Books that Have Changed My Life, Part II
This post is a continuation of Books that Have Changed My Life, Part I.
As time passes, I spend less time reading newspapers, magazines, and social media posts, and more time reading books. The information is denser, and the intellectual return-on-investment is higher. Plus, the news cycle is all garbage anyway; I usually find out about important events by asking others what’s happening in the world, then researching the things that sound interesting. But there are so many problems with the news cycle that I usually don’t even think it’s worth participating. More on this another time; the point is that books have become my strong preference, over all other types of media. Here in Part II are mostly books that have shaped my worldview in 2013; most have something to do with the philosophies and practices of peace, conflict, resilience, randomness, achievement, generosity, evolution, and money.
Copied from Part I: Charlie Jones said “The only difference between where you are today, and where you’ll be a year from today, are the books you read and the people you meet.” Since I started reading voluntarily at the age of 14, books have had a huge influence on my life. Most of the books below are ones I’ve read multiple times, dog-eared dozens of pages in, and given as gifts. They and their authors have shaped who I’ve become.
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Philosophy, Psychology and Worldview #
Principles, by Ray Dalio
The Art of Peace, by Morihei Ueshiba
Mastery, by George Leonard
Choose Yourself, by James Altucher
Linchpin, by Seth Godin
Tribes, by Seth Godin
Ikigai, by Sebastian Marshall
On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, by Thomas Carlyle
Antifragile, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Bed of Procrustes, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Assault on Reason, by Al Gore
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Money, Economy, and Capital #
The Soul of Money, by Lynne Twist
The Generosity Network, by Jennifer McCrea and Jeffrey Walker
Predictable Revenue, by Aaron Ross and MaryLou Tyler
How Much is Enough? Money and the Good Life, by Robert and Edward Skidelsky
What Money Can’t Buy: the Moral Limits of Markets, by Michael Sandel
I Will Teach You to Be Rich, by Ramit Sethi