Author Topic: What books have changed your life?  (Read 207344 times)

Cwadda

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #150 on: June 19, 2016, 01:10:16 PM »
7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Still reading sections of it, though the first section was life-changing enough.

SoccerLounge

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #151 on: June 19, 2016, 01:46:29 PM »
Fiction: The Discworld series, by Terry Pratchett. Just incredible social insight on both large and small scales. I used to say Terry was the greatest living English-language satirist, but.... :(

Non-fiction: An old-ass illustrated children's encyclopedia set my parents got me from a thrift store as a birthday present when I was a kid. I credit much of my adult career to this one decision. Seriously.

I looove the Discworld series. A few days after he died, I walked by a bar with a big Pratchett quote written on a chalkboard. It made me happy, then I realized why they did it, and it made me sad.

What is your career?

I've done a bunch of stuff, actually. One of the biggest things I took from that encyclopedia is that there's a ton of different kinds of knowledge out there, and so it's good to have a broad range of skils. :)

Steve Rogers

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #152 on: June 21, 2016, 07:58:50 AM »
The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. I would recommend both books for anyone that is a fan of stoicism ideals. 

acroy

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #153 on: June 24, 2016, 10:05:47 AM »
New Testament, Vulgate with annotations. Pretty friggin amazing.
An Introduction to Philosophy by Daniel Sullivan
The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley

These 3 basically cover my philosophy in life
- Logical life decisions based on rational assumptions
- dedication to optimism / scorn of alarmism
- focus on the Big Picture

Rickardo

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #154 on: June 28, 2016, 05:08:23 AM »
I am an avid reader. The one book I read that changed my life was "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. It really changed the way how I saw people and understand them better. :)

Juneboogie

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #155 on: September 14, 2016, 01:43:44 PM »
Forgive me if that has already been mentioned:  Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler definitely changed my life because it helped me conceive my daughter!  A very clear & empowering book with helpful information about female reproductive health that I did not learn growing up or even in medical school. 

DagobertDuck

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #156 on: September 15, 2016, 01:50:03 AM »
How to be free by Tom Hodgkinson (also published under the title The Freedom Manifesto)

Read it years ago by the way, but only since I've discovered MrMM and The Minimalists.com it really makes sense, and I see actual ways to achieve freedom.

Kitsune

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #157 on: September 23, 2016, 07:43:57 AM »
Your Money or your Life changed my view of money years ago. Reading The Opposite of Spoiled with my husband gave us the vocabulary we needed go get some concepts to stick with other people who are important to us. Equally valuable, IMO.

Being Mortal changed my thinking about aging and responsibility and what people need, which is valuable both for my life but also for helping my parents as they age. 100% recommending.

Less 'major topic' but important to making my life good, Emily Henderson's work showed me how to make a pretty environment out of used items that are dirt cheap. Being in a pretty house is important to me, so, yay practical skills. On a similar note, 100% recommending the Williams Sonoma basic cookbooks for excellent food that reliably turns out well and thus avoids restaurant bills. (usually available under 2$ on abebooks...)

In terms of fiction, 'change how I see the world books' are: Narnia, as a child. American Gods, as an adult. Strangely enough: the Outlander books, because the descriptions of textures and food made me realize I wanted better than most modern stuff provided, and because the relationships portrayed were well-done enough that the bad ones were reasonable warnings and the good ones were things worth aspiring to.

I mean... if I had to narrow it down to unde 20 books to keep on my shelves, I don't think I'd be able to - I re-read and value books. But off the top of my head, these are the great ones.


Vasilisa

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #158 on: September 28, 2016, 01:00:57 PM »
Books have shaped who I am and most certainly changed my life! Great thread and so happy to see so many favorites mentioned already.

Children/Young Adults books that shaped my values and I still enjoy rereading:

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Simple, sweet and concise with lovely illustrations. Miss Rumphius travels the world, has a place by the sea and most importantly- makes the world a more beautiful place. Makes me think of what I want my own legacy to be.

Alanna series by Tamora Pierce and Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Great stories about girls overcoming difficulties and persevering.

Momo by Michael Ende (author of the Neverending Story). Read this book when I was 12 and it blew my mind on the value of time and the power of stories. Don't let the "Grey Men" steal your time!

Maze in the Heart of the Castle by Dorothy Gilman. A quest and journey story about a boy avoiding the ennui and other temptations along his path. This quote has served me well: “The important thing is to carry the sun with you, inside of you at every moment, against the darkness. For there will be a great and terrifying darkness.”

Other books:

Heart of the Hunter by Laurens Jan van der Post. Book lent to me in my twenties that rattled my thinking of the world and how the stories we grow up with shape us. I love Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TEDtalk "The danger of a single story" along the same theme. Stories have power.

How to Cook a Wolf by MFK Fisher. Eloquent book that helped me through a time of poverty and a mindset of deprivation. The author is writing during WWII rationing on the importance of attitude. Helped me to think about my world differently and how to have grace and beauty even in lean times.

And of course: Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. Changed my thinking on money and time.

One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka. Read when I was a teenager, this book blew my mind on gardening. I had never come across the ideas he was proposing and it has influenced how I garden.

Inspiration Sandwich by SARK. Whimsical book I read as a teenager about an artist who has had many delightful experiences and proposes fun things. Influenced me to also have a wonderful, story-filled life.

Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley. One of the few on this list I wouldn't recommend (the book could use some serious editing). But it influenced me to stop thinking of exercise as something to "check off my list" and made me into an active lifestyle person.

New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated editors. Best cookbook! I love the introductions to each recipe- it makes me think of cooking more as a science experiment and has influenced how I cook.

Mindset by Carol Dweck. The idea of fixed vs. growth mindset shook me up and has helped me to rethink how I tackle problems.

And last but most influential: A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, et al. A collection of macro- and microcosm ideas- from urban boundaries to how high counter tops should be and the connections between various ideas/patterns. Came across this book in the library stacks. Opened up a world of possibility- there were people who designed cities?? Had a radio show for a couple of years on these ideas. Went to college and grad school on these ideas. Wrote an essay on this- won a scholarship. Current home is designed on some of the principals. Great ideas that I look forward to exploring even more.




Ganon91

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #159 on: September 28, 2016, 01:28:02 PM »
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

RJ's ability to make useful grandfatherly advice come from the mouths and minds of his hundreds of characters is truly a gift to mankind.

krustyburger

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #160 on: October 05, 2016, 05:11:19 AM »
This is my first post on this forum, any forum for that matter!

Ha! Same here. Trust a thread on books to get me involved, I've been lurking around here for almost a year now

GuitarStv

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #161 on: October 05, 2016, 06:01:21 AM »
Catch-22
I found this book hilarious. Life is basically absurd and every time some bureaucratic, non-sensical thing makes me frustrated I think of this book and laugh.

I loved the subject matter of this book (although it got awfully dark somewhere near the end if I recall), but thought that Heller's poor writing style prevented it from being a truly great book.  FWIW, I have similar complaints about Huxley's 'A Brave New World' . . . it was stuffed with good ideas, but was painful to read because of poor writing style.

Noremak

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #162 on: October 07, 2016, 10:40:29 PM »
Quiet by Susan Cain
This one really helped me understand myself. It is strange to have things you knew about yourself finally articulated and explained.

The Now Habit by Neil Fiore
Really crushed my procrastination habit and helped me get out of a deep slump I was in.

jengod

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #163 on: October 08, 2016, 12:22:19 AM »
I'm going to tell my kids to drop out of first grade and preschool and just self-educate w this booklist instead.

Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway -- the "purposes of a tree" essay alone altered my mindset for good
« Last Edit: October 08, 2016, 04:19:45 AM by jengod »

Unstoppable

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #164 on: October 08, 2016, 07:00:47 AM »
Non financial books that changed my life are probably more interesting than the financials. They may seem random as well.

The peoples history of the United States. It taught me at a young age that the news and history books are not exactly what really happened. And that people have been murderous and terrible forever.

Ishmael. Blew my mind in college. It gave me a new perspective on humans and religion.

The rich dad books when I was a teenager. They showed me that the path that most people walk down is not the only or correct way to live.

Basically books that showed me to create your own reality and then followed by books on the specifics of how to do that.

Stachey

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #165 on: October 08, 2016, 11:03:26 AM »
"Your Money or Your Life" was the life changing book for big overarching concepts of FI and ER but...

"How to Survive without a Salary" by Charles Long was the life changing book for all the practical, day to day, nuts and bolts on how to actually go about living without spending a lot of money.

Thankfully I discovered them both about the same time.

Icecreamarsenal

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #166 on: October 12, 2016, 02:19:21 PM »
"Your Money or Your Life" was the life changing book for big overarching concepts of FI and ER but...

"How to Survive without a Salary" by Charles Long was the life changing book for all the practical, day to day, nuts and bolts on how to actually go about living without spending a lot of money.

Thankfully I discovered them both about the same time.

Thanks for the recommendation for the book by Charles Long.  It's not available at my local library so I'll have to...buy it.

Seven

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #167 on: October 18, 2016, 06:43:08 AM »
The Course of Love by Alain De Botton

This is a novel by the creator of the School of Life (if you're not familiar with it, YouTube). He's a modern philosopher and brilliantly insightful.

This book completely changed my life, to the point where I think about it on a near daily basis. It is about love and relationships but also ends up teaching you about life and about yourself. I don't think anyone should get married or be in a committed relationship without first reading this book.

Littlebrotherlifecoach

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #168 on: November 08, 2016, 05:23:37 PM »
Books that have already been stated:
Total Money Makeover - bought for $1 and changed my entire view on building wealth and was my official "start" into FI
Money Master the Game, Millionaire Next Door, and a couple others named. Re-instilled the FI mindset.

Start:Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters by Jon Acuff wasn't mentioned and I'm surprised. Made me hopeful of building my skills into the future and making me feel like it's not too late to build wealth and new skills.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2016, 05:40:20 PM by Littlebrotherlifecoach »

pudding

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #169 on: November 08, 2016, 11:55:31 PM »
Is it worth reading the other hundreds of books?

lately I've thought about all the books I've read and I got to thinking its a bit of racket the 'book industry'

Sure there are some books worth reading, but theres so much mediocre and re hashed stuff.

GuitarStv

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #170 on: November 09, 2016, 05:21:19 AM »
Is it worth living as so many millions have done before?

lately I've thought about all the people I've known and I got to thinking its a bit of racket life

Sure there are some lives worth living, but theres so much mediocre and re hashed stuff.

:P

flan

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #171 on: November 09, 2016, 08:03:08 AM »
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives - Leonard Mlodinow
This book explains how humans are really bad at accepting the fact that a lot of stuff happens just by chance and goes into the psychology of it. I think it was the first book that really changed how I viewed the world around me.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - Dale Carnegie
I know, I know. Dale Carnegie self-help books. This book has seriously helped me through some tough times, though. I got the audiobook version, and would listen to it in the car on long drives on months where everything seems to be going wrong. It's an empowering book. It helps restore the control to you when you feel like bad stuff is happening around you.

.x.

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #172 on: November 09, 2016, 04:19:47 PM »
Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir

These authors discuss how scarcity of money, time, friends, etc, affects people cognitively.

Gives a new way of thinking about "why the poor stay poor" and why busy people can't slow down - why lonely people have a hard time making friends.


I copied this from a review on Goodreads:

"Are the poor to blame for their poverty? For their flawed choices?

Are the overweight, struggling with a diet? What about those who complain of being too busy? What about the lonely?

What these have in common is scarcity, something that economists have always studied. But until fairly recently, the idea of studying cognition, or feelings, from an economic perspective would have been absurd, or even heretical. The field of behavioral economics and neuroeconomics has changed that, and took off like a rocket when Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist, won the Nobel Prize in Economics.

What Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir focus on is how our minds function when it perceives scarcity — or, at least partially, becomes dysfunctional. The term is "scarcity trap", and the basic idea is that our brains so tightly focus on what is so desperately lacking that thinking about something else becomes tremendously difficult."
« Last Edit: November 13, 2016, 06:45:19 AM by annieme »

Jardeny

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #173 on: November 11, 2016, 02:47:52 PM »
Your money or your life. Also, Boundaries by Henry Cloud

tomita

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #174 on: November 12, 2016, 02:49:03 PM »
didn't read it yet, just got it from the Library
"Minimalism : live a meaningful life"

kbishopnow

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #175 on: November 15, 2016, 09:35:36 AM »
Elric of Melnibone because it gave me an appetite for reading, provided my imagination an outlet, and set the stage for learning in the future.

Murach's VB.Net 2008 because it put me on the path of learning to code and became my first real hobby.

Omnivore's Dilemma because it showed me there was more to life than humans.

The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth by James Altucher because it showed me there are better and happier ways to live life.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #176 on: November 16, 2016, 08:20:20 PM »
I saw this article and immediately thought of this thread: "Books to help you answer big questions about yourself"

Zikzin

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #177 on: November 16, 2016, 09:49:44 PM »
Most have already shared my favorite personal finance and personal development books but another one that change my married life is Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr.  Laura Schlesinger. 
Picked up this book when I was on the verge of giving up coz we're totally opposite people and she changed my view of being a spouse.  Next month will be my 15th wedding anniversary. 

The praying books by Stormie Omartian too was life changing

PakkaZA

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #178 on: November 17, 2016, 02:17:25 AM »
This is a great topic and I'm spending my virgin post on this reply :)

I don't know if anyone has mentioned The Richest Man In Babylon by George Samuel Clason, but it's one of those books that I revisit every few years. My dad introduced it to me while I was still in school and I've learnt some valuable lessons from it. The books tells a story of a rich man in ancient Babylon who lives by these rules:
1. Pay Ourselves First ( “Start thy purse to fattening.”), i.e. use a percentage of your income for investment at the start of the month
2. Live below our means. (“Control thy expenditures”)
3. Make our money work for us.  (“Make thy gold multiply”)
4. Insurance protects our wealth.  (“Guard they treasures from loss.”)
5. Our home is our biggest expense.  (“Make of they dwelling a profitable investment”)
6. Have a retirement plan. (“Insure a future income.”)
7. Invest in ourselves. (“Increase thy ability to earn")
8. Track Our Wealth. (Know where you are and where you are going.)

Though I have listed the principles here, I can really recommend everyone who has not yet read the book to do so. It's small and easy to read and it will change your mindset.

Second on my list would be Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. It's also one of those books that I revisit every now and again. This one has been mentioned in this thread before so I won't elaborate too much. But I will say this: All the books I've read by Robert challenged the way I thought about money. Some of the content might feel like fluff, but chew the meat and spit out the bones. There are some thought provoking lessons to be learnt from him.

Thirdly, David Bach's book The Automatic Millionaire has taught me a great deal about the importance of automating many financial obligations (NB saving & investing) and how small foxes in your budget each month accumulates into large wads of cash being pissed away.

Lastly, The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley has taught me what true wealth looks like and given me a glimpse into how rich people think about and spend their money. It's been an eye opener with very practical topics like buying a car new vs second hand etc.

I've gathered some great titles from this thread and added it to my reading list. Now I just need to make time to get to reading it...

AlohaOrang11

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #179 on: November 17, 2016, 11:42:55 AM »
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

This book is a game changer for me.
It really changed my life for the better.

I read this book during a dip in my life and I cant overstate the profound effect it had on my outlook.
Great, great book.

mauresque

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #180 on: November 21, 2016, 06:53:50 AM »
Hello!

One book that had a profound effect on me was "The slight edge" by Jeff Olson. The book is based on Jim Rohn's "The formula for success". Just google it to get an idea.

"Stop saying you're fine" by Mel Robbins. Go to YouTube and search for Mel Robbins - 5 second rule. The speech is 54 minutes long, and covers pretty much the same topics as the book.

The most important novel I've read is "Zorba the Greek". by Niko Kazantzakis. It's about life and how to live it. Zorba tells us what to do.

The best book I have ever read on stock market investing is "Insider Buy Superstocks" by Jesse Stine.












.x.

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #181 on: November 30, 2016, 11:05:09 AM »

Coa$t2Coa$t

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #182 on: November 30, 2016, 01:27:50 PM »
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod - great system to maximize each day on every level - financially, spiritually, mentally, etc.  A game changer for me! 

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey - got my finances in order.


Vindicated

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #183 on: December 13, 2016, 11:40:38 PM »
I read a lot of SciFi and Fantasy, and I think the appeal is the optimistic views of what technologies we can create, or how a hero will always come along to outwit the villian.  I also love to compare complex fictional societies with what we are, and what we're capable of as humans.

In these "fun" categories, my most recent favorites are "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, and "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline.  Although I am having trouble stopping without exclaiming about a half dozen other series that needto be read by all.

When it comes to the books that shook me to my core...

Any Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle is my favorite) - Vonnegut simplifies humanity to our most basic absurdities, and makes you laugh about how screwed up we are.  Then makes you love us for our flaws at the same time.

1984 - This book managed to make me realize how someone could give up on life when faced with insurmountable obstacles.

If you somehow haven't read it, skip the last line.



Spoiler: show
As Winston walked down the hallway, awaiting his end, I felt it.  I wanted it to end too, because it was too much to overcome.  I could almost believe in it myself.


[Mod Edit: Spoiler tags.]
« Last Edit: December 13, 2016, 11:42:55 PM by arebelspy »

shadowmoss

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #184 on: December 14, 2016, 09:16:22 AM »
I still quote Cat's Cradle and I read it over 40 years ago.  Then again, I am from Indiana. 

khangaroo

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #185 on: December 16, 2016, 09:09:46 AM »
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Like many others said, this was my starting point to FI and gave me an easy to follow baby-step plan to get my finances in order. With Dave's principles I was able to pay off $81k of debt in one year and with no payments, I'm currently living on 25% of my income while maxing my 401k, Roth IRA, cash-flowing my part-time MBA, and saving money to pay cash for a rental property. His teachings is the undergraduate-level personal finance series everyone should take! FIN 101 - 107! But now I'm ready for the graduate level personal finance courses, which is why I'm here! Dave's Baby Steps below might be a DUH!! for most people here but it was a complete life changer for me and if it helps at least one person on this forum then it'll be 100% worth it.

Dave's 7 Baby Steps:
1. Save a $1,000 emergency fund
2. Pay off all your debts from smallest to largest, regardless of interest rates
3. Save enough to cover 3-6 months of expenses
4. Put 15% of your income in retirement accounts
5. Save for kids' college
6. Pay off your mortgage
7. Build wealth and give

EEBookDesign

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #186 on: December 18, 2016, 12:20:31 PM »
Hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world - Haruki Murakami
Cats Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
The Primal Blueprint - Mark Sisson
The 4-hour workweek - Tim Ferris

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!!!

jlu27

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #187 on: December 23, 2016, 02:54:19 AM »

Hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world is my fav Murakami book!



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thebattlewalrus

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #188 on: December 30, 2016, 04:37:27 PM »
The Good Earth - Read it when I was about 12, even though it's fiction it really shaped my early thinking about money and saving.

Animal Farm - I think I have read this one 3-4 times, easy read but great material.

I read quite a bit but these are the first two that popped into my mind


nouveauRiche

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #189 on: January 01, 2017, 10:51:27 AM »
The Wealthy Barber - David Chilton.  I got this as a gift shortly after I started my first job.  I knew I wanted to "invest" money but I didn't actually understand what that meant.  This started me on a path of living beneath my means and investing the difference.

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need - Andrew Tobias.  Easy to read & understand guide to investing.  Lots of good advice.

omega13

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #190 on: January 02, 2017, 12:57:32 PM »
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown.  I'm a recovering perfectionist :)

Brené Brown is a fantastic speaker and writer. I came across her TED talk called "Power of Vulnerability" and found it very inspiring.

These are the top 3 books that I have found very life changing. They are very different from most stuff I've read. Not much fluff.  Just "Here's what it takes to have a better life":

 
« Last Edit: January 02, 2017, 01:30:03 PM by omega13 »

Roots&Wings

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #191 on: January 05, 2017, 10:39:00 AM »
Brené Brown is a fantastic speaker and writer. I came across her TED talk called "Power of Vulnerability" and found it very inspiring.

Thank you for changing my life and potentially saving my relationship! Vulnerability is something I really need to address right now, and that TED talk was really, really helpful.

Also gonna check out The Millionaire Mind and You Inc. The Magic of Thinking Big is one of mine too :)
« Last Edit: January 05, 2017, 10:42:17 AM by step-in-time »

CloserToFree

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #192 on: January 05, 2017, 11:05:47 AM »

Children/Young Adults books that shaped my values and I still enjoy rereading:

Alanna series by Tamora Pierce and Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Great stories about girls overcoming difficulties and persevering.


Yes Vasilisa!  Agree with these two in particular.  There are probably many of us who read these as young girls and fell in love with them.  I've also re-read both series as an adult and found them every bit as enjoyable and enlightening.

Greenback Reproduction Specialist

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #193 on: January 05, 2017, 02:53:35 PM »
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, changed the way I look at being an employee, assets vs liabilities, the value of time, was a big eye opener for me 14yrs ago.

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #194 on: January 05, 2017, 03:04:36 PM »
Posting with my list, but also to follow and bookmark this thread for future recommendations. Thanks, everyone!

NONFICTION

The Truth About Money, by Ric Edelman
Early Retirement Extreme, by Jacob Lund Fisker
The Magic of Thinking Big, by David Schwartz
A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton Malkiel

FICTION

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
and the Harry Potter series, for different reasons than one might expect:

- It got me re-interested in reading again, at a point when school was kinda meh and I had gotten away from reading recreationally. I would stay up at night under the covers with a flashlight to get extra chapters in.
- I always loved imagining the architecture and grounds of the Hogwarts castle, the secret tunnels in and out, etc. Perhaps this is why I liked the books so much better than the movies, because I liked the way I had imagined the scenery all along ;-)

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #195 on: January 08, 2017, 12:35:26 AM »
Hyperbole and a Half -- Allie Brosh -- very relevant if you've ever suffered from depression, or from being generally strange, or because you have stupid pets. And it's basically a comic book!
Reasons and Persons -- Derek Parfit -- maybe I'm bitter because the most brilliant moral philosopher of the last generation or so died last week with hardly a notice, but his work lucidly challenges notions of what constitutes a moral action, the nature of personal identity, and what sort of ethics we need when thinking about future generations. This book caused me to finally abandon my moral arguments for libertarianism (though I still think there are utilitarian arguments for some libertarian policies and overall I now consider myself non-ideological politically)
The Beginning of Infinity -- David Deutsch -- one of the more engaging (and more convincing) works on epistemology I've read, with huge detours into seemingly unrelated issues, including electoral systems, aesthetics, and evolutionary biology. Deutsch takes a largely (bigly?) Popperian view of theory formation and falsification but applies it to a variety of fields (including an argument for the multiple worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, of which he is a prominent supporter). Along the way, he deals severe blows to historical materialist views such as those proposed by Jared Diamond in GG&S in favor of an explanation of variable human technological development due to variability in a culture's affinity for innovation (David Landes' "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" might serve as a decent synthesis of both extremes on this point, however)

1967mama

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #196 on: January 08, 2017, 01:58:15 AM »
The Tightwad Gazette ~ Amy Dacyczyn

This book was my first introduction to frugality -- I grew up in a fairly well off family and had NO CLUE that there was another way to live when we were first married and started having kids. I had it recommended to me by a friend who I really admired. Changed my life! Quit my teaching job (+ dropped out of my 1/2 way completed M. Ed. program) and became a SAHM.

RunningintoFI

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #197 on: January 13, 2017, 10:41:05 PM »
So many good books! I cannot thank everyone enough for giving me extra things to search for at the library this weekend. 

Some extra books to add to these lists if I may.

Non-Fiction
Vagabonding - Rolf Potts: This book is a mustachian/minimalist guide to traveling around the world cheaply and effectively.  This guy would actually make it a whole to get around the world with nothing more than the shirt on his back and see how far he could get just living like those around him.  Truly a great read for those who want to experience the culture they are traveling within.
The Four Minute Mile - Roger Bannister: Not sure how many other people are huge fans of running but this book discussing the training and tribulations that went into achieving a sub four minute mile for the first time (while also attending medical school!) was just riveting too me.  Talk about an inspirational human being.
Born to run - Christopher McDougal: You will notice a pattern here on books discussing running.  Another book that really focuses on the joys of what it means to be human and push your boundaries beyond what you thought was possible.  Could not put it down.
The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin: A deep dive into how to become world class at specific tasks.  The difference between being "great" and "the best of the best" is small but takes incredible amounts of focus and distillation and Josh really breaks it down nicely with personal examples from the world of chess and martial arts.
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman: I have seen others call out this book but it is a masterful decomposition of the human thought process and how irrational we can be at times.  The read can be a bit long at times but there are nuggets of wisdom in here that illustrate why Kahneman won a Nobel Prize in Economics.

Fiction
Enders Game - Orson Scott Card: Read this back in high school and have re-read it several times since then.  Have not seen the movie but absolutely loved the book.  The lessons at the end of the book really made me evaluate what grievances I truly have with other people around me.  Also, the concept of Up being Down can really mess with your head at first. 
1984 - George Orwell: Made me evaluate just how much control I would ever want to hand over to the government and also how easy it is for things such as constant states of war or terror alerts allow others to gain control over my life in the name of safety.  Few books better explain the risks of having constant surveillance and technology present in your life like 1984.

Sorry for the long list but there are so many good books out there and I love sharing them with fellow book lovers!

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #198 on: January 15, 2017, 07:14:16 PM »
Born to run - Christopher McDougal: You will notice a pattern here on books discussing running.  Another book that really focuses on the joys of what it means to be human and push your boundaries beyond what you thought was possible.  Could not put it down.
The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin: A deep dive into how to become world class at specific tasks.  The difference between being "great" and "the best of the best" is small but takes incredible amounts of focus and distillation and Josh really breaks it down nicely with personal examples from the world of chess and martial arts.
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman: I have seen others call out this book but it is a masterful decomposition of the human thought process and how irrational we can be at times.  The read can be a bit long at times but there are nuggets of wisdom in here that illustrate why Kahneman won a Nobel Prize in Economics.

I've read the first and last book above, both good picks--and realized "The Art of Learning" is by the same Joshua Waitzkin as described in "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (book and later movie). I've always wondered what happened to him!

Kahneman 's work was a good counterweight to Gladwell's "Blink", which effectively argued for vast domains where System 1 (automatic) judgements prevail over more deliberate System 2 cognitive processes. I tend to brood over everything so Kahneman's analysis wasn't an enormous surprise to me personally; however, an annoying coworker who was expert in fast, sloppy thinking fell in love with "Blink" when it came out and I had fun feeling smugly superior as a result of having read Kahneman's more rigorous arguments.

RunningintoFI

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Re: What books have changed your life?
« Reply #199 on: January 15, 2017, 10:20:01 PM »

I've read the first and last book above, both good picks--and realized "The Art of Learning" is by the same Joshua Waitzkin as described in "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (book and later movie). I've always wondered what happened to him!

He generally avoids the internet and all forms of media.  Tim Ferriss is the only person that seems to draw him out of hiding with any sort of regularity.