Well, I didn’t plan to read as much in 2018 as I did. Nevertheless, I finished 47 books this year – just shy of a personal record. Generally, I don’t enjoy reading that many books, as it becomes difficult to keep them all straight / remember salient details. But, I kept finding good ones to read, so what are you going to do?
One thing that has helped that process is being willing to stop a book once I’ve begun. For years, I was of the view that once I started something the only path was to finish it. This year alone, there were probably 20 others I began, but put down 50-100 pages in. In certain areas where I have deep expertise, many books prove to be repetitive or offer very little in the way of new ideas.
So without further ado – here is the full list of books I read this year. I’ve also highlighted my favorites.
Economics & Sociology
- Bobo’s in Paradise – David Brooks
- The Sum of Small Things – Elizabeth Hackett
- Theory of Leisure Class – Thorsten Veblen
- Luxury Strategy – Kapfere and Bastien
- Coming Apart – Charles Murray
- Why We Buy – Paco Underhill
Self Evaluation/Life Planning
- Mastery – Robert Greene
- Change your Questions, Change your Life – Marilee Adams
- Immunity to Change – Robert Kegan
- Life Planning for You – George Kinder
- Living the Life You Were Meant to Live – Tom Paterson
- When to Jump – Mike Lewis
- The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying – Bronnie Ware
- Humble Inquiry – Edgar Schein
- Co-Active Coaching – Karen Kimsey-House
Family:
- Secrets of Happy Families – Bruce Feiler
- How Imperfect Parents Lead Great Families – Dale and Monica Vernon
Philanthropy:
- Giving It All Away – David Green and Bill High
- The Generosity Network – Jennifer McCrea and Jeff Walker
Leadership/Management:
- Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss
- Leading from your Gut – John Townsend
- The Coaching Habit – Michael Bungay Stanier
- My Father’s Business – Cal Turner, Jr.
- Captain Class – Sam Walker
- Who is Michael Ovitz – Michael Ovitz
- Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll – Fred Goodman
- When I Stop Talking You’ll Know I’m Dead – Jerry Weintraub
Business Strategy
- Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War – Robert Coram
- What It Takes – Charles Ellis
- HBR Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter
- G2 – Building the Next Generation – Philip Palaveev
- The Ensemble Practice – Philip Palaveev
- Family – The Compact Among Generations – Jay Hughes
- Managing the Professional Services Firm – David Maister
- When Professionals Have to Lead – David DeLong
Investing
- The Fish That Ate the Whale – Rich Cohen
- I Love Capitalism – Ken Langone
- Capitalism Without Capital – Haskel and Westlake
- Black Edge – Sheelah Kolhatkar
- Mastering the Market Cycle – Howard Marks