Books I listened to 2016-2019

If you're like me (a bit blind), or struggle to find time to learn new ideas... start listening to audiobooks during your daily commute (I drive & listen) or any time you may spend doing something repetitive... eg exercise, gardening, cooking ?

DO Tips: listening to fiction or autobiographies are great. Speeding up self-help 1.5x helped me get to the good stuff faster and allows me to rewind & repeat. Check the ratings & use your Audible credits for books above US$15.

DON'T Tips: workbooks or books with online links or diagrams are not ideal for listening. If you're multi-tasking while listening to Audible, NEVER EVER put on ear/headphones as it's terribly unsafe to remove ambient sounds around you that can warn you of danger.

WOW listening to 23 audiobooks a year ... from my personal Audible library since 2016Jan-2019Dec

2019

80 My TOP Pick in 2019 Overall 5★★★★★ patience is the secret sauce... "every decision i make is weighed in terms of currency vs legacy" - Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

93 Overall 3★★★?? "motivation fit changes the win loss ratio" - Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence by?Heidi Grant Halvorson Ph.D.? ,?E. Tory Higgins Ph.D.

92 Overall 3★★★?? Most people have achieved their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure -?The 5 Essential Principles of Think and Grow Rich: The Practical Steps to Transforming Your Desires into Riches by?Napoleon Hill

91 Overall 5★★★★★ what's the roi of your mother?... we tend to overvalue what we can measure and undervalue what we cannot - Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action by?Rohit Bhargava

90 Overall 5★★★★★ peer pressure works not because they are right but because we fear we are wrong - Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by?Simon Sinek

89 Overall 4★★★★? Winning the Customer: Turn Consumers into Fans and Get Them to Spend More by?Lou Imbriano

88 Overall 5★★★★★ Everybody knows Most People are amazed by Magic yet Everybody Says they can do it too once they have seen how it's done - How to Get Instant Trust, Belief, Influence, and Rapport!: 13 Ways to Create Open Minds by Talking to the Subconscious Mind by Tom "Big Al" Schreiter

87 Overall 5★★★★★ if you communicate an idea that resonates change will happen - Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo

86 Overall 5★★★★★ the secrets behind getting what's needed effortlessly - Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

85 Overall 5★★★★★ my 3rd time & still i learn a new concept in handling crucial conversations - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition by Kerry Patterson

84 Overall 4★★★★? everything will be ok in the end, and if it's not, it's not the end - The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma

83 Overall 4★★★★? self satisficing & the busily bored - Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry

82 Overall 5★★★★★ for many reasons, here's more than 100 stories you can learn to retell and find your own voice - Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire by Paul Smith

81 Overall 3★★★?? that's a judgmental question, please reframe it.. 12 minutes is the maximum time someone can listen attentively to uninterrupted talk and still derive meaning & understanding - The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking by Stephen D. Brookfield & Stephen Preskill

79 Overall 5★★★★★ speak truth to bullshit... common enemy intimacy runs hot, burns fast, & leaves a trail of destruction - Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown

78 Overall 4★★★★? YOYOW "you own your own words"... the things that made them good secretaries, made them good programmers - Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans

77 Overall 5★★★★★ your vibe is gonna attract your tribe... it's about hacking culture - Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk

76 Overall 4★★★★? humans are di-viduals... the doctor will never say "you have death" - Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

75 Overall 4★★★★? sometimes you have to take baby steps backwards to take large steps forward - Capital Gaines: The Smart Things I've Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines

74 Overall 4★★★★? the recent art of framing the pitch - Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff

73 Overall 3★★★?? i'd not recommend listening to this workbook best suited to reading & using the many often quoted urls maybe in a ToDo workshop - SEO Fitness Workbook, 2018 Edition: The Seven Steps to Search Engine Optimization Success on Google by Jason McDonald PhD

2018

68 My TOP Pick in 2018 Overall 5★★★★★ getting more than 100% from people... this is the BEST book I've listened to this year both in thought & actionable... asking myself how do you run a country without oil... Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman & Greg McKeown

72 Overall 5★★★★★ light & lively storytelling brought to life with a southern drawl and memorable moments a heartwarming performance... (this was my prep for the National Digital Storytelling Competition with the National Library Board) Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington

71 Overall 5★★★★★ yes this is the book SciFi fans must begin the trilogy ... a breathtaking look at an alternate reality... The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

70 Overall 5★★★★★ Liu CiXin is an intriguing writer... while my daughter suggested the three body problem to initiate my journey i decided on this earlier work which made me feel like i stumbled on Th Hobbit... it's an imagined great world of SciFi that's impressive & enthralled my listening time ... a definite MUST Listen for Leisure ! Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu

69 Overall 5★★★★★ the one I think applies to me more is the story about "the monk the man and his 4 wives" A CEO, an Entrepreneur, a Tourist, and the Monk: Finding the Balance Between Success and Happiness by Alex Butt

67 Overall 3★★★?? Back in 1984 Dataquest found it could not afford to sell a product using a direct salesforce if it's priced below US$12k, today that's US$27k… Building Insanely Great Products: Some Products Fail, Many Succeed - This Is Their Story by David Fradin

66 Overall 4★★★★? in public speaking, where some people see a message to be given, connectors look at a message as a life to be lived... Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently by John Maxwell

65 Overall 3★★★?? focus on the process, not the result & the results will come... NLP Advanced Presentation Skills with Terry Elston: International Best-Selling NLP Business Audio by Terry H Elston

64 Overall 5★★★★★ Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes by Margaret Heffernan

63 Overall 5★★★★★ starts expectedly ends unexpectedly with an appendix of key points, i got "i hard times... everyone suffer a little, so no one suffers a lot" Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek

62 Overall 5★★★★★ customers are looking for a guide not a hero...?customers are the heroes not the brand... this is worth listening to again & again... Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller

61 Overall 5★★★★★ something has to feel right before it makes sense... Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact by Phil M. Jones

60 Overall 5★★★★★ an unexpected writing style, an expressive reading, substantive stories & lots of tips for girls to get ahead in life on this planet... Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs

59 Overall 5★★★★★ stories must trigger empathy... The Storyteller's Secret: How TED Speakers and Inspirational Leaders Turn Their Passion into Performance by Carmine Gallo

58 Overall 5★★★★★ a good intro with whys & hows... LinkedIn Mastery for Entrepreneurs by Chris J Reed

2017

54 My TOP Pick in 2017 Overall 5★★★★★ he rule doesn't make it easy, it makes it happen... The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins

57 Overall 5★★★★★ many references of atypical branding analogies... my #1 takeaway to thank people who viewed my profile together with a question related to their profile... Personal Branding Mastery for Entrepreneurs by Chris J Reed

56 Overall 2★★??? wasn’t expecting 3/4 rehashed tried & tested analog ways... still on telesales... then the backyard brawl spiced it up & looking for rose petals i found 2 new to me eg when emailing drop the ‘hi’ & when calling use presumptive continuance after saying name & company go with I’m calling because vs the passive customary pause & quizzical yes??? Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide for Starting Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, E-Mail, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount

55 Overall 5★★★★★ flip my funnel is the best idea outta this... Killing Marketing: How Innovative Businesses Are Turning Marketing Cost into Profit by Joe Pulizzi & Robert Rose

53 Overall 4★★★★? David Perlmutter's Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar - Your Brain's Silent Killers Summary by Ant Hive Media

52 Overall 5★★★★★ i must work hard to do important work... if you don't already have Audible I have a few credits to email this book to you for free just lmk ;)… Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella with Bill Gates - foreword

51 Overall 5★★★★★ it's not done till the audience knows how to feel at the end of a story - Sell with a Story: How to Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Close the Sale by Paul Smith

50 Overall 4★★★★? there's no competition between I vs YOU. there's just 1 in I & there's 3 in YOU... How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships by Leil Lowndes

49 Overall 5★★★★★ a BHAG during a non crisis to rally the organization... Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars by Patrick Lencioni

48 Overall 3★★★?? we don't remember days, we remember moments... Speak So Your Audience Will Listen: 7 steps to Confident and Authentic Public Speaking by Robin Kermode

47 Overall 2★★??? of little substance, I certainly didn't find any... TED Talks Storytelling: 23 Storytelling Techniques from the Best TED Talks by Akash Karia

46 Overall 5★★★★★ soon there will be more AI jobs than Data Science ones... Zero to One by Peter Thiel & Blake Masters

45 Overall 5★★★★★ innovation is driven by people who have both good theories & the opportunity to be part of a group that can implement them... The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson

44 Overall 5★★★★★ hypothesis based coaching. Pause. Pause. Pause. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson

43 Overall 5★★★★★ the only thing harder than selling solutions is buying them... The Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results by Brent Adamson , Matthew Dixon , Pat Spenner & Nick Toman

42 Overall 3★★★?? in the future, experiences are valued, beware of overfitting & our relevance is in asking questions with undiscovered answers that others will want to spend time answering... The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future by Kevin Kelly

41 Overall 5★★★★★ enthusiasm is common. endurance is rare... Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

40 Overall 5★★★★★ Absolutely wonderful storytelling about culture x4 ... The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

39 Self-Help: Overall 5★★★★★ The Three Big Questions for the Frantic Family: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

38 Overall 3★★★?? retired entrepreneur comes to mind... TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson

37 Overall 1★???? the more I listened the less I heard... this is not any good for me... The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

36 Overall 5★★★★★ stop trying to win over people who don't matter… Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

35 Overall 4★★★★? The Purpose Economy: How Your Desire for Impact, Personal Growth and Community Is Changing the World by Aaron Hurst

34 Overall 4★★★★? The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni

33 Overall 5★★★★★ Escape Velocity: Free Your Company's Future from the Pull of the Past by Geoffrey A. Moore

32 Overall 2★★??? no secret here & still unsatisfied... The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over by Jack Schafer PhD & Ph.D. Marvin Karlins Ph.D.

31 Overall 4★★★★? How Customers Can Rally Your Troops (Harvard Business Review) by Adam M. Grant

30 Overall 4★★★★? In the Company of Givers and Takers (Harvard Business Review) by Adam Grant

2016

19 My TOP Pick in 2016 Overall 5★★★★★ The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connection, and Courage by Brené Brown PhD

29 Overall 1★???? The 4th Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality by Luciano Floridi

28 Overall 5★★★★★ Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable about Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni

27 Overall 5★★★★★ Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World by Adam Grant with Sheryl Sandberg - foreword

26 Overall 3★★★?? Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking by Richard E. Nisbett

25 Overall 5★★★★★ Lights Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath by Ted Koppel

24 Overall 5★★★★★ The Dip by Seth Godin

23 Overall 3★★★?? The Art of War by Sun Tzu

22 Self-Help: Overall 5★★★★★ Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves

21 Self-Help: Overall 5★★★★★ Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

20 Self-Help: Overall 4★★★★? Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts - Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall Goldsmith & Mark Reiter

18 Self-Help: Overall 5★★★★★ The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to Go from $0 to $100 Million by Mark Roberge

17 Self-Help: Overall 3★★★?? HBR's 10 Must Reads 2016: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review by Harvard Business Review

16 Self-Help: Overall 5★★★★★ Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick Lencioni

15 Self-Help: Overall 4★★★★? The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue by Robbie Kellman Baxter

14 Autobiography: Overall 4★★★★? My Share of the Task: A Memoir by General Stanley McChrystal

13 Self-Help: Overall Overall 4★★★★? Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

12 Self-Help: Overall 5★★★★★ The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni

11 Self-Help: Overall 4★★★★? Sprint: How to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky & Braden Kowitz

10 Motivation & Inspiration: Overall 3★★★?? The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday

9 Career Skills: Overall 5★★★★★ Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't, Rockefeller Habits 2.0 by Verne Harnish

8 Social Sciences: Overall 4★★★★? The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness by Todd Rose

7 Technology: Overall 4★★★★? The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross

6 Management: Overall 5★★★★★ The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age by Reid Hoffman , Ben Casnocha & Chris Yeh

5 Management: Overall 5★★★★★ Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising by Ryan Holiday

4 Management: Overall 5★★★★★ Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company and Revolutionized an Industry by Marc Benioff & Carlye Adler

3 Management: Overall 5★★★★★ Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip Tetlock & Dan Gardner

2 Management: Overall 5★★★★★ Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal , Tantum Collins , David Silverman & Chris Fussell

1 Leadership: Overall 5★★★★★ Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Other Audible Books I listened to?2020 & 2021

This post is made while I'm a Microsoft employee and the opinions and views expressed here are those of my own and does not necessarily state or reflect those of Microsoft Singapore or Microsoft Corporation.

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★? symbols from Donna Serdula at LinkedIn Makeover