The books I loved

After at least a year of talking about it, my new website is launching. One of the sub-pages will be dedicated entirely to my favorite reading recommendations.

My team and I went all in and designed a custom book cover for each of those books — Because after all, I want it to look special on my new website.

But for now, I figured I would share a selection of those books with you. The full list will be available to you the moment I share the new website.

So let's go ↓

Disclaimer: For full transparency, there are Amazon affiliate links on these books below. This means, if you (as well as many more people) happen to purchase one of these books, I might be able to retire entirely on millions of dollars in affiliate payouts. (More realistically, I might be able to buy myself a cup of coffee from it). However, all of these are my own personal recommendations of books I love – nobody asked me or paid me to share them.

Damn Good Advice

It's a short book. It's by George Lois. They call him "The Original Ad Man." Some say that "Mad Men" the series was based on him, loosely. His work is iconic and so is his character. I was lucky to have met him in New York a couple years back. He reminds me of "the good old days" of advertising. The golden age of creativity.

→ View on Amazon

Meditations

"Meditations" is a collection of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius. He ruled as Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD. The book consists of his private notes to himself written over the course of many years. The book is mainly about core concepts of stoicism. Rationality, virtues, mortality and self-mastery.

It's a terrible book when you try to read it at the wrong time in your life. But it's a fantastic book once you're ready for it.

→ View on Amazon

Philosophy of Boredom

Possibly one of my all-time favorite books. And it flies damn well under the radar. As the title suggests, it's about Boredom. What Boredom is, where it comes from and how it might be the source of all good and evil (no kidding). It's a great topic, especially in today's time in which we both have more boredom than ever, but at the same time, more remedies for it as well. It's a curious paradox this book uncovers.

→ View on Amazon

Kitchen Confidential

Honestly, all books by Anthony Bourdain are great. They're great because he was great. They're great because his stories are so well written, you feel a strange satisfaction while reading them, as if you'd experience them through him, even while sitting comfortably on your couch. I dearly miss him and his stories.

→ View on Amazon

Creativity, Inc.

Ed Catmull is the co-founder of Pixar, and this book is an inside look into his strategies and leadership philosophy. I enjoy books like these in particular because Pixar somehow managed to become this creative powerhouse while at the same time gaining big commercial success. And those two things usually don't go well with each other, either you're big and boring, or you're small and creative. But Pixar somehow managed to foster a culture in which amazing work is done, that also happens to be commercially viable.

→ View on Amazon

The courage to be disliked

Some might say it's a self-help book, and it may as well be one, but it's a bit different than others. This book takes the form of a dialogue between a philosopher and a young man. Through their conversations, it presents key ideas from Alfred Adler's school of Individual Psychology.

The book is about taking responsibility, focusing your energy on the right things and finding meaning through personal missions rather than others' expectations. It's a great book and will likely want to make you dive deeper into the Austrians' School of Philosophy and Alfred Adler.

→ View on Amazon

Total Recall

If you know me, you know I am a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not so much about anything in particular he did, but simply his character of perseverance. He somehow managed to become incredibly successful in multiple professions and areas of his life. From a bodybuilder to successful actor and governor. And those are just the highlights of his life and career. If you don't feel ready to commit to an entire book, I believe there's now also a short documentary on Netflix modeled after this book (of course with a lot less of the wonderful nuance and details a book can provide).

→ View on Amazon

Basic Economics

Possibly one of the best books every written. Timeless all the way through today. The beauty of Sowell is that he writes in a simple, straightforward and accessible style. He makes concepts that are usually reserved for the few, available to the masses. From microeconomic/macroeconomic concepts, down to analyzing economic challenges through the lens of incentives, supply and demand, risk and opportunities. If you want a book that "explains the modern world to me," then this is where it all starts. It's not just a primer on economics, but also human nature.

→ View on Amazon

Man's Search For Meaning

One of the most powerful books you will ever read. "Man's Search for Meaning" chronicles Viktor Frankl's experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding meaning in the midst of suffering, which he titled logotherapy.

→View on Amazon

PROPAGANDA

I initially found out about Edward Bernays from a documentary called "The Century of Self." Turns out, Bernays is the founder of PR (Public Relations), which was his idea of "Propaganda but during peace times." The book is essentially about the the conscious manipulation of public opinion. Possibly one of the best books you can read if you're a designer, or just someone who wants to understand the dynamics of marketing, PR and advertising (which are all interconnected).

→ View on Amazon

Thank you very much for reading. Once my new website is online later this week, you will be able to access my entire book recommendations list on a special page, which include all the above and many more.