100 Best Books to Read
Emanuel Haldeman Julius sold over 100 million books in the 1920’s.
He had published over 1,000 books in a series called the ‘Little Blue Books’ that covered pretty much every topic imaginable. As you could have probably guessed, these books were wildly successful and deeply loved.
One of the available books was titled ‘100 Best Books to Read’.
It sold over 32,000 copies a year, so I can only imagine that it is a topic of immense interest — as everyone is searching for answers, and what better way to find a solution than in a good book by knowledgable authors?
So here, in this weeks article — I’ll attempt to share my own 100 best books to read based on my own findings, books that have changed my life… and that have changed the lives of the most successful entrepreneurs out there.
I’ve put hours upon hours of research into this list because I know that Medium readers would appreciate it, so please do enjoy.
PS: This list should be particularly interesting to you if you’re into the topics of entrepreneurship, wealth, smart marketing and personal development.
1
How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
Originally published in 1940, this book is a rare phenomenon, a living classic that introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them — from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading. Readers will learn how to “judge a book by its cover,” and also how to X-ray it, read critically, and extract the author’s message from the text.
2
The 4-Hour WorkWeek: Escape the 9–5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich
Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.
3
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action
In studying the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way-and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why.
4
For those who want power, watch power, or want to arm themselves against power, The 48 Laws of Power is “The Rules for suits” (New York Magazine).
5
To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it’s no longer “Always Be Closing”), explains why extraverts don’t make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an “off-ramp” for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds.
6
The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isn’t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. It’s an attitude we can all adopt. It’s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things you’re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.
7
Writing That Works; How to Communicate Effectively In Business
Writing That Works will help you say what you want to say, with less difficulty and more confidence. Now in its third edition, this completely updated classic has been expanded to included all new advice on e-mail and the e-writing world, plus a fresh point of view on political correctness.
8
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge.
9
You’ve seen it all before. A malicious online rumor costs a company millions. A political sideshow derails the national news cycle and destroys a candidate. Some product or celebrity zooms from total obscurity to viral sensation. What you don’t know is that someone is responsible for all this. Usually, someone like me. I’m a media manipulator. In a world where blogs control and distort the news, my job is to control blogs-as much as any one person can.
10
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say “yes” — and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book.
11
In this groundbreaking 1923 work, written after he retired as president and chairman of one of the world’s biggest ad agencies, Hopkins shares the secrets of successful marketing that are just as relevant today as they were almost a century ago. Learn: - how advertising laws are established - the importance of just salesmanship - why businesses must offer service - mail order advertising: what it teaches - what makes headlines effective - understanding customer psychology - how to use art in advertising - how to use samples - the best way to test campaigns - the impact of negative advertising - and much more.
13
How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting
You can learn to write compelling advertisements that will make people notice them, read them, and act upon them. You can learn to write such powerful advertisements that people go out and demand your product and no other. This is a short course in writing powerful, hard-hitting copy that can help you make your products and services irresistible to potential customers.
14
A candid and indispensable primer on all aspects of advertising from the man Time has called “the most sought after wizard in the business”.
15
What makes a woman fascinating to her husband? What is happiness in marriage for a woman? These are just two of the questions Helen B. Andelin answers in the bestselling classic that has already brought new happiness and life to millions of marriages.
16
People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral?
17
A series of letters by history’s greatest copywriter Gary C. Halbert, explaining insider tactics and sage wisdom to his youngest son Bond. Once only available as part of a paid monthly premium, The Boron Letters are unique in the marketing universe and now they are a bona fide cult classic among direct response marketers and copywriters around the world.
18
The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education
An estimated 700,000 American children are now taught at home. This book tells teens how to take control of their lives and get a “real life.” Young people can reclaim their natural ability to teach themselves and design a personalized education program. Grace Llewellyn explains the entire process, from making the decision to quit school, to discovering the learning opportunities available.
19
How to Outfox the Foxes: 263 Secrets the Law and Lawyers Don’t Want You to Know
This book was created to provide the greatest legal tactics to help the little guy to fight back.
20
In their own words, American police officers describe their life and work among misfits, junkies, prostitutes, killers, psychopaths, and victims in luxury neighborhoods and on the meanest turf. “For anybody who ever wondered what it’s like behind a badge, this is the book”. — San Francisco Chronicle.
21
Unseen opportunities face each of us every day. Using clear examples from his own experience, Jay explains just how easy it can be to find and/or create new opportunities for wealth-building in any existing business, enterprise, or venture.
22
Legendary business builder Jay Abraham’s ideas have brought in billions of dollars in new business for his entrepreneurial clients.
23
The world is changing. Markets have crashed. Jobs have disappeared. Industries have been disrupted and are being remade before our eyes. Everything we aspired to for “security,” everything we thought was “safe,” no longer is: College. Employment. Retirement. Government. It’s all crumbling down. In every part of society, the middlemen are being pushed out of the picture. No longer is someone coming to hire you, to invest in your company, to sign you, to pick you. It’s on you to make the most important decision in your life: Choose Yourself.
24
A business classic endorsed by Dale Carnegie, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling is for anyone whose job it is to sell. Whether you are selling houses or mutual funds, advertisements or ideas — this book is for you.
25
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
Since its release in 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces has influenced millions of readers by combining the insights of modern psychology with Joseph Campbell’s revolutionary understanding of comparative mythology. In these pages, Campbell outlines the Hero’s Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world’s mythic traditions.
26
When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity…
27
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on twelve years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather our clearest path to courage, engagement, and meaningful connection. The book that Dr. Brown’s many fans have been waiting for, Daring Greatly will spark a new spirit of truth — and trust — in our organizations, families, schools, and communities.
28
For more than twenty years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed The One Minute Manager’s techniques, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. These very real results were achieved through learning the management techniques that spell profitability for the organization and its employees.
29
Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different — and far more satisfying — than he ever imagined. Santiago’s journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
30
Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?
31
Japan is at a crossroads. The postwar economic miracle that brought it unprecedented development and prosperity is over. Since the publication of the first Culture Smart! guide, it has been overtaken by China as the world’s second-largest economy. The balance of power in Asia has shifted and new players are entering the field. Loss of influence abroad, economic pressure at home, and the problems posed by a rapidly aging population present a real challenge to Japan’s orderly and harmonious way of life, and to the very sense the Japanese have of themselves as a nation “apart.”
32
How To Be a Man is the culmination of O’Brien’s thirty years of accumulated style and etiquette wisdom, distilled through his gimlet eye and droll prose. With over forty chapters on style and fashion (and the difference), on dandies and dudes, grooming and decorating, on how to dress age-appropriately and how to age gracefully, this guide is the new essential read for men of all ages.
33
King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine
In this contribution to the emerging men’s movement, Jungian analysts Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette argue that mature masculinity is not abusive or domineering, but generative, creative, and empowering of the self and others. They clearly define the four mature male archetypes — the king (the energy of just and creative ordering), the warrior (the energy of aggressive but nonviolent action), the magician (the energy of initiation and transformation), and the lover (the energy that connects one to others and the world) — as well as the four immature patterns (divine child, oedipal child, trickster and hero).
34
Mastery synthesizes the years of research Robert Greene conducted while writing the international bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction and demonstrates that the ultimate form of power is mastery itself. By analyzing the lives of such past masters as Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Leonard da Vinci, as well as by interviewing nine contemporary masters, including Paul Graham and animal rights advocate Temple Grandin, Greene debunks our culture’s many myths about genius and distills the wisdom of the ages to reveal the secret to greatness.
35
Loneliness, boredom, emptiness: These are the complaints that Rollo May encountered over and over from his patients. In response, he probes the hidden layers of personality to reveal the core of man’s integration — a basic and inborn sense of value. Man’s Search for Himself is an illuminating view of our predicament in an age of overwhelming anxieties and gives guidance on how to choose, judge, and act during such times.
36
In Purple Cow, Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable. It’s a manifesto for marketers who want to help create products that are worth marketing.
37
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
In today’s increasingly complicated world, it’s often difficult for parents to connect with their daughters–and especially so for fathers. In this unique and invaluable guide, Dr. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician with more than twenty years’ experience counseling girls, reveals that a young woman’s relationship with her father is far more important than we’ve ever realized. To become a strong, confident woman, a daughter needs her father’s attention, protection, courage, and wisdom. Dr. Meeker shares the ten secrets every father needs to know in order to strengthen or rebuild bonds with his daughter and shape her life–and his own–for the better.
38
Called a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., The True Believer is mandatory reading for anyone interested in the machinations by which an individual becomes a fanatic.
39
This timely book explores the wisdom of the Gnostic Jesus, who challenges our preconceptions about the world and ourselves. Based on the Gospel of Thomas, the book recounts the missing years in Jesus’ life and his time in Egypt and India, learning from Egyptian secret societies, then Buddhist schools, then Hindu Vedanta.
41
As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement, Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual, emphasized independent thought, and prized “the splendid labyrinth of one’s own perceptions.” More than any writer of his time, he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American. Matthew Arnold called Emerson’s essays “the most important work done in prose.”
42
Written in the 6th century B.C., The Art of War remains the ultimate guide to combat strategy. Sun Tzu explains when and how to engage opponents in order to prevail in difficult situations. Instead of describing the logistics of warfare, he shows the reader how to succeed by motivating soldiers and leveraging tactical advantages. In short, he explains how to win the battle of wits.
43
The One to One Future revolutionized marketing when it was first published. Then considered a radical rethinking of marketing basics, this bestselling book has become today’s bible for marketers. Now finally available in paperback, this completely revised and updated edition — with an all-new User’s Guide — takes readers step-by-step through the latest strategies needed for any business to compete, and succeed, in the Interactive Age.
44
In a world where fear, crisis, and insufficiency dominate the media and many personal lives, the notion of claiming contentment may seem fantastic or even heretical. Yet finding sufficiency right where you stand may be the answer to a world obsessed with lack. In his warm, down-to-earth, and believable style, Alan Cohen offers fresh, unique, and uplifting angles on coming to peace with what is before you and turning mundane situations into opportunities to gain wisdom, power, and happiness that does not depend on other people or conditions.
45
Wilber’s groundbreaking synthesis of religion, philosophy, physics, and psychology started a revolution in transpersonal psychology. He was the first to suggest in a systematic way that the great psychological systems of the West could be integrated with the noble contemplative traditions of the East.
46
In this provocative book, one of today’s most respected thinkers turns the conversation about technology on its head by viewing technology as a natural system, an extension of biological evolution. By mapping the behavior of life, we paradoxically get a glimpse at where technology is headed-or “what it wants.” Kevin Kelly offers a dozen trajectories in the coming decades for this near-living system.
47
Doctors, housewives, ministers, parents, teachers … everyone has to “sell” their ideas and themselves to be successful. This new guide by America’s #1 professional in the art of persuasion focuses on the most essential part of the sale — how to make them say “Yes, I will!”.
48
Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting
In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing readers with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the “magic” of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.
49
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts — Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak — that we owe many of the great contributions to society.
51
Think and Grow rich has been used by millions of business leaders around the world to create a concrete plan for success that, when followed, never fails.
52
Through these entertaining tales of merchants, tradesmen, and herdsmen, you’ll learn how to keep more out what you earn; get out of debt; put your money to work; attract good luck; choose wise investments; and safeguard a lasting fortune.
53
Our most commonly held formula for success is broken. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around.
54
E.M. Forster is best known for his exquisite novels, but these two affecting short stories brilliantly combine the fantastical with the allegorical. In ‘The Machine Stops’, humanity has isolated itself beneath the ground, enmeshed in automated comforts, and in ‘The Celestial Omnibus’ a young boy takes a trip his parents believe impossible.
55
A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return. Kristof and WuDunn know better than most how many urgent challenges communities around the world face today. Here they offer a timely beacon of hope for our collective future.
56
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among them a Cambodian teenager sold into sex slavery and an Ethiopian woman who suffered devastating injuries in childbirth. Drawing on the breadth of their combined reporting experience, Kristof and WuDunn depict our world with anger, sadness, clarity, and, ultimately, hope.
57
The Resilient Self: How Survivors of Troubled Families Rise Above Adversity
A guide to self-empowerment designed to help adult children of dysfunctional families free themselves from the past discusses characteristics that allow individuals to cope with trauma and forge a healthy life and explains how to develop such traits.
58
Elif Shafak, the most widely read female writer in Turkey, has earned a growing fan base all over the world with her bestselling The Bastard of Istanbul. In The Forty Rules of Love, her lyrical, imaginative new novel about the famous Sufi mystic Rumi, Shafak effortlessly blends East and West, past and present, to create a dramatic, compelling, and exuberant tale about how love works in the world.
59
The Man Who Sold the Moon: D. D. Harriman is a billionaire with a dream: the dream of space for all mankind. The method? Anything that works. Maybe, in fact, Harriman goes too far. But he will give us the stars…
60
For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best. Now he examines the next step in this inexorable evolutionary process: the union of human and machine, in which the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge-sharing ability of our creations.
61
All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is the direct result of our own thoughts. As a Man Thinketh is a classic in the truest sense: few books have been so widely read, have stood the test of time so well, have had such an impact on generations of readers, and have carried such a simple, profound message: You are what you think. Og Mandino counted As a Man Thinketh among the top ten success books of all time — read it today and put its wisdom to work for you!
62
At the time of Frankl’s death in 1997, Man’s Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a “book that made a difference in your life” found Man’s Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.
63
Generations is at once a refreshing historical narrative and a thrilling intuitive leap that reorders not only our history books but also our expectations for the twenty-first century.
64
Better sex is about one thing: better orgasm. This life-altering guide teaches men and women how to use the practice of Orgasmic Meditation-or OM-to slow down, connect emotionally, and achieve authentic female sexual satisfaction. The promise: In just fifteen minutes every woman can become orgasmic. And, with the right partner and the right technique, that orgasm could last and last!
65
World-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, in decades of research on achievement and success, has discovered a truly groundbreaking idea–the power of our mindset.
66
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
In Brain Rules, molecular biologist Dr. John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule — what scientists know about how our brains work — and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.
67
A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting
An extraordinary combination of gonzo journalism and participatory sports writing, A Fighter’s Heart is a dizzying first-hand account of what it’s like to reach the peak of finely disciplined personal aggression, to hit — and be hit.
68
So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to “be so good they can’t ignore you,” Cal Newport’s clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love.
69
In this renowned book, Everett M. Rogers, professor and chair of the Department of Communication & Journalism at the University of New Mexico, explains how new ideas spread via communication channels over time.
70
Bruce Lee Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee’s Wisdom for Daily Living
Within the pages of Striking Thoughts, you will find the secrets of Bruce Lee’s amazing success — as an actor, martial artist, and inspiration to the world. Consisting of eight sections, Striking Thoughts covers 72 topics and 825 aphorisms — from spirituality to personal liberation and from family life to filmmaking — all of which Bruce lived by.
71
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills — and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar — the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild — is the person thousands turn to for advice.
72
Believe it or not, today we may be living in the most peaceful moment in our species’ existence. In his gripping and controversial new work, New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows that despite the ceaseless news about war, crime, and terrorism, violence has actually been in decline over long stretches of history. Exploding myths about humankind’s inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious book continues Pinker’s exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly enlightened world.
73
Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe will set you free on a visual journey of self-discovery. Set against a surreal backdrop of intricate ink illustrations, you will find nine metaphysical lessons with dreamlike instructions that require you to open your heart to unexplored inner landscapes. From setting fire to your anxieties to sharing a cup of tea with your inner demons, you will learn how to let go and truly connect with the world around you.
74
Jesus’ Son is a visionary chronicle of dreamers, addicts, and lost souls. These stories tell of spiraling grief and trancendence, of rock bottom and redemption, of getting lost an dfound and lost again. The raw beauty and careening energy of Denis Johnson’s prose has earned this book a place among the classics of twentieth-century American literature.
75
The Autobiography of Malcolm X defines American culture and the African American struggle for social and economic equality that has now become a battle for survival. Malcolm’s fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
76
Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparison — a writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world. Neal Stephenson is such a writer and Snow Crash is such a novel, weaving virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility to bring us the gigathriller of the information age.
77
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art
Filled with extraordinary characters and told at breakneck speed, Provenance reads like a well-plotted thriller. But this is most certainly not fiction. It is the astonishing narrative of one of the most far-reaching and elaborate cons in the history of art forgery. Stretching from London to Paris to New York, investigative reporters Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo recount the tale of infamous con man and unforgettable villain John Drewe and his accomplice, the affable artist John Myatt. Together they exploited the archives of British art institutions to irrevocably legitimize the hundreds of pieces they forged, many of which are still considered genuine and hang in prominent museums and private collections today.
78
Coco Chanel transformed forever the way women dressed. Her influence remains so pervasive that to this day we can see her afterimage a dozen times while just walking down a single street: in all the little black dresses, flat shoes, costume jewelry, cardigan sweaters, and tortoiseshell eyeglasses on women of every age and background. A bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume is sold every three seconds. Arguably, no other individual has had a deeper impact on the visual aesthetic of the world. But how did a poor orphan become a global icon of both luxury and everyday style? How did she develop such vast, undying influence? And what does our ongoing love of all things Chanel tell us about ourselves? These are the mysteries that Rhonda K. Garelick unravels in Mademoiselle.
79
Every weekend, in the basements and parking lots of bars across the country, young men with whitecollar jobs and failed lives take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded just as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter, and dark, anarchic genius, and it’s only the beginning of his plans for violent revenge on an empty consumer-culture world.
80
Described by the Chicago Tribune as “a classic,” The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.
81
Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends and Friends Into Customers
Instead of annoying potential customers by interrupting their most coveted commodity — time — Permission Marketing offers consumers incentives to accept advertising voluntarily. Now this Internet pioneer introduces a fundamentally different way of thinking about advertising products and services. By reaching out only to those individuals who have signaled an interest in learning more about a product,Permission Marketing enables companies to develop long-term relationships with customers, create trust, build brand awareness — and greatly improve the chances of making a sale.
82
Every publisher dreams of selling 100 million books. E. Haldeman Julius made it happen. Year after year, publishers go under before they even see a fraction of that number. The reason is simple. Few publishers truly know what the American public wants to read. Fewer still know what key words in a title can trigger a buying frenzy. Be different and gain control of your publishing success by applying the results of E. Haldeman Julius’s amazing, scientific experiment. He published thousands of books, all with the same cover design, size and price. The only thing that set them apart was the title. He discovered that a change of a single word literally could mean thousands more in sales.
83
The Tom Peters Seminar: Crazy Times Call For Crazy Organizations
This volume brings together the best of the Tom Peters seminars, complete with visual materials. The Tom Peters Seminar demonstrates Peters’ unconventional analysis that challenges outdated corporate structures and demonstrates that in the 1990s, “imagination is the source of value in the economy.” Peters’ bold ideas vault business thinking beyond change — toward invention and revolution.
84
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).
85
The book includes love letters written by Ludwig van Beethoven, Pietro Bembo, Napolean Bonaparte, Rupert Brooke, Robert Browning, Robert Burdette, Lord Byron, Lord Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, John Constable, Cuff Cooper, Oliver Cromwell, Pierre Curie, Alfred de Musset, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gustave Flaubert, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Lyman Hodge, Count Gabriel Honore de Mirbeau, Victor Hugo, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, John Keats, Henry IV of France, Henry VIII, Franz Liszt, Jack London, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Thomas Otway, Robert Peary, Sir Walter Raleigh, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., John Ruskin, Robert Schumann, George Bernard Shaw, Richard Steele, Alfred de Musset, Dylan Thomas, Count Leo Tolstoy, Vincent Van Gogh, Voltaire, Henry von Kleist, and Woodrow Wilson.
86
Bertrand Russell describes the purpose of this book as the putting together of some remarks on the state of happiness which are inspired by common sense, rather than any profound philosophy or deep erudition. It is based on the belief that many people who are unhappy could become happy by well-directed effort.
87
As we go about our day-to-day business, we see the same stuff every day. The bath, the fridge, the lamp post, the bicycle, the tree… so far, so humdrum. But not if you are Dominic Wilcox. Dominic sees things a little differently. For him, inside each of these everyday things are hundreds of surprising ideas waiting to be discovered.
88
Petersen’s best-selling book on the problems of extramarital affairs is even more relevant today than when it was first published ten years ago. Married Christian are not immune to infidelity. When an affair leaves broken lives and relationship in its wake, those involved need the hope that Christ offers. How can an affair be prevented? And what can be done to find healing for damaged relationships? Now updated with a chapter on recovery, this book offers practical advice for couples facing the realities of adultery or those desiring to “affair-proof” their marriage.
89
Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck
You already have everything you need for an amazing career.
90
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion
Presented in four chapters — The Crossroads, The Origin of Should, Must, and The Return — inspired by the hero’s journey outlined by Joseph Campbell, The Crossroads of Should and Must guides us from the small moment, discovering our Must, to the big moment — actually doing something about it, and returning to share our new gifts with the world.
91
Do the KIND Thing: Think Boundlessly, Work Purposefully, Live Passionately
Engaging and inspirational, Do the KIND Thing shows how the power of AND worked wonders for one company — and could empower the next generation of social entrepreneurs to improve their bottom lineand change the world.
92
The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers into True Believers
In addition to describing a fascinating phenomenon, The Culting of Brands will be of enormous value to business leaders. It will teach marketers how to align themselves with a specific segment of the population, how to attract and keep new “members,” how to establish a mythology about the company, and how to manage a workforce filled with true believers.
93
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Nudge is about choices — how we make them and how we can make better ones. Drawing on decades of research in the fields of behavioral science and economics, authors Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein offer a new perspective on preventing the countless mistakes we make — ill-advised personal investments, consumption of unhealthy foods — and show us how sensible “choice architecture” can successfully nudge people toward the best decisions.
94
Drawing on his forty plus years as a world-class motivated speaker, Ziglar shows precisely how to achieve what people desire most from life — to be happy, healthy, reasonably prosperous and secure, and to have friends, peace of mind, good family relationships and hope.
95
King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 — and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it — fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
96
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
In Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh — the hip, iconoclastic, and widely-admired CEO of Zappos, the online shoe retailer — — explains how he created a corporate culture with a commitment to service that aims to improve the lives of its employees, customers, vendors, and backers. Using anecdotes and stories from his own life experiences, and from other companies, Hsieh provides concrete ways that companies can achieve unprecedented success.
97
Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.
98
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years — as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues — Walter Isaacson set down the riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
99
In The Female Brain, Dr. Brizendine distills all her findings and the latest information from the scientific community in a highly accessible book that educates women about their unique brain/body/behavior.
100
Best known for creating CD Baby, the most popular music site for independent artists, founder Derek Sivers chronicles his “accidental” success and failures into this concise and inspiring book on how to create a multi-million dollar company by following your passion. In Anything You Want, Sivers details his journey and the lessons learned along the way of creating CD Baby and building a business close to his heart.
PS: If you find value in this article, then it would mean the world to me if you could recommend it by hitting the recommend button.
Want More Free Book Recommendations?
PPS: The links above are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase a book from this page i’ll get a tiny tiny percentage of the sale. I’ve already contacted Medium about this, and they very kindly gave me the permission to do so ☺.
