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My Favorite Books

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”— George R.R. Martin

81 reading list entries

The Lessons of History

The Lessons of History book cover

Will and Ariel DurantHistory / Biography

The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels

The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels book cover

Jon MeachamHistory / Biography

The American Spirit

The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For book cover

1776 book cover

David McCulloughHistory / Biography

The Bill of Obligations

The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens book cover

Richard HaassHistory / Biography

A Certain Idea of America

A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings book cover

Peggy NoonanHistory / Biography

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin book cover

Benjamin FranklinHistory / Biography

John Adams book cover

David McCulloughHistory / Biography

Leadership: In Turbulent Times

Leadership: In Turbulent Times book cover

Doris Kearns GoodwinHistory / Biography

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt book cover

Edmund MorrisHistory / Biography

Truman book cover

David McCulloughHistory / Biography

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. book cover

Ron ChernowHistory / Biography

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World: 10th Anniversary Edition book cover

Niall FergusonHistory / Biography

The House of Morgan

The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance book cover

Ron ChernowHistory / Biography

1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation book cover

Andrew Ross SorkinHistory / Biography

Elon Musk book cover

Steve Jobs book cover

Walter IsaacsonHistory / Biography

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind book cover

Yuval Noah HarariHistory / Biography

Man’s Search for Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning book cover

Victor FrankelHistory / Biography

Meditations (Penguin Classics) book cover

Marcus AureliusScience / Mental Training

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success book cover

Carol DweckScience / Mental Training

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance book cover

Angela DuckworthScience / Mental Training

The Almanac of Naval Ravikant

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness book cover

Eric JorgensonScience / Mental Training

The Stoic Virtues Series (Collection)

Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave (The Stoic Virtues Series) book cover

Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control (The Stoic Virtues Series) book cover

Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. (The Stoic Virtues Series) book cover

Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. (The Stoic Virtues Series) book cover

Ryan HolidayScience / Mental Training

The Daily Stoic

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living: Featuring new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius book cover

Ryan HolidayScience / Mental Training

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less book cover

Greg McKeownScience / Mental Training

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds book cover

David GogginsScience / Mental Training

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom book cover

Don Miguel RuizScience / Mental Training

The Art of War: The Essential Translation of the Classic Book of Life (Penguin Classics) book cover

Sun TzuScience / Mental Training

Awareness: Conversations with the Masters book cover

Anthony DeMelloScience / Mental Training

A Calendar of Wisdom

A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts book cover

Leo TolstoyScience / Mental Training

How to Know a Person

How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (Random House Large Print) book cover

David BrooksScience / Mental Training

The Happiness Files

The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life by Arthur C. Brooks book cover

Arthur BrooksScience / Mental Training

Clear Thinking book cover

Shane ParrishScience / Mental Training

The Rational Optimist

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves book cover

Matt RidleyScience / Mental Training

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World book cover

David EpsteinScience / Mental Training

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing book cover

Daniel PinkScience / Mental Training

Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity

Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity book cover

Jamie MetzlScience / Mental Training

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams book cover

Matthew WalkerScience / Mental Training

The Art of Learning

The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance book cover

Josh WaitzkinScience / Mental Training

Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Acceleration

Thank You for Being Late book cover

Thomas FriedmanScience / Mental Training

Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success (P.S.) book cover

Matthew SyedScience / Mental Training

The Impossible First

The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice―Crossing Antarctica Alone book cover

Colin O’BradyScience / Mental Training

Thinking in Bets

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts book cover

Annie DukeScience / Mental Training

The Carpenter: The 3 Greatest Success Strategies of All book cover

Jon GordonScience / Mental Training

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups book cover

Daniel CoyleLeadership / Culture

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success book cover

Adam GrantLeadership / Culture

The Leader’s Greatest Return

The Leader's Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders book cover

John C. MaxwellLeadership / Culture

Wooden on Leadership

Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization book cover

John Wooden, Steve JamisonLeadership / Culture

The Captain Class: The Hidden Force Behind the World’s Greatest Teams

The Captain Class: A New Theory of Leadership book cover

Sam WalkerLeadership / Culture

Leading Matters: Lessons from My Journey

Leading Matters: Lessons from My Journey book cover

John HennessyLeadership / Culture

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership – A New York Times Bestselling Author's Memoir of Success book cover

Colin PowellLeadership / Culture

Solitude and LeadershipWilliam Deresiewicz (lecture delivered at West Point)Leadership / Culture

What You Do is Who You Are

What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture book cover

Ben HorowitzLeadership / Culture

Principles: Life and Work

Principles: Life and Work book cover

Ray DalioLeadership / Culture

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action book cover

Leaders Eat Last

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't book cover

Simon SinekLeadership / Culture

Leadership is Language

Leadership Is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don't book cover

Turn the Ship Around

Turn The Ship Around! book cover

David MarquetLeadership / Culture

Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (New Edition) (Extreme Ownership Series, 1) book cover

Jocko Willink and Leif BabinLeadership / Culture

Team of Teams book cover

General Stanley McCrystalLeadership / Culture

Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell

Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell ― A Bestselling Guide to Management and Mentorship book cover

Eric Schmidt, J. Rosenberg, A. EagleLeadership / Culture

Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility book cover

Patty McCordLeadership / Culture

Coming Back Stronger

Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees book cover

Drew BreesLeadership / Culture

Poor Charlie’s Almanac

Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger book cover

Charles T. MungerBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder LettersWarren BuffettBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator book cover

Ed LefevreBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone book cover

Satya NadellaBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution book cover

Walter IsaacsonBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Measure What Matters

Measure What Matters: The Simple Idea that Drives 10x Growth book cover

John DoerrBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

The Infinite Game

The Infinite Game book cover

Simon SinekBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World book cover

Adam GrantBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers―Straight Talk on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship book cover

Ben HorowitzBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future book cover

Peter ThielBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Play Nice but Win

Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from: A CEO's Journey From Founder To Leader book cover

Michael DellBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

I Love Capitalism

I Love Capitalism!: An American Story book cover

Ken LangoneBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success book cover

William ThorndikeBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 people

High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 People book cover

Elad GilBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Blitzscaling book cover

Reid HoffmanBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Loonshots book cover

Safi BahcallBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces that Will Shape our Future

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future book cover

Kevin KellyBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, 20th Anniversary Edition book cover

The Ideal Team Player

The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues (J-B Lencioni Series) book cover

Patrick LencioniBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE book cover

Phil KnightBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Stubborn Attachments

Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals book cover

Tyler CowenBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup book cover

John CarreyrouBusiness / Entrepreneurship / Investing