The Best Books I Read in 2015
Here are the 10 best books from my 2015 Reading Challenge. Follow me on Goodreads if you enjoy reading biographies, investing, history, non-fiction, or science books.
Buffett — The Making of An American Capitalist
It left me thinking… that Buffett’s success is a direct result of reading for 6–8 hours each day. To quote Buffett himself:
Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.
Elon Musk — Inventing the Future
It left me thinking… that reasoning up from facts, not assumptions, is the only way to solve hard problems.
The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor
It left me thinking… that the key to successful investing is to be what Kahneman calls a System-2 thinker — deliberate, rational, independent, and unemotional.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
It left me thinking… that our mental software has two modes: the fast and automatic System-1 and the slow and logical System-2. Humans make big mistakes when we forget to slow down and use System-2.
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
It left me thinking… that capital allocation (where products and markets to invest in) are the most important decisions a CEO makes.
Seeking Wisdom — From Darwin to Munger
It left me thinking… that life is dominated by a few dozen concepts like evolution, compounding, incentives, and network effects. Learning these core concepts is the key to wisdom.
Poor Charlie’s Almanack
It left me thinking… that Warren Buffett’s consigliere Charlie Munger is incredibly wise. This book is a collection of his essays and talks.
The Millionaire Fastlane
It left me thinking… that independence is the source of wealth. Money can be used to buy wealth, but isn’t wealth itself. For example, salaried workers sell their independence today for money to buy independence late in life. Entrepreneurs take risks to buy a lifetime of independence.
Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life
It left me thinking… about what it means to live a good life, how to do it, and the power of Stoic thinking.
Sapiens — A Brief History of Humankind
It left me thinking… about the meaning of life and future of our species. As individuals, we struggle to find meaning and happiness in our lives. Yet, humans are becoming gods with the power to create and change life through engineering. This leads the author to ask:
Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want?…What do we want to want?
Bonus Round #11
A Song of Ice and Fire Series
It left me thinking… George R.R. Martin hates everything.
