I read non-stop. Here’s a list of many of the books I’ve read, sorted by rating.

I will update this page as I read, so bookmark it if you want to check in.

I also add older books occasionally. When I have time to transfer some of my notes on them.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Josh’s Rating:

10
A book on Existentialism and Buddhism. How to pick your own values instead of society picking them for you. How to figure out what’s worth doing, embracing the suck, and living a fulfilled life.

Derek Sivers’ Collection

Josh’s Rating:

10
Derek Sivers is one of my favorite humans. His writing is succinct and direct. Every sentence packs a punch. These books will change how you think of business and success.

The Gap and The Gain

Josh’s Rating:

10
A nuanced approach to appreciation for success — you can be a high achiever and still be incredibly happy.

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives

Josh’s Rating:

9
There are countless adjectives that could describe this book. David Eagleman compiled forty short essays on what the afterlife could be, and each one had me going “Huh…”

The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life

Josh’s Rating:

9

I picked this book up and read it in one sitting. It actually brought me to tears at its close.

It’s a wonderful call-to-action to live more authentically.

The Relationship Handbook

Josh’s Rating:

9
An essential book if you’re in a romantic relationship. Great for interpersonal communication skills. This book completely changed (and improved) how I see my marriage and how I live as a husband.

The Great Mental Models: Vol. 1

Josh’s Rating:

9
Mental models are the latticework of thought processes that help us think more clearly and effectively. Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien have compiled some of the best general thinking concepts into the first volume of The Great Mental Models.

The Art of Impossible

Josh’s Rating:

9
Where most authors or teachers try to motivate with hyperbole and aspirations, Kotler lays out the specific, practical steps that you can take to achieve the Impossible (with an uppercase I).

Dune

Josh’s Rating:

9
If you were to take Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power, then combined them into a sci-fi novel, you would get Dune.

$100M Offers

Josh’s Rating:

9
Hormozi shares his business philosophy in an attempt to make lives better through capitalism.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Josh’s Rating:

9
THE classic on interpersonal communication skills. How to Win Friends and Influence People may be dated, but the principles are timeless.

Who Not How

Josh’s Rating:

9
Let’s start working together, building a network of Whos, and accomplishing more together than we ever could alone.

Creative Calling

Josh’s Rating:

9
Chase Jarvis has built an empire on creativity, and he knows what he’s talking about. This book is packed with gems for the closet creator (or the creator who is losing their way).

On Writing Well

Josh’s Rating:

8
The classic guide on writing with simplicity and clarity. Simple and clear writing is easier to understand.

Nonviolent Communication

Josh’s Rating:

8
This is a phenomenal read on improving our language, our thinking, and our communication skills to connect with others more clearly.

On Writing

Josh’s Rating:

8
Stephen King’s thoughts on the craft of writing.

This Is Marketing

Josh’s Rating:

8
This Is Marketing is the field guide for how to execute marketing that matters to the people who care in an ethical way.

The Practice

Josh’s Rating:

8

The Practice reminds me of a more practical, less crotchety The War of Art.

The core message of The Practice?

Show up every day and work on whatever you want to do to change your audience. Be generous. Be of service. Don’t hide behind “authenticity.”

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids

Josh’s Rating:

8
This is not an easy way to parent. It’s incredibly challenging and requires that you face your own emotions head-on. The only way to teach your children to take responsibility for their feelings is for you to take responsibility for your own.

How to Take Smart Notes

Josh’s Rating:

8
Think more clearly, learn better. Interact with your reading. Turn into a writer by reading the best of what others have shared.

Storyworthy

Josh’s Rating:

7
Matthew Dicks, storytelling extraordinaire, shares his views on good stories and good storytelling.

Never Eat Alone

Josh’s Rating:

7
Great advice on networking, how to set goals and find people that will help you reach them. Solid philosophies on how to network effectively and generously.

Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings

Josh’s Rating:

6
I had a much harder time reading this than I did Happy Kids. I feel like most of the book was summarized with the action steps sprinkled throughout, which are the pieces of information I prefer, anyway. Actionable!

How to Raise Successful People

Josh’s Rating:

6
Should parents understand TRICK? Definitely. Is this book the best resource to deliver that message? I don’t think so.

One Million Followers

Josh’s Rating:

6
When looking for first principles in this book, there were a few amazing insights, but the “substance” is easily condensed in the summaries at the end of each chapter.

Several Short Sentences About Writing

Josh’s Rating:

5
Short sentences have simple meanings. Sentences make an impact when they are carefully constructed.

How Fascism Works

Josh’s Rating:

5

A one-sided political commentary on fascism.

It could have been written as an essay, but it raises valid concerns with the current state of political unrest in the United States.