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.