Books I read 2018

I set a Goodreads challenge of 20 books that year and hit it. Most of them were about leadership, learning, and psychology — the three topics I kept gravitating toward as I transitioned from pure engineering into leading teams.

Here's what I read and what stuck with me.

Dare to Lead — Brené Brown

Leadership isn't about titles or authority. It's about holding yourself accountable for recognizing potential in people and ideas, then developing that potential. This book landed at exactly the right time for me.

The Story of Philosophy — Bryan Magee

A tour through the history of human thought. Humbling to realize how differently we understood the world thousands of years ago. It raises a question I still think about: will people a thousand years from now look at our thinking the same way?

The Consolations of Philosophy — Alain de Botton

Easy to read, dense with insight. I could re-read this every year and pull something new from it each time.

The 4-Hour Workweek — Tim Ferriss

This one shifted how I thought about work structure. Eight hours a day at a desk, five days a week — is that actually productive, or just habitual? It pushed me to think about automation and intentionality.

The Social Sex — Marilyn Yalom

A history of female friendship and how it differs from male bonding. Challenging read in terms of structure, but it opened a perspective I hadn't considered.

The Artist's Way at Work — Mark Bryan

A catalog of techniques for freeing your mind. I tried many of them. They work.

The Schopenhauer Cure — Irvin D. Yalom

A novel about a psychotherapist confronting mortality, revisiting a patient he failed twenty years earlier. Philosophical counseling meets group therapy. One of the most thought-provoking novels I've read.

On Becoming a Leader — Warren Bennis

Draws a clear line between managers and leaders. Leaders aren't born — they're built through self-awareness and deliberate growth. That distinction changed how I approached my own development.

Learn Better — Ulrich Boser

The core message: stop spending inefficient time learning. Ask yourself why you need to learn something. Find connections to what you already know. Recall regularly. Simple framework, massive impact.

When Nietzsche Wept — Irvin D. Yalom

I've never felt so connected to a fictional character. The doctor in this story was describing my life over the previous two years. Unsettling and clarifying in equal measure.

Where Good Ideas Come From — Steven Johnson

The ideas aren't original individually, but Johnson organizes them into a framework that makes innovation feel less like magic and more like a system.

Start with Why — Simon Sinek

Answered a lot of questions I had about what makes a leader worth following. Start with purpose, not process.

We Are All Weird — Seth Godin

The bell curve of "normal" is flattening. Marketing to the average is obsolete. Everything about products and services should be about unique customer needs. I'm still thinking about the implications for software.

Rich Dad Poor Dad — Robert Kiyosaki

The book that made me rethink how I thought about money, assets, and financial independence. Not everything ages well, but the core mental model shift is worth it.

More Than Two — Franklin Veaux & Eve Rickert

A practical guide to ethical non-monogamy. Honest, well-researched, and relevant far beyond its specific topic — the communication frameworks apply to any relationship.

Animal Farm — George Orwell

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." A reminder of how power structures corrupt. Timeless.

The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz

Important enough that I wrote a separate article about it.

Man's Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

This book rewired how I think about purpose. "Meaningful" doesn't mean "enjoyable." It means "fulfilling." I started living more deliberately after reading it.

I'm OK — You're OK — Thomas A. Harris

The Parent-Child-Adult framework for understanding human interactions. Eye-opening for understanding my own behavioral patterns and reactions.

In Defense of Food — Michael Pollan

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The first half diagnoses what's broken about Western food culture. The second half is a practical manifesto.

"That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet."
— Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake