Here is a list of over 1,000 hours of book recommendations (70 titles) from an audiobook and podcast addict. Walking, driving, shopping, cleaning, or just relaxing. Hopefully I can share my addition with others. May you also get strange looks from onlookers as you laugh unexpectedly or carry a silly grin or intense scowl. Enjoy!
Top Non-Fiction
- Hit Refresh, Satya Nadella – The CEO that ignited rocket growth at Microsoft tells his personal story and mindset.
- Business @ The Speed of Thought, Bill Gates – Looking back to 1999 it is amazing how well Bill Gates envisioned the growth of technology.
- Tools and Weapons, Brad Smith – A modern look at the most impactful technical challenges for society from the president of Microsoft.
- How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie – Best all around personal development book.
- Good to Great, Jim Collins – Iconic business book that coined many common business phrases and outlines a model for transformational leadership.
- Chop Wood Carry Water, Joshua Medcalf – If Mr. Miyagi wrote a book this would be close. I bribed my teenage son to listen. Only 2 hours.
- Think Like a Freak, Levitt & Dubner – The creators of Freakenomics are so insightful and entertaining. They are also behind several of the best podcasts!
- Blink, Malcolm Gladwell – The mind makes decisions and assumptions much faster that you ever imagined.
- What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell – Great stories about how timing and circumstance have a huge influence on outcomes.
More Non-Fiction
- Eat That Frog!, Brian Tracy – Time management classic.
- Talk Like TED, Carmine Gallo – Public speaking 101.
- Mindset, Carol Dweck – Dry read but a great way to tap into the Growth Mindset trend.
- How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie – Great companion to the best personal development book.
- Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman Ph.D. – Fundamental reading for the modern workplace.
- A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink – Right-and brains vs. left-hand brains (who is better?)
- Drive, Daniel H. Pink – Great book on motivation
- Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull – Great for Disney fans and an entertaining business book.
- The Lean Startup, Eric Ries – Lean business startup model that has applications far beyond the startup world.
- Great By Choice, Jim Collins – More recent return to the world of Jim Collins.
- Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell – Great insight into a wide range of topics and introduced the world to the 10,000 hours rule.
- Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell – Deep insights into how people interact with each other from false assumptions to telling lies.
- The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell – The book about magic moments that is now a household phrase.
- The Undoing Project, Michael Lewis – On the fence here; I remember liking but not enough to say more.
- Self Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson – Short classic with great insights and a work commonly quoted by others.
- 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene – Learn the darker side of human interaction but it can be somewhat long and dry.
- Mastery, Robert Greene – Dry but based on a very interesting topic.
- Sway, Rom Brafman, Ori Brafman – Insights into irrational behavior.
- Tribes, Seth Godin – Business reading classic on forming teams and developing followers.
- Star with Why, Simon Sinek – Entertaining leadership book.
- The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey – Hi father wrote 7-Habits. A great look at how trust is a critical component to rapid growth.
- The 4-Hour Work Week, Timothy Ferriss – You will never look at work the same way and you’ll love the Tim Ferriss Show podcast.
Best Fiction Series Books
- Metro, Dmitry Glukhovsky – Following a nuclear war, Russians are running out of time as they try to survive in the Moscow metro. They also created a great video game based on the books. 3-Books
- Red Rising, Pierce Brown – The epic tale of the miner on Mars who infiltrates the ruling class to bring them down from within (5 big books)
- We Are Legion (We Are Bob), Dennis E. Taylor – What happens when you combine AI with self replicating space ships? 3-Books
- Hell Divers, Nicholas Sansbury Smith – Post apocalyptic story of survivors living in an airship. 6-Books (Book 7 out this year)
- After it Happened, Devon C. Ford – Survivors in England attempt to start a new society after a deadly pandemic. 7-Books (Closer to 3-4 in length)
- Zombie Fallout, Sean Runnette – I only read the first book but it was very entertaining; don’t be turned off by the cheesy cover (14 books!!)
- The Final Day, William R. Forstchen – This is actually the 3rd book in the series. Follow another post-apocalyptic clan. 3-Books
Top Fiction
- Ready Player One, Ernest Cline – My favorite audio book of all time with one of the best narrators in the biz.
- Armada, Ernest Cline – An entertaining fix when Ready Player One leaves you wanting more.
- Dark Matter, Blake Crouch – Mind bending adventure through the multiverse.
- Recursion, Blake Crouch – Mind bending take on the unintended consequences of time travel.
- The Power of One, Bryce Courtenay – One of my favorite books of all time. One boy in Africa has a big impact on those around him.
- Sphere, Michael Crichton – Better thn the movie.
- Timeline, Michael Crichton – Better than the movie.
- Ender’s Game & Ender’s Shadow, Orson Scott Card – Two great books, one story told form two perspectives. The movie is a combo of both.
More Fiction
- After the End, Amy Plum – Interesting story of a girl who learns the world is bigger than she ever dreamed (like The Village). 2-Books
- The Martian, Andy Weir – You saw the movie. The book is the movie almost scene-for-scene but still a fun listen.
- New Earth, Ben Bova – My favorite sci-fi author as a teenager. This is a great space exploration story.
- Level Up, Craig Anderson – A VR experiment sends our hero into a real world video game. Total gamer geek binge.
- All Gifts, Bestowed, Joshua Gayou – Very insightful and entertaining AI-based thriller.
- The Girl with all the gifts, M. R. Carey – You may have seen the movie but the book is very entertaining and I hear there is a sequel.
- Zero Day, Mark Russinovich – Mark is a Microsoft executive and popular public speaker. Techno thriller based on real world hacker and cyber forensic techniques. He has 2-3 other novels on my wish list.
- Prey, Michael Crichton – Nanobots gone wild.
- The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton – Classic Crichton and good pandemic thriller.
- The Andromeda Evolution, Michael Crichton – Sequel to the Andromeda Strain.
- Blade Runner, Philip K. Dick – Entertaining classic but I warn you if you though the movie was strange…
- Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein – Sci-fi classic
- Coma, Robin Cook – One of my favorite Robin Cook books; the king of medical thrillers.
Bonus – Favorite Narrators
- Will Wheaton
- R.C.Bray
- Malcolm Gladwell
Bonus – Favorite Podcasts
- This American Life
- TED Radio Hour
- Freakenomics Radio
- Revisionist History
- StartUp Podcast
- The Tim Ferriss Show
- Darknet Diaries
- Malicious Life
- Hackable
- The Jordin Harbinger Show
- 99% Invisible
- HaunTopic Radio