This is my first yearly book recap post in what I hope will be a helpful guide if you’re in need of recommendations from the books I read in 2018.
As I mentioned in the December Book List post, I’m still shocked that I read 38 books in 2018, 2 more than my goal.
Before jumping into the list, I want to share the best of the best books that I read: Living with a SEAL by Jesse Itzler, Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss, The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis.
I could have included many more, however, I would have considered it a successful reading year had I only read those 3.
With that said, here’s the full list of books that I read this year broken down by Amazon book category.
The Best Sports & Outdoors Books I Read In 2018
Sports & Outdoors wasn’t a category I heavily dug into, as I didn’t find that many books that caught my eye.
- The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
The Best Self-Help Books I Read In 2018
I’m always hesitant with this category because there’s so much variability in quality, however, there are several books in this list that impacted me tremendously. I enjoyed every book in this list and found a ton of value in 1 through 5.
- Living With A SEAL by Jesse Itzler
- Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink
- Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss
- Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
- Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven
- The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon
- The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
The Best Politics & Social Sciences Books I Read In 2018
While living in DC, I’ve become more interested in politics, and it showed with the selection of books I read in 2018. The top 2 are worth reading while you can’t skip 3 through 5.
- The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- Once Upon A Time In Russia by Ben Mezrich
- The Pentagon Wars by James Burton
- The Storm Before The Storm by Mike Duncan
The Best Biography & Memoir Books I Read In 2018
I’m a huge fan of biographies, especially ones about people I’ve heard a lot about but have limited knowledge of what lead to their success. You can’t go wrong with any of the books in this list outside of 13.
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
- The Everything Store by Brad Stone
- Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
- Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
- Bitter Brew by William Knoedelseder
- Finding My Virginity by Richard Branson
- Sam Walton by Sam Walton
- The Operator by Robert O’Neill
- American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
- The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
- Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman
- The Hidden-Hand Presidency by Fred Greenstein
The Best Business & Money Books I Read In 2018
If there’s one topic that interests me more than biographies, it’s books about business and money. I grew so much professionally from books 1 through 6 in this list. Feel free to skip number 9.
- The Million-Dollar One-Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt
- Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
- Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
- Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau
- Screw It, Let’s Do It by Richard Branson
- Like a Virgin by Richard Branson
- Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity by Michael Lewis
The Best Science & Math Books I Read In 2018
Science is not an area I dabble too much in, outside of the occasional Crash Course or Khan Academy video. The one book I did read is great and should be on your list.
- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Best Literature & Fiction Books I Read In 2018
I have a gaping hole in my fiction book portfolio so if you have recommendations, please let me know. I simply can’t find fiction books that interest me but am always on the lookout.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Best History Books I Read In 2018
History is another category I absolutely love, and in particular books about war. I typically read more than 1 book per year in this category so it looks like I’ll need to up my game in 2019.
- Killing the SS by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
