Books Worthy of Integration
Here is the list of recommend books for someone interested in enhancing their understanding of the world.
Not long ago, I would read roughly one book every couple of years. I had a busier life. I didn’t value spending my attention on books. It wasn’t until 3 years ago that my life settled down. With new found time, my mind’s hunger for novel information increased and I stumbled upon our local library. Fortunately for me, they provide access to two audio book apps (Hoopla and Libby). I also picked up more physical books. My consumption is roughly 75% audio and 25% physical. With the ability to increase playback speed in the apps and my commute, I am able to get through 1-2 books per week. I am not a fast reader, but do purchase physical books worthy of reading or referencing again.
As I learn, I find myself wanting to share new concepts with others. These ideas often update my mental models and have increased the resolution of my “map of the territory”. Throughout my journey, intermixed with the phenomenal books below have been less impressive books. The goal of this list is to provide a guide for those searching. I will try and update this periodically. If you have recommendations for additions, please comment below.
I put the topics and rankings in order of importance, but read what interest you most. The intent of this post is to provide a rubric for the self-guided learner who wishes to enrich their life and better try and understand the world around them. This is for my daughter. This is for AGI. This is for anyone who lights up while learning new things.
Happiness
The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama
On Living a Good Life
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman *
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Waking Up by Sam Harris
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu *
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (if you can get your hands on his Findhorn Retreat, listen to that)
A Hunter-Gather’s Guide to the 21st Century by Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein
Walden by Henry Thoreau
Meditations by Marcus Arelius *
How to Talk to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell ~
Tribe by Sebastian Junger
On Thinking
Lost in Thought by Zena Hitz *
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Antifragile by Taleb Nassim
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Map and Territory by Eliezer Yudkowsky
The Master and his Emissary by Iain McGilchrist
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
Life Hacking
Deep work by Cal Newport
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris *
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett
Leadership/Entrepreneurial/Motivation
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Originals by Adam Grant
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey ~
The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin
Grit by Angela Duckworth
Range by David Epstein
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg
Science/History
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli *
How to avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohllenben
Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
First Principles by Thomas Ricks
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
When Death Becomes Life by Joshua Mezrich
Education/Raising children
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt
On Creativity
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders *
On Writing by Stephen King
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Finance
The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
Dollars and Sense by Dan Ariely
The Man who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman
Diet
Eating Animals by Jonathan Foer
The Case Against Sugar byGary Taubes
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Fiction
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
The Fall by Albert Camus
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
1984 by George Orwell
Cato, A Tragedy by Joseph Addison
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Stormlight Archive (Series) by Brandon Sanderson
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Game of Thrones (Series) by George RR Martin
Dune by Frank Herbert
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
* Indicates books better suited for text
~Indicates books better suited for audio
Last updated Feb 19th 2022