What I read. Some books I've read and would recommend.
Read
The Theory of PokerDavid Sklansky · non-fiction
Sklansky's classic on the math and reasoning behind winning poker, covering the fundamental theorem, pot odds, bluffing, and position.
The Kite RunnerKhaled Hosseini · fiction
Amir looks back on a boyhood in Kabul and the betrayal of his closest friend, then returns to Afghanistan years later to try to make it right.
Stronger After StrokePeter G. Levine · health
A practical guide to stroke recovery built on neuroplasticity, laying out how repeated, task-specific practice rebuilds movement and function.
The Spy Who Came in from the ColdJohn le Carré · fiction
A burnt-out British agent takes one last Cold War assignment in East Germany, and finds the line between the two sides is blurrier than he was told.
Careless PeopleSarah Wynn-Williams · memoir
A former Facebook policy executive's insider account of the company's leadership and how decisions got made as it grew into a global power.
The Anxious GenerationJonathan Haidt · non-fiction
Haidt argues that the shift from play-based to phone-based childhood drove the rise in teen anxiety and depression, and proposes norms to reverse it.
The Mom TestRob Fitzpatrick · business
How to talk to customers and ask questions that even your mum couldn't lie to you about, so you learn whether your idea is worth building.
The Great Mental ModelsShane Parrish & Rhiannon Beaubien · non-fiction
A toolkit of timeless thinking frameworks from physics, biology, and economics for making better decisions and avoiding common reasoning errors.
How to Talk to AnyoneLeil Lowndes · self-help
92 small techniques for making a strong first impression and starting conversations with anyone, from small talk to business meetings.
Deep WorkCal Newport · non-fiction
A case for cultivating the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks, and why that skill is becoming both rarer and more valuable.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ckMark Manson · self-help
A counterintuitive self-help book that argues for caring less about more things, and more about what actually matters, instead of chasing endless positivity.
The Monk Who Sold His FerrariRobin S. Sharma · self-help
A burned-out trial lawyer collapses in court, sells everything, and comes back from the Himalayas with a fable about purpose, discipline, and living simply.
A Thousand Splendid SunsKhaled Hosseini · fiction
Thirty years of Afghan history through the lives of two women bound together as wives to the same man, a story of friendship and survival through war and upheaval.
The Forty Rules of LoveElif Şafak · fiction
A dual narrative that weaves a modern woman's midlife crisis together with the story of Rumi and the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz.
The Hard Thing About Hard ThingsBen Horowitz · business
Horowitz's field notes from running a startup through near-collapse, short on formulas and long on what to do when there's no good option left.
The Psychology of MoneyMorgan Housel · non-fiction
Short essays on how personal history, ego, and luck shape financial decisions more than spreadsheets do.
Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneLori Gottlieb · memoir
A therapist writes about her own patients while seeing a therapist herself, after a breakup sends her into a crisis she didn't see coming.
The One Minute ManagerKenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson · business
A short parable on three techniques for managing people: one minute goals, one minute praisings, and one minute reprimands.
The Upside of UncertaintyNathan Furr & Susannah Harmon Furr · non-fiction
A framework for treating uncertainty as an opportunity rather than a threat, drawn from interviews with people who took big leaps: astronauts, entrepreneurs, artists.
Skunk WorksBen R. Rich & Leo Janos · memoir
Rich's account of running Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division, the shop behind the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, and F-117 stealth fighter.
Losing My VirginityRichard Branson · memoir
Branson's own account of building Virgin from a student magazine into a sprawling group of companies, told with the same irreverence he ran the business with.
One Thousand and One NightsAnonymous · classic
The frame story of Scheherazade spinning tales to postpone her execution, holding together centuries of Middle Eastern, Persian, and South Asian folk tales.
The Richest Man in BabylonGeorge S. Clason · business
A collection of parables set in ancient Babylon that teach simple money habits: pay yourself first, live below your means, and make your savings work for you.