May was another solid reading month. While not at the same clip as my April books on Amazon list, I managed to read three books. With the coronavirus continuing to restrict my work travel, I have more time to spend reading at home.
Finance/investing, astronomy, and history are the book categories I covered. The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing was a recommendation I picked up from A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Death by Black Hole was a follow up to another astronomy booked I liked called Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World attempted to scratch my itch for a history book.
Best Credit Cards to Use to Buy Books on Amazon
Unfortunately, books on Amazon do not code as a bonus-earning category like groceries or restaurants on some travel cards. As a result, you are fairly limited in earning points on these purchases. However, you have three solid travel card options to use.
The American Express Blue Business Plus, Chase Freedom Unlimited, and Citi Double Cash are cards I recommend. Business owners earn 2x points on all transactions with the Blue Business Plus. You earn 1.5% cashback on all transactions with the Freedom Unlimited. Double Cash cardmembers earn 2% cashback on all transactions.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited and Citi Double Cash do not earn points directly with your spending. You need to pair the Freedom Unlimited with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred to convert cashback into Chase points. You need to pair the Double Cash with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige to convert cash back into Citi points.
3 Best Books to Read While Traveling
The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing
The Boglehead’s Guide to Investing reiterates many of the sound investing strategies you find in other investing books. Strategies include diversifying your portfolio, investing early and regularly, and keeping your expenses, like taxes, low.
I like to regularly read investing books to remind myself that investing should be a boring, long-term strategy. The Boglehead’s Guide to Investing is fantastic! It’s what I was looking for with the current ups and downs of the current market.
Recommend: Yes
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
Neil deGrasse Tyson gets you excited about astrophysics with his ability to teach you complex topics. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries covers a number of topics including black holes, the night skies in films, and the vastness of our solar system.
Tyson is an incredible author who brings humor and excitement to an otherwise mundane topic. I wanted to like this book but it fell short of my expectations. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is one I like much more than this one.
Recommend: No
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World is the story of one man’s success creating a vast empire. The Mongol army conquered an insane amount of territory spanning from China to Europe. When the Mongols acquired new peoples, they brought a progressive way of life. This took the form of enhanced communication, increased trading partners, and religious freedom.
Jack Weatherford goes into immense detail showing how the Mongols were one of the world’s great empires. The amount of information provided in this relatively short book is mind-blowing. This book receives rave reviews, however, it’s not one of my favorites.
Recommend: No
Other Ideas for Best Books to Read While Traveling
I like to keep a running list of books on Amazon every month. That way, I can easily reference books that I want to read in the future. Many of these books come from Ramit Sethi’s book list. I recently found Blinklist and Farnam Street can’t wait to dive into their book list.
Finance/Investing Books on Amazon
- Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
- Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
- Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street
- Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice
- Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
- A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market
- When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
- Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth
Psychology Books on Amazon
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living
- Choose Yourself!
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
- How to Win Friends & Influence People
- Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
- Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
- Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great
- Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
- The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
History Books on Amazon
- Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster
- 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
- Cleopatra: A Life
- Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
- Leonardo da Vinci
- The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War
- A History of the World in 6 Glasses
- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
- A Brief History of Time
Miscellaneous Books on Amazon
- The Mamba Mentality: How I Play
- The Order of Time
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
- Astroball: The New Way to Win It All
- Tiger Woods
- It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
- Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable…About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business
- Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works
- One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer
- Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood
- The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps and How I Trained America’s Deadliest Marksmen
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
- Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney
- Iacocca: An Autobiography
- Outliers: The Story of Success
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
- Einstein: His Life and Universe
- Steve Jobs
Entrepreneurship Books on Amazon
- The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Conclusion on the Best Books to Read While Traveling:
Reading is a skill that I’ve continued to work on by focusing on books that pique my interest at the time. Hopefully, my best books to read while traveling list includes books that you’ll find interesting and enjoy too.
What about you? Which books on Amazon books did you read last month? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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