Library
I love this picture ! This is the most beautiful library I have ever been in
I love to read.
More importantly, I love to learn.
Below is a library of the books I have read over the years with my own process, and how this library might benefit you.
Below the basic info of each book is the ISBN number so if you want to search in a library or other bookstore than Amazon, you can find the book as well.
My scoring system is more about recommending vs did I love it. I have read books that I love, but would not necessarily recommend them because they hit ME at a specific time in my life, and I found tremendous value – but everyone is different.
Here is my simple rubric:
5 – Highly recommend – put it on your list to read
4 – Great book – lots of learning and highlights
3 – Enjoyed this book, but did not highlight much or read it at wrong time
2 – Had a tough time finishing the book
1 – Possibly useful to others, but would not recommend
Below that is a downloadable PDF of my highlights from each of these books. I tend to read a book for the first time exclusively on my Kindle, and highlight passages, questions, things to remember, etc. quite a bit. I find being able to download all my highlights after reading a book is really handy, and if I ever want to revisit a book, I tend to just read my own highlights to brush up on the key points.
This is where I suggest you start. If you find a book you have been thinking about reading, or discover through this page and are interested – read my highlights first. That will give you very high level sense of the writing and the content, and if it interests you more – buy the book and read the whole thing!
To be clear, this is a passion project of mine and one that will never be complete – which I actually kind of love!
I hope you enjoy this library and find it useful. I will continue to add all the books I read so we can learn together.
PS. If you want to jump to the bottom and see some of my own pictures of my favorite libraries – CLICK HERE
*Disclosure – All links below to Amazon are affiliate links and I will receive a SMALL commission if you purchase the book for referring you to that link. Blame the sales guy in me, but if you are thinking about buying a book I recommend, it turns out to be a win-win-win.
The First 48 (In Order by Number of Highlights)
Click on underlined link to jump to that book
COMING SOON! My Favorite Books of All Time
COMING SOON! Fiction (Alphabetical by Title)
Title: Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity – Rethinking Medicine To Live Better Longer
Author: Peter Attia, MD with Bill Gifford
ISBN: 9780593236598
My Score: 5
Commentary: I found myself highlighting something I wanted to remember on almost every other page of this book. I have followed Dr Attia since he was first introduced to me by way of Tim Ferriss. I love the simplicity of his explanations, and the very tangible suggestions he offers for longevity. Discovering the difference between “lifespan” and “health-span” was an eye-opening experience that made me look at healthy living a bit differently. Doing goblet squats with a kettlebell because he wants to be able to pick up his grandkids (and potentially great grandkids) when he is in his 90’s just clicked for me. I love these types of books that mix science backed clinical trial and anecdotal evidence with real life, realistic and logical solutions.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in living a longer and healthier life. I hope he continues to update and revise as time goes on.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Work Rules: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
Author: Lazlo Bock
ISBN: 9781455554799
My Score: 5
Commentary: What an amazingly smart book. If you are a leader of any good size organization, you will pick up a ton of tips and valuable insights from this book. The stories of what they did in Google are great as well
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Million Dollar Consulting: The Professional’s Guide to Growing a Practice
Author: Alan Weiss
ISBN: 9780071622103
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Financial Security
Author: Scott Galloway
ISBN: 9780593714027
My Score: 4
Commentary: This book is somewhat lopsided in my opinion. The first 2/3rds are absolutely amazing and what I would consider “required reading” for anyone under the age of 35. The last 1/3rd of the book Scott goes into extreme depth from an economic standpoint and tries to give a real background on the importance of monetary policy and the effects of diversification and financial markets. While super interesting to me, I could see this putting the brakes on a lot of people’s interest in finishing this book. Overall, solid read and I learned a lot – it just felt unbalanced. Still would recommend.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Author: Greg McKeown
ISBN: 9780804137386
My Score: 5
Commentary: I love all books that have to do with minimizing or reducing “things”. One of the first books that changed my way of thinking was “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta, and this book by Greg McKeown felt the same. The lessons were not necessarily new, but the way it was presented and the focus on root cause, elimination of decisions, and the power of small wins made this a FANTASTIC and actionable read. I also loved the structure of the book that divided your plan into 4 clear parts that worked on mindset as well as activity. Those parts are 1. Essence / 2. Explore / 3. Eliminate / 4. Execute. Easy read, actionable advice, smart writing and timeless wisdom.
Highly recommend!
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Course Design Formula: How to Teach Anything to Anyone Online
Author: Rebecca Frost Cuevas
ISBN: 9781732782310
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Author: Will Guidara
ISBN: 9780593418574
My Score: 5
Commentary: If you work in the hospitality industry (from hotels to restaurants to bars), you HAVE to read this book. If you enjoy eating out, you SHOULD read this book. As someone who spent 8 years doing pretty much every job in a restaurant, I was blown away not only from the stories that Will talks about at Eleven Madison Park, but the mindset of service, and the incredible creativity and operational expertise he led his team to pursue. Highly recommend.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Atomic Habits – An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Author: James Clear
ISBN : 9780735211292
My Score: 5+
This is my favorite non-fiction book. I have applied more to my life from this book than any other. I use it as my textbook in the class I teach at the local university. I have gifted it more than any other book. I think it should be required reading for every human. If you were to pick one book to buy out of this library – this would be it! Highly recommend.
Read my Atomic Habits Highlights or visit Amazon to purchase.
Title: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Author: Matthew Walker, PhD
ISBN: 9781501144318
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Never Split The Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
Author: Chris Voss with Tahl Raz
ISBN: 9780062407801
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Yoga of Eating: Transcending Diets and Dogma to Nourish the Natural Self
Author: Charles Eisenstein
ISBN: 9780967089720
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: 10X is Easier than 2X: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
Author: Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
ISBN: 9781401969950
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
Author: Adam Grant
ISBN: 9780753553886
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Infinite Game
Author: Simon Sinek
ISBN: 9780735213500
My Score: 5
Commentary: I can honestly say of all the authors on this list, I find myself and my thoughts on leadership lining up most with Simon Sinek. OK – I’ll come clean – I am officially a fanboy. Having been influenced by many of his books, and then implementing and learning on the job – his leadership style, search for purpose, and construction of culture has taught me so much over the years – and this book is no different. I truly LOVE the idea of business as the infinite game, and this book definitely influenced me to leave a corporate public company in search of a small startup culture. Highly recommend everything by Simon Sinek.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Author: Cal Newport
ISBN: 9781455586691
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
Author: Josh Waitzkin
ISBN: 9780743277457
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Author: Tiago Forte
ISBN: 9781982167387
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: How to Be a Chief Operating Officer: 16 Disciplines for Success
Author: Jennifer Geary
ISBN: 9781999768317
My Score: 3
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Author: Eric Jorgenson
ISBN : 9781544514215
My Score: 5+
This is absolutely one of my most favorite books and cannot recommend it enough to anyone and everyone. There is so much wisdom in the tweets and excerpts from Naval – this is a book to be read and reread, picked up and put down, thumbed through, and referenced OFTEN! If you were to pick one book to buy out of this library – this would be it! Highly recommend.
The Navalmanack Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
Author: Adam Grant
ISBN: 9780593653142
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork
Author: Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
ISBN: 9781401960582
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Author: Chris Cage
ISBN: 9781520300627
My Score: 5
Commentary: To be honest, this is still a dream of mine. Not a full thru hike of the AT in one go (sleeping outside and leaving the family for 4-6 months just doesn’t interest me at this point in my life), however, I LOVE the idea of section hiking the AT, and doing one state or one section at a time, and trying to complete the whole thing over the course of a decade. I have read multiple books on the AT, and this is by far the most comprehensive and complete guide that started it all for me. If you are considering spending any time on the AT, this book is amazing. Highly recommend.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes
Author: Morgan Housel
ISBN: 9780593332702
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decision When You Don’t Have All the Facts
Author: Annie Duke
ISBN: 9780735216372
My Score: 4
Commentary: The best part of this book was the recognition of separating the decision from the outcome. It is completely possible (and happens often) that with the information you have at hand, you make a high quality decision, and the outcome just doesn’t turn out the way you planned it, but that doesn’t mean your decision was poor. Really well written book and easy read on translating the life of a poker player into the decision making skills of a business mind. Really good book!
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
Author: Morgan Housel
ISBN: 9780857197689
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Gap & the Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence and Success
Author: Dan Sullivan wit hDr. Benjamin Hardy
ISBN: 9781401964368
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
Author: Scott H. Young & James Clear
ISBN: 9780062852687
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Author: Brene Brown
ISBN: 9781592858491
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey
Author: Derick Lugo
ISBN: 9781628421187
My Score: 5
Commentary: What an amazing story, written in an easy to read and even more easy to root for type of way. Thoroughly enjoyable book with great tales from the trail, and some very useful information from his experience. Entertaining book.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO
Author: Cameron Herold
ISBN: 9781544537603
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living A Good Life
Author: Mark Manson
ISBN: 9780062457714
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money and Your Life
Author: Bill Perkins
ISBN: 9780358567097
My Score: 5
Commentary: This book blew my mind a bit. And yes, he does address the question, “what about your kids?!” I love the idea of memory dividends, and once you finish the book, it sounds perfectly reasonable. It IS a difficult mental hurdle to get over the question of, “but what if I run out of money when I am old?” which he does talk about. Overall – highly recommend.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money Making Machine
Author: Mike Michalowicz
ISBN: 9780735214149
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward
Author: Daniel H. Pink
ISBN: 9780735210653
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Steal the Show: How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation For All Performances in Your Life
Author: Michael Port
ISBN: 9780544555181
My Score:
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life
Author: Arnold Schwarzenegger
ISBN: 9780593655955
My Score: 3
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Other’s Don’t
Author: Simon Sinek
ISBN: 9781591848011
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Mental Models: 30 Thinking Tools that Separate the Average From the Exceptional.
Author: Peter Hollins
ISBN: 9781647430368
My Score: 3
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: $100M Offers: How to Make Offers SO Good People Feel Stupid Saying No
Author: Alex Hormozi
ISBN: 9781737475743
My Score: 4
Commentary: If you are in sales or develop product offers, you have to read this book. Alex has an incredible way of simplifying sales talk tracks down to essential, common sense, customer focused persuasion. I read this book when I was a 100% commission only phone sales rep, and it absolutely made a difference in my results. Easy, but powerful read!
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Awareness: Conversations with the Masters
Author: Anthony De Mello
ISBN: 9780385249379
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Main Street Millionaire: How to Make Extraordinary Wealth Buying Ordinary Businesses
Author: Codie Sanchez
ISBN: 9780593718612
My Score: 5
Commentary: I have been part of the Contrarian Thinking crowd for a while now, and when I heard Codie was going to write a book about her experience, I thought it was going to be very similar to what she shares on her YouTube channel and in her newsletter. This book surprised me in the best way possible as this is a true step by step guide on how to buy a small business, and take a different approach to ownership. She covers all the angles, and keeps the chapters clear, concise, and useful. Overall, great book, and one could argue absolutely necessary if you are thinking about buying a business.
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do In 12 Months
Author: Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington
ISBN: 9781118509234
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Author: Kindra Hall
ISBN: 9781400211968
My Score: 3
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
Author: Ryan Holiday
ISBN: 9781591846352
My Score: 3
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Author: Kindra Hall
ISBN: 9781400228409
My Score: 3
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
Author: Gary Chapman
ISBN: 9780802412706
My Score: 5
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Attention Pays: How to Drive Profitability, Productivity, and Accountability
Author: Neen James
ISBN: 9781119480259
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
Title: Folding Time: How to Achieve Twice As Much In Half The Time
Author: Neen James
ISBN: 9780976925835
My Score: 4
Commentary:
The Downloadable PDF with all of my Kindle Highlights from this book.
My Favorite Pictures from Libraries Around the World
The New York Public Library – One of my Favorites (1.4.2025)
The Library of Congress – Washington, DC (6.13.2024)
The Long Room – Library of Trinity College – Dublin, Ireland (October 2019)
