Bookshelf

Here, you’ll find the books I’ve read since 2016. I’m making notes about all of them so I don’t forget what I’ve learned. These notes are not meant to be summaries or reviews, but I figured there are maybe some other people who would find it interesting what I took away.

My Favorite Books and Top Recommendations

2023

Dr. Caroline Leaf
How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess

How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess
Every Parent’s Guide to Supporting Their Child’s Mental Health

by Dr. Caroline Leaf

This book feels like marketing for app subscriptions & Brain-ee dolls, yet offers unique parenting advice. What are those insights beyond 'spend more time with your kids'?
My Notes and Thoughts
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
The Courage to Be Disliked

The Courage to Be Disliked
How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness

by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

Authors Kishimi and Koga use the ancient Greek dialogue form to explain Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler’s ideas on ‘individual psychology’, bridging cultures and time. Some radical ideas question the way we think and bring ideas of empowerment forward.
My Notes and Thoughts
Daniel Gilbert
Stumbling on Happiness

Stumbling on Happiness
by Daniel Gilbert

A Harvard professor of psychology explains in a funny and entertaining way how much we get wrong when we imagine our future emotional states. You have to derive your own conclusions from this, but it raises a lot of awareness for our weird brains.
My Notes and Thoughts
Jack Daniels
Daniels’ Running Formula

Daniels’ Running Formula
by Jack Daniels

One of the most well known books about running training. The author is a highly educated and successful running coach with a number-focused approach and lots of interesting and proven ideas to further the fitness levels of a huge variety of athletes.
My Notes and Thoughts
Greg McKeown
Effortless

Effortless
Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

by Greg McKeown

The ”Essentialism” follow-up called “Effortless” advocates working smarter, prioritizing, and recovering adequately. Reading, learning, teaching all have high returns. Removing decisions and taking the direct route towards our goals helps.
My Notes and Thoughts
Kevin Kelly
Excellent Advice for Living

Excellent Advice for Living
Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier

by Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly, the WIRED magazine co-founder and longtime executive editor, put his two most popular blog posts into a small book full of byte-sized advice, ranging from short and sweet to funny to helpful and thought-provoking.
My Notes and Thoughts
Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
An Inquiry into Values

by Robert M. Pirsig

A difficult one. Although it was hugely successful, I can’t find many positives about this self-indulgent autobiographical narration which shows no regard for the humans around the author. It made me want to learn more about classic philosophy, though.
My Notes and Thoughts
Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
Illuminatus! Leviathan

Illuminatus! Leviathan
by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson

After lots of build-up in the first and second book, this one promises a showdown. But the Zombie Nazis appear to be hallucinations in the end. And the sea monster Leviathan doesn’t do much except fall in love with the protagonist’s AI. Not worth it.
My Notes and Thoughts
Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
Illuminatus! The Golden Apple

Illuminatus! The Golden Apple
by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson

As the second book of the trilogy, it doesn’t do much to further the storyline if you could even call it that. It reads like an LSD trip the authors had and that’s maybe even true. There are some slight hints at a sort of showdown coming up in next book.
My Notes and Thoughts
Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
Illuminatus! The Eye in the Pyramid

Illuminatus! The Eye in the Pyramid
by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson

A highly confusing book. Combining politics, satire, science fiction, conspiracy theories, and a detective novel, you still never completely understand what’s going on. It is challenging your perception of reality and has rightfully become a cult classic.
My Notes and Thoughts
Tim Urban
What’s Our Problem

What’s Our Problem
A Self-Help Book for Societies

by Tim Urban

Author Tim Urban, who runs the popular comic blog “Wait But Why” has published a book about our current societal problems which took him six years to write, because the world changed so much during that time. An important read for everyone.
My Notes and Thoughts
Atul Gawande
The Checklist Manifesto

The Checklist Manifesto
by Atul Gawande

Complex tasks increase the likelihood of critical mistakes. Checklists are the remedy. 'The Checklist Manifesto' chronicles the journey of introducing checklists into critical fields, like medicine, to reduce errors and enhance communication.
My Notes and Thoughts
Oliver Burkeman
Four Thousand Weeks

Four Thousand Weeks
Time Management for Mortals

by Oliver Burkeman

This is a book that urges readers to be intentional about how they use their limited time on Earth, focusing on what truly matters to them and finding fulfillment in the time they have, rather than chasing endless productivity and success.
My Notes and Thoughts
Cal Newport
So Good They Can’t Ignore You

So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

by Cal Newport

Don't follow your passion, it often leads to disappointment. Instead, master a valuable skill for more control. Successful people have a mission based on experience and knowledge. Deliberate practice and skill development create more opportunities.
My Notes and Thoughts
Mark Manson
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

by Mark Manson

It’s a concise book of the self-help category, full with little bits of advice on how to view and interpret our current individual situations within modern society. With its profanity, it drives home its many actionable points in an easy-going way.
My Notes and Thoughts
Daniel Priestley
Scorecard Marketing

Scorecard Marketing
The four-step playbook for getting better leads and bigger profits

by Daniel Priestley

Learn how collecting data is crucial for sales success. Use an online Scorecard, a fun quiz, to gather information about interested customers non-intrusively. Target those customers in order to get cost-effective marketing results.
My Notes and Thoughts
Rick Rubin
The Creative Act: A Way of Being

The Creative Act: A Way of Being
by Rick Rubin

With aesthetically pleasing outer form, the content is thinly spread out over 400 pages and superficial/obvious at times. It’s lacking humor, but there are valuable insights and it gets you thinking. The book is worth reading for creative individuals.
My Notes and Thoughts
Al Ries
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Violate Them at Your Own Risk!

by Al Ries

This book tried to find unchanging laws of marketing, but it has clearly failed and possibly not even worked during the period of its publication in 1993. Many of the laws have been proven incorrect and certain examples like Microsoft’s certain doom are laughable.
My Notes and Thoughts
Ryan Holiday
Trust Me, I’m Lying

Trust Me, I’m Lying
Confessions of a Media Manipulator

by Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday explains from his own practical knowledge as an online marketer how entities with commercial or political interests abuse the fast news cycle in the age of Twitter, blogging, and other social media by inserting untrue information into the public, disguised as facts.
My Notes and Thoughts
Christopher McDougall & Eric Orton
Born to Run 2

Born to Run 2
The Ultimate Training Guide

by Christopher McDougall & Eric Orton

After the hugely successful first book, the author now focuses on explaining training methods and related aspects from the minimalist runner’s angle. While those are interesting and supplemented with fun follow-up and anecdotes from book #1, it could have been a short blog post.
My Notes and Thoughts

2022

David Goggins
Never Finished

Never Finished
Unshackle Yourself and Win the War Within

by David Goggins

David Goggins, considered by many to be the hardest motherfucker living on the planet, uses this second book of his to dive deeper into his own psychology. It’s back to the roots of his ultra running, Leadville 100 and Moab 240, but then it centers around humility and service.
My Notes and Thoughts
Napoleon Hill
Think And Grow Rich

Think And Grow Rich
by Napoleon Hill

This book from 1937 is partly historical document, partly a self-help business book. It revolves around building a positive mindset for achieving success, here defined simply as getting rich. Values such as desire, persistence, and determination are at the core.
My Notes and Thoughts
Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey

The business book of business books: published in 1989, it popularized terms and phrases such as synergy, thinking win-win, proactivity, or paradigm shifts. The twist is that it unites business and family life. Many lessons can be applied to both areas.
My Notes and Thoughts
Ross Edgley
The World’s Fittest Book

The World’s Fittest Book
How to Train for Anything & Everything, Anywhere & Everywhere

by Ross Edgley

Ross Edgley is looking like one of the fittest people on the planet and that’s not a mask. From world records to traveling the world to researching what the world has to offer, this guy explains physical fitness well. It’s funny and full with side stories and anecdotes.
My Notes and Thoughts
David Kushner
Masters of Doom

Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

by David Kushner

John Romero and John Carmack created the video games Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake together. It made them millions and left a huge cultural footprint. The two and their small team were hugely driven and passionate, but in the end exactly that led to the split.
My Notes and Thoughts
Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens

Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

This book tells you everything you need to know about humankind’s evolutionary success. It’s not pretty and it will mess with your worldview, but in a good way. It’s about time to get realistic and understand how we arrived at this point in order to shape our path forward.
My Notes and Thoughts
Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends and Influence People

How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie

Written in 1936, this is the comprehensive guide to learning to behave in a way that makes other people respond more positively towards you. Yes, some people will make us angry, but showing that anger makes it worse, always. Bad title, great message. Be kinder, practice empathy.
My Notes and Thoughts
Derek Sivers
How to Live

How to Live
27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion

by Derek Sivers

The book’s filled to the rim with smart ideas. It’s funny to go through them and realize that many of the imperatives contradict each other, so in the end you have the same amount of freedom to decide as you did before. There is a lot of deep inspiration in these short chapters.
My Notes and Thoughts
Derek Sivers
Anything You Want

Anything You Want
40 Lessons For a New Kind of Entrepreneur

by Derek Sivers

What is the common purpose of every company every founded? Provide people with some kind of value. Give them what they want or need. If that should change, the company must, too. You company is a playground, it can be made into anything you want it to be.
My Notes and Thoughts
Richard P. Feynman
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”

“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
Adventures of a Curious Character

by Richard P. Feynman

A Nobel Prize winner who is embarrassed by that fact, but has lived a uniquely interesting and varied life which he seemingly loved a lot. The book is a string of short stories from his adventures all over the world: humorous, unusual, inspiring.
My Notes and Thoughts
Nicolas Cole
The Art and Business of Online Writing

The Art and Business of Online Writing
How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention

by Nicolas Cole

This book is an introduction to what captures human attention in written form. How to structure content, how to phrase it, when to use different style elements, how to formulate headlines. If your target is to grow your audience, this is the book.
My Notes and Thoughts
James Clear
Atomic Habits

Atomic Habits
An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

by James Clear

In order to improve anything about yourself, you need to realize that tiny but regular steps towards it are the best way to reach your goals. Consistency is the key and no good habit can be too small to work for you using the compounding effect.
My Notes and Thoughts
Ed Winters
This Is Vegan Propaganda

This Is Vegan Propaganda
(And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You)

by Ed Winters

The animal industry is horrible and should be destroyed. But why exactly? Everyone kind of knows, but many of us choose to ignore the situation. Lets face it, learn about it, and change the world for the better. This book is a good start to get informed.
My Notes and Thoughts
Ward Farnsworth
The Practicing Stoic

The Practicing Stoic
A Philosophical User’s Manual

by Ward Farnsworth

The basic concepts of the Stoic philosophy are explained in this book, easily accessible via a division into separate topics or areas of life. Stoicism is a simple way of living for the greater good which has stood the test of time.
My Notes and Thoughts
Eric Jorgenson
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

by Eric Jorgenson

You are most useful to society when you spend your time doing something which comes easily to you, because your motivation will be higher. You are responsible for your own happiness – and increasing your own wealth will solve at least all your money problems.
My Notes and Thoughts
Rou Reynolds
A Treatise on Possibility

A Treatise on Possibility
Perspectives on Humanity Hereafter

by Rou Reynolds

We should be realistic when we think about the future of our species. While it’s clearly getting better for most of us, it’s not looking good. For many reasons, societies are fragile and full of problems we need to address. The books says which those are and how to start.
My Notes and Thoughts
Hans Rosling
Factfulness

Factfulness
Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think

by Hans Rosling

Humankind should regain its main focus: making the world better for everyone. We must work together and not against each other. And we need to acknowledge we’ve come a long way so far – there’s improvement everywhere. Let’s get rid of our prejudices.
My Notes and Thoughts
Viktor E. Frankl
Man’s Search for Meaning

Man’s Search for Meaning
The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust

by Viktor E. Frankl

Half autobiography, half analysis of the human psyche. Suffering plays a big role in every person’s life and we need to learn to live with it well. Viktor Frankl was interned at Auschwitz during WW2 and lived to tell the story. We all can learn from him.
My Notes and Thoughts
Mike Monteiro
Ruined By Design

Ruined By Design
How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It

by Mike Monteiro

Everything which has been built, has been built by humans who are designers. Here, Mike Monteiro takes a look at the ethics of it all and encourages us all to take action and be part of creating a better future.
My Notes and Thoughts
Morgan Housel
The Psychology of Money

The Psychology of Money
Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness

by Morgan Housel

If you want to become wealthy, here is your guide. Spoiler alert, spend less than you earn and need. There is never any certainty, you always have to take calculated risks. Learn what makes sense and what doesn’t.
My Notes and Thoughts
Patrick Lange
Becoming Ironman

Becoming Ironman
Mein Weg zum Weltmeister im Triathlon

by Patrick Lange

An interesting, entertaining (and German) story about the life of professional triathlete Patrick Lange, who won the IRONMAN World Championships twice. How does a life look like that leads a person to become the best in the world?
My Notes and Thoughts
Jared Beasley
In Search of Al Howie

In Search of Al Howie
by Jared Beasley

Al Howie was one of the most remarkable endurance runners in the world. His whole life was all over the place, though. A biography about an exceptionally interesting person who pushed the limits of what most people thought possible every day.
My Notes and Thoughts
Robert B. Cialdini
Influence

Influence
The Psychology of Persuasion

by Robert B. Cialdini

How do humans make decisions? We are all influenced by a variety of things we can’t control and don’t know our subconscious thinks are important. Cialdini explains how our behaviors work and why that is the case. This helps us understand ourselves better.
My Notes and Thoughts
Matze Hielscher
Die Schule meines Lebens

Die Schule meines Lebens
Weisheiten und Lebenstricks von ziemlich außergewöhnlichen Menschen

by Matze Hielscher

The book is a collection of the main take-aways which Matze Hielscher got out of countless interviews on his podcast. What can we learn from the decisions and lives of these public figures?
My Notes and Thoughts
Vicki Robin
Your Money or Your Life

Your Money or Your Life
Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence

by Vicki Robin

Money equals life energy, yes. But what does that really mean and how can we use our knowledge to our own advantage? This book helped me understand and change how I use money.
My Notes and Thoughts