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Blog Book Adventures

What I’m Reading

Plus, my favorite books

I treasure books. They multiply the width and depth of my life, imagination and empathy. And I am grateful to authors, publishers and book stores that keep this art alive.

I’m publishing these lists to pat myself on the back (mom doesn’t do it anymore!) for finishing books, and to share my favorites.

Reference Guide

  • Bold titles are my favorite books of the year
  • Easy, Medium, Difficult is my subjective rating of the book’s readability (my preference is literary fiction)
  • 1-5 Rating Scale is 1 = poor 2 = okay 3 = solid 4 = great 5 = amazing

Currently Reading:

2026

2025

Books that Changed My Life

  1. I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World by Martin Luther King (medium) (5/5) – inspired me to major in public policy, minor in African-American studies, and believe a better future is possible
  2. The Four-Hour Workweek: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss (easy) (4/5) – led me to Vietnam and location-independent entrepreneurship
  3. The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Che Guavara (easy) (4/5) – led me to Colombia and salsa dancing
  4. The Bible (difficult) (5/5) – my solace during my father’s passing
  5. Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger (medium) (4/5) – guides how I think about relationships
  6. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You by Sherry Walling (medium) (4/5) – led me to therapy and its key findings influenced my book, The Fail-Safe Solopreneur
  7. The Life Changing Method of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Maria Kondo (easy) (4/5) – set me on the path towards minimalism
  8. How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil (difficult) (4/5) and Factfulness by Hans Rosling (medium) (4/5) – a scientist’s and physician’s life works that challenged how I view change in the physical world and social change.
  9. AntiFragile by Nassim Nicolas Taleb (difficult) (4/5) – Taleb’s “barbell” changed how I thought about investing and many other aspects of life
  1. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (easy) (5/5)
  2. The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda (easy) (4/5)
  3. The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker (easy) (4/5)
  4. Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn (easy) (4/5)

Favorite Books on Entrepreneurship

I’ve read dozens of books on marketing, innovation, sales, hiring, operations, productivity and mindset. My conclusion? The best business book is the one that motivates you to make something customers love and keep working on your business. Sometimes this can be directly related to business problems and professional skills; more often, I am looking to ride the energy of another’s success.

  1. Anything You Want by Derek Sivers (easy) (5/5)
  2. The Millionaire Fastlane by M.J. DeMarco (easy) (4/5)
  3. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman (medium) (4/5)
  4. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (medium) (4/5)
  5. This is Marketing by Seth Godin (easy) (4/5)
  6. The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick (easy) (4/5)

Favorite Books on Investing & Money

  1. The Most Important Thing Illuminated: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor by Howard Marks (medium) (5/5) – the best overview I’ve found on value investing
  2. The Psychology of Money and The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel (easy) (5/5) – managing your psychology is just as important as managing your investments
  3. Happy Money by Ken Honda (easy) (4/5) – a refreshingly Eastern view of money

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