Non-Fiction Fanatic
Find a book, pick it up, and all life long you’ll have good luck.
Reading non-fiction books has been the single most impactful habit I engineered into my life. Reading not only provided an outlet, but also improved my character. I began to see and appreciate the world differently, and acquire knowledge and interests in fields I would have never expected to even care about. There is no world in which I would have chosen to not start reading non-fiction; the only change I would have made would have been to start sooner.
It has been a journey of continuous self-improvement, and if I could inspire someone else to start that journey, I would be thrilled.
On that note, here are some of my favourites that I would recommend to anyone — whether it is your first non-fiction book or your 100th, whether you’ve read it once or over five times (for some of these, I really do reread them that many times).
These span psychology, philosophy, finance, architecture, biography, self-help, business, and science.
Psychology
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Influence flows from making other people feel genuinely important; lead with their interests, not yours.
The Laws of Human Nature
People act from drives they can’t see and won’t admit; read the pattern beneath what’s said, and behavior stops being a mystery.
Never Split the Difference
Negotiation is emotional before it’s logical; tactical empathy moves people that argument never could.
Philosophy
The Black Swan
History is driven by the rare, high-impact events no one predicts; stop trying to forecast them and build to survive them.
Letters From a Stoic
Anchor your peace in what fortune can’t take — virtue and reason are the only reliable goods.
The Obstacle Is the Way
Every obstacle contains the raw material for its own overcoming; the impediment to action advances action.
Finance
Broken Money
Money is a technology, and ours is degrading — understanding the monetary system explains more of the world than most schooling ever did.
Architecture
The Birth of a Building
A building is a chain of decisions long before it’s a structure, and the costly, irreversible ones are locked in at the very start.
Biography
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
An obscure German princess remade herself into Russia’s most consequential ruler through sheer intellect, will, and self-invention.
Self-help
Fast Like a Girl
Fasting works best when it’s cycled to the body’s own hormonal rhythms rather than forced into a one-size protocol.
Wherever you are in the journey, I hope one of these becomes the book you pick up.