What I Read: A Selection from My 2018 Reading List

I read a lot. To illustrate, my mother purchased a three-row car during my childhood so the sound of me reading aloud was deafened by the distance between the front and back seats. She’ll hate I shared that story, but it’s the truth!

As a wee toddler, I often had a book in hand. And when not holding a book, I carried a red tape recorder which read books aloud. (The early 90’s version of Audible!)

If I trace this habit back to its origin, it started through Barnes and Noble trips with my father. It is here I vividly recall the excitement of spending time with my Dad at the bookstore. Upon entering the store, we’d go our separate ways, each selecting a series of books for “show and tell.” With 3-5 books in hand, we’d find one another and share our bounties before prioritizing 1-2 books for purchase.

This was before mass ratings were readily available, giving you assurance the book you picked was worth the investment of time, or discouraging you from those rated poorly. Nonetheless, as I’ve aged I can still be often found roaming a Barnes and Noble, turning a blind eye to ratings, and exploring the wealth of knowledge on the bookshelves. Moreover, shunning the e-book in favor of a hardcover.

In 2018, I read over 50 books. What follows is a compilation of my favorite 25 reads from 2018 in the order I read them:

1. The Wisdom of Andrew Carnegie
2. Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived
3. The Alchemist
4. Tuesdays with Morrie
5. The Prince
6. Siddhartha
7. The Pearl
8. The Boys in the Boat
9. The Art of War
10. As a Man Thinketh
11. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
12. Steve Jobs
13. Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
14. The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House
15. The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
16. How Google Works
17. Man’s Search for Meaning
18. The Art of Learning
19. Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master The Flow of Talent
20. Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography
21. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
22. Be Obsessed or Be Average
23. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush
24. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
25. Never Eat Alone

And now I’m off to my local bookstore to continue my exploration. Guided by recommendations from friends or my own intuition. Therefore, if you have recommendations, tweet me and I’ll take a look!