Influential Books
via hashmil
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” — Mark Twain
Here’s a list of the best books I’ve read. I believe there’s two kinds of books: those you keep and those you don’t. These are the kind you should hold onto if you’re interested in building a personal library.
This is by no means a definitive list. It’s a work in progress and I’ll be updating this page over time.
BOOKS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE:
“The Four Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss. Reinforced a lot of things I already believed, especially in regards to simplifying life. Tim’s blog is also worth checking out. I don’t agree with all his views, but he does make a number of strong arguments.
“Getting Things Done” by David Allen. Great system for personal productivity. My biggest problem has been figuring out the best way to organize myself in the physical world (Pen and paper? Tickler file? Etc.) My solution: I’ve been using Toodledo which is a free web-based app.
“Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. Excellent book on networking. Although WHAT you know is important, there’s no denying that WHO you know can have an even greater impact on your future success.
“Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. I read this book years ago and it has lots of fundamentals, like having a mastermind group, that everyone should be familiar with.
“How To Win Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. It’s a timeless classic – highly recommend it.
I also like “The Ultimate Gift.”
SALES & MARKETING:
“Why We Buy” – Great book for understanding consumer behavior, especially in the retail environment.
“Perfect Pitch” – Most people assume that their PowerPoint or Keynote slides are their presentation – they’re wrong. This book is about all the necessary preparation you need to do before, during and after you step in front of a group.
“Truth, Lies and Advertising” – An Account Planning classic. Should be read by every Planner and Planner wannabe. “Master Class in Brand Planning” is also essential reading.
“The Culting of Brands” – Breaks down the similarities between Religion and Branding. It’s fascinating and important to the understanding of how brands engage people.
“How to Become a Rainmaker” – Jeffrey Fox is another great author who writes short, punchy books in the style of Seth Godin and Jeffrey Gitomer.
Malcolm Gladwell is a wonderful author and storyteller. He’s like the Planner’s Planner and one of the most insightful writers today. I highly recommend “The Tipping Point“.
“How to Master The Art of Selling” by Tom Hopkins and “Secrets of Closing the Sale” by Zig Ziglar. I like Jefferey Gitomer’s books too and he has a great e-newsletter.
“The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” – Although this book is a little dated, it’s still a nice reference to have.
OTHER BUSINESS BOOKS:
“First, Break All The Rules” by Marcus Buckingham. Simply one of the best business books ever written – great for understanding how to put together a team. It’s a must read for managers.
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni and “Death By Meeting“
“Rework” by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson. Full of intelligent thinking. This is the kind of book you want to keep on or near your desk.
CAREER:
“Now, Discover Your Strengths” – Also by Marcus Buckingham
“What Color Is Your Parachute?” – This was one of the books I read during my recent career change. It should be required reading in every high school.
“Guerrilla Marketing For Job Hunters” – Spending hours in front of your computer applying to job postings on Monster.com and similar sites is a waste a time. This guide gives practical advice to finding the job your want.
PERSONAL FINANCE:
“The Millionaire Next Door” – The next time you get depressed and jealous when you’re watching a 14 yr old on “MTV Cribs” in his 10,000 sq. ft. house, read this to understand how people truly become wealthy.
“The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need” – The book covers basically everything you need to know, plus Andrew Tobias is a terrific writer.
“The Millionaire Real Estate Investor” – How to play real life monopoly.
POLITICS/GOVERNMENT
“Parliament of Whores” by P.J. O’Rourke. He has a gift for writing – one of my favorite authors along with Gladwell, Godin and ESPN’s Bill Simmons.
SCIENCE & EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY:
“Sperm Wars” – This is a great introduction to Evolutionary Psychology. No matter what you do in life, there’s few things (if any) that are more important than understanding people. This books discusses, among other things, why people are unfaithful and how they choose mates.
“The Definitive Book of Body Language” – If you apply the information in this book it will literally change the way you see people.
FICTION:
Lord of the Flies – On one level it’s an adventure. On another level it’s a deep symbolic dive into the psychology of a society that struggles with laws.
Fight Club – Essential reading for the current generation of young guys, although it’s impossible to read this without thinking about the movie.
MORE LINKS:
Take a look at my Amazon Wish List to see what I’ll be reading next.
Tim Ferriss And Kevin Rose Discuss Their Top 5 Must-Read Books
Fingerspitzengefuhl for Books: Developing a Fingertip Feel for Everything You’ve Ever Read by Ryan Holiday
Read to Lead: How To Digest Books Above Your “Level” by Ryan Holiday
How To Incorporate Reading Into Your Daily Life and Why It’s Important, Dummy! via Scordo.com
Fifteen Tactics for Maximizing Your Investment in Reading for Personal Growth via The Simple Dollar
How To Read via Copyblogger
How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler
How to Read PDF from University of Michigan
The Personal MBA Manifesto
Twelve Ways to Mark Up A Book by Open Loops
You’re the first person I’ve met who’s also read Culting of Brands! I liked it, too.
Nice. It was recommended when I went to Miami Ad School. Great book on Marketing/Branding. I still need to read Made To Stick, Long Tail, Wisdom of Crowds, etc. etc.