Personal reading log
Key takeaways from the books I read, kept to revisit.
One page per book. The lessons, frameworks, and actions worth keeping, structured so I can come back to them and put them to use later.
- Volumes
- 33
- Minutes
- 281
- Years
- 2025 – 2026
- Tags
- 41
2026
5 books- 01Mindset: The New Psychology of SuccessCarol Dweck·7 minCarol Dweck on the two mindsets that shape everything. Why the belief that abilities can grow matters more than talent itself.psychologyself-improvementleadershipJun 9
- 02UltralearningScott H. Young·8 minScott Young on how to learn hard skills fast and without a teacher. Ten principles that turn learning itself into a competitive advantage.productivityself-improvementphilosophyMay 14
- 03How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleDale Carnegie·6 minDale Carnegie's 1936 classic. Most influence has nothing to do with cleverness, and everything to do with how people feel around you.communicationpsychologyself-improvementApr 2
- 04The 48 Laws of PowerRobert Greene·9 minAn unsentimental manual on how influence actually works. Read it as a lens, not a script.powerstrategypsychologyFeb 25
- 05Talk Like TEDCarmine Gallo·3 minCarmine Gallo studied hundreds of TED talks. The pattern is consistent: passion, stories, and one big idea. Slides come last.communicationspeakingself-improvementJan 30
2025
28 books- 06The Manager's PathCamille Fournier·6 minEngineering leadership is a different craft, not a reward for being good at coding. A field guide for engineers stepping into management.leadershipmanagementengineeringDec 22
- 07The Psychology of MoneyMorgan Housel·13 minMoney is not about math. It is about behavior, and behavior is shaped by emotion, ego, and the stories we tell ourselves.financepsychologybehavioral-economicsDec 1
- 08EducatedTara Westover·13 minTara Westover grew up in a survivalist family in Idaho, never set foot in a classroom, and earned a PhD from Cambridge. This is the story of what it costs to educate yourself.memoireducationfamilyDec 1
- 09Deep WorkCal Newport·8 minFocused, undistracted work is becoming both rare and valuable. Cal Newport on how to train the skill, design the environment, and protect what matters.productivityself-improvementphilosophyNov 18
- 10Never Split the DifferenceChris Voss and Tahl Raz·3 minEmotion, not logic, drives human decisions. A former FBI hostage negotiator's playbook for everyday conversation.negotiationpsychologycommunicationOct 21
- 11Atomic HabitsJames Clear·1 minTiny habits, compounded daily, decide who you become. Identity comes first; the system follows.self-improvementpsychologySep 8
- 12The Engineering Executive's PrimerWill Larson·6 minEngineering leadership at the staff and executive level. Impact comes from systems, alignment, and the decisions you make under uncertainty.leadershipmanagementengineeringAug 12
- 13Zero to OnePeter Thiel·12 minPeter Thiel's masterclass on contrarian thinking, building monopolies, and creating something entirely new instead of copying what already works.startupsentrepreneurshipinnovationbusinessJul 15
- 14Your Money or Your LifeVicki Robin and Joe Dominguez·6 minMoney is not about numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about life energy. Every dollar you spend is a piece of your life you can never get back.financefinancial-independenceself-improvementJul 15
- 15The Systems BibleJohn Gall·6 minA philosophical comedy about why systems designed to solve problems end up creating more problems than they solve. Painfully true and surprisingly funny.systems-thinkingphilosophyhumorJul 15
- 16The Simple Path to WealthJ.L. Collins·16 minJ.L. Collins wrote this for his daughter. It strips away the noise and shows a clear, simple, powerful strategy for building wealth and securing freedom.investingfinancial independencepersonal-financeJul 15
- 17The Psychology of SellingBrian Tracy·6 minThe biggest obstacle to sales success is not technique. It is psychology. Your self concept determines your performance.salespsychologyself-improvementJul 15
- 18The Mythical Man-MonthFrederick P. Brooks Jr.·6 minAdding people to a late project makes it later. Nearly 50 years later, Brooks's observations about software projects remain the most quoted truths in engineering.software-engineeringmanagementleadershipJul 15
- 19The Millionaire Next DoorThomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko·11 minMost real millionaires live very different lives than you think. This book reveals the surprisingly modest habits of America's truly wealthy and what you can learn from them.personal-financewealth-buildinglifestylepsychologyJul 15
- 20The Millionaire FastlaneM.J. DeMarco·12 minWhy 'get rich slow' is the biggest financial lie you've been told. M.J. DeMarco challenges everything about building wealth and offers a radically different path: build a business, not just save pennies.entrepreneurshipwealth-buildingbusinessmindsetJul 15
- 21The Lean StartupEric Ries·12 minEric Ries's methodology for creating and managing successful startups in an age when companies need to innovate more than ever. Build, measure, learn.startupsentrepreneurshipinnovationproduct-managementJul 15
- 22SPIN SellingNeil Rackham·5 minAfter studying 35,000 sales calls over 12 years, Neil Rackham discovered that the best salespeople don't pitch. They ask questions.salesnegotiationbusinessJul 15
- 23The Simple Path to WealthJ.L. Collins·12 minJ.L. Collins wrote this for his daughter. A clear, simple, powerful strategy for building wealth through index funds, living below your means, and achieving financial independence.personal-financeinvestingfinancial-independenceJul 15
- 24Shoe DogPhil Knight·15 minPhil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and turned it into Nike. This memoir reveals the messy, honest, inspiring reality of building something from nothing.memoirentrepreneurshipleadershipstartupJul 15
- 25Principles: Life and WorkRay Dalio·14 minRay Dalio's radical transparency, idea meritocracy, and 5-step process that turned a kid from Long Island into one of the most successful investors in history.leadershipdecision-makingmanagementphilosophyJul 15
- 26Principles: Life and WorkRay Dalio·27 minThe ultimate guide to radical transparency, idea meritocracy, and the 5-step process that turned a kid from Long Island into one of the most successful investors in history.leadershipmanagementdecision-makingself-improvementJul 15
- 27Poor Charlie's AlmanackCharles T. Munger·6 minCharlie Munger's latticework of mental models, the psychology of human misjudgment, and the decision-making principles that made him one of the greatest investors in history.mental-modelsdecision-makingpsychologyinvestingJul 15
- 2810 lesser known psychological principles for better communicationSadman Kabir Soumik·2 minTen short ideas from behavioral psychology that change how people respond to you. Not about closing deals, just about feeling like someone worth talking to.communicationpsychologyself-improvementJul 15
- 29I Will Teach You to Be RichRamit Sethi·15 minNo guilt. No excuses. No B.S. Just a system that works. Ramit Sethi's behavioral science approach to personal finance: automate your money, spend on what you love, invest consistently.personal-financemoney-managementinvestingautomationJul 15
- 30How Big Things Get DoneBent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner·6 min99.5 percent of large projects fail to meet their targets. The world's leading researcher on megaprojects explains why, and what the successful ones do differently.project-managementdecision-makingpsychologyJul 15
- 31High Output ManagementAndrew S. Grove·5 minAndy Grove on what management actually is. Output is everything, and your output is the output of the people and systems you influence.leadershipmanagementengineeringJun 27
- 32The Almanack of Naval RavikantEric Jorgenson·3 minNaval on wealth, happiness, and how to learn. Build assets so money is not a problem; train your mind so external conditions are not either.wealthhappinessphilosophyMay 19
- 33Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman·1 minWe are not the rational thinkers we believe ourselves to be. Two systems run the show, and the fast one wins more often than it should.psychologydecision-makingApr 6