Favourite Books
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
If you talk to other humans, if you interact with humans, you must read this book. No exceptions. All my life, people told me that making friends and influencing people is an artform - something you can’t learn. This book showed me the hidden rules required to win friends.
Since reading this book, every aspect of my friendships / relationships have gone up tenfold. As a result, everything else in my life has greatly improved. If you go to a foreign country and you’re only allowed to bring 1 thing with you, make it this book. That is how good this work is.
This book has sold over 16 million copies - with good reason. It is one of the best books out there, ever, period. I’ve read this book 13 times. That’s how ridiculously good this book is.
- The Richest Man in Babylon
This book is about a gold lender from the age of Babylon. Published in the early 1900s but based on a story from Babylon, it truly is an old book. This gold lender started off with nothing. Less than nothing, they were a slave. This gold lender learnt the secrets to becoming rich and he became The Richest Man in Babylon.
The king was so impressed with his rules he paid scribes to inscribe the rules of money into stone tablets and sent them far and wide. He wanted everyone to know these rules and to prosper, just like Babylon did.
If you want to be rich, this is the book to read. Not only will it teach you personal finance lessons that have worked for thousands of years but it’ll teach it to you in stories - interesting stories of The Richest Man in Babylon.
- I Will Teach You To Be Rich
A modern day version of the Richest Man in Babylon. If you want to be rich, read this book. This book covers all the same principles as The Richest Man in Babylon, but with modern day takes on credit cards, travel hacking, investing and more.
Personal finance isn’t about personal finance. It’s about so much more. Having good personal finance makes you happy. It makes others in your life happy. It gives you discipline. And discipline gives you freedom.
If you’re overweight, you don’t have discipline. Can you afford to eat that McDonalds? No. If you’re fit, you can. This disciplinegives you more freedom. By learning about personal finance, you’re creating more freedom for yourself.
I prefer The Richest Man in Babylon, so if you can - read both.
- The Alchemist
The Alchemist is a fictional fable with more life lessons in it than the average nonfiction book. It’s been said that non-fiction cannot distill lessons as easily as fiction. You cannot learn something you can only experience, you can only experience it. By reading fiction and seeing others experience it - it brings you a step closer to learning those fundamental life lessons.
This book is a story about following your dreams.
- How to Become a Straight-A Student
I failed my GCSEs 8 times. I dropped out of sixth form. Yet, in university, I have straight A’s. Getting marks of 95% on final exams. How did I do it? I read this book twice a semester. Once at the start, once at the end. This book is what helped me get those good grades. Highly recommend.
- The Code Book
The single most influential book in my life. I read this book when I was a child, it got me into encryption and codes. Because of this, I started to program when I was 10. Because of that, I went on to study computer science at university. Because of that, this blog exists.
- Shoe Dog
One of the best biographies I’ve read. This is a memoir by the creator of Nike. From his insane business partner to his insane team, this has it all. His story is good. He doesn’t hide the fact he comes from a well-off family, but at the same time it’s clear as to why he’s just like us.
One of the richest men in the world, but yet hardly anyone knows of his story. This is a tour de force through the business world, through startups, through discovering yourself and learning to love.
- Meditations
Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman empire. He was also a philosopher who thought about life a lot. His books will teach you to deal with pain, to deal with loss, to deal with life. Some of my favourite quotes are:
“Many lumps of incense on the same altar. One crumbles now, one later, but it makes no difference.” “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” “At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?
You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you.” His original books can be found online for free. But be warned, they’re not in an English tongue you can decipher unless you’ve studied it. I’ve linked the modern day translation above. It’s more expensive, but it’s more understandable in my opinion.
- How Not To Die
An ode to veganism or a desperate plea to increase the longevity of human lives? Either way, it’s a great book. This book backs up the facts. Eating more plants makes you live longer. Not only that, it goes through all the plants which make you live longer.
It references the China Study, a study on everyone in China - all 1.2 billion people and found that meat causes cancer in the same way that smoking causes cancer.
Although this book doesn’t beg you to turn vegan. It just encourages you to eat more plants. An overall great book and essential reading if you want to not die anytime near in the future.
- Turing’s Vision
In 1939 Alan Turing invented Computer Science. This book explains his phenominal world changing paper and gives background on it. If you study computer science, this is a must. It shows you the birth of computer science, the history of computer science and more.
Alan Turing is a mastermind. Inventing the computer. Inventing the Turing machine. Inventing artifical intelligence. Not many people know of his existance. This is a good book on that famous first paper.
- His Dark Matierals
On the rare occasion that I read fiction, I tend to stop halfway through because of how boring it is. This book is the exception. This book discusses all sorts. Love, quantum phyics, friendships, being nice to others and above all else - magic.
I really enjoyed this series and would highly reccomend it.
- Atomic Habits
Losers and winners have the same goals. You don’t rise to your goals. You fall to your systems. Habits are what makes us. This book isn’t just about making or breaking habits - it’s about habits. What is a habit? How do they form?
Habits are such a vital part of life. It’d be stupid to not learn about them. Atomic - small. Habit - something you routinely do. By creating small habits, getting 1% better every day you’ll improve every aspect of your life.
$$0.99^{365} = 0.03$$ $$1.01^{365} = 37.7$$
1% better every day. That’s all you need.
- On Writing Well
The author of this book is an expert on writing - well. if you write things, this book is essential for you. A lot of the content of this book is common knowledge. But, common knowledge stated clearly is knowledge all the same.