Books Update (2019)

I’m not the most well-read guy rolling around the planet.  I admit it.  I read a ton; I just don’t spend a ton of time reading books.  I also rarely read fiction.  When I read, I read to learn and generally am reading articles about whatever it is I’m trying to learn about (or to do).  The reason I don’t read a lot of fiction books is that I don’t want to invest the time it takes to read it on something where I’m not really learning anything.  I get that even in fiction you can learn things but like I said I’m usually reading to learn something very specific.  Generally, if I’m in the mood for turning my brain off with some fiction I will watch a movie (or television show or game).  The reason I don’t generally read non-fiction books is for the same reason.  I can usually find the information I’m looking for without having to wade through an entire book to get it.  I often find that books start to weigh on me with a bunch of extra information that I just don’t need.

Anyhoo!  Readers are leaders!  I get it!  So, I do read books and have read some good ones along the way!  Here are my lifetime favorites (in no particular order):

Favorite Fiction

• Ready Player One – Great story AND it is a constant flashback to my younger years.
• The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe – I absolutely loved this book (and the rest of the series) as a kid.  I’ve read this book several times over the years.
• 1984 – I always found this book alarming and think of it often even now.
• Animal Farm – This is the companion book for 1984 that I read many years after reading 1984.  It is a very interesting depiction of all the different “roles” that we play on the “farm”.  I think this book shows the different ways different people approach life.  I am the Mule by the way!
• Atlas Shrugged – This is one doozy of a book.  It is long, the longest book I ever read.  A lot of people don’t like it but I think it is excellent and not just because I’m a Libertarian.  It makes a ton of sense to me on many fronts.  I think the book does a good job of showing the different ways different people approach problems/life…in detail.
• The Firm – When this came out I couldn’t put it down.  It was the first book that was ever like that for me.  I read it morning, noon and night until I was done with it.  Great story.
• Charlotte’s Web – I probably read this book 10 times in my childhood.  I really liked this story.
• Flowers In The Attic – I don’t know why I read this book but I did and it was so creepy/weird.  I liked it but it is dark.

Favorite Non-Fiction

• Buffettology – I’ve read many investing books and several about Warren Buffett.  This one was the best I’ve read about how to analyze an investment.  I’ve used these methods throughout my investing life.
• This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly – This book isn’t really a ‘great book’.  It read like a textbook for the most part.  But the level of research in it was amazing.  In fact, less than halfway through the book it was done and the appendix (with all the research) began.  The entire concept of the book was very interesting to me and is one I think is important to understand.  Throughout history, we have been lending, borrowing, crashing and recovering.  Every time we think we have it licked…we don’t…and won’t.
• The Road Less Travelled – This is one of the few books I’ve read multiple times in my life.  “Life Is Hard” is a statement that I live by daily.  The book is huge on personal responsibility as well (which I try to make a cornerstone in my life).  If I was forced to read one book every year for the rest of my life it would be this one.
• Margin Of Safety – This is a very good book on investing that covers a lot of important topics very well.  It is hard to find as well (and sells for a good sum of money).
• Killing Patton – I’m a huge Patton fan and love his story in general and this book does a great job weaving his story and his death together.
• Killing Lincoln – I think this is the best of the ‘Killing’ books and I also love all things Lincoln so this book was awesome and very well done.

As I get older and start to have more time on my hands I will probably spend more time with a good book in my hands.  Maybe.

8/21/2019