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Book Summaries, Reviews, and Notes of the Best Books
Here you’ll find hundreds of book summaries—full of in-depth notes, quotes, actionable takeaways, and my contrarian opinion—of some of the greatest non-fiction books out there. (And there’s some fiction sprinkled in. What? I’m not a monster). Hundreds of book summaries. All in one place. All yours. All free.
Why? Because in 2020, I hit rock bottom. Then, in 2021, I found out that there was one more layer underneath rock bottom. Reading saved me. Books saved me. Now I hope these book summaries get you reading, or at the very least, inspire you and give you the highlights needed to help you improve—to pick up the heavy-ass burden of responsibility that comes with changing your life and becoming a better human.
This page is the gateway into some of the greatest minds: from Roman Emperors to today’s (and yesterday’s), most prolific thinkers. From self-improvement to business, from game theory to Zen theory. It’s all here.
You can browse the book summaries based on the category below, the best of, or pick a title from the list below. Or you can use Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F on a Mac) for a quicky-search, if you’re into that kind of thing. Enjoy.
Best Books of All Time
Book Summaries by Topic
Top 3 Books in Each Category
A NOTE ON MY BOOK RATINGS:
When I started my journey out of the Darkness, it took a while to get an understanding of the landscape of books out there. In the beginning, I noticed every book I read was “the best book ever” to me because it was all such new information. After reading hundreds of books, I realized that wasn’t true. Now, I realize the importance of being extremely strict on the book ratings and the influence it might have on people’s choices as to what to read. In fact, this whole Book Summary thing started because I noticed that many people on social media were recommending books to read, and then I found out they had only read about 50 books and were recommending “The 10 Best Books to Read.” How could they recommend the best books to read after barely reading any books at all? I didn’t like that. I couldn’t trust their opinions because they only read, and recommended, the same books that others were recommending. So began my mission to read, learn, and recommended books that will truly help people change their life when they feel lost, stuck, and paralyzed by overthinking, like I did when I started my journey. So, yeah, I hope my ratings are fair and my summaries helpful.
About the “Stickiness Factor”: It This is a score I give to books based on how long the lessons stick with you after you’ve finished the final page. In fact, the “Stickiness Factor” is the most important element of any book, and the key is to use what you learn in the book immediately—teach it to someone, explain it to a friend, make a video about it, write an article about what you’ve learned, and most importantly, do the actionable practice steps that are given in any book. If the book tells you to lie down on the ground in a super busy and crowded place for 10 seconds then get up and say nothing, you’d better go lie down on the fucking ground in a super busy and crowded place for 10 seconds then get up and say nothing! (RE: The 4-Hour Workweek). I mean, what good is a book if it doesn’t really move you, change you, stick with you?
BOOK SUMMARIES BY RATING
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (Life-Changing: Must Read)
First and foremost, you need to understand yourself. And the most effective way to do that is to take 100% responsibility for everything in your life. You need to focus on what you can control – yourself. Then go to work. Be proactive. Now.
Well, you’ve probably already heard of this book. My two cents: I found it to be more of a mindset book, than a finance or investing book. And that’s a good thing. It’s a perfect place to start when re-organizing your mindset around money.
A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins unwillingly joins a motley crew of Dwarves on an adventure through Middle Earth in the hopes of reclaiming a long-lost treasure that belongs to the Dwarves – but it is guarded by a dragon named Smaug.
Life is just a process of moments and he outlines some of his biggest, most influential, and pivotal moments to really say one thing: death is coming for us all, and choosing to live with values is what makes for a meaningful life.
Gary John Bishop is intense. He’s not for everyone, but if you need someone to yell at you to get your ass motivated, he’s your guy. In this book, he tells you, in no uncertain terms, that you are the problem.
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen CoveyRATING: Life-Changing—Must ReadYou must operate from a set of fundamental principles and values that guide your life and decisions. And you need a Mission Statement so you never forget. -
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -
Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop -
Greenlights by Matthew McConaugheyRATING: 4.5-Stars—GreatMcConaughey takes us on a ride through his life in an entertaining fashion that you’d expect from him. Perhaps, it might be even better than you expect. There’s no shortage of life lessons and McConaughey-isms in this one. -
ENTP: The Swashbuckler by Calise Sellers -
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert KiyosakiRATING: 5-Stars—ExcellentThis is an essential read for anyone trying to be rich. Trying not to be poor. Or simply looking to start carrying the heavy-ass burden of changing themselves and their situation.
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MY BOOK REVIEWS
Hopefully, you can find something that sparks your curiosity and gets you reading something good…and, hopefully, life-changing.
MY YEARLY READING LIST
As I read throughout the year, I continuously add to the “Yearly Reading List” so you can see what I’m currently reading and the topics I’m exploring. (Coming Soon: I will make these summaries more accessible and more current by sharing my massive library of Notion book summaries, reviews, and notes.)
My Book-Rating Scale
*If you use the affiliate links in here a magic genie will suddenly appear in front of me granting me unlimited wishes, at which point I will then immediately wish for something like 100 billion dollars, a submarine, a funny hat, or something cool like that. So just assume that if you use the links to buy anything I make tons of money and become filthy rich. Besides this last statement, I practice radical honesty, and anything I ever recommend is something I stand by.
BEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME BY TOPIC
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
- Greenlights
- Can’t Hurt Me
- Will
BUSINESS
- Creativity, Inc.
- Influence
- The 4-Hour Workweek
- Anything You Want
CREATIVITY
- The War of Art
- Show Your Work
CULTURE & SOCIETY
- Sapiens
- Guns, Germs and Steel
HABITS, FOCUS, PRODUCTIVITY
- Atomic Habits
- Deep Work
- The ONE Thing
HAPPINESS
- The Happiness Hypothesis
HEALTH
- Breath
- The 4-Hour Body
LIFE PURPOSE
- Everything is F*cked
- Man’s Search for Meaning
- The Untethered Soul
- The Last Lecture
MOTIVATION
- The 5-Second Rule
- Unfu*k Yourself
- The Mountain is You
PHILOSOPHY
- Meditations
- The Obstacle is the Way
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
PSYCHOLOGY
- How Emotions Are Made
- Stumbling on Happiness
- Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
- Tools of Titans
THE HUMAN MIND
- Mindset
- Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself
- Becoming Supernatural
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
- Vagabonding
WRITING, LEARNING, READING
- On Writing
- Speed Reading for Dummies
DATING & RELATIONSHIPS
- How To Not Die Alone
- The Way of the Superior Man
- The Game
- Models
DECISION MAKING & GAME THEORY
- Thinking in Bets
- The Biggest Bluff
FINANCE & INVESTING
- The Intelligent Investor
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- The Millionaire Fastlane
Empowering You to Reach Your Full Potential
Explore the World of Self-Improvement with Scott
Empowering You to Reach Your Full Potential
Explore the World of Self-Improvement with Scott
