'20-'21 Books Read

Books Completed 2021 (Reverse Chronological Order)

* - A book I really enjoyed

* + Orange Text - Favorite that I will reread

108. *Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant

Motivation for Reading:

I have read Think Again, Give and Take, and Option B which were all authored by Grant. I think I have also heard him on a podcast, and this book has been brought up in a number of places. 

Takeaways:

This book truly had a lot of fantastic takeaways from a number of different fields. I really like that as I am reading and encountering more information through books, podcasts, classes, and daily life, that similar ideas or concepts continue to come up. I really have liked how Adam Grant presents different concepts in his books, and it is clear that he is well-liked by a lot of people through his success as an author and as a Wharton professor. Although not all of the claims made in this book are scientifically proven or rigorously tested, I still find it interesting when people are able to draw parallels between people or across fields and draw conclusions that can inform guidance. I found a lot of similarities between this book and the books of Malcolm Gladwell in that Grant took ideas or concepts that were pretty familiar and came up with counterintuitive or surprising explanations for why different original strategies came about and how they were effectively implemented. He talks about sports, business, politics, entertainment, and other categories while bringing in tools and knowledge from a range of different disciplines. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone who finds themselves interested in learning more about these concepts.

107. *AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, And The New World Order by Kai-Fu Lee

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was quite thought-provoking. I was surprised at the different areas that it touched upon and felt that I learned a lot about China and Chinese culture that I was not previously aware of. In a world where AI seems to be in the news a lot, and technology continues to implement it in novel ways, I think that it is important to learn about what the implications are for the future of different aspects of our lives. I think that this book would provide value to anyone looking to learn more about AI and how it will impact our lives in different ways in the near and distant future, as well as learning about why some companies or countries will have advantages or disadvantages in a world revolutionized by it. This book, along with the others that I have read recently, makes me think that the next several decades of world history will be extremely innovative and chaotic times which will probably not be all that fun to live through, but at least won't be boring.

106. *Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies by Nik Bhatia

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

If you look at this and the last two books I've read, you can see a common theme. I think this book did a really good job of explaining the evolution of money throughout history. I took a class called Financial History that touched on a lot of the same topics, but this book did a great job of hitting all the key points, and also showed how Bitcoin and digital currencies fit into the same framework. The reality of the world today is that digital currencies will be the future of money, and it is pretty cool to be living through a time of such monumental change. I have come across a lot of resources for learning more about Bitcoin over the last year, and this book explained a lot of the value proposition and basic concepts very well. I found this book very informative and I will definitely recommend it to people who are curious as to how Bitcoin fits into our current monetary ecosystem, and what the path forward may look like.

105. The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny by William Strauss and Neil Howe

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was incredibly interesting if nothing else. The authors basically looked through all of history and found various patterns for different generations that seem to imply that progress and time within societies move cyclically rather than linearly and arcs with similar traits have repeated across cultures and time. I am not sure how much I agree with the premise that these turnings are destined to happen and that attitudes of different generations are so predictable, but it was interesting as a concept nonetheless. I think that looking at any large series of data looking for patterns is bound to yield results, but I feel that a lot of the points discussed made sense to me. I especially liked the history of different US generations and seeing how the attitudes about various aspects of life changed over time. I feel that my values and beliefs solely stem from me, but seeing the undulations from generation to generation and how much the world around us influences our personal viewpoints really made me reconsider how my value system might have been different if I lived in a different time. Although the predictions made in the book have not all come to fruition, many of them were somewhat accurate, and at a minimum, show how we can use history to make informed guesses about what tomorrow may bring. It is easy to think that we are the only people to go through the struggles that we encounter every day, but it seems that every generation goes through its own sets of challenges.

104. *The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation Is the Key to an Abundant Future by Jeff Booth

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on the primary investing podcast that I listen to, and Jeff Booth has come on as a guest numerous times and always has interesting things to say.

Takeaways:

I feel that I learned a lot from this book. This was a pretty good summary of Booth's interpretation of the current state of affairs in the world when it comes to technological advancement and the global economy. I have heard a lot of the sentiments in this book expressed elsewhere, and while I do not fully understand all of the details and interplay between a lot of the factors, it is my understanding that this viewpoint is largely accurate. Whether or not the predictions will come true, or the policy recommendations are reasonable is another question, but I felt pretty much all of his claims were quite reasonable. It is definitely unpopular to essentially call out the global financial system and go against the grain in his various claims, but I think it is important to make a point of things that seem dangerous especially if it seems everyone else is ignoring them. I found myself agreeing with a lot of what Booth discusses, but also feel that it is not reasonable to expect one person to have viable solutions for so many interwoven problems, and in that sense, it is sufficient and still helpful to just make note of and discuss these issues even if an immediate solution is not found. 

103. *What Every BODY Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navarro

Motivation for Reading:

This book was talked about briefly on a podcast where Joe Navarro was a guest, and it seemed like it would be a good read based on my interest in psychology/human behavior.

Takeaways:

Especially as I have read other books or encountered sources that discuss the psychological or evolutionary reasons behind common behaviors and responses, this book was a great read. I really enjoyed how Navarro only talked about scientifically proven or at least heavily studied movements and explained in detail the reasons or triggers that motivate different actions. This is one of those books that after you read it you instantly start noticing and looking out for the behaviors discussed which really helped the book come to life. The lessons that I learned from this book have already been incorporated into different aspects of my life and have informed me on different ways to read body language, and also helped to make sure that my body language is aligned with the messages I am delivering in order to communicate most effectively. 

102. *Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World by Rutger Bregman

Motivation for Reading:

This book was mentioned on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. It touched on some of the same ideas that I have encountered in other books but also dealt with a lot of somewhat controversial and non-mainstream ideas. I think that the research presented in this book helped to open my eyes and make me rethink my stances on several issues that I had never given much thought to. While I definitely did not find myself agreeing with all of the premises that were set forth by the author, it was good to hear the arguments presented with data versus the typical emotionally charged ways that they are presented in conversations or on TV/ in media. I would say that the majority of points in the book resonated with me quite well, and it definitely has pushed me to think more about the various concepts and do some more research into whether or not these somewhat radical and progressive ideas are actually viable. I would recommend this book to anybody who is thinking about what the future of work and government could potentially look like.

101. *WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink

Motivation for Reading:

This book is relatively popular and I had read and enjoyed the book Drive by the same author. 

Takeaways:

This is the kind of book that is right up my alley. It talks about various aspects of human psychology and how our brains work and also gives interesting stories that are somewhat unexpected. There are also the elements of advice and recommendations that are made which can be very useful for me at different stages of my life. I think that the author makes a very good point in showing how the "when" of our actions often takes a backseat to the how or why, which while important, can be negatively impacted if the timing is off. It is books like these that show just how far we have come with science and research to the point where you read it and think that it is crazy that people do not take these points into consideration. Given that this book was relatively short, I could see myself going back to it, or at least reviewing the end of chapter summaries and tidbits of advice.

100. Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live by Nicholas A. Christakis

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended to me by a Princeton alum that I met with a few weeks ago.

Takeaways:

I think that this book would be an interesting read at just about any time, but it seems like now was especially interesting considering that it was published in October of last year, 10 months ago, and as such, had many predictions about how things would play out and offered advice and guidance given the current amount of information which was significantly less than is available now. It is somewhat shocking to see how soon we forget about all of the craziness that happened, even though it has all taken place in a relatively short amount of time. It was also very fascinating to see that nearly all of the behaviors and reactions to the pandemic that we have seen over the last year and a half have actually happened in one way or another to human beings at another point in our history. I think that this book may be helpful to me as I go to write my thesis this year.

99. *Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Motivation for Reading:

Honestly, I kind of came across this book by accident. It was one of the most popular books on my library app and I had thought it was more of a non-fiction self-help sort of book, but after reading the reviews and the premise I decided I would give it a try. 

Takeaways:

I was pretty blown away by this book. It was super entertaining from start to finish and I can see why this book has gained so much popularity. The story is basically about a girl who grows up pretty isolated in an extremely religious family that is essentially a cult. With no formal education, she is able to escape from her family and get a world-class education and experience the real world. All throughout the time though she is still dealing with the absolute craziness that is her family and continues to question whether or not she is making the right choice by abandoning the life she grew up with. It is truly an incredible story and I would recommend it to just about anyone. It has definitely given me a new perspective with respect to my upbringing and how I approach my own education. 

98. *Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Motivation for Reading:

This book is a classic and was mentioned on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

I did not know much about this book before going into it, but I ended up being pretty pleasantly surprised. I think especially within the context of what I have been reading lately and some of the ideas that I have been wrestling with, this book was very interesting to read. It really made me think about some of these crazy dystopian ideas, that quite honestly, are not too far off from being possible, and try to think of exactly what is problematic with them outside of the fact that they feel so wrong given the current state of the world. It is definitely a good exercise to think through the long-term effects of a lot of the decisions that are being made day-to-day at some of the leading companies in the world. I think I will continue to try to read and engage with some of these classic works of fiction because so far I have enjoyed the process.

97. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

Motivation for Reading:

This book was another recommendation from my boss.

Takeaways:

I really did not know that much about Teddy Roosevelt before reading this book, but my boss speaks highly of him and has told some stories that have relayed his status as a tremendous leader. I think it is extremely interesting to see how many things are somewhat the same from the late 1800s to today, and also how many things are so vastly different. It was a very thorough history and biography of his life and the events surrounding it, and it was almost difficult to comprehend what a different world it was back then. Stories of him traveling all over and communicating with people all without cars or planes or any type of advanced communication system were really astounding. Also seeing how legitimate of a leader he had to be to be sent through the ranks to his ultimate candidacy was really interesting. I guess that is more of a recent shakeup with Trump being president sort of out of nowhere compared to Teddy Roosevelt who had various leadership roles throughout the government and armed forces and even fought in a war. I suppose I am glad that we are not actively engaged in those types of wars and America has risen to the status of the dominant world power, but I think we have lost a lot of the good qualities that came about from that sort of patriotism and national identity instead of the phony version that exists today. This book really made me wonder what Teddy would think if he was alive today with all of the craziness of the modern world.

96. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Motivation for Reading:

This book has been recommended on a number of podcasts and other sources.

Takeaways:

This book was extremely powerful. I really have not read a lot or learned about day-to-day life for prisoners in the Nazi death camps. Hearing about all that this man went through and the struggles and adversity that he was directly faced with gives him a unique perspective with respect to finding purpose in suffering. I think his philosophy was pretty stoic in nature in the sense that we can not always control the situation we are in or choose the suffering and pain that we experience, but we can control how we respond to it. This is something that Frankl felt played a crucial role in his survival thorugh the concentration camps. By finding a purpose and meaning in his struggles and not setting arbitrary dates or deadlines for when his suffering would come to an end, he was able to remain strong and not have a victim's mentality. It is important to learn about history and just what horrible things man is capable of, but I am glad that Frankl was able to survive and pass on the lessons that he learned from his experience because I know that they have helped millions and will likely go on to help millions more for generations to come. 

95. *The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential by Wim Hof

Motivation for Reading:

I have learned about Wim through a few other sources and thought that getting the full story would be interesting and beneficial.

Takeaways:

This is one of those things that you learn about and then wonder, "why isn't everybody talking about this?" This man, who admittedly looks, acts, and sounds a little bit out there, has proven scientifically that through breathing and cold exposure we are actually able to change our body's chemistry and activate and enhance parts of our bodies and minds that were previously thought to be inaccessible. The more I learn about the body and mind I feel like there are a lot of simple things that we could do in our daily lives that have tremendous benefits for our physical and mental wellbeing. I think a lot of these practices have existed in the Eastern cultures for thousands of years, and through the centuries have been lost by Western cultures due to a variety of reasons. Simple things like breathing and meditation have now been scientifically proven to have positive effects on the body and mind so it is no longer a fringe idea to believe in the power of these techniques. I definitely would recommend this book to anybody who is hesitant about the efficacy and legitimacy of these practices.

94. *The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler

Motivation for Reading:

This was another recommendation from my boss.

Takeaways:

I am actually very glad that my boss recommended this book because I don't think that it is something that I would have otherwise come across, and yet I feel like I learned a lot from it. The book centers on the concept of flow, which I have heard in several other books that usually use it in a business-related context. This book uses flow as the potential reason for the extreme acceleration of performance in different action and adventure sports. I learned for the first time about a lot of these sports and legendary figures that paved the way for innovation and advancement in various areas. It was very interesting to learn about the parallels to normal life and these extreme sports and how we can leverage the same tools that have pushed human beings to, and beyond, their limits to accomplish different types of tasks. I think this book was especially interesting in its search for a meaning for life, and also in the conclusion when thinking about the future and how, with the advancements in technology, humans may be able to successfully harness and leverage this natural performance enhancer, and take humanity to an entirely new level.

93. *Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Motivation for Reading:

This book had been on my list for quite some time courtesy of my podcast, but reading Digital Minimalism and my boss recommending it pushed me to finally get into it.

Takeaways:

Overall I definitely enjoyed this book. I can see why it has the popularity that it has among different communities. I think that I agree with the main arguments of the book and can see how this book influenced the writing of Digital Minimalism, mainly because it seems that Digital Minimalism is almost a precursor to achieving and maximizing the potential of true deep work. I sympathize with some of the author's claims about how the modern world and especially the younger generations struggle to get into a flow state or engage in deep work most of the time, and I acknowledge that I struggle with this in my own life with smartphone usage and the infinity of possibilities that it brings me at a moment's notice. I think I need to take the well-outlined advice in this book and re-learn how to be bored again.

92. *Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang

Motivation for Reading:

I first heard about Jia's story on a podcast several months ago and looked into his story but never got around to reading the full book.

Takeaways:

I am really glad that I got around to reading this book. I had done some research on Jia's story through his blog, his videos, and a TED talk that he gave. This book gave a lot more information and went into some personal detail on the lessons that he learned along his unorthodox journey of finding his passion. As someone who is preparing to enter the job market in the next year, I think that I read this somewhat as a cautionary tale to not get comfortable in taking the safe route. I feel that I related to Jia's struggle in that I really have not had to deal with rejection much in my life. Through my natural gifts, I have been able to put myself in a position where I have made teams, and gotten into schools. I know that I will need to face rejection at some point in my life, and this story inspires me to get ahead of it and seek it out so that I can dominate it and not let it hold me back. This was an easy read and I would definitely recommend it to anybody interested in the concept of rejection therapy.

91. *21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

Motivation for Reading:

I read and enjoyed both Sapiens and Homo Deus so wanted to complete the most recent installment.

Takeaways:

I liked this book and found it somewhat similar to the content of Homo Deus in the sense that it was forward-looking, but I appreciated how it went into a number of new topics as well. Sapiens and Homo Deus were both very interesting from the perspective that they both taught me a lot of new information or presented information I had previously heard in a new and interesting way. As with his other books, I did find some claims or statements that I did not fully agree with, but I like the way in which he looks at issues with a variety of lenses and probes for deeper questions that are a step or two beyond what we may each individually think about or even bring up in conversation. I enjoyed the thought-provoking nature of all three of these books and I believe that they have definitely changed my perspective and outlook on a number of factors, and offered me new techniques for critical thinking.

90. *The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin

Motivation for Reading:

My boss recommended this book.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. Not only was it an incredibly interesting story, but it also had a lot of unique lessons and perspectives that would be hard to acquire elsewhere. I really did not know anything about the author going into this read so I was impressed at his eventful and extremely successful life journey. Becoming world-class in both chess and martial arts all before the age of 30 and going through ups and downs along the way gives him a very unique viewpoint on the world. He was able to illustrate a lot of the lessons that he has learned through his experiences regarding overcoming failures and obstacles, reducing superfluous variables in day-to-day life, and dominating the psychological aspect of performance. I think this is definitely a book that I may want to revisit down the line, and in the meantime, I will seek out some podcasts and articles to learn more about Josh Waitzkin.

89. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

Motivation for Reading:

I saw this book come up in a few places and my dad recommended it.

Takeaways:

I enjoyed reading this book and even though it is specifically talking about being in sales and how to navigate the customer-vendor relationship, I think that a lot of the lessons can be applied to just about any job. I liked how the book went through different types of salespeople and highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of each. I think that a lot of the book revolved around switching the framing of what people might typically think of as the best way to pitch to a customer. I think that it is helpful to learn the tips and techniques taught because they are reasonable, effective, and seem to be rooted in psychology which I have learned is an incredibly important part of almost any job. I would recommend this to anyone who is involved in sales or wants to learn more about effective sales techniques. 

88. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings by Philip A. Fisher

Motivation for Reading:

This book is also a pretty well-known staple for people learning about investing. 

Takeaways:

I thought this book was pretty interesting and it was nice to learn some wisdom from Phil Fisher as I have read and enjoyed a book by his son Ken, and my brother currently works for Fisher Investments. It is always interesting to see which lessons become antiquated and which stand the test of time. This book, written over 60 years ago, still has a lot of investment advice that would be relevant today. Although the markets are very different, I think that the bottom-up ways that Fisher approaches stock picking are timeless and can help not only with investing but also to generally get a sense of how businesses are run. This was a pretty quick read and I think it was valuable and worthwhile to learn all of the components that made up Fisher's basic checklist for evaluating companies' business prospects.

87. One Up On Wall Street: How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In The Market by Peter Lynch and John Rothchild

Motivation for Reading:

This is a pretty well-known staple for people learning about investing.

Takeaways:

Although this was not the full book that I read, as the Audible version was an abridged copy, I still think I got the gist from what I was able to access. I think that the guidelines for investing and tips that are offered are still pretty sound advice and will definitely be helpful as I start on my investment journey. I think that oftentimes the realm of finance can be confusing for outsiders, oftentimes by design, so it is nice to have a reminder from an insider that nearly anyone can get above-average stock returns by following certain guidelines and looking for opportunities in the market that are overlooked by bigger players for a number of reasons. While I did enjoy this book, I do not think it is worth me getting the full version as I have been finding similar advice in other books, podcasts, and online.

86. Infinitesimal: How a Dangerous Mathematical Theory Shaped the Modern World by Amir Alexander

Motivation for Reading:

A friend recommended I read this book.

Takeaways:

Overall I thought this book was very interesting. Although I have gotten away from the math/science world since I changed my major to Economics, I still have a strong appreciation for numbers and different mathematical concepts. This book had a lot more history than I was expecting and as such, got a bit dry at times going over dates and peripheral information which, while interesting, tends to make me less engaged. However, I did really like learning so much about math and how significant of an impact such a seemingly inconsequential theory would have on not only mathematics but really society as a whole. Additionally, learning about how much influence religion used to have and all of the various drama and chaos that was caused as a result of mathematic and scientific advancement was surprising. Reading this book definitely changed the way I think about the history of math, science, and surprisingly, religion.

85. *The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz

Motivation for Reading:

I heard of this book in a song by Kota the Friend and I thought it would be a good read.

Takeaways:

This book was very short and had a lot of wisdom packed into its few pages. I definitely enjoyed it and liked how a lot of the advice that is given is similar to that of other philosophies that I have been learning about during this last year. It especially resonated with a lot of the Stoic philosophy that I have gotten more into in recent months basically about taking control of our lives and not letting the outside world influence how we feel. I think that I will try to put the advice from this book into practice in my life but I recognize, as it says in the book, that I will probably fail continuously for quite some time before I can perfect the lessons and attitudes, but based on my current knowledge and opinions I think that the struggle will be worth it in the end.

84. *Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Motivation for Reading:

I enjoyed Sapiens and this book was also highly touted.

Takeaways:

I think I may have actually enjoyed this book more than Sapiens merely because it led me to think about a lot of things in a different way than I had before. Sapiens definitely opened my eyes to a very different version and perspective of human history than I had ever heard or learned elsewhere and even though I did not agree with all of the points that were made it definitely changed the way I thought about things. This book was almost better in that regard because it summarized a lot of Sapiens but also went beyond things that have happened already and projected into the future and what may come to be. Some of the arguments and thoughts were maybe not 100% sound, but the lines of reasoning and questioning that led to those thoughts and some of the questions he wrestles with were certainly very interesting and worth thinking about more deeply.

83. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

Motivation for Reading:

I heard Cal on a podcast I listen to and also have had some of his other work on my list for a while. This book became available on my library app and I thought it would be interesting.

Takeaways:

I thought this book laid out a lot of the arguments that I have heard against the misuse of social media and technology in a very intelligent and succinct way. I also feel that there was a very solid framework for how to go about living this minimilistic lifestyle and apply the lessons taught in the book in an effective way. I have been trying to ween myself off of some of these technologies in the past few weeks and have been failing a lot so I think I will try to apply a diet version of some of these tactics in my own life. I know eventually I want to get to a point in my life where I am pretty much off of all of these social media platforms because I have learned so much about their harmful effects on mental well being, but unfortunately at least while I am in school, it seems like a somewhat necessary evil. This book definitely outlines potentially helpful strategies and illustrates their success through various stories and examples which was very helpful.

82. *Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

Motivation for Reading:

This book was pretty popular on my library app and seemed like it could offer some helpful tips for my life.

Takeaways:

I was surprised by how much I learned from this book. It definitely has changed the way I think about breathing in a lot of areas of my life such as while working out, during the day, and during meditation. There was a lot more information about history and evolution than I was initially expecting. In a lot of books and information that I have been reading lately, I have really come to realize just how young America and even parts of Europe are. There is a lot of ancient wisdom and advice that has stood the test of time from Asia and the ancient Greeks and Romans and I feel that a lot of it has been lost in our modern culture. It is interesting to see how many of these techniques that have been more or less "known" for thousands of years in other cultures are being rediscovered now. 

81. *Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek

Motivation for Reading:

I enjoyed Start with Why by Sinek and thought it would be another good read.

Takeaways:

I was surprised at how many categories this book went into. I felt that I learned a lot about a number of different topics and this book really made me think about things in a different way. I really liked how much detail he went into about brain chemicals and how they originated, and also how they have twisted incentive structures in recent time periods. It is always cool to me to learn how the brain works and why we feel think and act in the ways which we do. Even though this book sounds like a typical business book that covers the same general topics as always, I found it was actually more than that and I am excited to do a re-read and dive more deeply into some of the topics covered

80. *The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Motivation for Reading:

In the spirit of reading more fiction, I decided to look at this very popular book.

Takeaways:

I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. As I have mentioned in other works of fiction that I have gone through recently, I feel like it is nice to almost escape into a different world and learn some life lessons through a fictional story rather than through explicit teaching or real-life examples. I think this book is helpful as I am thinking about my ultimate career path and what I will be pursuing over the next several months and years because it stresses the importance of taking risks and following one's passions. While my circumstances are definitely different than those in the story I think that it is meant as a teaching lesson to explain how many people neglect to follow their dreams or their passions for various reasons. I am not sure how much I believe in the concept of the universe conspiring in your favor when you have your mind set on a specific goal, but it seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of the books that I have gone through in the past year.

79. *Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Motivation for Reading:

This is a classic and I have been looking into stoicism recently.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was pretty interesting. It is a collection of different thoughts and lessons that Marcus learned throughout his life from various sources and I think it is fascinating to see just how many problems and thoughts are the same throughout the centuries. I feel that a lot of the philosophy and teachings have lasted thousands of years partially because these people had the time to think deeply about the various conflicts in their lives while in today's world we can so often be distracted by all sorts of media which simply were not as available back then. I think that I will go back through and seek out different translations and meaningful quotes because a surprising amount of the advice and wisdom is still very applicable today.

78. *The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast, and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about Amazon and Bezos.

Takeaways:

As with other books of a similar style that talk about the foundations of major companies or people, I thought this book was super interesting and helpful to learn more about Amazon beyond what I know from life experience and anecdotes. I definitely have a lot of respect for the company as it has quite literally continued to revolutionize the world over the past 25+ years. It is pretty amazing to learn just how forward-thinking Jeff Bezos was from the very beginning. He was able to predict trends and get out ahead of them much faster than others in the industry and has really stuck to his vision for the company since the beginning. This book was written almost a decade ago and Amazon has only continued to excel since its publication. Jeff Bezos, also, has risen in fame and notoriety and is increasingly criticized as time goes on for the business practices and attitudes that this book goes into. All in all I felt it was a great way to learn more about one of the world's most successful companies, and the wealthiest man in the world.

77. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to and coincidentally is one of the required readings for a course I am taking next fall.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was very well done. I am not an entrepreneur or working at a startup, but I think the point of this book is that the lessons taught can apply to nearly any organization no matter the size or the stage of development. This book goes over how to most efficiently allocate time and resources and turns some classic or traditional advice on its head. Especially in today's world where we have enough technological capacity to be able to iterate quickly and gather data in real-time. I am interested to see how we will use some of the principles taught in this book in my class this fall and hopefully it will allow me to understand the lessons better and more thoroughly.

76. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

I did not really know what this book was about going in and if I did I might have pushed reading it back behind some others. It was pretty targeted towards companies that are trying to start or grow and the basic thesis is to differentiate yourself from competitors through a number of methods. The concept of the "blue ocean" is opposed to a "red ocean" meaning there is fierce competition and blood in the water. Instead of trying to fight for space in a competitive market, companies can strategically orient themselves to efficiently allocate resources, time, and effort for the most results. While I can not apply these concepts to a business at this time, I think the ideas are good and helpful for general knowledge.

75. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Josephy Murphy

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

This book was pretty similar to some others that I have read, most notably Think and Grow Rich and The Magic of Thinking Big. To be honest I was not sure going into it how much I would get out of it as I feel like a lot of the advice has been repeated in other books. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. I feel like these books will only be as effective as you take their messages seriously. Some of the messages and lessons seem a bit out there, but this book had a couple of sections that really made me rethink putting these ideas into practice. Specifically the ideas of hypnosis, placebo effects, and other ways in which our minds seem to have immense power over our bodies really swayed me into thinking about applying some of these techniques to my life and seeing if they end up being beneficial.

74. Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast that I listen to.

Takeaways:

This book was really just some updated advice in regard to starting a business and making the most of one's life. Similar to the messages found in some other books I have read such as The 4-Hour Workweek, this book goes through how in today's world many of the age-old wisdom and maxims that are preached are no longer applicable. It is all about how if we are truly passionate about trying to change our lives and start a business (or something equivalent) we should cut through all the unnecessary details and just jump right in. I think that the lessons of this book have only become more relevant in the past decade, and more specifically in the last year as the world seems to be adapting to the pandemic, accepting the reality of remote work, and taking advantage of technology that allows us to do things we were unable to do in the past.

73. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Motivation for Reading:

I am interested in looking at the source material for different fundamental ideologies in order to better understand the origins and motivations for their creation.

Takeaways:

It was definitely very interesting to read this book. It was a lot shorter than I expected and I was actually not really aware of the extent to which communism reached. It is not just about property or equality or worker's rights, there are also comments about the family, countries, and other aspects of society that the authors felt were wrong or in need of correction. I think it is always good to see what some of the best thinkers in history came up with and why and see how the ideas have been warped over time. I think I will continue down this path and read some other books of a similar nature and analyze how great thinkers differed in viewpoints at different times in history.

72. *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Motivation for Reading:

As a man perpetually interested in outer space this book is definitely a staple in many circles. In the spirit of reading more fiction, I decided to return to this although I had already read parts of the book and seen parts of the movie over the years.

Takeaways:

It was nice to go back to this book as it was one of the books in high school that I actually decided to read, although it was over a longer period of time, and I definitely did not have an immersive experience as I did in this readthrough. It is always nice to throw in some humor and fiction especially as a lot of the books I have been reading are more serious and read similar to an interesting textbook or biography. I think I will always enjoy going back and reading through this book.

71. 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story by Dan Harris

Motivation for Reading:

This book was also one of the more popular books on my library app and seemed based on the title and description to potentially be helpful.

Takeaways:

I surprisingly enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was in some ways a derivative of traditional self-help style books in the sense that Harris talks about his own journey through reading and learning about various topics and techniques and shared his experiences. He mentions several of the books and teachers that he took value from and talks about how his attitudes transformed through these various experiences. I felt this was pretty refreshing after reading a lot of the "source material" to see someone who had the same doubts and questions that are coming up in my experience. I think testimonials such as this are necessary for the powers of meditation to become more widely adopted. I am a believer in the benefits of mindfulness, reflection, and putting the world on pause especially in today's world where there are endless things vying for our attention.

70. *12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

Motivation for Reading:

This book is extremely popular in my library app, and I did not know much about Peterson other than seeing his name in some titles of videos and articles.

Takeaways:

I was honestly surprised that more of his supposed ideologies did not come out in this book. There were some sections that I definitely found lacking and making intellectual leaps, but for the most part, this book had some good lessons and interesting arguments to think about. With pretty much every book I enjoy I like to immediately look at criticisms of the book so that I know when certain claims are exaggerated and can hear alternate viewpoints. Most of the critiques I saw were attacking Peterson as a person and for other comments and works of his but did not have too much to say about the actual book itself aside from saying some arguments or viewpoints were not unique. All in all, I thought it was definitely an interesting read, maybe a bit long, and I definitely was not expecting it to speak as much about religion as it did. While I do not agree with a lot of his stances on certain topics, separating the message from the messenger I felt there was definitely value to be had in this book.

69. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast (granted the podcast was from a few years ago) and I was interested in learning more about Musk.

Takeaways:

I did not know all that much about Elon before reading this book. I knew some of the things regarding his schooling and a few of his different career achievements but did not know much detail about the context and what was fact vs fiction. With someone as wealthy and famous as Musk, there are bound to be a lot of rumors surrounding his upbringing and personality and I felt that the author did a good job in researching the different parts of his life and got perspectives of others involved as well as Elon to try to get a holistic and unbiased account of what actually happened. Now 6 years removed from the publication of this book I feel Elon Musk is only more famous and even wealthier so it would be interesting to learn about the ups and downs since then. I imagine many more books will be written about Musk especially as he continues to see success in his various ventures.

68. *The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended from a few different sources.

Takeaways:

I went into this book thinking it would be similar to Think and Grow Rich but was pretty pleasantly surprised. There were a lot of timeless lessons and good advice that I believe have remained relevant even though the book is over half a century old. I think I have become a believer in the power of the mind and attitude and this book spoke to a lot of those concepts. While I know, and the author acknowledges, that you cannot get anywhere simply by having big goals or aspirations, but I know for sure that if you do not think big or aspire to greatness, then you certainly will never achieve big things. It seems like such a simple concept but through all of the various anecdotes weaved into the story, it illuminates all the situations in which "thinking big" could be extremely beneficial.

67. *How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Motivation for Reading:

This is a classic in the genre, and I figure it had to have some helpful lessons if it has remained popular for so long.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the lessons were extremely helpful and timeless. I have heard a lot of the advice given in this book in several other books I have gone through so far, and I found it interesting how a lot of the claims that Carnegie makes in this book were not really proven, but in the more recent literature that covers the same topics, they cite studies and research that has since been done that confirms a lot of the principles and techniques that Carnegie preaches. I find it interesting how different people with varying degrees of emotional intelligence employ these techniques without realizing it. It may seem wrong or manipulative to use some of these tactics which is why I believe it is important to stress that these techniques should be used in ways that are mutually beneficial, always with a win-win mindset.

66. The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (Incerto) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Motivation for Reading:

I had read the rest of Taleb's books and have learned from them.

Takeaways:

I thought that this book was a good way to summarize a lot of what Taleb has talked about in his previous books. It is a book of short phrases that capture the essence of his thoughts regarding a wide range of topics most notably in relation to uncertainty, probability, and human error. He has a lot of ideas that are contrarian and that many would consider obnoxious or pompous, but mixed in with some of the arrogant comments are a lot of useful and insightful comments. I think that this book definitely makes more sense having read the previous ones that go into detail for each concept, but this was a good way to go over his ideas in a brief and succinct way. 

65. *Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions by Ben Mezrich

Motivation for Reading:

I enjoyed Mezrich's writing style in a previous book and I believe this book is written about someone who is currently employing some of my friends.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting getting this story especially being a football player from Princeton who is currently working for a hedge fund. There were a lot of parallels I could draw into my own life and experience and I could really make sense of the story. I thought this book was pretty engaging and I felt I could easily put myself into the shoes of the protagonist without too much of a leap which made the story all the more intriguing. It was very cool to see some of the stories I have heard from alumni play out in this book, and reading this from my perspective was definitely unique. I thought this was a good read and I look forward to reading more of Mezrich's books.

64. The Mental Game of Poker: Proven Strategies for Improving Tilt Control, Confidence, Motivation, Coping with Variance, and More by Jared Tendler and Barry Carter

Motivation for Reading:

There are a lot of parallels between poker and life that I have only realized through reading some of these books, and this book was already purchased on our audible account so I gave it a listen.

Takeaways:

I have found it very interesting to learn about how applicable poker is to our everyday lives. People will try to make analogies to different games and decisions in life, typically opting for chess when one is faced with a difficult decision. The only problem with that analogy is that the possibilities in chess, although very large, are limited. Poker is a better analogy for life because you could make all the right moves and play perfectly and still lose. It is interesting to see the parallels of how to make progress in one's poker game and one's life. In both, it is recommended to try to acknowledge and take advantage of your emotions and see how they may impact your decision-making. Although I do not personally play poker, I think the concepts are very helpful especially in regard to probability-weighted decision making.

63. The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy by Stephanie Kelton

Motivation for reading:

I had heard about MMT on a podcast and did some research about it. This book seemed like it would be a good introduction.

Takeaways:

This book presented a lot of ideas in economics that I have not heard much about elsewhere. Kelton goes through the various problems that plague different parts of our lives such as unemployment, student loans, infrastructure, and healthcare. I will definitely have to do some more research about these various claims and look into some of the implications and consequences of her suggestions, but regardless I always think it is good to think about different perspectives and ideas. It was especially interesting to read this after Enlightenment Now which spoke of how much progress humanity has made in the past few hundred years. This book was heavily negative when speaking of the present and future prospects for the country which I believe is necessary in order to underscore the gravity of our current situation and highlight our need to act. I enjoyed this read and I think it will lead me to learn more about the topic.

62. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant

Motivation for Reading:

I had read Give and Take and Option B which were both by Adam Grant and enjoyed them.

Takeaways:

This book was really addressing one of the core principles that is stressed in many of the books that I have been reading so far. Basically, when we are caught up in the busyness of our lives it can be easy to not take a step back and reevaluate our beliefs and actions. Grant says that oftentimes we think like preachers, prosecutors, or politicians in regard to our beliefs when we should really act like scientists, being able to change our mindsets based on new evidence with an ultimate goal of getting to the truth. In a world that is rife with division and people simplifying arguments and beliefs to their most basic components, Grant stresses that we need to leave room for nuance. I enjoyed reading this book and it was a nice reminder and guide of how to go about my life with an attitude of embracing being wrong and looking to grow from failure.

61. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Motivation for Reading:

I had read this book maybe a decade ago and felt I was due for a reread.

Takeaways:

Similar to what I remember, I did enjoy this book. Over the years a lot of the details slipped my mind and it is definitely a different experience going through it now vs 10+ years ago. I listened to the audiobook version that was read by the author which was nice because he gave some commentary before and after. It was definitely interesting to learn about the author's motivations for writing the book and hearing him say not to listen to what critics, teachers, or anyone else has to say about what the story means. A quote he said that stuck with me was "What's in a book is not what an author thought he put into it but what a reader gets out of it."

60. *Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg

Motivation for Reading:

I really enjoyed The Power of Habit by Duhigg and this book was pretty popular.

Takeaways:

This book was a great overview of a bunch of different lessons that I have learned from different books. Ranging from motivation, to how to work on a team, to probability weighting decisions this book covered a large swath of topics in a very interesting and engaging way. I felt that many of the stories told were similar to Malcolm Gladwell in that Duhigg really dives deeply into stories to learn a lot about different areas in our lives where productivity can be maximized. I think that this book definitely gives a blueprint to success by highlighting various characteristics in several very interesting stories ranging from Frozen, to the marines, to SNL, to Google, and more. This was definitely a favorite that I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about the various drivers of productivity and efficiency.

59. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Motivation for Reading:

This is another classic book that I had never read.

Takeaways:

I enjoyed this book. I knew what it was vaguely about but really had not known the full story prior to starting. Although I suppose this was not outright fiction as it was allegorical satire but it was nice to have a story with characters as opposed to the drier nature of many of the nonfiction books I have been reading. It is interesting to look at the different criticisms that Orwell had many decades ago and how some of them still exist today. I have enjoyed the respite from more of the self-help/psychology-oriented books and think that I will continue to mix in some classic books.

58. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Motivation for Reading:

This is a classic and I had the physical copy in my house.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was very interesting especially given the fact that it was written well over a century ago. I have not really read any fiction recently so it was a nice change of pace. I think that I will read a few more "classic" style books because they are a bit easier to get through and you can get more lost in the story than most of these nonfiction books that cite statistics and data. I think it is incredible that the story has been able to stand the test of time and is still quite an intriguing concept and story that remains relevant which is surprising given the seeming complexity of time travel and all of the scientific developments that have taken place in the past 120 years.

57. *Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast as well as in some other books. Also, I enjoyed The Power of Moments which was also written by Chip and Dan Heath.

Takeaways:

This book was somewhat similar to others I have read such as The Tipping Point and Good to Great in that they look at different ideas and try to figure out how and why certain ideas are "stickier" than others. This book was unique in that the authors lay out a framework of advice on how to best construct the delivery of our ideas to an audience by taking advantage of different psychological tactics and ways in which the brain forms memories. This is definitely something that I will find myself referencing and thinking back to as I go to write papers, speeches, and generally as I work on my communication skills. The ideas were presented in an easily digestible way through various anecdotes which I found to be very engaging. 

56. *Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker

Motivation for Reading:

This book was very highly touted and seemed to be an interesting concept.

Takeaways:

I was not really sure what to expect going into this book as I did not know the subject matter and it was pretty long, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised. Pinker goes through a lot of the progress that humanity has made since our beginnings and argues against the notions that humanity is on some downward doom spiral without any hope of being saved. It is easy when watching the news or paying attention to different trends and ideas on social media that all seem to talk about the world ending and how bad things are. It was nice and refreshing to take a step back and realize that things are not so bad. A good thought from this book was that now is almost undisputedly the time in history that you would choose if you were to be randomly assigned to live as a human of random background and geographical location. There were some points that I think I will need to investigate more closely, but by and large, I found myself agreeing with many of the arguments he was making for why things are not as bad as they seem.

55. *The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric Jorgenson

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended to me by a friend.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was presented in a very interesting way. It was really a combination of different lessons that Naval has learned throughout his life taken from various tweets, podcasts, and other lessons that he has shared with the world. I think a lot of the ideas were very interesting and similar to other books that I have read in the same space. I always find it interesting to learn about how successful people approach life and the lessons that they feel are most important to their success and happiness. I also know that the ideas of the successful are definitely skewed through survivorship bias and various other faults we have in explaining events after the fact. Despite those facts, I still think that it is helpful to read advice from different sources, and then go through and filter for yourself what exactly to implement into your own life.

54. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

Motivation for Reading:

I had heard Thaler referenced in several other books I have read so far, and this concept seemed interesting.

Takeaways:

I enjoyed this book a lot. As with all books relating to psychology and how different principles control and influence our lives, I found it profoundly interesting to learn about. One of the reasons I would not put this book as a favorite is simply because of other books I have read so far that have covered similar topics that were my first impressions and maybe more applicable to my specific life. That being said, I thought this book was pretty well done and covered how to structure choice architecture in the realms of healthcare, education, financial decisions, and other areas of our lives. I think that the concepts covered in this book are very important and are helpful to think about when we encounter different choices in our life. I have learned a lot about the different biases that we have as a part of our human psychology and while it is impossible for us to completely rid ourselves of biases, learning more and more about how they influence our lives can at least keep us somewhat aware of their impact.

53. Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Motivation for Reading:

Multiple people in my life have recommended that I look into stoicism, and this book is a staple in that philosophy.

Takeaways:

I have never really read any classic Roman or Greek Literature and so this was very new to me. I thought it was very interesting how applicable many of the things he was discussing were even today two thousand years later. It is amazing that writing from so long ago has remained popular, and more importantly relevant. In my reading I have discovered that many of the problems that we face in our day-to-day lives are not that unique to us, in fact, humans have been experiencing the same types of problems for thousands of years. It is definitely fascinating to have this window into the past and seeing nearly directly into the mind of someone that lived at that time. I think I will be reading some more of these types of books/works especially since time has already done the job of filtering the good from the bad.

52. *Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Motivation for Reading:

I have read other books by Taleb and this was the next one in the series.

Takeaways:

I have likely commented on Taleb's tone in every one of these posts about his work, and the more I read his work, the more it makes me laugh when he says some of these ridiculous comments. All that aside I do think that he is incredibly intelligent and has a lot of very good ideas about various concepts. I think that this book was better than Fooled by Randomness, and the Black Swan because it incorporated a lot of the ideas found in those two books with the additional lens of antifragility which in and of itself is very intriguing. I think that this book was thought-provoking, and I would definitely recommend it to anybody interested in the concepts of randomness and how complex systems survive and adapt to different circumstances.

51. What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

Motivation for Reading:

I have read and enjoyed the rest of Gladwell's books.

Takeaways:

I did not know what this book was about when I started but was banking on the fact that I have not been disappointed yet by Gladwell's books. This was actually a collection of some of the various articles that Gladwell has written in The New Yorker over the years. I knew that he had written a lot of articles, but never actually read any so this was a good introduction to some of his shorter works. I really enjoyed hearing about the various topics that he explored. It seemed like a podcast that went through a bunch of different interesting stories which I thought were very engaging. He is a really great writer and has a knack for getting the reader to be immersed in the stories. I think that it is incredible that he goes in and learns so much about this wide range of subjects in order to do these different pieces.

50. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven

Motivation for Reading:

I had watched the speech that prompted the creation of this book and was interested in learning more about the story.

Takeaways:

This book was very short and I almost feel bad for putting it as my 50th book as it is a pretty big milestone. I almost did not include it, but figured I would because of its popularity and the fact that it was able to reinforce a lot of the messages that I have learned from other books but in a succinct way. I really enjoyed hearing the different stories of the author and others he has heard of in his life. Through these different anecdotes he teaches lessons of how to deal with adversity with determination and courage and how you can make simple changes to your life and outlook to make positive lasting changes to your life.

49. *Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg

Motivation for Reading:

I enjoyed Give and Take by Adam Grant, and had heard of Sandberg through other books, and the title drew me in.

Takeaways:

This book was definitely not what I expected going in. I thought that this would be more of a psychology book about dealing with adversity with some helpful anecdotes to show different points, but it turned out to be much more serious than that. Sandberg goes into detail about the grief and various challenges that came about with the unexpected death of her husband. She adds stories of others who have persevered through tragedy that help further illustrate our ability to move on and grow after going through tough times. She offers lessons and solutions to turn negatives into positives, and as the title alludes to, making the best of option B when option A is no longer available. I was able to find some humor in the book when she spoke of Mark Zuckerberg actually being a caring and considerate person which is very different than the general public's perception of him being robotic and inhuman. Overall I thought this book was interesting and helps to put life's trials and tribulations into perspective.

48. *The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss

Motivation for Reading:

This is a very popular book and seemed like it would be an interesting read.

Takeaways:

The essence of this book is really a criticism of the way that people in the modern age approach work. The typical 9-5 job, working 40 hour weeks until retirement in your 60's is a concept that is pretty much the norm. Ferriss contends that in the modern age with the sheer amount of resources that are available for us to use that this does not have to be the norm. There is nothing stopping people from taking a risk and trying to explore their passions and live a life that they are actively enjoying rather than suffering for 40 years just to enjoy life once you have retired. There were a lot of specific actionable items mentioned as far as different ways to go about transitioning from your current job or situation to a life where you can work less and enjoy your passions. I think that this concept really appeals to me and many in my generation who have grown up entirely in the age of the internet, cell phones, and increased globalization, particularly exacerbated by the pandemic which showed just how viable working remotely can be. I will be revisiting this book at a later date to acquire specific takeaways and summarize key points.

47. You Can Be a Stock Market Genius: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits by Joel Greenblatt

Motivation for Reading:

This is a classic investment book and was recommended by various sources.

Takeaways:

I really appreciated the way this book was written. With investment books, it is very easy to get dry and stale talking about market inefficiencies, different financial concepts, and specific industry jargon, but Greenblatt does a great job at keeping it light and interesting, sneaking in jokes and using real-world examples to illustrate different points. I can definitely tell why this book is so popular and has become a staple in the investing world. I think a lot of the concepts were useful and helpful as I continue to learn about markets, especially as many of the sources he mentions are significantly more easily accessible now with the advancements of the internet.

46. *Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

Motivation for Reading:

Dweck's work on psychology and the power of mindset was referenced in numerous books I have read so far and I was excited to learn more.

Takeaways:

I enjoyed the content and message of this book. Dweck was referenced in a few of the books I have read, and also mentioned in her book some that I have read as well. Reading this book as an athlete at a high-ranking university, at which the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets are especially salient helped to give the book additional meaning. I think that anybody in any stage of life can benefit from the lessons taught in this book. I agree with the notion of some people having a fixed or a growth mindset, and also that mindsets can vary depending on the circumstances. Upon reflection, I have found areas in my life in which I would benefit from adopting a growth mindset and I am looking forward to rereading this book at a later time to see how well the lessons have stuck with me.

45. *Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended to me by an alum.

Takeaways:

I found this book to be extremely interesting. There was a chapter about sleep in The Body which I read not too long ago, but this book basically extended that one chapter into 17. It was extremely detailed and showed how much progress we have made in understanding all of the complex processes that take place during a third of our lives. It was also intriguing to learn about how much more we still have to discover and just how impactful new discoveries could be in altering the way we think about education, careers, and life at home. I always had been told sleep was important from a mental and physical health standpoint, but I was definitely not aware of how significant a role sleep played in our everyday lives and general well-being. I think this book is very important and helpful to anybody curious about why sleep may just be one of the most important things we do.

44. *The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis

Motivation for Reading:

This is one of my favorite movies and I had just finished Moneyball so I figured it would be nice to also finally read this book.

Takeaways:

I enjoyed this book just as much as, if not more than, the movie. Having seen the movie already I thought that the film was a great adaptation of the book, and I could instantly tell which characters were which even with some of the name changes. After reading books like The Black Swan, Chaos Monkeys, and The Chickenshit Club, I was able to take some of the points of this story in a different way. I really enjoyed this read and it was definitely one of my favorites that I have read recently. I found the concepts and the way the story was told to be very interesting and it was nice to learn more about the actual story rather than the even more dramatized version that made it to the big screen. I would recommend this to anybody who enjoyed the movie or just is interested in learning more about what happened in the Great Recession.

43. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

Motivation for Reading:

I had seen the movie and enjoyed other books by Michael Lewis.

Takeaways:

Although I am not personally that interested in baseball, I have been an athlete for my entire life and so learning about how revolutionary the unique application of statistics to such an old sport could be was still very interesting. I am definitely appreciative to have been born after the dawn of the computer and internet age and getting to read books like this, Everybody Lies, and Freakonomics that analyze complex datasets to assist in the process of making predictions and explaining various events and aspects of our lives. More than anything I think that this book helps to show empirically just how much our implicit biases can take away from our ability to make accurate predictions and judgments of the world around us, especially when these biases have become the norm. 

42. *The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Motivation for Reading:

I had been looking forward to reading this since reading Skin in the Game by Taleb this past fall.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book, even more than Fooled by Randomness with dealt with a similar topic. Basically, a Black Swan is an event that is unpredictable, has a large impact, and is "explained" after the fact. This concept is very interesting in the sense that it is evidenced across different aspects of our lives, and yet time and time again we fall into old habits forgetting just how susceptible we are to these rare events. Especially interesting to me was the idea that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Other books of a similar nature that I enjoyed also talked about the fact that we are susceptible to narrative fallacies and like to overly explain things that are by definition unexplainable. I also plan on rereading this book and look forward to reading Antifragile which is the next book in the series. 

41. *How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie & Associates

Motivation for Reading:

The original "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is an absolute staple in the self-help category, and while I have not yet read the original 1936 version, I felt starting with the 2014 updated copy may be a good way to gauge its contents.

Takeaways:

I went in to this book expecting to see some parallels to Think and Grow Rich since the original book was written at a similar time and with a related subject matter. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and thought it was definitely helpful in reinforcing some of the lessons I have learned from other books that are geared towards emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships. This book basically adapts Carnegie's original message and lessons to modern times especially as the world has shifted significantly to impersonal media such as email, texting, and social networking platforms. I think that I will be reading the original book just due to its tremendous influence on the genre as a whole and to put this book in perspective. As with many books of this nature, I enjoyed it quite a bit and like seeing from book to book how the authors may agree or disagree on different methodologies to achieve similar results.

40. *Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss

Motivation for Reading:

I heard Chris Voss talk about the book on a podcast and the book is very popular.

Takeaways:

I knew I would like this book before starting based solely on the conversations the author had on a podcast I listened to. As I mention several other times on this site in relation to psychologically-oriented books, I greatly enjoy learning more about how our minds work and how to use some of our cognitive biases to our advantage. Like similar books, Voss debunks some common misconceptions through interesting examples and offers a toolkit to use when undergoing various types of negotiations. I personally think that although at the surface it may seem somewhat deceptive to learn about some of these techniques, it really just helps to improve your emotional intelligence which, if used correctly, can be a net positive to society. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody interested in learning about negotiation tactics from a former FBI hostage negotiator, and I will definitely be returning to this one down the line.

39. *Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Motivation for Reading:

I read Skin in the Game this fall and have planned on reading some of Taleb's other work since.

Takeaways:

I went into this read knowing of Taleb's writing style from having gone through Skin in the Game and so was prepared for a slightly arrogant tone. Similar to many of the other books that challenge conventional thinking and poke holes in most of our everyday assumptions and decision-making processes, I enjoyed this book. Taleb talks about how we think about luck and probability in our everyday lives and how to use our biases to our advantage, and not get overconfident in situations that don't merit it. While Taleb concedes that it is impossible to void ourselves of emotion in decision making and to stop ourselves from our natural tendency to assign a seemingly logical backstory to events only after the fact, by learning about various situations for which chance plays more of a role than we give it credit for, we can be slightly prepared to more accurately assess relevant probabilities when needed. 

38. *Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley by Antonio Garcia Martinez

Motivation for Reading:

I was honestly hooked in by the title and reading a brief review of this book, other than that I had not heard of it elsewhere.

Takeaways:

This was one of those stories that was well-written to the point that I thought it was ghostwritten although I could not find any sources to confirm or deny this claim. I really enjoyed this story and thought it was quite captivating although at times the author's tone was a bit obnoxious. I learned a lot of interesting facts about the startup world, data collection by big companies, and the ins and outs of the tech world. I felt there were a lot of helpful takeaways in this book and I am excited to go through and read it again in the future. I would recommend this to anybody who is interested in the start-up world or wants to learn more about Facebook and other tech giants and anything surrounding life in Silicon Valley in the early 2010s.

37. *The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Motivation for Reading:

This book was pretty popular on my library app and it seemed like a good way to get some general knowledge about the human body.

Takeaways:

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I went in not really sure what to expect, and sort of put off by the length of the book, but in the end, was glad that it was so thorough. This book takes you through just about every part of the body and nearly anything related to the body including food, diseases, and how remarkable our bodies are automating many processes that science has yet to figure out. It was an interesting contrast with some of the more technical reads I have gone through and seeing how much progress we have made in figuring out our body and how it works, but also almost more surprising is how much we still have to learn. I learned a lot of interesting facts, and I think the most surprising was just how many monumental advances in medicine were discovered by accident. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the human body and anything tangentially surrounding it.

36. The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone--Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely

Motivation for Reading:

I previously read Predictably Irrational by Ariely which was interesting, and have enjoyed books of a similar nature.

Takeaways:

This was actually coincidental that I read this book following Just Mercy and The Chickenshit Club as it begins by talking about fraud in the Enron scandal, and details how humans can convince themselves that lying is okay. Ariely goes through and explains that there are many cases in which the rational reason for pursuing an action does not drive us, but rather irrational and almost subconscious reasons. From stealing a pen at work to cheating in class to lying on your taxes, to committing some of the largest cases of financial fraud in history Ariely goes through and explains the psychology behind these decisions and how we can make ourselves more aware of our and others' pitfalls. Similar to other somewhat counterintuitive psychology books, I enjoyed this read a lot. I always find it interesting to learn about different experiments and discover the reasons behind our thoughts and actions. 

35. The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives by Jesse Eisinger

Motivation for Reading:

This book was ranked highly on my library app, and I had just finished Just Mercy so it seemed fitting.

Takeaways:

Eisinger goes through a long history of cases of corporate fraud and scandals and details why and how most of the time there are no consequences for these bad actors. It is especially frustrating being part of the general population and seeing scandal after scandal in these big banks and corporations with seemingly no justice being done. Similar to how Just Mercy showed the shortcomings of the justice system regarding the death penalty and life sentences, this book detailed the many shortcomings when it comes to trying to charge corporations or executives. I was not really aware of the actual legal processes regarding these cases, and while it does not excuse the behaviors and lack of convictions in these cases, it definitely helps to explain many of the nuances, and just how much needs to be done in order to make progress. I thought this book was somewhat disheartening as it confirms what many people already believe to be true about the dark side of the justice system, but that being said, it was interesting to learn about these complex processes.

34. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended to me by an alum.

Takeaways:

I have not seen the film adaptation of this book and was not familiar with the story before starting this book. I actually enjoyed this whole story quite a bit and thought it was extremely interesting. At the same time, it is very sad to learn about all of these cases that happened so recently, some of which during my own lifetime. Especially given the events in the past few years with respect to previously vulnerable groups in society rising to power, it was moving to learn about how much work has to be done behind the scenes for the simplest and seemingly most obvious cases to be overturned and resolved. I know that the American justice system is far from fixed still, but it was nice to learn about how difficult the progress has been to this point and see how far we have come in the past few decades. From my understanding, the movie, like the book, centers around the McMillian case, but the book I am sure contains a lot more detail and circumstances surrounding other cases throughout. I am excited to watch the film after reading this book, and I believe seeing the story come to life will make it all the more powerful.

33. *Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant

Motivation for Reading:

I am a believer in compounding goodwill and a certain balance in the universe, and this book seemed to explore those concepts in depth.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this read. Grant goes through a number of different situations within various industries and shows, somewhat counterintuitively, that in many cases those who give the most can often climb higher, while those who take without giving can end up less successful. Through networking and reciprocation many of those who give (mostly) selflessly, are able to rise to the top. The note that comes up when you google this book is "will captivate readers of Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Pink, The Power of Habit..." all of which I enjoyed very much. From Abraham Lincoln, to the NBA, to The Simpsons, to Enron, Grant goes through a lot of fascinating examples showing just how powerful being a "giver" can be. This was especially helpful as I am starting to narrow down my career path and beginning to expand my professional network. I would recommend this book to just about anyone interested in the concepts of "taking" vs. "matching" vs. giving."

32. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Motivation for Reading:

I had gotten a few chapters into this book in high school and never got around to finishing it.

Takeaways:

Similar to a few years ago when I only read a few chapters, I was very fascinated by this book. Everyone knows Stephen Hawking, but I was surprised to find this book was written in a way that just about anyone can understand. Some of the concepts may require a bit of research, but I find the questions he explores to be very interesting, even at just a surface level. Hawking goes through questions about how the universe began, if/how it will end, how time works, the existence of alternate dimensions, what black holes are, and many other intriguing questions. For most people, all of this stuff may be unimportant and more or less useless in everyday life, but I personally find space and the universe to be a fascinating topic so it is great to learn surface-level knowledge about these profound concepts from one of the all-time leaders in the field. If any of these concepts sound interesting to you I would highly recommend this book as a starting point.

31. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink

Motivation for Reading:

I was interested in the concept and the book was available on my library app.

Takeaways:

There were some very interesting insights into the real drivers of motivation within this book. Taking a psychological approach, Pink goes through different motivational tactics and evaluates their effectiveness. There were some helpful comments about how the same tactics can be used in different situations and yield nearly opposite results. Especially as I am in a leadership role and hope to be in one later in my life, I find it useful to learn the best ways to incentivize others so that relationships can be productive and mutually beneficial. As with many psychology-oriented books, I found myself learning some counterintuitive ideas and cleared up misconceptions in the ways that I viewed motivation. This book could be useful to anyone in a management role, or to anyone who is looking to shift the incentives in their own lives to drive productivity and efficiency.

30. *Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel

Motivation for Reading:

This was actually the first book I wrote down to follow up and read as recommended on a podcast, and I had pushed it back until an alum recommended it this past week.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. Although I am not personally looking to build a startup, I think that the process is very interesting. There was a lot to learn specifically for those looking to work at or begin their own startup, but there was also a lot of interesting commentary on contrarian thinking, the advancement of technology, and ways in which leaders can optimize for success. I really like the question: "What important truth do very few people agree with you on?" I think that this question gets at the heart of contrarian thinking which has been especially salient in the past year as I have been learning more about markets through my internship. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who is interested in startups, entrepreneurship, or simply wants insight into the process of creating new products and services in today's world.

29. David and Goliath (Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants) by Malcolm Gladwell

Motivation for Reading:

I had read 4 other Gladwell books and enjoyed each of them.

Takeaways:

As is the theme in Gladwell's books, he takes a commonly held belief and flips it on its head. I was not disappointed in finding that this book, similar to his others, contained numerous illustrative examples from history that helped to display these common misconceptions. I did not always agree with the philosophy behind some of the concepts, but I did enjoy the idea of reframing negatives or disadvantages in a more positive and productive light. I definitely find myself gravitating towards that concept of viewing problems as opportunities for growth. Although we may strive for the paths of least resistance and simple solutions, the reality is that most of our journeys through life are far from straight lines. It is good to see ways in which we can view adversity as something that makes us stronger rather than weaker. We can instead look at our shortcomings and turn them into our fuel and motivation for achieving more than we would be able to without them.

28. *The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone

Motivation for Reading:

I actually just happened upon this book and thought it looked interesting.

Takeaways:

I was very pleasantly surprised in reading this book. Most of the books I have been reading have come from recommendations or having had prior knowledge of the author/subject matter. This book was in the realm of sales, business, and, more than anything, motivation. I was a bit skeptical going in because I am not a fan of the "hoorah" self-help-type books that seem to all say the same empty sayings, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It definitely helped that Cardone was reading the audiobook version because his attitude and energy made an interesting read even more engaging. I am a big fan of the concepts of positive mental attitude, systematic ways to achieve your goals, and aspiring to more than you thought was possible. Although some of the lessons in this book are repeated in a lot of other sources I have encountered, I liked the framework that Cardone lays out, and can see myself revisiting this one further down the road.

27. Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption by Ben Mezrich

Motivation for Reading:

Bitcoin has been a hot topic this past year in a number of sources I have been following especially due to the most recent halving cycle. I think the concept is fascinating and always love learning more about it.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was very interesting. It follows the story of the Winklevoss twins essentially from where their Facebook story left off. Mezrich also wrote the book that the movie The Social Network was based on, and I could similarly see this book being turned into a movie at some point. It was definitely written in an engaging and cinematic way, and I liked learning more about some of the origins of Bitcoin, and the difficulties that came about with early adoption. With Bitcoin's market cap reaching past 1 Trillion for the first time this past week, it seemed especially relevant to take a dive into its origins. Even as Bitcoin continues to climb, people are still extremely skeptical. Based on what I have read, watched, and heard, I do not see Bitcoin going away anytime soon, and would not be surprised if it continued growing for years and decades to come, rather, I expect it.

26 (& 26.5). Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki (1997 and 2017)

  

Motivation for Reading:

I had heard of this book recommended a couple of places and the concept seemed interesting. I read the 1997 version, and then read the 2017 version as both books were relatively short.

Takeaways:

After reading the first book I honestly did not love it. I felt the lessons were good and I can definitely get behind the concept of increasing financial literacy; however, Kiyosaki's tone seemed sort of arrogant especially in the latter half of the book. The updated version did not have many changes, it really just added a few anecdotes and made some changes to one of the chapters. I did appreciate the newer edition having summaries, specific quotes, and questions to reflect on. Overall I feel that the message and sentiment of the book are in the right place, but something about Kiyosaki emphasizing assets over liabilities and then bragging about buying a Porsche did not appeal to me. I am sure plenty of people would gravitate towards his tone, and I am not knocking the primary message, but I felt the delivery could have been better.

25. *Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

Motivation for Reading:

I have seen some of David Goggins' videos, and heard some of his stories on Youtube, podcasts, online, etc., and was curious to get more information right from the source.

Takeaways:

I was honestly pretty stunned by most of this book. The number of things that Goggins has pushed through and overcome in his life is nothing short of incredible. Although it is easy to call him crazy or say it is ridiculous to push through running on broken legs, pushing through kidney failure, or going through some of the hardest physical challenges known to man multiple times, this story is really more about the power of the mind. After reading all of these books, a common theme is the power of the subconscious mind. Similar to Think and Grow Rich, among many others, Goggins believes that the most powerful tool we have as humans is our mind and that most people do not use it to its full potential. He proves this by pushing through countless things through sheer power of will that any rational person would deem impossible. Seeing how he started from such rough beginnings and overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles makes me re-evaluate the ways that I have been thinking about adversity in my life. I could not recommend this book enough, I feel like anybody in any field could benefit from hearing his story. Especially the audiobook version which is sort of a podcast/audiobook hybrid in which David talks about the stories incrementally throughout the book giving more details and anecdotes, which make an already impressive story all the more surreal.

24. *Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

Motivation for Reading:

I saw this book on my library app, and it seemed similar to a lot of books I have enjoyed so far.

Takeaways:

This book echoed a lot of the lessons that I have heard in some others I have read thus far including Thinking Fast and Slow, Blink, Influence, and Pre-Suasion. Generally, as humans, we like to consider ourselves rational agents who are in the driver's seat. Ariely shows in this book that often this is not the case. We easily fall for illusions when it comes to decision-making because the information we receive and process is filtered by our minds and becomes a representation of reality rather than reality itself. Once we become aware of these shortcomings and where they may infiltrate our lives, we can start to decide what to do about them. This book was very interesting and I would recommend it to anybody interested in how the fundamental assumption that human beings are smart and rational agents can oftentimes be wrong.

23. *Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell

Motivation for Reading:

I have read a few Gladwell books so far and greatly enjoyed them all

Takeaways:

Similar to other Gladwell books I really enjoyed how he is able to elucidate some complex concepts through easily understood examples. This book talked about a lot of tough and controversial situations in which difficult decisions need to be made, and how much misunderstanding of individuals within those situations often is a source of problems. I would specifically recommend trying to get the audio version of this book as Gladwell uses actual testimonies, recordings, and re-enactments of the examples he references which made the experience all the more immersive. As I am finding is the norm in Gladwell's books, he does a great job of getting to the truth in situations for which there are many common misconceptions and changes the ways in which we think about some famous and infamous episodes in history.

22. *Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Motivation for Reading:

I really enjoyed The Power of Habit, and this book has been similarly recommended. 

Takeaways:

This book was pitched as a sort of follow-up to The Power of Habit which was one of my favorite books so far, and I just so happened to read this book second. I am very interested in the psychology of our brains and using our ability to automate certain beneficial processes for good. I am also a strong believer in the power of compounding in many areas of life and this book helped to reinforce some of those concepts in a way that I had not thought of before. I really enjoyed the framework that the author lays out in how to best go about creating new habits and ridding oneself of bad ones. I believe head to head I enjoyed The Power of Habit a bit more, but this book was relatively short and had some helpful and effective lessons packed into it which is why I can see myself revisiting it. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in habit formation and the concept of automating small changes into our daily routines in order to achieve big results in the long run.

21.*Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Motivation for Reading:

I am a big fan of Gladwell so far and knew that this book had a similar topic to Thinking Fast and Slow which I had just completed. I wanted to read the books together to see what lessons overlapped and how each author presented similar concepts. 

Takeaways:

This book was a lot shorter than Thinking Fast and Slow, but I enjoyed it similarly. I always like how Gladwell tells stories and uses specific examples to help explain concepts that are sometimes quite unbelievable. I am fascinated by psychology and neuroscience and this book was able to simplify a lot of these complex concepts to show situations in which following our instincts can both help and hurt us, and no matter how hard we may try, it is not possible to rid ourselves of biases. Learning about how these extremely fast-paced and automatic processes take place, and the situations in which we are particularly susceptible to lapses in judgment can be helpful within our own lives so that we can work to help realize when we may need to try to take an extra moment before making important decisions and analyze the true origins of our thoughts and feelings. I would recommend this to anybody interested in some of the ways in which we make split-second decisions and how these can greatly impact our lives, often without us realizing it.

20. *Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Motivation for Reading:

This book has been highly recommended by a number of people in my life, and also in many of the books I have read.

Takeaways:

I was extremely excited to get into this book based on the many recommendations that spoke highly of it, and especially after reading The Undoing Project which gave a background of Kahneman's life. This book separates our thought process into two systems within our brains that are used in different situations and details how the use of one system over another can easily be influenced, and can often lead to errors. These cognitive errors and biases are inherent in all people, and it is interesting to learn about the situations in which we are particularly susceptible. Although we can never be fully rid of these influences, by working towards conscious awareness, we can slow down some of our decision-making and at least make a considerate effort to ensure that we are making decisions in objective and rational ways devoid of unwanted biases. This book is definitely one that I will read again, and I would recommend it to anybody interested in psychology and how we actually make decisions, create memories, and make judgments.

19. *Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

Motivation for Reading:

I had heard this book referenced in other books, as well as being discussed on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

I definitely went into this book with high expectations due to my previous experience with Lewis's work and was not disappointed. I think this story was really fascinating, and while I had some knowledge of high-frequency trading going into this read, I had no idea the extent to which it affected global markets. Not only was the content extremely interesting, but the way the story was told was also extremely engaging. I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anybody who is interested in Wall Street, financial innovations, or just thinks the concept of thousands of traders fighting over nanosecond edges in trades is worthy of exploration.

18. *The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Motivation for Reading:

I really enjoyed Outliers and had an alumnus strongly recommend reading more of Gladwell's books.

Takeaways:

This book was really interesting because it takes a deep dive into a few different big sweeping trends in various categories such as business, social behavior, and history and isolates the phenomena to the threshold that truly turns an idea, marketing strategy, or disease for that matter, epidemic. This book challenged a lot of the traditional views of how movements or ideas are able to grow rapidly, especially in that Gladwell attributes a lot of these popular and fast-spreading concepts to a few players using a few specific methods. Not only is this book useful for people looking for methods and techniques to try and most effectively communicate a message or elicit a behavior, but it was also interesting solely for the sake of the actual stories that Gladwell uses to illustrate some of these concepts. This was definitely a very interesting read, and I am excited to read more of Gladwell in the future.

17. *Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts by Annie Duke

Motivation for Reading

The author was a guest on a podcast I listen to, and I happened to have the physical copy lying around.

Takeaways:

This was pretty much an immediate favorite. Duke offers a framework to think of decisions we make in our daily lives in a different way. Thinking of the world as a series of probabilities and knowing that sometimes the best decision in a certain scenario may still yield poor results helps to ground you in reality and allows you the ability to best learn from your decisions. Duke helps to point out the important distinction between a good outcome and a good decision, as sometimes we may conflate the two as it is so easy to do so. Through a number of examples across different fields she helps to elucidate this concept. This book is definitely something I have learned a lot from, and I definitely see myself going back and reading it again as some of the lessons I found to be very vital.

16. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins

Motivation for Reading:

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to.

Takeaways:

This book was interesting to read in close proximity to Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Collins goes through a list of different traits that a group of "good to great" companies all had in common that helped to propel them ahead of a set of equally positioned companies over the same period. I thought this was interesting in relation to Outliers because Gladwell set out to find similarities among extraordinary individuals, and Collins did the same for companies. While Gladwell made a point to emphasize luck in individuals' paths to success, whereas Collins made a point to say that luck was not a significant factor. Collins outlines a framework of a few key concepts that were vital for these companies' success. I think this book can offer some helpful insights for those in a management position, or those looking at management actions to determine investment theses.

15. *The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis

Motivation for Reading:

I saw this book on my library app, recognized Michael Lewis, and am planning on reading Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking Fast and Slow, so this seemed right up my alley.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. It gave a history of Kahneman and Tversky and their contributions to the worlds of psychology and economics. Their stories were extremely interesting and gave me a list of topics to further explore. Of the many profound concepts I took away from this book, those regarding emotions, probability, and using data to disprove or add validity to common assumptions stuck with me the most. I am definitely excited to go on and read more of Kahneman and Tversky's work.

14. *The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Motivation for Reading:

This is a book recommended on a podcast I listen to, and I happened to have it lying around the house.

Takeaways:

I got a lot of value from this book. It detailed how to harness the power of moments in a variety of situations from education, to employment, to personal life. The examples were extremely interesting and thoroughly explained. If nothing else, I think that people should read this book to at least become cognizant of the power of moments, because I feel it could change their outlook on how they approach different events in their lives. I know for me personally, it has inspired me to consider how I approach events. I will definitely be revisiting this one, and highly recommend it.

13. *Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Motivation for Reading:

I had heard this book referenced a lot of places, wanted to get the actual story vs. snippets I have heard here or there.

Takeaways:

I really enjoyed this book. Some of the stories and concepts I had already heard elsewhere, but it was still very interesting to hear the stories told from a slightly different perspective in a slightly different context. Similar to the Hidden Habits of Genuis this book was aimed at demystifying the myths surrounding very successful individuals and pointing to some of the very lucky and specific conditions that need to be in place for these "outliers" to really thrive. By looking at these outliers through this perspective I believe that it helps to humanize them and helps to make us aware of just how much our environment and history helps to shape us into who we are. I definitely enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to a friend. 

12. *The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Motivation for Reading:

This book was popping up a lot of places for me, and it seemed pretty short so I gave it a try.

Takeaways:

The tone of the author was pretty arrogant and needlessly blunt using a lot of swear words (if you couldn't tell from the title), but I think if you are able to get past that then there were a lot of interesting lessons to be learned. I started out thinking it would maybe be a waste of time but ended up taking a few concepts away from this that I will use in my life. If you can get past the tone then I think this book can be pretty good, and it was short enough to still be very helpful.

11. *The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
 

Motivation for Reading:

This also came up in my library app, and I had heard it recommended on a podcast.

Takeaways:

This book was pretty incredible. It is right up my alley as far as psychological concepts and application to various aspects of life. The stories and examples given to elucidate the concepts were very interesting and helpful to me. Pretty much from the first chapter, I was hooked and this became one of my favorite books so far. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone, definitely will be reading this again.

10. *Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Motivation for Reading:

Found this in a library app, and had heard good things about the book.

Takeaways:

The origin story of Nike was extremely interesting. Hearing how such a huge company started from very humble beginnings and seeing how close it was to going under throughout its early years was really a testament to Phil Knight and his entrepreneurial spirit. This book was also very clearly ghost-written so it was told in a very engaging and dramatic way. I am not sure how much of the story is true and how much is exaggerated, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed the story and this is one of my all-time favorites.

9. *Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull

Motivation for Reading:

This was a recommendation from a podcast. Sounded really interesting. 

Takeaways:

I never knew much about the origins of Pixar so that was really interesting to learn some fun anecdotes from different movies and the process of creating all of these classic movies I grew up with. Not only was it cool to learn about what makes Pixar unique from a purely business perspective, but also learning the history of the foundation of the company was new to me and I found it was very well written. This was one of the favorites that I read so far.

8. *What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey

Motivation for Reading:

This was highly recommended in a podcast, and I did not really know about Oprah.

Takeaways:

Like I said, I honestly did not know much about Oprah, and this book was highly recommended and rightfully so. The concept of the book was Oprah looking back on her life through all of the interviews and life experiences she has been through and reflecting on what she now "knows for sure." It was interesting seeing such a successful person who came from lowly beginnings and hearing her describe her life's lessons it really felt like I was there. It was a pretty quick read and I learned a lot of lessons. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. It was very interesting and insightful.

7. *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey 

Motivation for Reading:

This is another classic, was talked a lot about on a podcast I listened to.

Takeaways:

This was another book that I enjoyed a tremendous amount. A lot of what I had heard about this book was saying that every young person should read this book, so I was initially a bit skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to the hype. I will continue the trend of recommending this to anyone who is on the path to self-improvement and development. I will definitely be reading this again down the road.

6. *Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini

Motivation for Reading:

This is a follow-up from Influence. I liked a lot of what I learned in Influence and heard Cialdini appear on a podcast recommending this book.

Takeaways:

This book is somewhat of a continuance of Influence but delves deeper into some more concepts that were certainly surprising to me. Especially after reading Influence and thinking about the ways I was being influenced in my daily life but was almost blindsided by some of these concepts because I wasn't aware of how early the influence process starts and how much it rests in the subconscious mind. I found concepts like "anchoring" and "priming" very profound and paired with Influence, I feel like I am approaching the world with a toolkit to be better prepared for when and how I am being influenced even when I least expect it.

5. *Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini 

Motivation for Reading:

This was referenced a lot on a podcast I listen to

Takeaways:

I really loved this book. It is something that I would recommend to just about anyone because the power of influence and how our brains can be manipulated and coerced is very real and is present in just about every area of your life. This book is super important not only to learn about how you can increase your powers of influence on others but also to be aware of how you are being influenced in your day-to-day life. This is definitely something I will be reading again in the future.

4. A Concise History of International Finance: From Babylon to Bernanke by Larry Neal

Motivation for Reading:

This book was assigned in a class I took at Princeton, and I was looking to re-learn some of these concepts in light of all of the things I have learned over the past year.

Takeaways:

This book was definitely very dry (if you could not guess based on the title). That being said I believe it was able to describe essentially the entire history of financial developments and innovations and how they have improved trade, international standards of living, and overall prosperity. It is interesting to see how each financial innovation often leads to some sort of crisis, and ironically often the financial innovations themselves are derived from crises. Overall, this was helpful for me to learn the historical context of many of the institutions and innovations I take for granted in my day-to-day life. I feel it will be useful as I witness different macroeconomic events in my life, and can analyze them through the lens of previous similar events.

3. White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Motivation for Reading:

This book was really popular and I recently started a DEI group in my club so I thought it would be a good way to learn about some topics I am unfamiliar with.

Takeaways:

I felt that this book presented the topic of race in an interesting way. Two messages that I really took away from this were about separating intentions from impact and separating the message from the messenger. I believe that as someone who is helping in the creation and moderation of a new group that could potentially discuss sensitive topics, these concepts are important to ensure that dialogue remains open, safe, and productive. I think the goal of this book was to make the reader a bit uncomfortable, and I agree with the notion that change usually comes about when people are made to be uncomfortable.

2. *The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

Motivation for Reading:

This is an investing classic and was continuously referenced on a podcast I listened to.

Takeaways:

This is obviously a staple for anyone interested in value investing, and I did enjoy seeing how some of these concepts have remained applicable throughout the past half-century. I especially liked the updated edition that relates some of the concepts to more recent market conditions. The concepts of "Mr. Market," treating a stock like an entire business, how to value businesses, and margin of safety are pretty timeless. Even if you do not subscribe to the value investing philosophy, I believe it to be helpful to see where Buffett and some other market legends got their values from.

1. *Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt

Motivation for Reading:

I had heard a lot about this book through reading other books, and also some other sources.

Takeaways:

After reading this book, I definitely understand its popularity, as well as the controversy surrounding some of its findings. I found this to be somewhat of a precursor to Everybody Lies, and some of the concepts were very similar. I enjoyed this book, and like many others, it helped to change the way that I look at the world. It definitely speaks to some of the biases we have as humans to offer the most simple explanations for things, and how some of these seemingly obvious observations can be debunked with thorough and data-driven research. I think that if you enjoyed reading Everybody Lies, or are interested in the ways that data can be used creatively to solve problems or answer questions.

Books Completed in 2020 (March-December)

30. Train Your Brain For Success: Read Smarter, Remember More, and Break Your Own Records by Roger Seip 

Motivation for Reading:

This was also a book I found around my house, and it seemed interesting.

Takeaways:

I thought this book was a pretty interesting read. It really acknowledges the harsh truth that most people, whether it be subconsciously through human nature, or actively in day-to-day decision making,  really desire to be average. It is easy to say that we want to be successful, mostly because, at its core, the paths to success are simple, yet there is that ever-present and vital distinction between something being simple and being easy. Seip offers some interesting methods for self-improvement in day-to-day life.

29. A Walk Around the Block: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About) by Spike Carlsen

Motivation for Reading:

This was another WSJ audiobook of the month. I thought it would be an interesting book to get some general knowledge.

Takeaways:

This was definitely a cool book to learn some things and gain some general knowledge. It was pretty much exactly what it advertises and definitely opened me up to see some of the things I see in day-to-day life in a different light. From the intricacies of the power grid to squirrels, to recycling, to city planning, it was interesting to learn about how complex many of the processes I take for granted really are. While I do not think I will read this book again, I found it very interesting.

28. Customer Worthy: Why and how everyone in your organization must Think Like a Customer by Michael R. Hoffman

Motivation for Reading:

This is a book my Dad wrote, I had never read it, and in the spirit of getting to 30 books by the end of the year, the time felt right.

Takeaways:

I have heard about this book and some of the concepts in my day-to-day life just by living with my dad and overhearing calls/meetings/etc. I thought that a lot of the concepts were interesting and it seems that the "customer-centric focus" is a concept I see being repeated again and again in many of these business and leadership books. This is more of a guide for businesses who are looking to maximize customer experience and value and how the two go hand in hand. This can definitely be helpful if you are a business owner or leader who is looking for a methodical approach for maximizing customer experience. As I said, this is a theme that is very common in a lot of what I had been reading and learning about, and I believe that only serves to further validate the premise.

27. *The Hidden Habits of Genius: Beyond Talent, IQ, and Grit—Unlocking the Secrets of Greatness by Craig Wright

Motivation for Reading:

This was also a WSJ audiobook of the month, seemed like an interesting concept.

Takeaways:

I actually really enjoyed this book. Wright goes through some of history's most notorious "geniuses" in different industries and demystifies some of the myths surrounding their greatness. He goes through different habits that are consistent among these influential individuals. It was interesting hearing the author define genius, and also how he went into acknowledging the extreme gender gap between geniuses. I think a lot can be learned from this book, and it sort of humanizes a lot of these figures that seem to be "super-human" which I believe does the average person a disservice. 

26. *Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Motivation for Reading:

This was a WSJ Audiobook of the month and it seemed very interesting.

Takeaways:

I had heard good things from some friends about this book and was pleasantly surprised by it. I don't think I have ever had such a thorough journey through the entire history of mankind. I heard a lot of concepts and ideas that were previously unknown to me, and they have honestly changed the way I think about certain ideas relating to morality, religion, and the concept of "intersubjective myths." This is definitely a book I may revisit in the future, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in delving into some of these concepts.

25. *Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and it seemed interesting to me.

Takeaways:

Following along with Emotional Intelligence and Difficult Conversations, this was a helpful read for my life in general. I found it to be useful and it will definitely be something that I revisit at a later point in my life. For anyone who potentially struggles with giving or receiving feedback, I think that this book would be a great read. I know that the theme of this book is taking feeback, but I think it is useful also to flip it around and think about how your feedback can and will be received. All three of these books I found very interesting and I think will be valuable for me moving forward.

24. *The Only Three Questions That Still Count: Investing By Knowing What Others Don't, 2nd Edition by Ken Fisher

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and it seemed interesting to me. Especially as my older brother has been working for Fisher Investments.

Takeaways:

I actually really enjoyed this book and felt that I learned a lot about not only investing, but also how to approach different problems and questions that come up in my daily life. This book used an investing framework to discuss how our brains can oftentimes mislead us through unconscious biases and false assumptions. By constantly questioning our thoughts and assuming we are wrong, we can help to make ourselves aware of blindspots. The concepts seem somewhat obvious at face value, but with many of these extremely valuable and often repeated tips and guidelines for success, there is a disparity between being simple and being easy. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in investing, as well as anyone interested in general psychology and how it fits into an investing framework.

23. *Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill 

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and it seemed interesting to me.

Takeaways:

I was not sure what to expect from a book written so long ago but was very pleasantly surprised. I really had not heard this book referenced much before, but since reading it I am finding its concepts referenced in many of the self-help and psychology-oriented books I am reading. This book did a good job of detailing the real power of directed thought and the power of the subconscious mind. I definitely feel that I subscribe to the main thesis of the book, which I kind of summarize with the saying "pessimists are usually right, but its optimists who change the world." This quote is not saying that pessimists are right because they are realists, but rather their negative attitudes towards life are self-fulfilling. The inverse is true with optimism. This is definitely a good foundational book for anybody interested in a somewhat surprising commonality of some of the most successful people in history. 

22. Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson

Motivation for Reading:

My boss recommended it.

Takeaways:

This book was interesting especially in the context of the new Last Dance documentary series. Although I didn't grow up witnessing the games and events discussed in the books, I have heard a lot of the stories and it was interesting seeing the coach's perspective and how he was able to deal with some of these huge stars. I also found it very interesting how he detailed his spiritual beliefs and how he carried that over to his coaching style. It was definitely unique and while it can be critiqued, I think that his track record speaks for itself. A lot of these concepts are applicable outside of sports and coaching which is why I believe my boss suggested it. For anybody interested in sports I think this is an excellent read, and even if you're not that interested in sports there are a lot of good lessons to be learned after sifting through the detailed accounts of certain games and playoff runs. 

21. *Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Motivation for Reading:

This was also a book my Dad recommended. We had the physical copy in our house.

Takeaways:

The tone of Taleb is something that I believe every reader is bound to comment on in that he comes across as somewhat arrogant, but if you can get past that, I think he offers a lot of insight and valuable lessons. Essentially I learned to really take to heart the concept and power of "putting your money where your mouth is." Especially in the modern world where everybody seems to have an opinion on everything, being able to sift through what is meaningful and what is nonsense. I am definitely looking forward to reading some of Taleb's other work as it is constantly referenced in other books, podcasts, and conversations I have had. I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anybody who is interested in learning more about asymmetrical risk, as well as having tools to be able to sift through the vast amounts of opinions, positive and negative, right and wrong, that we are bombarded with each day.

20. *Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and then my Dad recommended I read it. 

Takeaways:

This book was very interesting to me. Of course grit as a concept or a character trait is nothing novel. In fact, growing up playing multiple sports, I always was trained to have "grit" in one way or another. This book expanded my concept of grit and showed just how relevant learning and applying this concept to your life can be in multiple areas. Duckworth cited and conducted studies in which "grit" was a defining factor in the successes of people in business, education, and their personal lives. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about how to quantify the well-known powerful concepts of passion and perseverance.

19. Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and I have heard it mentioned over several sources.

Takeaways:

Michael Lewis is well known for being one of the top writers in the financial literature space and has written a lot of classics. I didn't know what to expect going into it, but Lewis is a really good storyteller and got me interested in the concepts even while I had no previous direct interest in Solomon Brother's per se. It was interesting to learn about the creation of various financial instruments, as well as the general culture of Wall Street, which is something that everyone has their preconceived notions of, but which actual stories help to further elucidate.

18. What Are Your Blind Spots? Conquering the 5 Misconceptions that Hold Leaders Back by Jim Haudan and Rich Berens

Motivation for Reading:

This is another book I found around my house. I have been in a number of leadership roles in my life and thought I could learn a few things.

Takeaways:

This book was nice because it reiterated a lot of the concepts I have seen in other leadership books such as Principles and Start With Why. It is nice to see that these concepts are universal, and to a more experienced reader I would understand how some of the concepts in these types of books can get repetitive, but as someone who is learning a lot of these concepts, getting access to a different point of view with different examples is helpful to me, even if some of the underlying themes are the same. 

17. Understanding Wall Street by Jeffrey B. Little

Motivation for Reading:

I found this old book in my basement, and as I was working with a hedge fund all summer it seemed like something that could have some value.

Takeaways:

This book was interesting just because some of the concepts were a bit antiquated. It definitely makes me appreciate the ability to go on my phone and instantly transfer funds and purchase a number of securities and derivatives almost instantly. The sheer amount of publicly available and easily accessible information that the internet has provided over the past two decades is really incredible, especially given that in the past you would write letters to companies for their quarterly reports, call your broker, etc. Nowadays I can pull up any companies historical financial documents in literal seconds, anybody can hop on earnings calls and find transcipts with ease. It was interesting to see how much markets have changed even within my own lifetime, and especially in the decades prior. 

16. *Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible. Seemed like an interesting concept.

Takeaways:

I actually ended up really enjoying this book. The concepts were generally related to why some businesses are successful and others fail, and while it is easy to extrapolate reasons with hindsight, I feel that Sinek found an interesting concept that applies not only to businesses but with relationships and various types of organizations as well. This somewhat reminded me of Principles by Ray Dalio in the sense of getting a foundation of what your motivations and values are for a business or even your life before making decisions. I have already applied this in my life, and it has given me a new perspective with which to analyze businesses and organizations in general.

15. *Difficult Conversations by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone, and Sheila Heen

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and it seemed interesting to me, especially following up the emotional intelligence book.

Takeaways:

This book was especially helpful to me this past summer, in the midst of many difficult conversations regarding race that I needed to have as a leader of an organization at my school. I have taken lessons from this book into a lot of aspects of my life. It has changed the way I go about speaking with family, friends, bosses, and coworkers. It has also helped me to analyze some of my friend's relationships and offer advice the way that only an outsider can. I would recommend this to anyone who finds themself struggling to have those awkward or difficult conversations such as 

14. *1984 by George Orwell

Motivation for Reading:

This is just a classic I had never read.

Takeaways:

I had always heard about concepts in this book, and as I know that people have a tendency to misquote and misremember things as they get further and further removed from the source, I thought I would give it a read myself. I don't think that I am saying anything novel when I say Orwell seemed to predict a lot of the future; however, I do think that these concepts are important to think about especially given the modern context. It was definitely cool to learn about the origins of phrases like "big brother" and "doublespeak." I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has never read it.

13. The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Motivation for Reading:

I know this is a classic, and my coaches have quoted it throughout my life. I found this in my basement and gave it a read.

Takeaways:

This book was a lot shorter than I thought it would be. It was really just a collection of phrases and concepts which is not what I expected having heard it talked about for so long. That being said it was interesting to think about how some of the concepts that were relevant for wartime are also relevant in day-to-day life at work, in athletics, and socially.

12. Reprogramming The American Dream: From Rural America to Silicon Valley—Making AI Serve Us All by Greg Shaw and Kevin Scott

Motivation for Reading:

This was the first WSJ free E-book of the month, and it seemed like an interesting and relevant concept.

Takeaways:

This book was pretty interesting to me. I am not sure if anything said in it was too profound. A lot of what it talked about was basically how we should not be afraid of technology replacing jobs etc. and that technology actually offers room for growth. I have read up and learned about some of these concepts previously, but it was presented in an interesting way. If you are someone who has never thought about what the future looks like in regard to artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning, I think this book could help you to start thinking about some of those concepts.

11. Thinking In Numbers: On Life, Love, Meaning, and Math by Daniel Tammet

Motivation for Reading:

I found this book in my house and it looked somewhat interesting, decided to read one chapter and ended up liking it.

Takeaways:

I was not really sure what to expect going into this book, I found it lying around my house, and after reading Everybody Lies it seemed like it could be a similar concept. I ended up learning interesting concepts about the origins of numbers and how and why we use them in our lives. One fun fact I learned was about a tribe that does not have any concept of numbers. That was something that was absolutely mind-blowing to me, and while I likely will not go back and read this book, it did have some interesting stories and anecdotes.

10. *Emotional intelligence 2.0 by Jean Greaves and Travis Bradberry

Motivation for Reading:

This was an audiobook a family member had purchased on Audible, and it seemed interesting to me.

Takeaways:

Emotional Intelligence is a concept I had heard about from several sources, but never really knew what it meant. The authors did a really good job describing the different forms of intelligence. There were many good concepts elucidated with examples that I could relate to situations I have experienced in my own life. This is definitely a book I need to come back to at a later point in my life.

9. *Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

Motivation for Reading:

My boss recommended.

Takeaways:

This was actually a very interesting book. I went in on a recommendation from my boss who led me to believe this was more of a psychology book, which I suppose it was in parts. I ended up really enjoying the concepts brought up and found it changed the way I look at the world. This definitely got me interested in the power of big data and gave me some new problem-solving strategies, as well as giving me the idea to look at the world in a different and more analytical way.

8. *Principles by Ray Dalio

Motivation for Reading:

My boss recommended it.

Takeaways:

This was the first serious nonfiction book I have really read in my life and I took a lot away from it. This is definitely something I will have to go back and read at different stages in my life. Dalio did a great job at simplifying complex concepts and problems and actually laying out a step-by-step guide for living a principled life. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody interested in bettering themself in any aspect of their life.

1-7. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Motivation for Reading:

I took a children's literature class in which Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was assigned. I started out reading the first two to get caught up while at home quarantined, and it became a fun process for me, rediscovering some of my old favorites.

Takeaways:

I started out reading these books just for class and to experience the stories once again. I had not really read a full book since maybe middle school. I figured I could start with this series which was one of my favorites growing up. I ended up reading the books and then watching the movies sequentially, which felt like a whole new experience. This genuinely brought back my love for reading that I hadn't experienced in a decade. Re-reading some old favorites combined with having a lot more free time due to Covid allowed me to learn the power of reading.