Books Recommended by Tim Ferriss

I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business.

After reading The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch, I decided that extreme questions were the forcing function I needed.

No matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master.

Ryan is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy, and all results. From American Apparel to the quiet campaigns he's run but not taken credit for, this whiz kid is the secret weapon you've never heard of.

[Ray’s Principles] has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business.

All you need to know about leadership is contained in Dune.

A true manifesto, a guidebook with clear signposts, and a fun ride you'll return to again and again.

Jocko is also the co-author of Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win — which I loved.

If you want to think differently about entrepreneurship, management, or life in general, read this book.

For the fellow tech nerds among you, here are a few resources for learning about angel investing, founding tech companies, or picking the right startup to work for.

Holiday is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy, and all results... This whiz kid is the secret weapon you've never heard of.

I think it's much more valuable than 99% of the so-called time management books out there.

Bird by Bird is one of my absolute favorite books, and I gift it to everybody, which I should probably also give to startup founders, quite frankly. A lot of the lessons are the same. But you can get to your destination, even though you can only see 20 feet in front of you.

I tend to isolate myself, often at the worst times possible. Amanda helped me to learn to ask friends and family for help. It was a game changer.

An outstanding author and long-form journalist. . . . I particularly enjoyed [Thompson’s] section on automation.

If you need an injection of wanderlust in your life, this debut novel by my friend Kamal Ravikant is your medicine. It motivated me to keep writing.

Steven and Jamie have done a wonderful job of balancing the promises, perils, and how-to prescriptions of engineering peak states such as 'flow.'

Ever feel like you don’t quite fit in? Don’t want to follow society’s silly rules?

Then you can probably relate to human-born and Martian-raised Valentine Michael Smith. In this controversial 1960’s cult classic, Heinlein questions long held assumptions on religion, government, and sexuality (free Martian love for all!).

It’s also where the term “grok” originated.

After reading The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch, I decided that extreme questions were the forcing function I needed.

I agree wholeheartedly with a lot of the co-opted science, which people can read a book called Bad Science, which is by a doctor named Ben Goldacre. It’s great.

Scott has an incredible approach to 'career planning' that's as effective as it is unusual. He’s beaten all the odds and can help you do the same.

Kamal is one of those people whose words are as powerful as his presence. When Kamal speaks, I listen.

Ramit and I are both obsessed with checklists and love a book by Atul Gawande titled The Checklist Manifesto. I have this book on a shelf in my living room, cover out, as a constant reminder.

his hilarious Travels with Charley: In Search of America is one of my favorite reads of the last several years.

I have fallen in love with Barry Lopez’s writing.

I devoured it in three days, and a shelf in my guest bedroom is now permanently stocked with copies for friends.

Trust me, it’s fantastic.

After his girlfriend leaves him for another man, Rob embarks on a journey of self-discovery and evaluation by contacting ex-girlfriends to see what went wrong in each relationship. High Fidelity teaches us that eventually we all have to grow up, get past adolescent self-importance, and take responsibility for our own lives.

We [Tim Ferriss and Stephen Dubner] both absolutely love Levels of the Game by John McPhee, an entire book about a single tennis match between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner in 1968. It's a short 162 pages and The New York Times gushed, "This may be the high point of American sports journalism". It's Stephen's most-gifted book for adults.

This is probably my favorite nonfiction book of the last five years.

This book was recommended to me by a PhD neuroscientist and is what finally helped me tame anger, one of my most destructive (and persistent) emotions. It’s easy to aim for 'successful' and be miserable. This book is the antidote.

If you work with the written word in any capacity, I highly recommend.

It looks like a children’s book, and you can read it in 30 minutes, but it’s replete with wisdom for adults.

I absolutely LOVED this book, which I just finished yesterday.

This is a wonderful and short book. It found me at exactly the right time, and I read it in two afternoons.

DO NOT look at the Amazon description, any reviews, or any overviews of the plot. Just buy it and dive in.

Zorba the Greek' is a really good read for trying to chill out that Type A drive ... piece of yourself, so that you can actually enjoy the ride.