The Great (& Not-So-Great) Books I Read in 2018

Happy New Year friends! Below is my annual list of the 62 books I read in 2018 arranged in order of their greatness and applicability to me. This is not a book review or rating list other than how “I” personally liked and grew from the book. For instance, "The Great Gatsby" is universally considered one of the greatest books ever written but I found it miserable and annoying while "Earn It!" is excellent - just not very applicable for me. Each of the first 52 was well worth my investment. How about you?

1.      The Road Less Stupid – Keith J Cunningham

2.      All In; You Are One Decision Away from a Totally Different Life - Mark Batterson

3.      Exactly What to Say; The Magic Words for Influence and Impact (Read twice) – Phil M. Jones

4.      80/20 Sales and Marketing; The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More – Perry Marshall

5.      The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google – Scott Galloway

6.      The Mountains Are Calling; Making the Climb for a Clearer View of God and Ourselves – Jarrett Stephens

7.      The Wealth Coach: A Fable about Creating Massive Wealth - Bradley J. Sugars

8.      The Power of Ambition; Unleashing the Conquering Drive Within You – Jim Rohn

9.      Fanatical Prospecting; The Ultimate Guide for Starting Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Email, Telephone and Cold-Calling - Jeb Blount

10.   Bait of Satan; Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense – John Bevere

11.   Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too - Gary Vaynerchuk

12.   Tales from the Dallas Mavericks Locker Room; A Collections of the Greatest Mavs Stories Ever Told - Jaime Aron

13.   What Got You Here Won't Get You There; How Successful People Become Even More Successful – Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter

14.   Beastie Boys Book – Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond

15.   The Checklist Manifesto; How to Get Things Right – Atul Gawande

16.   The Chameleon; Life-Changing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has a Personality or Knows Someone Who Does – Merrick Rosenberg

17.   WTF (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success – Brain Scudamore

18.   Tools of Titans; The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers (Extended Summary) – Tim Ferris

19.   Connect Instantly; 60 Seconds to Likability, Meaningful Connections, and Hitting it off with Anyone – Patrick King

20.   Hey, Coach! The Story of a Coach, His Kids, and What Winning Really Means – Jeff Dudan

21.   Born to Build; How to Build a Thriving Startup, A Winning Team, New Customers, and Your Best Life Imaginable – Jim Clifton

22.   Law of Attraction; The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't – Michael J. Losier

23.   When; The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing – Daniel H. Pink

24.   Never Split the Difference; Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It – Chris Voss

25.   Friend of a Friend of a Friend; Understanding the Hidden Networks that Can Transform Your Life and Your Career – David Burkus

26.   Your Best Year Ever; A 5-Step Planning for Achieving Your Most Important Goals – Michael Hyatt

27.   How Will You Measure Your Life? - Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth

28.   You Can Overcome Any Problem – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

29.   Originals; How Non-Conformists Move the World – Adam Grant & Sheryl Sandberg

30.   People Buy You; The Real Secret to What Matters in Business – Jeb Blount

31.   Secrets to Closing the Sale – Zig Ziglar (3rd time read)

32.   The Dawn of Indestructible Joy – John Piper

33.   What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business – Harry Beckwith

34.   Sales Management. Simplified; The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team - Mike Weinberg

35.   Being Mortal; Medicine and What Matters in the End - Atul Gawande

36.   Neurolinguistic Programming; The New Complete Guide to NLP – Rewiring Your Brain for Success

37.   Side Hustle; From Idea to Income in 27 Days – Chris Guillebeau

38.   Almost Gone; 25 Days and Only One Chance to Save Our Daughter – John & Mackenzie Baldwin

39.   The Book of Joy; Lasting Happiness in a Changing World - Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams

40.   On Power; My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More Power - Gene Simmons

41.   The Power of Consistency; Prosperity Mindset Training for Sales and Business Professionals – Weldon Long

42.   Measure What Matters; How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs – John Doerr

43.   Improve Your Conversations; Think on Your Feet, Witty Banter, and Always Know What to Say with Impromptu Comedy Techniques – Patrick King

44.   This is Marketing; You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See – Seth Godin

45.   Win Bigly; Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don't Matter - Scott Adams

46.   Wherever You Go There You Are - Jon Kabat-Zinn

47.   Set for Life; Dominate Life, Money, and the American Dream - Scott Trench

48.   What the Heck is EOS? A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS - Gino Wickman, Tom Bouwer

49.   Fail Until You Don't; Fight. Grind. Repeat. - Bobby Bones

50.   Welcome to Adulting; Navigating Faith, Friendship, Finances and the Future – Jonathan “JP” Pokluda, Kevin McConaghy

51.   I Love Capitalism; An American Story – Ken Langone

52.   The Startup Way; How Modern Companies Use Entrepreneurial Management to Transform Culture and Drive Long-Term Growth - Eric Ries

53.   Reality Is Plastic - Anthony Jacquin

54.   Outwitting the Devil; The Secret to Freedom and Success – Napoleon Hill

55.   Earn It!: The Tools You Need to Earn the Money You Want – Jill E. Young

56.   Remote; Office Not Required – Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson

57.   Law of Connection; The Science of Using NLP to Create Ideal Personal and Professional Relationships - Michael Losier

58.   F.U. Money; Make as Much Money as You Want and Live Your Life as You Please! - Dan Lok

59.   Nineteen Eight-Four – George Orwell

60.   Animal Farm – George Orwell

61.   The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

62.   As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner

In Que:

·        Walt Disney; The Triumph of the American Imagination – Neal Gabler

·        Infinite Possibilities; The Art of Living Your Dreams – Mike Dooley

·        Raising World Changers in a Changing World: How One Family Discovered the Beauty of Sacrifice and The Joy of Giving – Kristen Welch

·        Killing Cryptonite; Destroy What Steals Your Strength – John Bevere

·        High Performance Habits; How Extraordinary People Become the Way – Brennan Burchard

·        Head, Heart and Guts; How the World’s Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders – Dotlich, Cairo & Rhinesmith

·        In Search of Lost Time – Marcel Roust

·        A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce

·        Oedipus the King – Sophocles

·        Hamlet – William Shakespeare