I love reading books. This is a list of my favourite books that I’ve read over the past 22 years.

I want to make this yearly tradition, where I look back and list the books I’ve enjoyed the most. Since I have to start somewhere, this list will include my all time favourites, instead of just the one’s I finished this year.

The list is divided into two sections: Productive (you gonna learn something) and Pleasure (you gonna experience something). Some may span the gap, but I will only include them in the list that best fits how I see the book. This list is highly curated and is presented in alphabetical order. Instead of providing links to elsewhere on the internet, I encourage you to search for these books online yourself or at your local bookstore.

Productive

  • 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018, Yuval Noah Harari)
  • A Brief History of Nearly Everything (2003, Bill Bryson)
  • Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (2016, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths)
  • Creative Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (2014, Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull)
  • Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win (2015, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin)
  • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverence (2016, Angela Duckworth)
  • High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way (2017, Brendon Burchard)
  • Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2015, Yuval Noah Harari)
  • How Not to Be Wrong (2014, Jordan Ellenberg)
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936, Dale Carnegie)
  • Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning (2014, Mark A. McDaniel and Peter C. Brown)
  • Man’s Search For Meaning (1946, Viktor Frankl)
  • Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (2011, Joshua Foer)
  • Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It (2016, Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz)
  • Outliers: The Story of Success (2008, Malcolm Gladwell)
  • Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success (2017, Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness)
  • Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (2012, Susan Cain)
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad (2000, Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter)
  • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011, Yuval Noah Harari)
  • Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity (2016, Charles Duhigg)
  • The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything (2016, Neil Pasricha)
  • The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses (2011, Eric Ries)
  • The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (2012, Charles Duhigg)
  • The Signal and the Noise: Why Most Predictions Fail – but Some Don’t (2012, Nate Silver)
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (2016, Mark Manson)
  • The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. (2009, Daniel Coyle)
  • The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000, Malcolm Gladwell)
  • The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (2016, Michael Lewis)
  • Thinking Fast and Slow (2011, Daniel Kahneman)
  • Unplug: A Simple Guide to Meditation for Busy Sceptics and Modern Soul Seekers (2017, Suze Yalof Schwartz)
  • What the Other Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009, Malcolm Gladwell)
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974, Robert M. Pirsig)

Pleasure

  • A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989, John Irving)
  • A Romance on Three Legs (2008, Katie Hafner)
  • A Walk in the Woods (1997, Bill Bryson)
  • Animal Farm (1945, George Orwell)
  • Black Swan Green (2006, David Mitchell)
  • Born a Crime (2016, Trevor Noah)
  • Brave New World (1932, Aldous Huxley)
  • Fahrenheit 451 (1953, Ray Bradbury)
  • I am the Messenger (2002, Markus Zusak)
  • Lord of the Flies (1954, William Golding)
  • Mortality (2012, Christopher Hitchens)
  • Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949, George Orwell)
  • Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike (2016, Phil Knight)
  • Slaughterhouse-Five (1969, Kurt Vonnegut)
  • Story of Your Life (1998, Ted Chiang)
  • The Book Thief (2005, Markus Zusak)
  • The Catcher in the Rye (1951, J. D. Salinger)
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (2003, Mark Haddon)
  • The Handmaid’s Tale (1985, Margaret Atwood)
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979, Douglas Adams)
  • The God of Small Things (1997, Arundhati Roy)
  • The King in the Window (2005, Adam Gopnik)
  • The Left Hand of Darkness (1969, Ursula K. Le Guin)
  • The World According to Garp (1978, John Irving)
  • Watchmen (1987, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons)
  • V for Vendetta (1989, Alan Moore)

What now?

There are so many books I want to read. There are so many more books that I don’t know about yet. Please send me recommendations if you feel that I would enjoy a title!