My Top 10 Read’s of 2018

Brendon Rearick
8 min readJan 15, 2019

--

Below are my top 10 favorite reads of 2018. There were a lot of great books that didn’t make my “books of the year” for one reason or another. (See the full book list below). I also read a lot of BAD books. I always finish the books I don’t like because I want to know WHY I don’t like them, and if I ever write a book I want to be sure to not do THAT, whatever “that” is.

If you have any questions about a book or want a recommendation please leave a comment. And if you read any game-changing books in 2018 please share! (Read 2017’s top 10 here and 2016’s top 10 here)

Cheers to fulfilling books, good health, and great workouts in 2019!

Top 10 of 2018

  1. Boss Life by Paul Downs
  2. Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday
  3. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
  4. Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger
  5. Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
  6. Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens
  7. 12 Rules of Life by Jordan B. Peterson
  8. Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
  9. Where We Should Begin by Esther Perel
  10. Spaceman by Michael J. Massimino

Notable Mentions: Lone Survivor, Radical Candor, Dare to Lead, Bad Blood, The Four Agreements, What Doesn’t Kill Us, Power of Full Engagement, Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln

All of 2018’s Reads:

  • Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business by Paul Downs
  • TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson and Tom Rielly
  • ALL GAIN, NO PAIN: The Over-40 Man’s Comeback Guide to Rebuild Your Body After Pain, Injury, or Physical Therapy by Bill Hartman and Zac Cupples
  • How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen and James Allworth
  • The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz
  • The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins
  • The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Robertson Dean and Rich Cohen
  • What Doesn’t Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength by Scott Carney and Inc Foxtopus
  • The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
  • Do Less, Be More: The Power of Living Fully Engaged by John Busacker
  • The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom and Paul Stanley
  • The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery by don Miguel Ruiz
  • The Autobiography of Charles Darwin: 1809–1882 by Charles Darwin and Nora Barlow
  • An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal and Nancy Linari
  • Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Kathe Mazur and Susan Cain
  • Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths
  • Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz and Tim Andres Pabon
  • Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain — for Life by David Perlmutter and Kristin Loberg
  • The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People & Teams That Win Consistently by Tony Dungy
  • Gift of Injury by Stuart McGill and Brian Carroll
  • Joy: The Happiness That Comes from Within by Osho
  • Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin
  • 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
  • Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders and Katy Sobey
  • You Win in the Locker Room First: The 7 C’s to Build a Winning Team in Business, Sports, and Life by Jon Gordon and Mike Smith
  • The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason and Grover Gardner
  • Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
  • The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
  • The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
  • How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships by Leil Lowndes
  • Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson
  • Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt
  • The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley and Simon Prebble
  • Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino
  • Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards
  • Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Every Shot Must Have a Purpose: How GOLF54 Can Make You a Better Player by Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott
  • Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles
  • From Childhood to Champion Athlete by Tudor Bompa
  • When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
  • Mistreated: Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care — and Why We’re Usually Wrong by Robert Pearl and Jaime Renell
  • Brain Myths Exploded: Lessons from Neuroscience by The Great Courses and Professor Indre Viskontas Ph.D.
  • Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown and Henry L. Roediger III
  • Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by V.S. Ramachandran and Neil Shah
  • CEO Strength Coach by Ron McKeefery
  • The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness by Todd Rose
  • Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
  • When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
  • The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Victor Bevine and Steven Pinker
  • The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
  • The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz
  • The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker and Raymond Todd
  • The Book on Rental Property Investing: How to Create Wealth and Passive Income Through Smart Buy & Hold Real Estate Investing by Brandon Turner
  • Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker and Arthur Morey
  • The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle and Will Damron
  • How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
  • Speak So Your Audience Will Listen: 7 Steps to Confident and Authentic Public Speaking by Robin Kermode
  • Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
  • Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words by Kevin Hall and Patrick Lawlor
  • On Becoming a Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy by Carl R. Rogers and Peter D. Kramer MD
  • Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk and Rich Roll
  • The Mask of Masculinity: How Men Can Embrace Vulnerability, Create Strong Relationships, and Live Their Fullest Lives by Lewis Howes
  • Wooden: A Coach’s Life by Seth Davis and Stephen McLaughlin
  • The Truth by Neil Strauss and Ione Skye
  • Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
  • The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership by Bill Walsh, Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh
  • Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty
  • Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
  • Measure What Matters by John Doerr
  • Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday
  • Great by Choice by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
  • Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex by Aubrey Marcus
  • The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams
  • Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
  • Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark and Jim Meskimen
  • Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
  • A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink
  • Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder by Paul Mason and Randi Kreger
  • Way of the Wolf: Straight Line Selling: Master the Art of Persuasion, Influence, and Success by Jordan Belfort
  • Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha
  • For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women by Shaunti Feldhahn and Jeff Feldhahn
  • I Need Your Love, Is That True? By Byron Katie
  • Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker J. Palmer and Stefan Rudnicki
  • Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist and Zondervan
  • The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul by Danielle LaPorte
  • Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman
  • 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari and Derek Perkins
  • Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life.And Maybe the World by William H. McRaven and Hachette Audio
  • The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You by Patrick McKeown and Alan Smyth
  • Attention and Motor Skill Learning by Gabriele Wulf
  • The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown and Lauren Fortgang
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig and Michael Kramer
  • Getting to Us: How Great Coaches Make Great Teams by Seth Davis and Mark Deakins
  • Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou and Will Damron
  • Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein and Graham Winton
  • Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman
  • It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff
  • The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin and Tim Ferriss
  • Exuberant Animal: The Power of Health, Play and Joyful Movement by Frank Forencich
  • Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown
  • Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History’s Greatest Speakers by James C. Humes and Norman Dietz
  • American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White and Arthur Morey
  • Where Should We Begin? The Arc of Love by Esther Perel
  • Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear
  • Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals by Robert M. Pirsig
  • Awake at Work: 35 Practical Buddhist Principles for Discovering Clarity and Balance in the Midst of Work’s Chaos by Michael Carroll
  • The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  • The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie by Andrew Carnegie, Antony Ferguson, et al.
  • Not Another Fitness Book: A Memoir. A Manual. A Message for 49 Million Baby Boomers by Steven Head CSCS
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller and Christopher Lane
  • A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold and Mike Chamberlain
  • Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and Philip Franklin
  • Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik
  • Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover
  • The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo and Emily Woo Zeller

--

--

Brendon Rearick
Brendon Rearick

Written by Brendon Rearick

Strength Coach, Business Owner, Author & Educator BrendonRearick.com

No responses yet