Bookshelf

A curated reading list of 200 books organized by the Dewey Decimal Classification System — spanning artificial intelligence, philosophy, psychology, law, economics, literature, and more.

A next to a title means I’ve read the book. As I finish each one, I’ll write about it on my blog — and the checkmark will appear here automatically.

000: Computer Science, Information & General Works

A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains by Max Bennett. 448pp.

AI Engineering: Building Applications with Foundation Models by Chip Huyen. 368pp.

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell & Peter Norvig. 1,136pp.

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. 256pp.

Deep Learning by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, & Aaron Courville. 800pp.

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao. 336pp.

Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World by Cade Metz. 384pp.

Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark. 384pp.

Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, & Avi Goldfarb. 360pp.

Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction by Richard S. Sutton & Andrew G. Barto. 552pp.

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom. 352pp.

The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values by Brian Christian. 496pp.

100: Philosophy & Psychology

Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday. 215pp.

Psychology by Daniel Schacter, Gilbert, Nock, & Wenger. 832pp.

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman. 352pp.

How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett. 425pp.

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman. 416pp.

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley. 336pp.

Brain Hacks: 200+ Ways to Boost Your Brain Power by Adams Media. 256pp.

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina. 304pp.

Hyperfocus: How to Work Less and Achieve More by Chris Bailey. 256pp.

Creativity: Unleashing the Forces Within by Osho. 208pp.

Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish. 272pp.

Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present by Nick Trenton. 138pp.

The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli. 384pp.

The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes by David Robson. 352pp.

Your Brain Is Playing Tricks on You: How the Brain Shapes Opinions and Perceptions by Albert Moukheiber. 256pp.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant. 320pp.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. 498pp.

Asking the Right Questions by M. Neil Browne & Stuart Keeley. 176pp.

Intuition: Knowing Beyond Logic by Osho. 208pp.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck. 320pp.

Programmed to Fail: How to Break Through Your Mental Blocks and Achieve Greatness by Brandon Epstein. 206pp.

The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance by Dr. Nate Zinsser. 352pp.

The More Mindset: Break Mental Limits and Step into Extraordinary Results by Diana Pagano. 256pp.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. 336pp.

How to Argue & Win Every Time by Gerry Spence. 320pp.

The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics by Stanislas Dehaene. 288pp.

How to Work with Complicated People by Ryan Leak. 240pp.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. 352pp.

The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance by Rich Diviney. 304pp.

Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. 519pp.

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. 304pp.

Surrounded by Setbacks: Or, How to Succeed When Everything’s Gone Bad by Thomas Erikson. 320pp.

Win Your Day: The Blueprint for Human Reinvention by Jason A. Safford. 540pp.

Seven Simple Steps to Personal Freedom by Gerry Spence. 168pp.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. 464pp.

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. 68pp.

Atomic Habits by James Clear. 304pp.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins. 364pp.

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross. 288pp.

Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously by Osho. 208pp.

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. 320pp.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. 304pp.

Do the Impossible: How to Become Extraordinary and Impact the World at Scale by Thibaut Meurisse. 218pp.

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin. 320pp.

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. 288pp.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. 368pp.

How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman. 272pp.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. 320pp.

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal. 290pp.

Lighter by Yung Pueblo. 288pp.

Limitless: Expanded Edition by Jim Kwik. 464pp.

Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky. 304pp.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. 200pp.

Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life by Roxie Nafousi. 224pp.

Master Your Emotions: A Practical Guide to Overcome Negativity and Better Manage Your Feelings by Thibaut Meurisse. 200pp.

Master Your Success by Thibaut Meurisse. 204pp.

Mental Toughness by Annette Tower. 162pp.

Mind Management, Not Time Management by David Kadavy. 256pp.

Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise. 150pp.

One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan. 240pp.

Power of Ignored Skills: Change the Way You Think and Decide by Manoj Tripathi. 160pp.

Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover. 233pp.

Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter. 304pp.

Shaolin: How to Win Without Fighting by Bernhard Moestl. 272pp.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath. 320pp.

The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma. 336pp.

The Art of Saying No: How to Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time and Energy, and Refuse to Be Taken for Granted by Damon Zahariades. 118pp.

The Book of Ichigo Ichie by Héctor García & Francesc Miralles. 208pp.

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. 176pp.

The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga. 288pp.

The Hacker Mindset: A 5-Step Methodology for Cracking the System and Achieving Your Dreams by Garrett Gee. 224pp.

The Jim Rohn Guide to Goal Setting by Jim Rohn. 54pp.

The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene. 624pp.

The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs: Elevate Yourself to Elevate Your Business by Hal Elrod & Cameron Herold. 240pp.

The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest. 248pp.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. 416pp.

The Psychology of Laziness by Mohammad Shakeel. 120pp.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. 224pp.

The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida. 202pp.

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. 320pp.

When You’re Ready, This Is How You Heal by Brianna Wiest. 256pp.

Who Says You Can’t? You Do by Daniel Chidiac. 304pp.

Win Your Case by Gerry Spence. 304pp.

You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero. 288pp.

You Become What You Think: Master Your Mind, Master Your Life by Shubham Kumar Singh. 208pp.

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown. 336pp.

It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine. 288pp.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb. 432pp.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. 336pp.

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön. 176pp.

Critical Thinking by Tom Chatfield. 384pp.

Mastering Socratic Thinking by Richard Paul & Linda Elder. 102pp.

The Socratic Method: A Practitioner’s Handbook by Ward Farnsworth. 264pp.

The Thinker’s Guide to the Art of Socratic Questioning by Richard Paul & Linda Elder. 102pp.

Think Like Socrates by Steven Schuster. 196pp.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson. 448pp.

Apology by Plato. 70pp.

The Symposium by Plato. 144pp.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. 304pp.

On the Shortness of Life by Seneca. 112pp.

The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness by Jonas Salzgeber. 258pp.

The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. 224pp.

200: Religion

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. 236pp.

300: Social Sciences

Read People Like a Book: How to Analyze, Understand, and Predict People’s Emotions, Thoughts, Intentions, and Behaviors by Patrick King. 218pp.

Social Skills for the Overthinker: Beat Self-Sabotage, Escape Your Comfort Zone, and Get Out of Your Head by Nick Trenton. 148pp.

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. 416pp.

The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, and Magnetic by Patrick King. 178pp.

Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis. 304pp.

Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. 196pp.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. 304pp.

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling & Anna Rosling Rönnlund. 352pp.

Games People Play by Eric Berne. 216pp.

The Federalist Papers by Hamilton, Madison, & Jay. 557pp.

Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership by Heritage Foundation. 922pp.

The Republic by Plato. 500pp.

From Freedom to Slavery by Gerry Spence. 240pp.

Give Me Liberty by Gerry Spence. 384pp.

Nudge by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein. 384pp.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. 384pp.

Wealth, Poverty and Politics by Thomas Sowell. 576pp.

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. 662pp.

I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. 352pp.

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz. 224pp.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. 336pp.

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. 304pp.

The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach & John David Mann. 176pp.

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. 160pp.

The Simple Path to Wealth by J.L. Collins. 320pp.

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. 256pp.

The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous. 304pp.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. 640pp.

The Making of a Value Investor: What a Bear Market Taught Me About Investing by Gautam Baid. 304pp.

The Warren Buffett Way, Third Edition by Robert G. Hagstrom. 320pp.

How Judges Think by Richard A. Posner. 400pp.

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation by Various. 390pp.

Dear 1L by Amanda Dealy Haverstick. 440pp.

The Making of a Country Lawyer by Gerry Spence. 448pp.

Elegant Legal Writing by Ryan McCarl. 224pp.

Legal Writing in Plain English, Third Edition by Bryan A. Garner. 372pp.

Level Up Your Legal Writing by Joe Regalia. 432pp.

Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges by Antonin Scalia & Bryan A. Garner. 269pp.

Point Made by Ross Guberman. 416pp.

The Winning Brief, 3rd Edition by Bryan A. Garner. 775pp.

Police State by Gerry Spence. 352pp.

The Science of Second Chances by Jennifer Doleac. 304pp.

Reinvention: Change is Possible: I Never Gave Up by Eddie Ellis. 188pp.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. 192pp.

The Science of Self-Learning: How to Teach Yourself Anything, Learn More in Less Time, and Direct Your Own Education by Peter Hollins. 172pp.

400: Language

Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking by Randy Olson & Dorie Barton. 284pp.

The Narrative Gym by Randy Olson. 106pp.

The Narrative Gym for Business by Randy Olson & Park Howell. 103pp.

The Narrative Gym for Law by Randy Olson & Doug Passon. 107pp.

The Narrative Gym for Politics by Randy Olson & Dave Gold. 106pp.

500: Science

Houston, We Have a Narrative by Randy Olson. 269pp.

All the Math You’ll Ever Need by Carolyn C. Wheater. 336pp.

600: Technology (Applied Sciences)

The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience by Aditi Nerurkar, MD. 352pp.

Self-Regulation & Mindfulness by Varleisha D. Gibbs. 218pp.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. 464pp.

The Doctor and the Soul by Viktor E. Frankl. 336pp.

How to Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie. 224pp.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. 448pp.

The Self-Employed Life: Business and Personal Development Strategies That Create Sustainable Success by Jeffrey Shaw. 256pp.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. 320pp.

Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet-David. 320pp.

Zero to One by Peter Thiel. 224pp.

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne. 320pp.

Good to Great by Jim Collins. 320pp.

How the Best Leaders Lead: Proven Secrets to Getting the Most Out of Yourself and Others by Brian Tracy. 240pp.

It’s Not About Me: 7 Key Principles for the Heart of Corporate America by Randall Haug. 224pp.

Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. 220pp.

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz. 288pp.

Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don’t by Jeffrey Pfeffer. 288pp.

Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio. 592pp.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek. 256pp.

The 80/20 CEO: Take Command of Your Business in 100 Days by Bill Canady. 256pp.

The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business & Life by Steven Bartlett. 352pp.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. 304pp.

The Unfair Advantage: How You Already Have What It Takes to Succeed by Ash Ali & Hasan Kubba. 288pp.

Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others by Stephen M. R. Covey. 352pp.

Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath. 336pp.

Get Different: Marketing That Can’t Be Ignored! by Mike Michalowicz. 272pp.

800: Literature

Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences by Neal Allen & Anne Lamott. 208pp.

Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking by Randy Olson. 284pp.

1984 by George Orwell. 384pp.

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. 1,462pp.

Cicero: Selected Works by Marcus Tullius Cicero. 272pp.

900: History & Geography

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. 443pp.

Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke. 352pp.

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