I started reading back in 2022 after I lost my smartphone. I needed something cheap to keep me occupied, and I figured a book could do the trick—like a movie, but told in words. Since then, I’ve read quite a few books, and here’s the list so far.
Books in a Glance
Motivational
Motivational and self-help books are the ones that reached my lap during my early years of reading; that’s why they are first on this list.
Authors like Jay Shetty, Mark Manson, and Charles Duhigg are my first encounters.
1. Think Like A Monk—Jay Shetty
It’s the first book I read other than academics. I got the book in 2022, and I’ve read countless books since then. While I was reading it, it opened my eyes to so much that I’d never thought of. And I would say it’s a blessed book.
2. Give and Take—Adam Grant
This precedes the first book I ever read, but it’s not a physical book; it’s a PDF. The book was about giving as much as you can so that something good will always come back to you, too. I agree; it’s a good philosophy.
3. Atomic Habit—James Clear
This book is one of the early books I read, and I’ve read it over three times since I got it. I love the book so much that I wrote a summary and a review of it. And I adopted a key too in the book called Habit Tracking.
4. The Power of Habit—Charles Duhigg
Through and through, I prefer this book over Atomic Habits. Although both books cover the same topic differently, The Power of Habit explains habit formation better.
5. Rich Dad Poor Dad—Robert Kiyosaki
I might have bought the book because it was popular, and it was supposed to talk about how to make money. It did do what it promised, but the book wasn’t really for me. But I kept the copy.
6. What Everybody Is Saying—Joe Navarro
This book was recommended by a presenter on the Alux YouTube channel, and I decided to pick it up since I want to truly know what everybody is saying without uttering a word. The book delivers. One of the key points there is that communication is only 30% vocal; the rest is body language.
7. The Art of Not Giving a Fuck—Mark Mansion
I discovered the book and its author while watching YouTube and bought the book when I saw it at the bookshop. On reading the book, Manson advised to care only about what you need to do and f*cking leave the rest.
8. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership—John C Maxwell
This is the first book of Dr Maxwell I encountered and read. It’s a good book and readable.
9. 360° Leader—John C Maxwell
I borrowed the book when I was starting out as a new reader. The book has introduced me to other excellent works of Dr. Maxwell on leadership that I’ve come to enjoy.
10. You Have a Brain—Benjamin Carson
It is one of many bestsellers of Dr. Carson’s work. Most of his books revolved around his life story. And if you’ve read any of his books, you’d have a great idea what his other books will say.
11. The Rule of Breaks—Richard Templar
I bought this book because it’s cheap and I want to read, of course. And I have other Templar’s books on the shelf that I haven’t touched since 2023; maybe that will change later.
Robert Greene
Robert Greene is one of the writers whose work I enjoyed a lot. And that’s the reason I’ve acquired all of his published books except The Daily Law.
Here are my short thoughts on his book:
1. The 48 Laws of Power
This is the book that introduces the majority of people to the world of Greene, and I’m not excluded. At first I got scared reading the book, but later I found out in Greene’s interview that the laws introduced in the book are meant for awareness, not to be used except on occasions. It’s a good book, highly recommended.
2. The Laws of Human Nature
Robert researched 18 laws in this book, and it’s all about pure human psychology. It’s not a book you read a single time and let go; it must be reread. At times when I’m reading the book, it feels like I’m reading myself, and at other times it feels like I’m reading another person I know. If you want to know people, this is the book to buy; you won’t be wrong.
3. 50th Law ft. 50 Cent
This is the only Greene book that’s written like a motivational book because it’s telling you what to do. Other books of his I’ve read always explain the situation in detail and leave you to conclude your own fact. Nonetheless, it’s still a book I enjoyed, and I read it cover to cover.
4. Mastery
I particularly loved this book more when I saw Andrew Huberman’s interview with Robert Greene. Huberman said the book is the cause that rerouted his career from being a psychologist to becoming a successful YouTuber. The book is highly recommended for students.
5. The 33 Strategies of War
True. I’ve read Sun Tzu’s Art of War, but I didn’t understand anything about war strategies, particularly in their adaptation to real-world situations. For the most part, this is what the 33 Strategies of War came to solve.
Robert Greene has done a great job in the book by choosing warriors and battles across time and across continents, drawing valuable lessons for readers to easily grasp.
History
I enjoyed reading history books because it forces my brain to think. History books are always filled with jam-packed information that the brain automatically goes to work on when done reading.
The part of history I’m most interested in is the Third Reich era. That’s why most books I’ve read and will be reading are Hitler-focused.
Here are the ones I’ve read:
1. The Rise of Germany—James Holland
When I first started getting interested in the Second World War, I researched, and the book that mostly came up was this. I picked the book to read and got tired halfway; it’s packed with enormous information I do not understand at all.
With that, I did not finish the book; instead, I went back to where the war started, and it was with Hitler. In a nutshell, the book is good, and the author is knowledgeable; I’ve seen him talk on shows. It’s recommendable.
2. Sherman’s March—Burke David
The first book led to this. I’ve heard James Holland talk about how great the Sherman tank was during the end of World War II.
Just the name Sherman influenced me to buy this book. And I bought and read it. The book is as dry as a desert, but I managed to finish it.
Simple fact I learned from the book: war is most cruel to women and children.
3. The End—Ian Kershaw
This book describes the last ten months of the Second World War through a German lens. In particular, human reason is the reason the war lasted even when all fronts were crumbling.
It’s extensive research and a good read. I enjoy it; you should too.
