I am heavily a non-fiction reader. If you’ve explored my Movie, Show, or Podcast recommendations then it’s quite obvious that I stick to specific categories.

However, the reason that I never have had a positive association with fictional stories is because they were the only ones that I would ready for an extended period of time for my English classes. Somehow, during my entire course of education I by most means and standards passed all my classes by a high margin without a textbook. This is because my reading speed is actually relatively slow compared to comprehension based on application, power point + note taking, or raw memorization. It was very frustrating for myself that a single chapter would take away a portion of my night away from me (that I would otherwise be playing video with, haha). The fact that I could read non-fiction whenever I wanted and at whatever pace that I wanted when not in a class application highly appealed to me and has became my go-to ever since.

As I have grown in my reading habits I have come to understand that the story is a tool of comprehension. It is not meant to confuse or delay, but to build that which can’t be seen. Or in less fancy terms - the reader interprets their own theme. That specifically is why The Go-Giver is on my list and is one of my favorites to this day.

So what do I recommend? This is quite difficult because I’m unaware as to who you are. Usually, I try to tailor my recommendations for what would be the most helpful to a specific person at a certain point in time. Since that’s not that case, I’ll try to give as many as I can.

Recommendations

• The Go-Giver – The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success (This was the turning point book for understanding why cooperation will always succeed over a competitive one)

• Rich Dad Poor Dad – The first book related to finance that I remember being interested in to read on my own.

• Atomic Habits by James Clear – Using a framework called the Four Laws of Behavior Change, Atomic Habits teaches readers a simple set of rules for creating good habits and breaking bad ones

• The Path of the Yoga Sutras: A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga – By organizing the sutras into 51 core concepts that support the Western student in germinating and blossoming these potent “seed” teachings, Bachman has created a breakthrough tool for integrating yoga philosophy and practice, whatever your level of experience.

• The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life by Tiago Forte – a book that introduces a four-category system (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) for organizing digital information to improve productivity and focus

• Operating Systems: From 0 to 1 – I would recommend reading only chapter 1 as it gives a great overview for the explanation of a problem domain when working with computers. The rest is highly technical and incomplete book of operating system design and integration.

• The 48 Laws of Power – a guide to understanding and mastering power dynamics, drawing on historical examples to outline 48 strategic “laws” for navigating social and professional hierarchies, focusing on manipulation, strategy, and human psychology to either gain power or protect oneself from others.

• Industrial Society and Its Future – (This of course is going to be a controversial recommendation. However, the main thing I took out of this was while technology has its pros there should be extra consideration put when seeing the cons play out before implementing it)

• Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness – argues against the idea that humans are inherently selfish, using scientific research and storytelling to promote “hopeful skepticism” as a healthier alternative to modern cynicism

• Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life – Aaker and Bagdonas unpack the theory and application of humor: what makes something funny, how to mine your life for material, and simple ways to identify and leverage your unique humor style.

• The Definitive Book of Body Language – The Hidden Meaning Behind People’s Gestures and Expressions (For anyone in a business application, I would highly recommend the section on Hand Shakes)

• Overcoming Gravity – A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength. Steven Low takes the reader on a journey through logically constructing a strength-oriented bodyweight workout routine with a highly systematic, physiology-backed approach.

• The Massage Bible & Complete Self Massage Workbook – (For you and others, proceed with caution as improper massage on another person can cause injury)

• Market Trends 101 by Adrian H. – Made by my friend and is in another blog post. It’s similar to The Wyckoff Methodology in Depth by Ruben Villahermosa.

• The Upward Spiral – Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time