Business
Active Listening by Carl R. Rogers
Key reading for getting better at negotiations
Source: Chris Voss’s recommendation to Jordan B. Peterson (PN)
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
One of the best books about philanthropy
Source: Brent Beshore’s recommendation to Shane Parrish (PN)
Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan
A simple guide to creating great advertisements
Source: Chris Beresford-Hill and Tim Ferriss in discussion (PN)
Words That Work by Frank Luntz
Mastering the art of words
Source: Chris Beresford-Hill and Tim Ferriss in discussion (PN)
Economics
The Creature From Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin
Analysis of bank bailouts
Source: Michael Saylor and Peter McCormack in discussion (PN)
Broken Money by Lyn Alden
“Money” is the biggest total addressable market in the world, and the money now is currently broken
Source: Dylan LeClair recommendation (PN)
The Great Wave: Price Revolutions and the Rhythm of History by David Hacket Fischer
Explores the recurring cycles of price inflation throughout history, connecting economic trends to broader social and cultural changes
Source: Rudyard Lynch’s recommendation to Tom Bilyeu (PN)
Fiat Food: How Government, Industry, and Science Manufacture the Foods We Eat by Matthew Lysiak
Why inflation has destroyed our health and how Bitcoin may fix it
Source: Matthew Lysiak’s appearance on We Study Billionaires (PN)
Entrepreneurship
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
One of the most commonly recommended books for entrepreneurs
Source: Multiple
Only The Paranoid Survive by Andrew Grove
Must read for all entrepreneurs
Source: Morgan Housel and Chris Williamson in discussion (PN)
Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours by Noah Kagan
The idea of starting a business is often so overly romanticized that people never make the jump into entrepreneurship
Source: Noah Kagen’s appearance on Deep Questions with Cal Newport (PN)
Mastery by Robert Greene
The value of mastering a skill set
Source: Sam Parr’s recommendation to Andrew Wilkinson (PN)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
How to overcome creative roadblocks
Source: Chris Beresford-Hill and Tim Ferriss in discussion (PN)
Chase, Chance, and Creativity by James Austin
Talks about how certain people attract luck and how luck can be created
Source: Mike Maples, Jr. recommendation to Lenny Rachitsky (PN)
Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb
The impact of randomness and luck on success
Source: Cyrus Yari and Iman Olya book review (PN)
Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb
“You cannot separate knowledge from contact with the ground. Actually, you cannot separate anything from contact with the ground.” – Nassim Taleb
Source: Cyrus Yari and Iman Olya book review (PN)
Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw
“I got married at Carnegie Hall because of my love for Andrew Carnegie… He did a lot of bad things, but he was mostly amazing” – Sam Parr
Source: Sam Parr’s recommendation to Andrew Wilkinson (PN)
Tycoon’s War by Stephen Dando-Collins
Cornelius Vanderbilt: How his mind worked and why you wouldn’t want to compete against him
Source: David Senra book review (PN)
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
Most successful entrepreneurs can be honest family men, too
Source: Sam Parr’s recommendation to Andrew Wilkinson (PN)
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How To Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo
Nobody had more compelling presentations than Steve Jobs
Source: David Senra book review (PN)
How To Be Rich by J. Paul Getty
“I would like to convince young businessmen that there are no surefire, quick, and easy formulas for success in business” – J. Paul Getty
Source: David Senra book review (PN)
Sam Walton: The Inside Story of America’s Richest Man by Vance H. Trimble
Discover the rags-to-riches tale of billionaire Sam Walton, founder of the discount chain Wal-Mart and America’s richest man, in this study of old-fashioned values like honesty and hard work
Source: David Senra book review (PN)
Investing
What I Learned About Investing From Darwin by Pulak Prasad
How to beat the market, the biggest mistakes investors make, why history is more important than projections, and how natural selection applies to investing
Source: Kyle Grieve book review (PN)
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
Understanding the difference between price and value
Source: Bill Ackman’s recommendation to Lex Fridman (PN)
The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway
“America is a loving, generous place if you have money. It is a rapacious, violent place if you don’t.” – Scott Galloway
Source: Scott Galloway’s appearance on The Rich Roll Podcast (PN)
A Mathematician Plays The Stock Market by John Paulos
Source: John Paulos appearance on Infinite Loops with Jim O’Shaughnessy (PN)
Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger understood incentives and human psychology, but never used that knowledge to manipulate others
Source: Warren Buffett’s recommendation to shareholders (PN)
Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition by Michael J. Mauboussin
Making decisions is part of life, this is how you make better ones
Source: John Paulos and Jim O’Shaughnessy in discussion (PN)
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson & Financial Intelligence: A Manager’s Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean by Karen Berman and Joe Knight
Books that Ateet Ahluwalia gives people who join his firm
Source: Ateet Ahluwalia recommendations to Jim O’Shaughnessy (PN)
eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work by Randall Stross
An intriguing insider’s look at the rise of Silicon Valley through the lens of the pioneering venture capital firm Benchmark Capital
Source: Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan in discussion (PN)
Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
How the insiders got exposed
Source: Joseph Stiglitz and Tyler Cowen in discussion (PN)
Productivity
Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity by Gloria Mark
Illustrates four myths about attention span
Source: Cal Newport book review (PN)
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting The Right Things Done by Peter Drucker, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Three books that embody the evolution of productivity
Source: Cal Newport recommendation to Chris Williamson (PN)
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
How to embrace the fact that you can’t do everything
Source: Cal Newport recommendation to Chris Williamson (PN)
Leadership
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Great lessons about running a business and being a leader
Source: Marc Andreessen’s recommendation to Rick Rubin (PN)
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Frequently recommended over and over again this year
Source: Bill Gurley, Michael Mauboussin, and Patrick O’Shaughnessy in discussion (PN)
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Sci-fi novel but also a great way to study leadership
Source: Tim Ferriss recommendation to Chris Williamson (PN)
Art of War by Sun Tzu
Do not assume that your enemy thinks in a similar way that you do
Source: Source: Jocko Willink recommendation (PN)
Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker
A captivating journey through his encounters with remarkable individuals who influenced his thinking and shaped the world of management
Source: Jim O’Shaughnessy’s recommendation to Ateet Ahluwalia (PN)
Motivation
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho & Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks
Helped Mike Posner on his spiritual journey
Source: Big Sean recommendations to Mike Poser (PN)
Driven From Within by Michael Jordan
Written during his career peak
Source: David Senra book review (PN)
Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
The key insights into Michael Jordan’s competitive spirit and how it made him the greatest basketball player of all time
Source: Ben Wilson book review (PN)
Deep Thinking
The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch
Naval Ravikant praises David’s work, considering him the smartest human alive
Source: Naval Ravikant and Niklas Anzinger in discussion (PN)
The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self by Thomas Metzinger
“Life is not a mystery anymore” – Thomas Metzinger
Source: Thomas Metzinger’s appearance on Making Sense with Sam Harris (PN)
Gold by Haleh Liza Gafori (a new translation of Rumi’s poems)
Remedy for overthinking before bed
Source: Tim Ferriss recommendation to Chris Williamson (PN)
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