What Books are Worth Reading Once Per Year?


When I look back through my reading time line and respective notes, I find that a large majority of the creative content I produce at any given point is related to what book(s) I happen to be reading during that time period.

I read for two purposes: enjoyment and ideas.  When reading, occasionally I’ll approach an idea where I think “this would be compatible for what I’m working on right now,” and other times I’ll find a gem that will literally have enough constructive appeal that I’ll think “this will be compatible for anything I’m working on (business or otherwise), forever.”

Now, I understand many voracious refer to their books and respective notes often, project to project, but it’s difficult to do this thoroughly and consistently.  To deal with this, I’m attempting to figure out which books contain the most useful long-term concepts that are valuable to review once-per-year in detail, regardless of industry, for more than just a simple reminder.  This will obviously vary depending on the type of person, but I’m hoping a general, perhaps extensive, consensus can be reached.

The only general criteria I’d prefer to stick with is that the books contain useful long-term content.  Meaning, it should matter less what you’re working on that encourages the takeaway, and have more to do with why you do whatever it is you do.

Here are my choices (disclaimer; affiliate links):

The 48 Laws of Power

Rules for Radicals

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Wikinomics

Ignore Everybody

What books, for you, are worth reading or reviewing in-depth once per year?  I know I’m missing pieces by Lincoln, Franklin, Buffet, etc. which many people live by, so please include them if necessary.  If I receive enough responses to warrant it, I’ll post or tweet the answers next week.

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  • william j. hirsch
    insightful stuff. good luck on west coast. I know you'll make it.

    Love
    Papa Bill
  • Glenn
    I feel like I'm merely parroting Ryan Holiday on Marcus Aurelius' 'Meditations,' but I can't deny that segments of the book really caught my attention, and I fully expect to return to it throughout the years.

    Also, David Foster Wallace's 2005 Commencement Speech at Kenyon College (now published in book form, titled 'This Is Water'): http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/20/fic...
  • Yes, Meditations has plenty of life takeaways. That one quote that compares
    time sleeping versus time working always drags me out of bed every morning.

    That DFW speech is powerful. Glad they made it a book. I can't imagine
    sitting through that entire thing, hung over, on my graduation day.
  • Glenn
    Not 10 minutes ago, as I was forcing my eyes open to prepare for my first day of classes (and regretting the timing of the up-til'-2am "what really matters in life?" discussion a friend and I had just a few hours prior), I was reminding myself of that exact same quote:

    "5.1: At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for—thing things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
    --But it’s nicer here…
    So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?
    --But we have to sleep sometime…
    Agreed. But nature set a limit on that—as it did on eating and drinking. And you’re over the limit. You’ve had more than enough of that. But not of working. There you’re still below your quota.
    You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love you nature too, and what it demands of you. People who love what they do wear themselves doing it, they even forget to wash or eat. Do you have less respect for your own nature than the engraver does for engraving, the dance for the dance, the miser for money or the social climber for status? When they’re really possessed by what they do, they’d rather stop eating and sleeping than give up practicing their arts.
    Is helping others less valuable to you? Not worth your effort?"
  • martin16877
    Books that changed my world view:
    The Starfish and the Spider - the power of leaderless organizations
    The Tipping Point
    The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
  • The Tipping Point is a classic. What I find so interesting about it is how
    many facets of life and business it can be applied to. I haven't read the
    others, but I'll check them out.
  • Sam
    My choices are:
    How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis
    Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavlina
    Success Principles by Jack Canfield

    Each of those books have so many useful nuggets of information that they deserve frequent re-reading.
  • Thanks Sam. Good recommendations. I plan on reading the Felix Dennis book
    soon. Pavlina's stuff always come off a bit too "self-help" for me, but
    I'll check it out.
  • The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Probably the most interesting book I've read all year.

    http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural...
  • I've never heard of it. Thanks though. I'll add it to my wish list.
  • Hey, do you like using shelfari? I've been trying to find some type of software to help me track/organize my books.
  • The Art of War. It makes possibly the best case for methodical strategy I've ever read, and (if you read into it) provides practical advice and "case studies".
  • Yes, I remember you telling me this. I've read it--and it's probably time for a re-read. I purposely left books like this off my list, just to see what everyone else had to offer.
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