these real battle stories of physical and mental toughness are. The words of this decorated Navy Seal Admiral form a dose of human spirit in a book.
2 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
A basketful of small business success stories that found personal independence where passion and low startup costs aligned with a market need.
8 hour audiobook. Take it or leave it.
Thiel takes himself very seriously and has some radically contrarian and crisp ideas. These thought provoking big ideas may not translate well to someone trying to start a business smaller than Google.
5 hour audiobook. Read with caution.
A bizarre bromance of two extraordinary Israeli veterans, thinkers, and academicians who changed the economics game by uncovering systemic irrationality of man.
10 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend.
Personal goal setting is huge, organizational goal setting is huger. Perhaps this book sells itself on the greatness of it’s own ideas more than it explains the implementation.
8 hour audiobook. Take it or leave it.
Fascinating and well told history of science told from 6 angles: clean, cold, glass, light, sound, time. All of Chigaco was lifted on stilts, ice was once a struggling new product, fiber glass was made from a bow and arrow, candles were homemade from animal fat, the first recording device had no playback, and the time zones were created by a train engineer.
3 hour audiobook. Would recommend to a friend
No surprises here. Still a good reminder about how to deliver an effective presentation broken down and supported with convincing stories and data. Plus there is a library of examples you can watch online.
8 hours. Take it or leave it
.