My Reading List

I feel very lucky to be living in a time where I have access to more books than I could ever read in three lifetimes. I have a large personal library. Most of the books I own are ok. Some are good. And very few of them are great. I don’t skim books. I read them. Slowly. I underline passages. I write inside of them. Then I compile my notes into a journal before moving some of my thoughts to my Things I Want to Remember About the Books I Have Read and Various Other Notes section of my site.

This is a very time intensive process, but I have come to determine it’s the best way for me to absorb the material. Because of my poor memory, I make these notes for myself – but I’m happy to share them here with you. They are not meant to represent a formal review nor a complete synopsis of the book. There are plenty of people out there who do a fantastic job doing those things. If you are looking for a review or synopsis of a particular book, I’m sure Google can help you find what you’re looking for.

NOTE: If you are an author, and you do not want me to post my personal notes on my website, you can email me and I will remove them from my site.

THESE ARE THE BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY READING

The Great Mental Models Vol 1

READ THESE BOOKS BEFORE YOU DIE

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (AMAZON)
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus and Sharon Lebell
Smartcuts by Shane Snow
You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles & Ted Orland

THESE ARE THE BOOKS I HAVE READ (NOT A COMPLETE LIST – STILL WORKING ON THIS PROJECT)

These are the books I’ve been fortunate enough to have time to read. These are ranked in no particular order and this list is far from complete. I have done my best to assign some kind of point system here, which is completely arbitrary and may change over time. If you want to read my notes on these books, you can click the titles below or hit this link.

PHILOSOPHY/LIFE

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius // Mar ’18, June '20
How to Keep Your Cool by SENECA // Mar ’19
How to Be Free by Epictetus // Feb ’19
Gratitude by Oliver Sacks // Jan ’19
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
Words of Gratitude Mind Body & Soul by Robert A. Emmons and Joanna V. Hill // Jan ’19
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
The World According to Mister Rogers Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers // May ’19
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport // Feb ’19
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Taming the Tiger Within by Thich Nhat Hanh
You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh
Fail Fail Again Fail Better Pema Chodron
No Mud, No Lotus by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
Buddhism for Dudes by Stribling
The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer
Does Santa Exist by Eric Kaplan
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Already Free by Bruce Tift
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff // Nov ’19
The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff
Dancing with Life by Phillip Moffitt
Strength in Stillness by Bob Roth
Travels with Epicurus by Daniel Klein
The Trolley Problem by Daniel Klein
Buddhism is Not What You Think by Hagen
The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Dude and The Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman
The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield // Jul ’19
The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus and Sharon Lebell // '20
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen // June '20
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca // July '20
A Field Guide to a Happy Life by Massimo Pigliucci // Oct '20
Hell Yeah or No what's worth doing by Derek Sivers // Nov '20
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson // Dec '20
Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way by Lao Tzu, a New English Version by Ursula K. Le Guin // Jan '21
Tao Te Ching: A New English Version by Lao Tzu (translated by Stephen Mitchell) // Jan ' 21
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb // Feb '21
Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl // Mar '21
The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff // Mar '21
The Boy Who Would Be King by Ryan Holiday // Dec '21
How To Live 27 Conflicting Answers and One Weird Conclusion by Derek Sivers // Dec '21
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday // Dec '21
Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke // Mar '22
This is Water: Some Thoughts Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace // Mar '22

WRITING/ART

The Artist’s Journey by Stephen Pressfield // Nov ’18
Save the Cat The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder // Apr ’18, Apr. '20
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
How Does a Story Start? Notes on the Inciting Incident and How to Make it Work by Steven Pressfield // 2019, Apr '20
Wabi Sabi for Artists, Poets, Designers, and Philosophers by Leonard Koren // Mar ’19
What Is Your Story About? The Centrality of Theme in the Creative Process by Steven Pressfield // 2019, Jun '21
Why Write? Meditations on Fame, Money, Self-Actualization, and Other Stuff by Steven Pressfield
The Professional Mindset Notes on Mental Toughness for Writers and Artists by Steven Pressfield
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
The Artist’s Journey by Steven Pressfield
Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit by Steven Pressfield
On Writing by Stephen King
Blinking with Fists by Billy Corgan
What It Is and How It Is Done by Crispin Glover
The Art of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell // Nov ’19
Bad Baby by Patrick McDonnell // Dec ’19
PEANUTS A Tribute to Charles M. Schulz // Apr '20
The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley // May '20
Urban Watercolor Sketching by Felix Scheinberger // June '20
A Day in the Life - 24 Hours in the Trenches vs. Resistance by Steve Pressfield // Sept. '20
A Wealth of Pigeons by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss // Nov '20
Keep Working and Other Thoughts on the Inner Struggle of the Writer and Artist by Steven Pressfield // Dec '20
Is this anything? by Jerry Seinfeld // Dec '20
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott // Dec '20
Addams' Apple: The New York Cartoons of Charles Addams by Sarah M. Henry and Luc Sante // Jan '21
The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin // Oct '21
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles & Ted Orland // Dec '21

OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES

Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived by Laurence Shames and Peter Barton // Jan ’19
Kids in the Hall One Dumb Guy by Paul Myers (8/10) // Jun ’19
Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis
The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood by Tom King
Life and Def by Richard Simmons
Book of Drugs by Mike Doughty
I Am the New Black by Tracy Morgan
Manhood by Terry Crews
Let’s Start a Riot by Bruce McCulloch (8/10) // Aug ’19
Looking for Calvin & Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell // Oct ’19
Permanently Suspended: The Rise and Fall… and Rise Again of Radio’s Most Notorious Shock Jock by Anthony Cumia
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance // Dec ’19
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? By Roz Chast // Feb '20
Ghostbuster's Daughter by Violet Ramis Stiel // May '20
Disloyal by Michael Cohen // Sept. '20
I Must Say by Martin Short // Dec. '20
When Life Gives You Pears by Jeannie Gaffigan // Dec. '20
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick // Jan '21
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin // Aug '21
It's Not Easy Being Me by Rodney Dangerfield // Jan '22

PSYCHOLOGY/CREATIVITY/PARENTING/SELF-HELP

Grit by Angela Duckworth
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Optimistic Child by Martin Seligman
Brave Parenting A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Children by Krissy Pozatek // Oct ’18
Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins
It’s Not All About ME by Robin Dreeke
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life by Ross Roberts
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Maximize Your Potential by 99U
Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear by Hugh MacLeod
Manage Your Day-To-Day by 99U
Shine by Chris Barez-Brown
Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams
Creativity by John Cleese // Oct. '20

SCIENCE/PHYSICS/MATH

The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins
Global Weirdness by Climate Central
A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
Biocentrism by Lanza, MD
Pleased To Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are by Bill Sullivan // Oct ’19

CULTURE/SOCIETY/MUSIC

The Modern Savage by James McWilliams
Ten Billion by Stephen Emmott
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy
Sex, Bombs, and Burgers by Peter Nowak
Coming Apart by Charles Murray
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
Culturematic by Grant McCracken
Managing Artists in Pop Music by Weiss
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell // Nov ’19
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell // Nov ’19
Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward
It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump by Stuart Stevens // Sept '20
Rage by Bob Woodward // Oct '20
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories by Hunter S. Thompson // Dec '21

BUSINESS/MARKETING/FINANCE

Smartcuts by Shane Snow (10/10) // Jul ’19
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
The Dip by Seth Godin
Tribes by Seth Godin
Linchpin by Seth Godin
This is Marketing by Seth Godin
All Marketers are Liars (Tell Stories) by Seth Godin
What To Do When It’s Your Turn by Seth Godin
The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin
Poke the Box by Seth Godin
Small is the New Big by Seth Godin
V is for Vulnerable by Seth Godin
Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin
We Are All Weird by Seth Godin
Dataclysm by Christian Rudder
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Give and Take by Adam Grant
The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
Guerilla Marketing Weapons by Jay Conrad Levinson
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Promote Like a Pro: Small Budget, Big Show by Linda Radke
60 Seconds and You’re Hired by Robin Ryan
Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck
The Anatomy of Buzz by Emanuel Rosen
Built to Last by Collins/Porras
Competing for the Future by Hamel/Prahalad
Make Your Mark by 99U
Evil Plans by Hugh MacLeod
REWORK by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
The One Thing by Gary Keller
Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod
Your Career in the Comics by Nordling
Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky
Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday
Social Media is Bullshit by B. J. Mendelson
It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden
Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness by Dan Zarrella
Read This Before Your Next Meeting by Al Pittampalli
FREE by Chris Anderson
Renegades Write the Rules by Amy Jo Martin
The Science of Marketing by Dan Zarrella
This Business of Music Marketing & Promotion by Lathrop/Pettigrew
This Business of Music by M. William Krasilovsky and Sidney Shemel

HEALTH/WELLNESS/FOOD

The End of Heart Disease by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan
Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss
Shred It by Robert Cheeke
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Eat This and Live by Don Colbert
Meatonomics by David Simon
Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish // Jan '21

FICTION

The Knowledge by Steven Pressfield
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Pet Sematary by Stephen King // Aug ’19
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone // Feb '20
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets // Mar '20
Big Fish by Daniel Wallace // July '20
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate // Oct. '20
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery // Jan '21
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger // Apr '21
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin // Apr '21
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby // Sept '21
Wink by Rob Harrell // Jan '22
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel // Feb. '22

COMICS/GRAPHIC

The Complete Collection of Calvin & Hobbes Books 1-4 by Bill Watterson
Exploring Calvin & Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue by Bill Watterson
Calvin & Hobbes Sunday Pages 1985-1995 by Bill Watterson // Oct ’19
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey // Jan '21
The Bad Guys: Mission Unpluckable by Aaron Blabey // Jan '21
The Bad Guys: The Furball Strikes Back by Aaron Blabey // Jan '21
Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi // Apr '21
Amulet 2 by Kazu Kibuishi // Apr '21
Amulet 3 by Kazu Kibuishi // Apr '21
Cul de Sac V1 by Richard Thompson // Apr '21
Amulet 4 by Kazu Kibuishi // Apr '21
Amulet 5 by Kazu Kibuishi // Apr '21
Amulet 6 by Kazu Kibuishi // May '21
Amulet 7 by Kazu Kibuishi // May '21
Amulet 8 by Kazu Kibuishi // May '21
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Fox? // May '21
Bone 1 - Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith // May '21
Bone 2 - The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith // May '21
Bone 3 - Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith // May '21
Bone 4 - Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith // May '21
Bone 5 - Rock Jaw by Jeff Smith // June '21
The Far Side by Gary Larson // June '21
Beyond The Far Side #2 by Gary Larson // June '21
Cul de Sac V2 by Richard Thompson // July '21
In search of the Far Side by Gary Larson // July '21
Bride of the Far Side by Gary Larson // July '21
It Came from the Far Side by Gary Larson // July '21
When Pigs Fly a BatPig Book by Rob Harrell // Nov '21
Trubble Town by Stephan Pastis // Dec '21
Sheets by Brenna Thummler // Mar '22