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Essential books

I’m often asked for book recommendations. These are the books I think everyone should read and anyone can benefit from, regardless of interests, occupation, background, etc.

This page is inspired by Derek Sivers and Tom Bilyeu, whose recommendations I adore.

Nonfiction

The criteria for a book to make this list is that it must have made a big difference for me, I must personally rate it 9+/10, have recommended it 10+ times, and be useful for a wide range of situations and people.

  1. Mindset
  2. Grit
  3. The Art of Possibility (my notes)
  4. The Power of Habit
  5. Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender
  6. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
  7. Mastery
  8. The Talent Code
  9. So Good They Can’t Ignore You
  10. Linchpin
  11. Deep Work
  12. Man’s Search for Meaning
  13. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
  14. The War of Art
  15. The Infinite Game
  16. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
  17. Turn the Ship Around
  18. Start With Why
  19. Leaders Eat Last
  20. Designing Your Life
  21. Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
  22. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  23. How Will You Measure Your Life?
  24. Why We Make Things and Why It Matters
  25. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
  26. The Simple Path to Wealth
  27. Principles
  28. Awaken the Giant Within
  29. The Personal MBA
  30. The Untethered Soul
  31. The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
  32. Essentialism
  33. The Dip
  34. No More Mr. Nice Guy
  35. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
  36. On Writing Well
  37. How to Be an Imperfectionist
  38. How to Read a Book
  39. How to Take Smart Notes
  40. Fluent Forever
  41. Abundance
  42. Radical Candor: Be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity
  43. Nonviolent Communication

Fiction

The criteria for a book to make this list is very simple: I must love the story and/or the story must have really impacted me. YMMV. These are not ranked per se, just noted here.