Books. I’d like to say I love them but I don’t. What I love about them is the content – the ideas, the concepts , the lessons, the philosophy and all the other constructs within them that help me to think, learn and grow mentally, spiritually and socially. I like books. Kinda like I like money. Not for what it is in and of itself, but for what it can do for me, or, more precisely, what it can help me to become and experience. Books, like education, open doors. They are a path.

One of you asked me about which books I think they should read. The following are some of the ones I think are important. Just remember these are my opinions and my favorite observation about opinions is that they are like elbows – almost everyone has one and they often need cleaning up a bit.

The Bible: It’s a great piece of literature. It has influenced the world in inconceivable, as well as very explainable ways. It’s a history. It’s an ethical and moral guidebook. The New Testament is a great story. I think my two favorite works to help you to understand how I personally feel about Christianity are The Catholic Church: A History and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. I don’t necessarily think you should read these two works now. But, if you ever get an itch to explore some concepts of religion, and in particular Christianity, these are two media that I feel do an excellent job of helping you to understand that religion isn’t simply blind dogma. Just don’t forget that I’m a practicing Catholic although not a dogmatic one. I have this book in my Audible library.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind: I have a university degree in the field of history for a reason. It’s a passion of mine. While I do not agree with all of the concepts in this book, I think everyone in the world should read it. When I’m in one of those dazed and confused, bored out of my mind moods and I’m driving down the road with the Mind Monkey driving me crazy I pull out my MP3 player and this is the book I listen to for the ?? time. Why? Because I need to understand the world I live in to help me understand myself and this book goes a long way to help me with that. I do not know what happened 100,000 years ago. I wasn’t there. No one alive today was. It’s all speculation. No one really knows what life was like eons ago. No one. Never forget that. But, I feel we have a pretty good idea based on our ability to decipher reality. Just remember, Sapiens, from an absolute time perspective (theoretically) are probably still in the “shitting in their diapers” stage of existence. Hopefully they’ll get better and stop shitting all over themselves. I have this book in my Audible library.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change: There are some great concepts in this book. It is one of the classics in personal development. It’s a book about having great character. It’s sold 30 million copies over 25 years. I have this book in my Audible library.

50 Self-Help Classics: While we are on the subject of character building let me throw this one out at you. My reasoning for doing so is that this book does a short synopsis of 50 of the world’s best self-help classics. A very short synopsis. You get the meat of the book and the direction of the author in terms of subject matter. You get exposure to a lot of great concepts all in one place without a lot of fluff to go along with the concepts. It’s a great place to find more books that might interest you. I have this book in my Audible library.

Lists: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Self-Help/zgbs/books/4736#5  |  https://www.bookbub.com/blog/2017/12/07/best-self-help-books  |  http://www.bestcounselingschools.org/best-self-help-books/  |  https://corymiller.com/my-reading-list/  |  https://blog.johnspence.com/category/book-reviews/  |

Books:

Canfield, Jack; The Success Principles; 4.8 of 5 stars; 1,385 reviews; 624 pages; 2015; ISBN-10: 0062364286. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Carol S. Dweck; Mindset: The New Psychology of Success; 4.5 of 5 stars; 2,353 reviews; 320 pages;  2007; ISBN-10: 0345472322. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Malcolm Gladwell; Outliers: The Story of Success; 4.6 of 5 stars; 4,569 reviews; 236 pages; 2011; ISBN-10: 0316017930. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Napoleon Hill; Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude; 4.6 of 5 stars; 203 reviews; 384 pages; 2007; ISBN-10: 1416541594. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Ray Dalio; Principles: Life and Work; 4.4 of 5 stars; 527 reviews; 529 pages; 2017; ISBN-10: 1501124021. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Norman Vincent Peale; Discovering the Power of Positive Thinking; 4.2.of 5 stars; 1,470 reviews; 160 pages; 2006; ISBN-10: 8122204120. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Dale Carnegie; How to Win Friends & Influence People; 4.7 of 5 stars; 7,023 reviews; 288 pages; 1998; ISBN-10: 0671027034. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Stephen R. Covey; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; 4.5 of 5 stars; 5,064 reviews; 432 pages; 2013; ISBN-10: 1451639619. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Jordan B. Peterson; 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos; 4.7 of 5 stars; 2,379 reviews; 448 pages; 2018; ISBN-10: 0241351642. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Charles Duhigg; The Power of Habit; 4.5 of 5 stars; 4,599 reviews; 416 pages; 2016; ISBN-10: 081298160X. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Gary Vaynerchuk; Crushing It!; 4.8 of 5 stars; 501 reviews; 288 pages; 2018; ISBN-10: 0062845020. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Joshua Foer; Atlas Obscura; 4.7 of 5 stars; 802 reviews; 481 pages; 2016; ASIN: B01E4OMK46. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Charles Duhigg; Smarter Faster Better; 4.3 of 5 stars; 507 reviews; 400 pages; 2017; ISBN-10: 0812983599. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Mel Robbins;  The 5 Second Rule; 4.4 of 5 stars; 870 reviews; 240 pages; 2017; ISBN-10: 1682612384. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Jon Gordon;  The Energy Bus;  4.7 of 5 stars; 1,470 reviews; 197 pages; 2007; ISBN-10: 0470100281. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Daniel H. Pink; Drive: The Surprising Truth About What; 4.4 of 5 stars; 1,098 reviews; 288 pages; 2011; ISBN-10: 1594484805. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Daniel H. Pink; Motivates Us; 4.4 of 5 stars; 1,098 reviews; 288 pages; 2011; ISBN-10: 1594484805. Google. Audible. Google Books. Napoleon Hill; Think and Grow Rich; 4.5 of 5 stars; 6,147 reviews; 104 pages; 2014; ISBN-10: 1503081036. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Kiyosaki, Robert T.; Rich Dad Poor Dad; 4.6 of 5 stars; 6,760 reviews; 178 pages; 2011; ISBN-10: 1612680003. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Ryan Holiday; The Obstacle Is the Way; 4.6 of 5 stars; 1,224 reviews; 202 pages; 2014; ASIN: B00G3L1B8K. Google. Audible. Google Books.

David Allen; Getting Things Done; 4.4 of 5 stars; 615 reviews; 352 pages; 2015; ISBN-10: 0143126563. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Mark Manson; The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck; 4.4 of 5 stars; 3,552 reviews; 224 pages; 2017; ISBN-10: 0062837508. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Jen Sincero; You Are a Badass; 4.6 of 5 stars; 3,509 reviews; 256 pages; 2013; ISBN-10: 0762447699. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Eric Barker; Barking up the Wrong Tree; 4.8 of 5 stars; 502 reviews; 2017; ISBN-10: 0062852205. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Timothy Ferriss; The 4-Hour Workweek; 4.4 of 5 stars; 5,173 reviews; 416 pages; 2009; ISBN-10: 9780307465351. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Viktor E. Frankl; Man’s Search for Meaning; 4.7 of 5 stars; 4,150 reviews; 184 pages; 2006; ISBN-10: 080701429X. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Grant Cardone; The 10X Rule; 4.6 of 5 stars; 1,154 reviews; 261 pages; 2011; ASIN: B004X75OES. Google. Audible. Google Books.

David J. Schwartz; The Magic of Thinking Big; 4.7 of 5 stars; 1,094 reviews; 238 pages; 1987; ISBN-10: 0671646788. Google. Audible. Google Books.

Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World-and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Stumbling on Happiness

The Happiness Project

The Art of Happiness

The Happiness Advantage

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

10% Happier

Outliers: The Story of Success

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

The Last Lecture

The Purpose-Driven Life

The Prophet

The Power of Now

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Good to Great

Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

Predictably Irrational

You Can Heal Your Life

Who Moved My Cheese?

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

The Magic of Thinking Big

The Seat of the Soul

Awaken the Giant Within

The 48 Laws of Power

As A Man Thinketh

Daring Greatly

Codependent No More

A Return to Love

The Brain That Changes Itself

Starting Strength

The Power of Your Subconscious

The Science of Getting Rich

Unlimited Power

When Things Fall Apart

Learned Optimism

The Celestine Prophecy

Year of Yes

Return to Love

The Alchemist

The Secret

The 5 Love Languages

Tuesdays with Morrie

What to Say When You Talk to Yourself

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying

What I Know For Sure

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

The Gifts of Imperfection

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Girl, Wash Your Face

Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons

The Road to Character

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life.And Maybe the World

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

Boundaries

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

The Code of the Extraordinary Mind

Anger Management For Dummies

Rage: A Step-by-Step Guide to Overcoming Explosive Anger

Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks Fast

Manual for Living

Tools of Titans

The TB12 Method

The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

Enlightenment Now

Skin in the Game

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

A Brief History of Time

Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Emotional Intelligence

How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy

The Dad’s Edge

Sapiens

It’s my current read. What’s it about? Let me give you an example. Suppose on Monday I went to the store. On Tuesday I went to work. The next day I thought … WTF? If you think WTF is an acronym for a very popular, but a little off-color, exclamation of surprise, then you may have been thinking a little too quickly (fast). Sometimes you think so fast that you hardly think at all. If you wondered what WTF meant then you were thinking a bit slower. If you came up with more than one meaning or an alternative for WTF, like Wednesday, Thursday, Friday for example, you were thinking a bit more slowly. Kahneman spends about 400 pages talking about stuff like that. He gets me thinking very slowly. Maybe a little too slowly, but the book is worth a read if learning, as opposed to pure enjoyment, is your bag.

Portfolio Visualizer: More than your average information but not really a typical screener. Good for doing analysis on a single fund or ETF.

Rueter’s Fund & ETF Screener: Has a few nice features but only allows performance data for 5 years.

Vanguard Screener: Does 1, 5, 10-year performance data along with some other parameters.

Kiplinger: I couldn’t make it work like I would have wanted. Maybe you can.

MAXFunds: I couldn’t make it work like I would have wanted. Maybe you can.

Resources:

Project Gutenberg - Wikipedia states that Project Gutenberg “is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to ‘encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks’. It was founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books. The project tries to make these as free as possible, in long-lasting, open formats that can be used on almost any computer. As of 3 October 2015, Project Gutenberg reached 50,000 items in its collection.”