[Project in progress]
Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
— Albert Einstein
When considering a book, I usually spend a significant amount of time going through reviews before diving in (i.e. as Derik Sivers does, c.f. this excellent interview). With audiobooks, I allow myself a little more leeway, as the ingesting format is a little more superficial. Once in a while, I also force myself to read something I think I would otherwise not want to.
While I take a look at any book list I can find, my three main sources of inspiration are:
- Mark Manson’s book list (my favorite non-fiction author)
- Derik Sivers’ book list (including his excellent notes)
- Book list from “influential” people compiled by Tim Ferriss.
For the past two years or so, these are my favorite reads:
- The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins
- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
- QualityLand by Marc-Uwe Kling
- The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
- Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber
- Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson
- Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser
- Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber
- The Retreat of Western Liberalism by Edward Luce
As a 13th very recent read I would also add
- Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air by David J.C. MacKay
(Although a little outdated, but still brilliant to get one’s head around the energy world.)
These are the 13 books I would recommend most out of 42 books I have read/listened to over the past 2+ years. Full list (in google sheets) available below with links, personal ratings, associated recommendations and including books I plan to read next. I’d also be very interested in any recommendation of your part, so feel free to shoot me a message!
Link to read books & on deck book list.
More in-depth reviews coming soon :).
Gordon Schücker 