Books
Every book on the site
Long-form reading pointed to as foundational.
67 entries · ranked by consensus across 34 stacks
- $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.01
Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker on what sleep does for memory, immunity and mood
Backed by 8 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 5 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.02
Atomic Habits
The practical manual for building and breaking habits
Backed by 5 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 5 recommend it, 0 have discussed itjamesclear.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.03
Deep Work
The case that uninterrupted concentration is a rare and valuable skill
Backed by 5 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 5 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.04
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl on surviving the camps and choosing your response
Backed by 3 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.05
The Daily Stoic
366 short Stoic passages with modern commentary, one per day
Backed by 3 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.06
Business Adventures
John Brooks's twelve New Yorker stories about Wall Street and 1960s corporate America
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.07
Digital Minimalism
A philosophy for using much less technology, on purpose
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.08
Extreme Ownership
SEAL combat leadership principles applied to teams and business
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.09
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius's private notes to himself, still in print 1,800 years later
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.10
Outlive
Medicine 3.0 and the case for training decades in advance
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.11
Slow Productivity
Do fewer things, work at a natural pace, obsess over quality
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.12
The 4-Hour Body
Self-experimentation manual for fat loss, strength and sleep
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.13
The 4-Hour Workweek
Automation, elimination and the mini-retirement, from 2007
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.14
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Collected thinking on wealth, specific knowledge and happiness
Backed by 2 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.15
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life
Penguin Press
Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2023 book on vision, work, failure and giving back
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.16
Beneath the Surface
Michael Phelps's memoir of his early career, written with Brian Cazeneuve
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.17
Breath
James Nestor on nasal breathing, and what modern jaws lost
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.18
Can't Hurt Me
David Goggins's memoir: abuse, obesity, three Hell Weeks and the tools he built on the way
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itdavidgoggins.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.19
Discipline Equals Freedom
A short, deliberately blunt field manual for self-discipline
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.20
Ego Is the Enemy
Ryan Holiday on the ways self-importance wrecks aspiring, succeeding and failing
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.21
Fast This Way
Dave Asprey on intermittent and extended fasting, and how to make it less miserable
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itdaveasprey.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.22
Fat Loss Forever
Layne Norton's book on losing fat and, more to the point, keeping it off
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itbiolaynestore.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.23
Feel-Good Productivity
Energy and enjoyment as the engine of getting things done
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.24
Finding Ultra
From overweight and alcoholic at 40 to ultra-endurance athlete
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.25
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's 1990 study of total absorption and what makes it happen
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.26
Heavily Meditated
Dave Asprey on shortcuts to deep meditative states with breath, feedback and pain
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itdaveasprey.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.27
Here is New York
E.B. White's 1949 essay on the city, short enough to read in an hour
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.28
How Not to Die
Michael Greger's nutrition case against the leading causes of death
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.29
I Promise
Picture book of daily promises about school, effort and community, for young children
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.30Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
- $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.31
Moonwalking with Einstein
Joshua Foer's year training for the US Memory Championship, and what memory really is
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.32
Never Finished
Goggins's second book: what he did after the first one made him famous
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itdavidgoggins.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.33
No Limits: The Will to Succeed
Michael Phelps on the preparation behind his Beijing gold medals
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itbooks.apple.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.34
Poor Charlie's Almanack
Charlie Munger's speeches and essays on mental models, misjudgment and how to think
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.35
Shoe Dog
Phil Knight's memoir of building Nike from shoes sold out of a car trunk to a global brand
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.36
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Skills first, passion later: an argument against following your passion
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.37
Source Code
Bill Gates's 2025 memoir of childhood, Lakeside, Harvard and the start of Microsoft
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.38
The 5 Second Rule
Mel Robbins's first book, on the countdown that gets you moving
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itmelrobbins.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.39
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho's short novel about a shepherd following his personal legend
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.40
The Anxious Generation
Jonathan Haidt on what smartphones and social media did to childhood after 2010
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.41
The Book of Awakening
Mark Nepo's page-a-day reflections, read one morning at a time
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.42
The Brothers Karamazov
Dostoevsky's last novel: faith, doubt, and what people owe each other
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.43
The Bulletproof Diet
Dave Asprey's high-fat, low-toxin eating plan, and the origin of the butter coffee
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itdaveasprey.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.44
The Complete Contest Prep Guide
A start-to-stage manual for natural bodybuilding and physique competition prep
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itbiolayne.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.45
The Diary of a CEO
33 laws for business and life, drawn from hundreds of interviews
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.46
The Four Agreements
Don Miguel Ruiz's short 1997 book on four rules for living, rooted in Toltec tradition
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itmiguelruiz.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.47
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
Andy Puddicombe's plain-language introduction to a ten-minute daily practice
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.48
The High 5 Habit
Mel Robbins on a daily high five in the mirror and the self-talk behind it
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itmelrobbins.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.49
The Inner Game of Tennis
Timothy Gallwey's 1974 classic on quieting self-criticism to perform under pressure
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.50
The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham's 1949 classic on value investing and the moods of Mr. Market
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.51
The Let Them Theory
Mel Robbins on releasing control over other people and reclaiming your own attention
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itmelrobbins.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.52
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
John Bogle's short case for owning the whole market cheaply and leaving it alone
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.53
The Muscle Ladder
Jeff Nippard's 2024 training manual with 20 programs and photo demos of 80-plus exercises
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itjeffnippard.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.54
The ONE Thing
Gary Keller and Jay Papasan on the one priority that makes everything else easier
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.55
The Outsiders
William Thorndike on eight CEOs who ran their companies for cash and capital allocation
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.56
The Overstory
Richard Powers's Pulitzer-winning novel in which trees turn out to be the main character
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.57
The Power of Now
Eckhart Tolle on stepping out of the running commentary in your head
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.58
The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro's novel of an English butler looking back on a life of duty and regret
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.59
The Rock Says...
Dwayne Johnson's 2000 autobiography, written with Joe Layden at the peak of his WWF run
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.60
The Second Mountain
David Brooks on the commitments that follow the first climb of career and status
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.61
The TB12 Method
Tom Brady's 2017 guide to pliability, band training, nutrition, hydration and sleep
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed itsimonandschuster.com (opens in a new tab) - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.62
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Kahneman's map of the two systems behind your judgments
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.63
This Is Water
The Kenyon commencement speech by the author of Infinite Jest, about a 15-minute read
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.64
Tools of Titans
Routines, habits and tactics from 200+ podcast guests
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.65
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2012 memoir, from Thal to Mr. Olympia to Sacramento
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.66
Where Are the Customers' Yachts?
Fred Schwed's 1940 comedy about Wall Street, still accurate about fees and forecasts
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - $$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.67
Young Forever
Mark Hyman's 2023 book on the hallmarks of aging and his own longevity program
Backed by 1 of 34 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Consensus is a count of recommendation edges, not a rating. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.