Bookshelf
Books I’ve read and recommend, organized in descending order by when I read them.
★★ Books I constantly reference
★ Books that updated my world model
The Origins of Efficiency (reading...)
An exploration of how efficiency became central to modern industry and the historical development of industrial-scale problem solving.
A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains ★★
A masterful synthesis weaving evolutionary biology, anthropology, and neuroscience into a compelling narrative of how human intelligence emerged.
Being Human
An engaging exploration of how human biology shaped major historical events, from disease destroying Scotland's Darien scheme to pathogens in warfare.
Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe ★★
Excellent overview of quantum mechanics and field theory.
The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion ★★
The best introduction to modern physics, perfectly balancing accessibility with mathematical depth.
Visual Differential Geometry and Forms: A Mathematical Drama in Five Acts ★★
A beautiful tour de force introduction to differential geometry with clear and engaging writing.
The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness ★
A Plato Dialogue-based introduction to Adlerian psychology, challenging common assumptions about happiness and interpersonal relationships.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
A gripping masterclass in leadership chronicling Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition and the crew's miraculous survival after their ship was crushed by ice.
Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History
I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Horatio Nelson.
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
Reveals how American industry transformed into an unprecedented wartime production machine that became the decisive force in WWII, with valuable lessons on management and scaling operations.
Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed
An insider's account of Lockheed's legendary aerospace division that showcases what's possible with ambitious engineering and the right organizational culture.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters ★
One of the best business books, cutting through misconceptions to explain what strategy actually is and why most strategic plans fail.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It ★
Practical negotiation techniques from FBI hostage negotiations that translate well to business contexts in sales and management.
Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
A comprehensive overview of major conflicts since WWII combined with General Petraeus's insider perspective on strategic decisions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Nuclear War: A Scenario ★
A sobering minute-by-minute account of what nuclear war would actually look like, revealing that effective defense against ICBMs and SLBMs still doesn't exist.
How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking
Ellenberg's writing is clear and engaging, and he provides many examples of how mathematics can be used to solve real-world problems.
Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else
Ellenberg provides a entertaining and informative overview of the hidden geometry of information, biology, strategy, democracy, and everything else.
The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann
The definitive biography of the 20th century's most brilliant polymath, whose contributions spanned mathematics, physics, computing, and game theory.
Elon Musk
Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk, a good alternative to Vance's earlier book.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
The definitive biography of Elon Musk, a must-read for anyone interested in his story.
The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth ★
Christensen's follow-up to The Innovator's Dilemma provides actionable frameworks for creating and sustaining disruptive growth.
Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology
A comprehensive history of the semiconductor industry that illuminates why semiconductors have become the most critical and contested technology of our era.
Proofs from THE BOOK ★★
A collection of elegant mathematical proofs inspired by Paul Erdős's concept of 'The Book' where God keeps the most beautiful proof of each theorem.
When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach
Chronicles the new space race driven by startups and entrepreneurs working to democratize access to space.
Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers ★
Moore's classic explains why many promising products fail to reach mainstream markets and provides actionable frameworks for scaling from early adopters to the mainstream.
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm ★★
A thought experiment guide to rebuilding civilization from scratch that reveals how dependent modern society is on accumulated knowledge and interdependence.
Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History
Explores how geology, climate, and geography have fundamentally shaped human evolution and the development of civilizations.
Spacetime Physics ★★
A masterful introduction to special relativity by Wheeler.
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
A pragmatic, numbers-driven approach to climate change.
The Field Guide to Global Payments
A comprehensive overview of how payment systems work globally, essential reading for anyone working in fintech.
Anatomy of the Swipe: Making Money Move
Demystifies the complex infrastructure behind credit card transactions and how money actually moves when you swipe.
Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon ★
Two former Amazon executives reveal the operational practices that enable Amazon's exceptional execution, from the six-page memo to the PR/FAQ document.
Think Like Amazon: 50 1/2 Ideas to Become a Digital Leader
Distills Amazon's cultural principles and practices that drive its success, though implementation requires genuine cultural change that many organizations resist.
Pragmatic Capitalism: What Every Investor Needs to Know About Money and Finance
A practical guide to understanding how the modern monetary system actually works, clearing up common misconceptions about banking and monetary policy.
The Good Parts of AWS: How to use what they offer without missing the good parts
A curated guide to the most useful AWS services, cutting through the overwhelming array of options.
Effective Python: 90 Specific Ways to Write Better Python (2nd Edition)
Slatkin's collection of Python best practices covers everything from fundamental idioms to advanced techniques.
What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture ★
Draws leadership lessons from historical figures to show that culture is defined by actions, not values statements.
Anatomy of the Bear: Lessons from Wall Street's Four Great Bottoms
Analyzes the four major bear markets in US history to identify patterns and lessons for investors, notably prescient in forecasting major market trends.
The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power ★★
Yergin's Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the oil industry reads like a thriller while explaining how petroleum shaped the 20th century.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
The definitive account of Theranos's spectacular fraud, a cautionary tale about how charisma and prestigious backers can sustain vaporware for over a decade.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Brutally honest account of the challenges that don't make it into typical business books, from layoffs to managing your own psychology as CEO.
You Can Be a Stock Market Genius: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits
A guide to finding value in special situations like spinoffs and mergers, with a valuable framework for thinking about complex situations.
Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
Argues that risk-sharing and accountability are essential for fairness and effective decision-making, exploring how asymmetries create systemic fragility.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
The definitive account of Amazon's rise from online bookstore to global behemoth and how Bezos's 'regret minimization framework' shaped the company's expansion.
Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems
A comprehensive guide to the principles and trade-offs underlying modern data systems.
Creative Cash Flow Reporting: Uncovering Sustainable Financial Performance
Teaches how to analyze cash flow statements to uncover financial manipulation and see through how companies legally obscure their financial health.
Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air
A numbers-driven analysis that cuts through the rhetoric around renewable energy to show what's physically possible.
The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
Yergin's sequel to The Prize examines the global energy landscape in the 21st century and how energy security continues to shape geopolitics.
The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
A sweeping narrative of how the Morgan banking empire shaped American and global finance across 150 years.
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
A comprehensive biography that presents a nuanced portrait of America's first billionaire, revealing his systematic philanthropy alongside ruthless business practices.
Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions ★★
A collection of challenging probability problems with solutions.
Problem Solving through Problems ★★
A comprehensive guide to solving mathematical problems.