Bookshelf

A running list of books I've read.

Last updated: 5th March, 2026

Currently reading

• 
  Finite and Infinite Games James P. Carse
• 
  Content Design Sarah Winters, Rachel Edwards
• 
  The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War Ben Macintyre
• 
  Simple Marketing For Smart People Billy Broas
• 
  Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results Shane Parrish

2026

• 
  Remarkably Bright Creatures Shelby Van Pelt
• 
  The Agile Comms Handbook Giles Turnbull
• 
  How to Make Sense of Any Mess Abby Covert Read my book notes
• 
  My Friends Fredrik Backman

2025

• Four Seasons in Japan Nick Bradley
• The Life Impossible Matt Haig
• Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style Benjamin Dreyer
• Becoming a Technical Leader Gerald M. Weinberg
• Husk Nathaniel Eliason
• Dirty Genes: A Breakthrough Program to Treat the Root Cause of Illness and Optimize Your Health Ben Lynch
• Bookshops & Bonedust Travis Baldree
• Portnoy's Complaint Philip Roth
• The Science of Gardening: Discover How Your Garden Really Grows Stuart Farrimond
• The Design of Everyday Things Don Norman
• Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World Anne-Laure Le Cunff
• Same as Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life Morgan Housel
• Meditations for Mortals: Four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts Oliver Burkeman
• Very Good Copy: 207 Micro-Lessons on Thinking and Writing Like a Copywriter Eddie Shleyner
• Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat Is Fuelling Our Mental Health Crisis Kimberley Wilson
• Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business Paul Jarvis
• Seven Brief Lessons on Physics Carlo Rovelli
• Babylonia Costanza Casati
• How to Be a Dad: The ultimate guide to pregnancy, birth & dirty nappies Oscar Duke

2024

• Life Ceremony Sayaka Murata
• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage Alfred Lansing
• Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance Nathaniel Eliason
• What You Are Looking for Is in the Library Michiko Aoyama
• Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius Ryan Holiday
• How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius Donald J. Robertson
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz Heather Morris
• The Workshop Survival Guide: How to design and teach educational workshops that work every time Rob Fitzpatrick
• 
  Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout Cal Newport
• The Burnout Society Byung-Chul Han
• 
  The Chrysalids John Wyndham
• 
  This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You Susan Rogers
• 
  Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind) Rebecca Seal
• The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life Twyla Tharp
• Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1) Jeff VanderMeer
• Abroad in Japan: Ten Years In The Land Of The Rising Sun Chris Broad
• Convenience Store Woman Sayaka Murata
• Days at the Morisaki Bookshop Satoshi Yagisawa
• Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era Eiji Yoshikawa

2023

• The Sicilian Mario Puzo
• The Godfather Mario Puzo
• Blankets Craig Thompson
• 
  Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon Michael Lewis
• Before & Laughter: A Life Changing Book Jimmy Carr
• Why Women Are Blamed For Everything: Exposing the Culture of Victim-Blaming Jessica Taylor
• Kill It with Fire: Manage Aging Computer Systems (and Future Proof Modern Ones) Marianne Bellotti
• Going Zero Anthony McCarten
• Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner
• 
  Mindset Carol S. Dweck
• With Winning in Mind Lanny Bassham
• Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
• Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors: Covert Techniques for a Remarkable Practice David C. Baker
• Draw to Win: A Crash Course on How to Lead, Sell, and Innovate With Your Visual Mind Dan Roam
• Ghost Music An Yu
• Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Great Depression: A Diary Benjamin Roth
• Lord of the Flies William Golding
• Anathem Neal Stephenson
• Stories From A Whisky Bar Ralfy Mitchell

2022

• The Anthropocene Reviewed John Green
• Dark Days: A Memoir D. Randall Blythe
• How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion Derek Sivers
• The Death of Kings (Emperor, #2) Conn Iggulden
• Wisdom of the Ancients: Life lessons from our distant past Neil Oliver
• The Lost Art of Reading: Books and Resistance in a Troubled Time David L. Ulin
• The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1) Conn Iggulden
• Dopamine Detox : A Short Guide to Remove Distractions and Train Your Brain to Do Hard Things (Productivity Series Book 1) Thibaut Meurisse
• The Meaning in the Making: The Why and How Behind Our Human Need to Create Sean Tucker
• Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures Merlin Sheldrake
• Britt-Marie Was Here Fredrik Backman
• Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts Ryan Holiday
• Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success Matthew Syed
• The Listening Book William Allaudin Mathieu
• Kettlebell Simple & Sinister Pavel Tsatsouline
• In Praise of Shadows Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It Oliver Burkeman
• Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) Frank Herbert
• Beartown (Beartown, #1) Fredrik Backman

2021

• The Effective Executive Peter F. Drucker
• The Psychology of Money Morgan Housel
• Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur's Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit Pia Silva
• Project Hail Mary Andy Weir
• Eleven Rings Phil Jackson
• Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening Stephen Batchelor
• The Problems of Philosophy: Brief and Accessible Guide to the Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell's Philosophical Exploration: Navigating the Problems of Philosophy Bertrand Russell
• Norwegian Wood Haruki Murakami
• 
  Good Services: How to Design Services that Work Lou Downe
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Managing Oneself (Harvard Business Review Classics) Peter F. Drucker
• Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process John McPhee
• Anxious People Fredrik Backman
• 
  The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts Shane Parrish
• The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
• 
  Humankind: A Hopeful History Rutger Bregman
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami
• 
  Hell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing Derek Sivers
• 
  The Richest Man in Babylon George S. Clason

2020

• The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1) Richard Osman
• The Rings of Saturn W.G. Sebald
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  Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History's Great Personalities Claudia Kalb
• 
  Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to his Son (Illustrated) George Horace Lorimer
• 
  The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness Eric Jorgenson
• The Midnight Library Matt Haig
• 
  Digital Minimalism: On Living Better with Less Technology Cal Newport
• 
  How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi
• 
  Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: Practical wisdom for everyday life: embrace perseverance, strength and happiness with stoic philosophy (Teach Yourself) Donald J. Robertson
• 
  Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion Sam Harris
• 
  I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban Malala Yousafzai
• Sum: Tales from the Afterlives David Eagleman
• 
  Brunel: The Man Who Built the World Steven Brindle
• 
  How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking – for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers Sönke Ahrens
• 
  Turn The Ship Around! L. David Marquet
• 
  Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Yuval Noah Harari
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon
• Search for a whisky bothy Ralfy Mitchell
• 
  Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari

2019

• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not! Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Artemis Andy Weir
• Changer (KESTREL #1) Matt Gemmell
• 
  Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life Ryan Holiday
• 
  Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day Jake Knapp
• 
  Bullshit Jobs: A Theory David Graeber
• 
  Educated Tara Westover
• 
  This is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See Seth Godin
• 
  The Trusted Advisor David H. Maister
• 
  The Business of Expertise: How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight to Impact + Wealth David C. Baker
• The Lessons of History Will Durant
• Fail Fast, Fail Often: How Losing Can Help You Win Ryan Babineaux
• 
  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life Donald Miller
• 
  I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships Michael S. Sorensen
• 
  Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs Ken Kocienda
• 
  The Psychopath Test Jon Ronson

2018

• 
  It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work Jason Fried
• 
  How To Be Right… in a World Gone Wrong James O'Brien
• 
  Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones James Clear
• 
  Total Competition: Lessons in Strategy from Formula One Ross Brawn
• 
  Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead Brené Brown
• 
  Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine Mike Michalowicz
• 
  Notes on a Nervous Planet Matt Haig
• 
  When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Daniel H. Pink
• 
  The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life JL Collins
• 
  The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness Dave Ramsey
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It Chris Voss
• 
  The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You Sherry Walling
• 
  Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen Donald Miller
• The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living: Featuring new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius Ryan Holiday
• Landscape Photography On Location: Travel, Learn, Explore, Shoot Thomas Heaton
• The Alchemist Paulo Coelho

2017

• 
  Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture David Kushner
• 
  The Fault in Our Stars John Green
• 
  The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) Graeme Simsion
• 
  Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine Derren Brown
• Confessions of a Public Speaker Scott Berkun
• 
  Wonder R.J. Palacio
• 
  So You've Been Publicly Shamed (Picador Collection) Jon Ronson
• 
  Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days Jake Knapp
• 
  A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman
• 
  Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE Phil Knight
• 
  The Inner Game of Tennis: The ultimate guide to the mental side of peak performance W. Timothy Gallwey
• 
  The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Mark Manson
• 
  The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to creativity Scott Berkun
• 
  Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar Ed Catmull
• 
  The Miracle Of Mindfulness: The Classic Guide to Meditation by the World's Most Revered Master (Classic Edition) Thich Nhat Hanh
• Ready Player One Ernest Cline
• 
  Reinvent Yourself James Altucher
• 
  Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content Ann Handley
• 
  Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It Kamal Ravikant
• 
  Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less Greg McKeown
• 
  The War of Art Steven Pressfield
• Poke the Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time? Seth Godin
• The Day of the Triffids John Wyndham

2016

• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future Ashlee Vance
• Ego Is the Enemy Ryan Holiday
• Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) Pierce Brown
• Pricing Design Dan Mall
• Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered Austin Kleon
• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative Austin Kleon
• Do the Work Steven Pressfield
• Zen to Done Leo Babauta
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Cal Newport

2015

• I Am Legend Richard Matheson
• The Win Without Pitching Manifesto Blair Enns
• The Good Creative Paul Jarvis
• UnMarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging Scott Stratten
• The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing Al Ries
• Anything You Want Derek Sivers
• The Positioning Manual for Technical Firms Philip Morgan
• The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy (and Why They Don't) Sean D'Souza
• Michael Schumacher James Allen
• 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done Peter Bregman
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking Susan Cain
• Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson
• 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot Richard Wiseman
• Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose Tony Hsieh
• The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon Brad Stone
• The 7 Day Startup: You Don't Learn Until You Launch Dan Norris
• Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk
• Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
• The Martian Andy Weir
• The Whisky Cabinet: Your guide to enjoying the most delicious whiskies in the world Mark Bylok
• Authority: A Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing Nathan Barry
• Life's a Game So Fix the Odds: How to Be More Persuasive and Influential in Your Personal and Business Life Philip Hesketh
• Double Your Freelancing Rate Brennan Dunn
• The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich Timothy Ferriss

2014

• 
  The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph Ryan Holiday
• American Gods Neil Gaiman
• Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer: The Evolution of a $1M Web Designer Liam Veitch
• Responsible Responsive Design Scott Jehl
• The Choose Yourself Stories James Altucher
• Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream James Altucher
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Malcolm Gladwell
• Brand You John Purkiss
• Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems Steve Krug
• Cat’s Cradle Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
• Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose (Voices That Matter) Nicole Fenton
• Bird by Bird Anne Lamott
• Execute Josh Long
• Mobile First Luke Wroblewski
• Everything I Know Paul Jarvis
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Stephen King
• Coraline Neil Gaiman
• Work for Money, Design for Love: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business (Voices That Matter) David Airey

2013

• Sophie's World Jostein Gaarder
• Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) Suzanne Collins
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane Neil Gaiman
• The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) Suzanne Collins
• SuperEgo Julia Wurz
• 1984 George Orwell
• Life of Pi Yann Martel