Following up on my first post ever, What I read in 2015, here is what I read in 2016. This is a list of literature I consumed, in addition to literally thousands of articles on topics that fascinate me ranging from markets, economics, geopolitics, foreign policy, cryptocurrency, decentralization, eco-projects, fitness and mobility, diet, biohacking, mysticism, consciousness, psychedelics, alternative medicine, therapy, healing, and poker. And, of course, many thought provoking posts at brainpickings.org.
In retrospect, I really thought I would read more books this year. Knowing I would be traveling for most of the year, my goal was 50 books. However, I found that time I might have otherwise dedicated to reading was more appropriately spent observing the lives of and interacting with the people of different cultures I encountered during my travels. And just staring out the window at exotic countrysides during bus rides. And siestas 🙂
Two books made the list two years in a row: Tao te Ching and Vagabonding.
If I had to recommend only one book from this list, it would unequivocally be Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within. This is perhaps the most powerful book I’ve ever read, and one I plan to revisit each year for the rest of my life. I will make my children read it repeatedly.
Tony was way ahead of his time. Written almost 25 years ago, this book takes many mindfulness and ‘New Age’ concepts and presents them in practical, applicable terms for the masses. If you read this book and wholeheartedly complete the exercises, I have no doubt it will catalyze a massive positive transformation in your life. In fact, I will even buy you a copy of it–email me with your address and I’ll have it sent to your house ASAP. Now you have no excuses not read it.
A close second would be Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements. Don Miguel is a shaman who distills millennia of ancient teachings in a concise, easily digestible, and edifying manner. Similar to Awaken the Giant Within, this book will help you overcome limiting belief and reshape the way you view and interact with the universe. It’s a quick read. Do it.
| 2016 | Title | Author |
| 1 | Daily Rituals | Mason Curry |
| 2 | The Death of Money | James G. Rickards |
| 3 | The Crossroads of Should and Must | Elle Luna |
| 4 | Autobiography of a Yogi | Paramahansa Yogananda |
| 5 | Pogues Basics: Life | David Pogue |
| 6 | The Law | Frederick Bastiat |
| 7 | Siddhartha | Herman Hesse |
| 8 | Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies (the Princeton Bitcoin Textbook) | Arivind Narayanan, et al |
| 9 | The 48 Laws of Power | Robert Greene |
| 10 | The Self Aware Universe | Amit Goswami |
| 11 | Vagabonding | Rolf Potts |
| 12 | Tao Te Ching | Lao Tzu |
| 13 | The Four Agreements | Don Miguel Ruiz |
| 14 | For Whom the Bell Tolls | Ernest Hemmingway |
| 15 | The Kama Sutras | Vatsyayana |
| 16 | The Celestine Prophecy | James Redfield |
| 17 | The Tibetan Book of the Dead | Unknown |
| 18 | The Book of Tea | Kakuzo Okakura |
| 19 | The Dharma Bums | Jack Kerouac |
| 20 | Nature | Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| 21 | The Iron Heel | Jack London |
| 22 | How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays | Mark Twain |
| 23 | The Art of Money Getting; Or, Golden Rules for Making Money | P.T. Barnum |
| 24 | Meditations | Marcus Aurelius |
| 25 | Tantric Sex: Discover the Art of Making Love | Madison Miller |
| 26 | The Internet of Money | Andreas Antonopoulos |
| 27 | Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior | David R. Hawkins |
| 28 | Awaken the Giant Within | Tony Robbins |
| Short Stories | Author |
| The Law of Success | Paramahansa Yogananda |
| The Big Trip Up Yonder | Kurt Vonnegut |
| 2BR02B | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Beyond Lies the Wub | Phillip K. Dick |
| Second Variety | Phillip K. Dick |
| Mr. Spaceship | Phillip K. Dick |
| The Eyes Have It | Phillip K. Dick |
| The Variable Man | Phillip K. Dick |
| The Crystal Crypt | Phillip K. Dick |
| Poetry | Author |
| Extatic Poems | Kabir |
| Leaves of Grass | Walt Whitman |
| Songs of Kabir | Kabir |