Jesse's Reading List

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

• HOAX by Brian Stelter
• The Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne
• How to Live or a Life of Montaigne by Sarah Blakewell

 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

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 (9/10) // 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 (8/10)
• 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 (8/10) // 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 (8/10)
• 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

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 (8/10)
• How Does a Story Start? Notes on the Inciting Incident and How to Make it Work by Steven Pressfield (8/10) // 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 (8/10) 
• Why Write? Meditations on Fame, Money, Self-Actualization, and Other Stuff by Steven Pressfield (9/10)
• 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

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

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

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