Book Recommendations

Life, Discipline, and Mindset

Live Intentionally: Discipline, Mindset, Direction – A 90 Day Self-Project:

Live Intentionally is a 90-day self-project that I created to help you achieve your potential by giving you all the tools you need to become a strong, calm, and purposeful individual.

No more wasted days, no more going in circles, and no more wasted potential. Invest your days in yourself, for you’ll never go broke investing in yourself.

All in, this program WILL change your life by fixing your daily lifestyle – and it will do so over 90 days.

Chanakya Neeti (India, USA)

This book contains the teachings and sutras of Chanakya, an Indian philosopher, and an economist. If you’re interested in controversial politically-incorrect and timeless truths, pick this book up.

Gorilla Mindset (India, USA):

You can change your life by changing your mindset. This is a great book on mindset, and it also gives you an overview of fitness, supplements, body language and posture. It contains a lot of actionable advice and is more of a workbook than a theory book – which for a self-help book is a breath of fresh air.

Who Moved My Cheese (India, USA):

Okay, so this is a children’s book. But, a lot can be learned from this short book – change, adaptability, and preparation.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big (India, USA):

All big successes happen on the ashes of failure. Everyone has problems, but not everyone can use their problems as stepping stones and grow beyond them. The author discusses perception and reality, systems and goals, and quite a lot more. It also has quite a few funny comic strips, which is an added bonus.

The 4 Hour Work Week (India, USA):

This is an interesting take on living life. The worst case situation never actually happens, and you don’t need that much to live the kind of life you want. Also, the comfort challenges scattered across the book really helped me expand my comfort zone.

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter (India, USA):

This book challenges the “thirties are the new twenties” thought that is common among the young adults of today. Your twenties are the most critical decade of your life. This book discusses work, relationships, your body, and your mind. Your brain fully develops around this decade, and your body changes significantly – these are not the years you want to waste on partying and ‘chilling’. The average YOLO people will hate this book.

The Power of Habit (India, USA):

This is an excellent book on the science behind habits. Cue, routine, reward. It also delves into how habits are formed, how habits can be broken, how addiction works, how addictive products work, and has an interesting dialogue on free will.

The more important reason to read this book is that if you pay attention, you can learn how to build addictive, habit-forming products.

Business and Startups

Zero to One (India, USA):

This is the best book that every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur should read. Monopolistic companies thrive. Competition sucks for business profits and sucks especially for the survival of startups. Written by self-made billionaire Peter Thiel, this book will teach you how to think and will challenge traditional lines of thought about starting a company.

What I wish I knew when I was 20 (India, USA):

Okay, so I read this book many years ago, and I don’t remember much of what it said. However, I found it to be a very insightful and inspiring book when I read it, and I recommend reading it. Another reminder to keep thinking differently.

Finance, Money, and Investment

One Up on Wall Street (India, USA):

Written by Peter Lynch, one of the most successful investors and mutual fund managers, this book will give you an excellent overview of investing. Notice that I didn’t say “for beginners” because there is no beginner or advanced way of investing, just good investing and bad investing. If you read only one book on investing, make it this one.

More Money Than God (India, USA):

This is a history of the hedge fund industry – from its origins to its highs and declines post the 2008 crisis, this is one of the most exciting finance books that I’ve read. Must read for anyone trying to enter into the finance industry – both for the buy-side and the sell-side.

If you liked More Money Than God, you should also check out The Greatest Trade Ever (India, USA), a book that follows the stories of hedge fund managers and investors who made billions during the 2008 crash.

The Richest Man In Babylon (India, USA):

This is one of the best personal finance books that I’ve read. It’ll teach you about the importance of saving and deploying money. It’s written in the form of stories, and the morals and lessons are immortal. Healthy finances are at the cornerstone of a great life.

Economics

Arthashastra (India, USA):

The other great book by the great Chanakya. Arthashastra is one of the oldest books on Economics, and it also talks about statecraft, foreign affairs, military strategies, and laws. It was written as a guide for all those who govern.

Social Skills and Soft Power

48 Laws of Power (India, USA):

The 48 Laws of Power is a book that you absolutely must read if you would like to do well in the modern world where brute force is no longer the norm and you need to be far more subtle and diplomatic if you want to build your way upwards.

How to Win Friends and Influence People:

This is, by far, the best book on social skills out there. If you haven’t read it, you’re already paying the price – you just don’t know it. You need to learn how to deal with people – it’s one of the highest ROI skills in the world.

Make sure you read the unrevised edition of this book. Apparently, his wife revised the book after his death and made it gender neutral, deleted the sections on dealing with spouses, and removed anything she deemed “politically incorrect”. The unrevised edition is linked above.

How to Debate Leftists and Destroy Them (India, USA):

Written by a political commentator and a lawyer, Ben Shapiro, a man who is perhaps one of the greatest when it comes to making a point. Whether you like him or not, you can learn from him. This book will teach you how to argue and win, especially when a group is hounding you. If you get your ass handed to you every time you argue – you need to read this book. It’s a short read too.

Fitness and Bodybuilding

Arnold: The Education of A Bodybuilder (India, USA):

This is the autobiography of Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the worlds best-known bodybuilders. Very inspirational book – it gives you an insight into the kind of passion, dedication, and self-delusion you need to get to the top of any industry. The book is divided into two parts: the first follows Arnold’s career as a bodybuilder, and the next gives you detailed information about various muscles, how to train them, which exercises work better than others, and also throws in some workout plans.

Starting Strength (India, USA):

One of the best beginners fitness programs out there. Explains all the big and important exercises in complete depth and teaches you a lot about getting stronger.

If you do this program, your squat and deadlifts will go way up, and really fast. This was a life changing book for me. There’s a reason why this is one of the most popular strength program in the world.

Note: Make sure you read the author’s clarification before you follow the diet in the book. Do not eat 6,000 calories a day like the author suggests.

Computers

But How Do It Know (India, USA):

This book will teach you how computers work from scratch. Computers are all around us, and most of us don’t even know how they fundamentally work. I recommend reading this just because it’ll enable you to understand the technology behind literally the most pervasive machine on Earth.

Women And Relationships

The Female Brain (India, USA):

A fascinating insight into the female mind, it gives a physiological (not psychological) explanation of why women are how they are, and how you should deal with them. It’s easier to psycho bullshit than to physio bullshit. Men should read this to understand women, and women should read this to understand themselves.

Note: The author recommends that women take birth control pills to regulate their hormones. This is bad advice and has negative long term effects.

The Book Of Pook:

Back in the early 2000s, there was a man who posted on a PUA forum called So Suave. His basic message was that the PUA techniques were too simple, and focused on external manipulations, and focusing on others rather than focusing on yourself and your own masculinity. Sadly Pook disappeared from the scene, but his teachings live on in this book called The Book of Pook.

This is one of my top 10 books. If I could only read 10 books in my life, this book will be on the list.

The Illimitable Man Audiobook:

This book is full of actionable knowledge a man needs to win in every aspect of life, from women to business to society.

You learn a lot of the hidden motives behind why women do certain things and how you can influence their behavior, and also has a lot of practical advice on improving your value as a man.

The Rational Male (India, USA):

“Women don’t want a man to cheat, but they love a man who could cheat.”

This book is a great assessment of women, intersexual dynamics, and the psychology behind them. The author also gives you guidelines on how you can succeed in your relationships and the principles that will make sure that you have a strong frame as a man. A great read from start to finish – every young man needs to read this book at least once.

Biographies and Autobiographies

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (India, USA):

This book has many lessons in its pages. Benjamin Franklin led an interesting life – born into poverty and receiving little education, and rising up in the world through integrity, discipline, and work ethic. Franklin ran away from home at the age of 17 and ended up being one of the founding fathers of America. Read this book along with Franklin’s aphorisms i.e. Poor Richard’s Almanack (India, USA) and you will take home many hard-earned life lessons that you might otherwise end up learning the hard way.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller (India, USA):

John D. Rockefeller is an example of how self-discipline, focus, hard work, and a talent for organization and management can pay off over a lifetime. Born in poverty and raised with strict Christian moral values by this mother, John managed to create the largest ever Industrial conglomerate to exist in his time (Standard Oil), and become the richest man in modern history – with many controversies and many philanthropic deeds to his name. This is his life’s story, and it’s worth the 35 hours of listening (I used the audiobook format for this one).

History

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History:

This is not a book, it’s a podcast – and it’s the best history podcast out there.

The material released so far is at least 10 books worth and will give you a ton of knowledge of history without making you feel bored.

Most history books are boring – they focus too much on dates and names. This podcast on the other hand teaches you history using in depth stories and narratives – you will enjoy listening to them.

I highly recommend this podcast to anyone who is willing to listen – you will find it to be a good investment of time.

Some Entertaining Books

Catch 22 (India, USA):

A very humorous book with a great style of writing. So good in fact that the title made it into the English language. Catch 22 describes a comical situation where an individual is stuck due to contradictory rules (example: You need work experience to find a job, but you can’t get experience because they keep turning you down for not having enough experience).

This book can also teach you a lot about human behavior and motivations. Read this book carefully.

The Wolf of Wall Street (India, USA):

A very entertaining book featuring the tales of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who went wild. You’ve no doubt heard of the movie, and the book is a lot of fun to read too. Very fast-paced, and an exhibit of what can happen when smart men go out of control.

Ric Flair: To Be The Man (India, USA):

Although I don’t care about wrestling (never watched a single game), I just happened to pick this book up. It’s the story of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, and his history in the wrestling industry. What really stuck out to me was his work ethic. The most important lesson I’ve learned from this book is that you should treat people how they treat you.

The Accountants Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellín Cartel (India, USA):

A story of Pablo Escobar, and how he conquered the drug trade, and how he manipulated politicians, governments, and the public, from his childhood to the exciting tales of him hiding in deep forests to evade law enforcement – written by his brother Roberto Escobar. It gives you an insight into the intelligence and mental toughness high-end criminals have.

The Journalist and The Murderer (India, USA):

A lighthearted read with an important message: Never trust a journalist – especially if they’re doing a piece on you.

Most journalists are just a bunch of people seeking fame and popularity, and as we all have learnt in the past few years – they lie all the time (the term “fake news” is becoming really popular).

If you trust journalists and news companies, you might as well also believe that politicians are honest people who do what is best for you and that tobacco companies care about your health.

Into Thin Air (India, USA):

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. – Ernest Hemingway

A thrilling book that gives an account of the 1997 Mt. Everest Disaster and also makes you feel like you were there.

A good fun read if you’ve got a few hours to kill. I read it all in 2 days and found it hard to put this book down.

Ebook Reader

Kindle Paperwhite (India, USA):

This is a fantastic e-book reader from Amazon. I use it to read a lot of books – because it’s portable, easy to use, and most importantly, it doesn’t strain your eyes. This version has the best value for money. Plus, it pays for itself as e-books are much cheaper than physical books.

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM4 (India, USA):

These are the best noise cancelling headphones out in the market. The battery lasts a long time (12 hours or more) and are great for listening to audiobooks on.

This is a worthy investment, especially if you have a long commute. As a bonus, they’ll also protect your hearing.

P.S. Give audiobooks a try.

I listen to audiobooks instead of listening to music when walking, and I’ve ended up listening to many interesting books that I would have not picked up otherwise.

They’re convenient, engaging, and cheap. Amazon has a 3 month free trial for Audible!.

Page last edited on 21/04/2022

 

Life, Discipline, and Mindset

Live Intentionally is a 90-day self-project that I created to help you achieve your potential by giving you all the tools you need to become a strong, calm, and purposeful individual.

No more wasted days, no more going in circles, and no more wasted potential. Invest your days in yourself, for you’ll never go broke investing in yourself.

All in, this program WILL change your life by fixing your daily lifestyle – and it will do so over 90 days.

JOIN MILLIONS OF MEN IMPROVING THEIR LIVES EVERY DAY


You have found the #1 self-improvement resource for men. Here you will find no-bullshit actionable advice on topics they don't teach you in school - mindset, physical fitness, online business, personal finance, life skills, social skills, red pill truths, and more!

Invalid email address
No Spam. No Bullshit. 100% Privacy.Your e-mail will never be shared with anyone.