The 25 Books I’ve Read in 2018
Every year since 2012, I do the Goodreads reading challenge. Goodreads is a social network for book readers, and they organise this cool initiative whereby their users can set a goal of books they want to read in a year.
We do it to set a goal and build the habit of reading, as it is not a competition.
There’s no price other than the satisfaction of having read a lot, but setting a goal does certainly help to read more.
So, without further ado, here’s the list of books I’ve read in 2018 and a few words about each one — with no real order of preference.
Full disclaimer: The list is heavily random.
1–2–3. The holy trinity of the Basecamp books
If there’s a company that inspires my partners at MarsBased and me, that’s Basecamp.
Their first two books, Rework and Remote: No Office Required were the foundations upon which we built MarsBased and our company culture: no bullshit, simpler-is-better, commonsensical work ethics and methods. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are, and we wouldn’t be the same kind of company, definitely.
As a matter of fact, I’ve been reading them every year religiously, to kick off the year. However, this year I waited until December because I wanted to read them right before their latest work: It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work.
At MarsBased, we have been buying all our new hires Rework and Remote, and we got the entire team the new book for X-mas.
The three books are really light and enjoyable reads about business. They’re a collection of ideas on how to run any kind of business, and I think everyone should give them a go.
4. Crossing the Chasm
The best-seller written by Geoffrey Moore and Michael Eckhardt (who spoke at our Startup Grind Barcelona Conference last year — watch the videos here) is a must-read for all entrepreneurs & technologists.
Compared to the books above, Crossing the Chasm feels like reading War and Peace after having read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It differs from most business books because it’s not purely theoretical content. This one has got tonnes of examples and practical explanations of projects they’ve been working on themselves as consultants.
If you want to know what does it take for startups or even technologies to make it to the broader audience and why so many hot & disruptive tools that were supposed to change the world but didn’t, you should read this book.
5. La Gran Teranyina
This book might only make sense to you if you live in Barcelona and are acquainted with (or want to know more about) the web of power and influence that the richest Catalan families have got in our territory.
La Gran Teranyina was the underdog book that shook the market in 2017, when an unknown author, hidden behind a pseudonym, detailed the intertwined history and stories of these rich folks and how they control the media and the boards of the most influential corporations in Catalonia and/or in Spain.
From beginning to end, the book shakes one’s beliefs with new anecdotes and quarrels which confirm that reality always exceeds fiction. A truly entertaining, eye-opening and fantastic experience overall.
6. The Dark Net
A book about the Deep web? Fuck yeah. I’m all thirsty for knowledge, and that sounded like a pretty sweet deal.
Jamie Bartlett explores the shadiest shades of the alternative internet on The Dark Net, where he spends time with some of the most intricate, polemic and, why not, fucked up communities out there: pro-suicide, national socialists, pro-bulimia, pedophiles and so on.
At times, the mental images were too strong and I admit it’s not for the faint of heart, but there’s a before-and-after moment in reading this book. All of the sudden, all that normal people surrounding you might not be so normal after all… or are they?
7. A Christmas Carol
An all-time classic. Shame on me, I hadn’t read it until now, and while I’m not the kind of person who relishes consuming what the vast majority of people likes, I must swallow my pride here.
This book is a real joy to read: it’s light, it’s well-written, it’s simple and while it can be read in a seating, I wished it wouldn’t end.
Even for someone who doesn’t feel Christmas — I’m a deep-convinced atheist — I certainly enjoyed this book and can’t recommend it enough.
In case you don’t know which book I’m talking about, check it here.
8. Tools of Titans
Tim Ferris is that kind of love-and-hate guy. You either love him or you hate him. I thought I hated him, but when you understand him, you love him.
What I absolutely love about Tim is that he is 100% practical. He doesn’t give vague advice like most entrepreneur influencers, he actually gives names of the tools, prices and links to their sites.
Tools of Titans is a compendium of the practical advice and tools used by the people he’s interviewed: actors, astronauts, Navy SEALs, business owners, athletes, and such.
You won’t finish this book empty-handed. Well worth its price.
9. MAKE
Pieter Levels is a real maker. The entrepreneur who got the spotlight with gofuckingdoit.com and similar projects is now spearheading the largest digital nomads community worldwide Nomadlist.
After years of creating multiple online businesses, he decided to write a book (he actually completely livestreamed the whole process) about it.
While it’s never going to win the Nobel price of literature, and most of the advice he gives has been given a thousand times before — it’s got a similar take as the Basecamp books — , he takes the Ferris’ approach of actually naming tools and describing in low-detail everything he’s done and how he’s done it. That’s the best part. He does walk the walk.
I hugely recommend it for the inspiration. If after reading this book you’re not inspired to buy a domain and start your own side business, claim your money back, but I assure you it won’t happen.
Actionable advice to its fullest, gofuckinggetit here.
10. Willpower Doesn’t Work
A book with this title immediately raised a red flag: looks like a self-help book. I instantly pigeon-holed this book as a self-help and read it skeptically. Couldn’t help it.
However, I am proud to admit I was wrong. Even though it indeed is a self-help book, it does not feel like it.
It’s got a very creative approach to it and it’s full of actionable advice. I devoured it in a couple of days and will add it to my list of “self-help books that don’t feel like self-help books, are actually well-written and won’t feel ashamed if I recommend them”. Check it here.
11 & 12. Detective time!
Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue was first, as one day, listening to Iron Maiden’s musical rendition of the book, it dawned on me that I almost didn’t remember the book. I had only read it when I was in my early teens, so I reached out and re-read it with voracity.
I have always loved murder mystery books, hence going for Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express right afterwards. Two all-time classics which should be re-read every other year.
13 & 14. Two books about influencing people
There’s this book that was always lost in my “want to read” pile: How To Make Friends and Influence People. Everyone praises it, and it seems like it’s a no brainer if you’re working in sales and other leadership positions.
Dale Carnegie’s titanic effort to explain how to become a better boss/leader left me a bit cold at first, as I feel like I knew every single concept he described, but it was overall a good read. It had good stories and practical examples, and as I’ve mentioned earlier in the post, I love that.
Funnily enough, by reading one of the next books I’m mentioning, I came across a reference to Lenny Bruce’s How To Talk Dirty and Influence People. The autobiography of this controversial American comedian has been one of my favourite books this year.
Sure, this guy knew how to spice things up. This book, and his entire work in general, must’ve been a breakthrough in going one step over the permitted lines.
Clearly picking on Dale Carnegie’s book title, this one explains the polemic life Lenny lived in the middle of last century, and his endeavours with drugs, sex and the law (which, to say the least, don’t mix very well).
I’d recommend reading one after the other, for the sake of contrast.
15. A Room of One’s Own
It’ll be difficult to single out any of these books as the best I’ve read this year, but when it comes to literary skill, writing style perfection and wit, Virginia Woolfe’s A Room of One’s Own is a clear winner.
In the age of abundance and excess of information, we often compromise on quality in order to get the job done.
This book comes as a most beautiful punch in the face for those who still believe in writing well.
It hurts, but it’s beautiful.
16. The Doors of Perception
Aldous Huxley’s experiments with mescaline and other psychedelic drugs — and this book in particular — gave name to one of my favourite rock bands ever: The Doors.
The Doors of Perception opens straight to the point: let’s talk about drugs. If some drugs are still taboo nowadays, go figure in the 50s, when it was published.
As someone who’s always been intrigued by the human brain, one cannot turn his head away from things that do alter, enhance and interfere with some of our mental processes like perception, learning, dreaming or even brain-damage recovery.
I had started this book in my early teens, but failing to comprehend most of the concepts, I gave it up. It felt like a sort of comeback, and it was a long overdue read.
17–18–19. Long time no see, Mr. Strauss
Neil Strauss must be the best rock journalist out there. He also wrote the best self-help book ever(that does not feel like a self-help book), The Game. He’s also the best at writing biographies.
He might as well be my favourite author, so I’m probably biased.
I hadn’t read anything from him in a while, and I remember I was missing some books of his, so I decided to give them a go.
I started with Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead, which is an absolutely imprescindible collection of his best stories and anecdotes with celebrities. From The Strokes, to Snoop Dogg, Courtney Love, Christina Aguilera and Cher, just to name a few.
I do not want to spoil anything. Go read it for a change. You’ll have fun.
I followed it with Don’t Try This at Home, the biography of the rockstar Dave Navarro (ex-Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jane’s Addiction) and it was a fucking wild ride: heroin, heroin and heroin.
As always, Neil Strauss really gets into their lives by living with them and seeing them during their highs and lows, and feels like the book has been written from inside Navarro’s head, to be frank. This is Strauss’ unique skill.
The book is absolutely fantastic, as is the biography of one of the most iconic pornstars ever: Jenna Jameson. How To Make Love Like a Pornstar might sound cheesy and clichéd, portraying a blonde rich girl who started modelling and slowly transitioned to the shadiest industries because of peer pressure or psychological problems.
You couldn’t be any farther from the truth. The book is mental, as was Jenna Jameson’s life who, at times, is the strongest woman on earth, and at times is the most fragile thing to have ever lived on this planet. Adorable, brutal, explicit, charming, inspirational (well… partly!), fun and tragic, all in one.
Thank you Mr. Strauss, for having given me such phenomenal reads this year. I promise to keep up with your newest releases more often.
The rest
The other books I’ve read but haven’t clicked so much on me or were just OK:
- La Saviesa Empresarial d’Steve Jobs (Catalan for “Steve Jobs’ Business Wisdom”): A book about his most famous business quotes and an explanation for each one of them. Nice, but nothing to write home about. Link.
- Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters: Last year, I read a whole bunch of Discworld books, so I admit I had a bit too much, but this one was probably the worst. I decided to take a break for a while. I will resume in 2019. Link.
- The War of Art: I don’t even remember anything at all from this book. I rated it one star on Goodreads because it was vague advice and too much empty talk, none of the walk. Totally skippable book. Link.
- Lo Catalanisme: In the dark times we’re living, reading a bit of history doesn’t hurt. I read Valenti Almirall’s Lo Catalanisme to learn more about Catalan culture. Instructive, at best, but nothing to write home about.
- Greg Evan’s Distress: Boring, nonsensical and completely unmemorable. If you like action novels whose main character could be the Duke Nukem guy, this is your book. A bit of interesting action at the end doesn’t really make it worthwhile.
- How To Make Money With Forex: 2018 has been a year of a lot of financial learnings, and I wanted to expand my knowledge by reading about trading forex. The book gave me what I already knew: trading is not for me.
And you? What are the best books you’ve read in 2018?
