Book List

This is the complete list of the books I have read since 2008.

River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life
Richard Dawkins
October 2017

The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam
Douglas Murray
September 2017

Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima
James Bradley
August 2017

Conscientious Objections: Stirring Up Trouble About Language, Technology and Education
Neil Postman
June 2017

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
Timothy Snyder
June 2017

Head Strong: The Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Faster-in Just Two Weeks
Dave Asprey
June 2017

The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
May 2017

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea
Sebastian Junger
May 2017

Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur
Derek Sivers
April 2017

The Bulletproof Diet: Lose up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus, Upgrade Your Life
Dave Asprey
April 2017

The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
Nassim Taleb
April 2017

The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness
Jeff Olson
April 2017

God’s Debris: A Thought Experiment
Scott Adams
April 2017

The Gene: An Intimate History
Siddhartha Mukherjee
April 2017

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
Gary Vaynerchuk
March 2017

Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
March 2017

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Ben Horowitz
March 2017

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
Walter Isaacson
February 2017

Ready Player One
Earnest Cline
February 2017

A People’s History of the United States
Howard Zinn
January 2017

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
Tim Ferriss
January 2017

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Alfred Lansing
December 2016

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
Michael E. Gerber
December 2016

Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
November 2016

The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King
Rich Cohen
November 2016

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
Kevin Kelly
October 2016

Edison: A Biography
Matthew Josephson
August 2016

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
Mohsin Hamid
July 2016

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Cal Newport
June 2016

Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising
Ryan Holiday
May 2016

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
April 2016

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker
Kevin Mitnick
March 2016

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B. Cialdini
February 2016

The Road to Character
David Brooks
January 2016

The Hunt for Vulcan: How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe
Thomas Levenson
December 2015

The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcom X
November 2015

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life
Scott Adams
November 2015

59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute
Richard Wiseman
October 2015

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
Marshall Goldsmith
September 2015

The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI
Betty Medsger
August 2015

13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi
Mitchell Zuckoff
July 2015

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
Nicholas Carr
July 2015

Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
Bo Burlingham
June 2015

The Martian
Andy Weir
May 2015

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
Nassim Taleb
May 2015

Kettlebell Simple & Sinister
Pavel Tsatsouline
April 2015

Levels of the Game
John McPhee
March 2015

The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)
Hal Elrod
March 2015

Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World
Peter H. Diamandis
February 2015

Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
Peter H. Diamandis
February 2015

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
Steven Johnson
January 2015

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe
January 2014

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
Gary Keller
December 2014

The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
December 2014

Dune
Frank Herbert
October 2014

Profiles in Courage
John F. Kennedy
September 2014

The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship
David Halberstam
August 2014

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
David Kushner
July 2014

The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance
Josh Waitzkin
June 2014

Lonesome Dove
Larry McMurtry
May 2014

The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America
Marc Levinson
April 2014

Allegiant
Veronica Roth
April 2014

Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
Ryan Holiday
February 2014

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Malcolm Gladwell
February 2014

Insurgent
Veronica Roth
January 2014

Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar Inc.
Gary Erickson
December 2013

Divergent
Veronica Roth
December 2013

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
November 2013

Rome’s Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar
Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni
September 2013

The Leaderless Revolution: How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century
Carne Ross
January 2013

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy
Christopher Hayes
December 2012

Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead: Journeys into Fame and Madness
Neil Strauss
November 2012

Chasing Daylight:How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life
Gene O’Kelly
November 2012

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
Robert D. Putnam
October 2012

Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher & a Hall of Fame Hitter Talk About How the Game Is Played
Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Lonnie Wheeler
October 2012

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Jon Krakauer
August 2012

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
Yvon Chouinard
August 2012

A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
August 2012

SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper
Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin
July 2012

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company
David A. Price
July 2012

I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Ramit Sethi
July 2012

The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
David Plouffe
June 2012

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
Sudhir Venkatesh
June 2012

Survive!: Remarkable Tales from the New Zealand Outdoors
Carl Walrond
March 2012

The Case of Abraham Lincoln: A Story of Adultery, Murder, and the Making of a Great President
Julie M. Fenster
March 2012

Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill
March 2012

Apples Are Square: Thinking Differently About Leadership
Susan Kuczmarski, Thomas D. Kuczmarski
March 2012

Beatrice and Virgil
Yann Martel
March 2012

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin
Erik Larson
March 2012

Freud for Beginners
Richard Appignanesi, Oscar Zarate
March 2012

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
March 2012

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All
Jim Collins
March 2012

Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Laura Hillenbrand
February 2012

Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
February 2012

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Siddhartha Mukherjee
February 2012

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships
Daniel Goleman
January 2012

Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin’s Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives
David Sloan Wilson
January 2012

Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance
Jonathan Fields
December 2011

The Education of Millionaires: It’s Not What You Think and It’s Not Too Late
Michael Ellsburg
December 2011

In Cold Blood
Truman Capote
December 2011

Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
Clay Shirky
December 2011

Mockingjay (The Third Book of the Hunger Games)
Suzanne Collins
November 2011

The Lean Startup
Eric Ries
November 2011

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
Suzanne Collins
October 2011

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand
October 2011

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
October 2011

Decoded
Jay-Z
March 2011

Eating Animals
Jonathan Safran Foer
February 2011
[word list]

The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World
Chris Guillebeau
February 2011

The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
by Timothy Ferriss
January 2011

Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age
by Clay Shirky
January 2011

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Lincoln’s Killer
by James L. Swanson
December 2010
[word list]

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
by Al Ries and Jack Trout
December 2010

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
by Dan Ariely
November 2010
[word list]

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
by Michael Pollan
November 2010

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey
November 2010

Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup
by David Cohen and Brad Feld
November 2010

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
by Tony Hsieh
November 2010
[word list]

The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More
by Barry Schwarz
October 2010

Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working For Yourself
by Daniel Pink
October 2010

Starting Something: An Entrepreneur’s Tale of Corporate Culture
by Wayne McVickers
September 2010
[word list]

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr.
by Ron Chernow
August 2010
[word list]

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink
July 2010

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell
July 2010

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
June 2010

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America
by Thomas L. Friedman
June 2010

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children
by John Wood
April 2010

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott
April 2010

Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way
by Richard Branson
March 2010

The 4 Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
by Tim Ferris
January 2010

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
by Richard Feynman
January 2010

The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
by David Packard
November 2009

Anthem
by Ayn Rand
November 2009

Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life
by Neil Strauss
November 2009

The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World
by Tim Harford
October 2009

Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis
by Robert Kennedy
October 2009

The Little Kingdom: The Private Story of Apple Computer
by Michael Moritz
October 2009

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell
August 2009

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
by Seth Goden
July 2009

The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
June 2009

Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 20: A Crash Course on Making Your Place in the World
by Tina Seelig
May 2009

1984
by George Orwell
March 2009

Free-Range Chickens
by Simon Rich
February 2009

Animal Farm
by George Orwell
February 2009

Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy
by Jane Leavy
January 2009

Outliers: The Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell
January 2009

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life
by Steve Martin
December 2008

A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing
by Burton G. Malkiel
November 2008

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
by Michael Lewis
November 2008

Beating the Street
by Peter Lynch
October 2008

Buffet: The Making of an American Capitalist
by Roger Lowenstein
October 2008

7 thoughts on “Book List

  1. Brian Lindberg says:

    What did you think of Predictably Irrational? Have you read Ariely’s other book? He’s on my list of books to get to. His TED talks are really interesting.

    I think it would be cool to see a couple sentences of final thoughts for each book. How am I supposed to know what book to read next!?

    Why are you predominately reading nonfiction? Is that more of a phase or has that been a common theme for your reading habits for a while?

    • Skinner says:

      It was a good book. I didn’t even know Ariely had another book, it’s now added to my list as well.

      I’ll work on the thoughts about each book. Maybe an enjoyment/recommendation rating as well. Let me know what types of non-fiction you are interested in and I’ll probably have a recommendation.

      I read non-fiction because I enjoy it! I don’t think it is a phase – I sprinkle in a few fiction books here and there, but I enjoy learning about real things. If it is a story I’m reading, I’d prefer to know that it actually happened rather than made up.

      (I don’t know why these comments aren’t showing up on the page …)

  2. Blindy says:

    What did you think of The Emperor of all Maladies? That’s been on my list of books to read for a while. Sounds like a winner.

    • Skinner says:

      It was good – I definitely learned a ton. I really didn’t know much about cancer, especially the history of it before the book. Some of the specifics might be more appreciated by you due to your bio background (most of it went over my head), but there were also some cancer patient stories to real me back in.

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