My 2024 Reading List

Here are the 52 books I read in 2024, sorted by month!

January 2024

0 books

I did read, but I wasn't tracking it and can’t remember the books

February 2024

2 books

The Price of Time
The history of interest rates and their impact. This book reveals the hidden risks of artificially low interest rates, including economic instability and misallocation of capital – crucial knowledge for navigating today's business environment.
Helpful historical context. I understand capital misallocation and asset bubbles better. Read 2022 paperback.
All I Want To Know Is Where I'm Going To Die So I'll Never Go There
This book distills Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's wisdom into a practical framework for decision-making, risk management, and long-term thinking. Learn how simplicity, rationality, and a deep understanding of human nature can help you avoid costly mistakes and build lasting success in business and investing.
Unique book. Great nuggets for improving decision making. Read 2016 hardcover.

March 2024

6 books

Kick Up Some Dust
The entrepreneurial playbook from billionaire Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus delivers lessons on everything from startup grit to scaling a massive enterprise. Discover invaluable insights and actionable lessons from his incredible journey.
Inspiring story. Bernie founded Home Depot at 49! Read 2022 hardcover.
Good Company
Arthur Blank believes that for good companies, purpose and profit can-and should-go hand in hand. Learn how he built companies people love. This book offers practical, real-world leadership lessons for creating a high-performing organization.
Read 2020 hardcover.
Built from Scratch
How the founders grew The Home Depot from an idea to a $30 billion retail giant. Details decisions and strategies around focusing on customers, empowering employees, and challenging conventional wisdom that led to outsized success. Home Depot story is one of risk taking and relentless hard work.
Complementary foundering team. Copied Sol Price's model (Costco). Read 2019 paperback.
I Love Capitalism!
Investor, entrepreneur, and Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone shares the principles and strategies that propelled him from nothing to a multi billion-dollar fortune. This book reveals his roadmap for achieving financial freedom through entrepreneurship and capitalism.
Insights on dealmaking. Early-stage investor who never sold shares. Mentions Ross Perot, Bernie Marcus, and Aurthur Blank. Read 2018 hardcover.
Bull!
A history of the boom and bust that shaped the economy between 1982 and 2004. This book highlights the key events, people, and underlying trends that fueled market's rise and collapse.
Warren Buffett recommendation. Index funds and 401Ks boosted stock valuations. Read 2004 paperback.
The Davis Dynasty
Three generations of investment strategies that allowed one family to build a $2 billion fortune. Learn the time-tested principles for long-term financial success each generation used.
$50k to $2B via misunderstood stocks. Chris Davis on Berkshire's board. Read 2003 paperback.

April 2024

6 books

Building a Second Brain
This book details a framework to tackle digital chaos by organizing your digital life and knowledge. Learn how to be more productive by capturing, organizing, and better utilizing your digital information.
Helpful framework. Digital version of David Allen's Getting Things Done framework. Read 2022 hardcover.
Getting Things Done
A framework to maximize how much you get done. Details a step-by-step process to organize tasks, projects, and commitments in a system that brings clarity, focus, and a sense of calm and control.
Best approach I've seen to sustainable productivity. Various biographies mention tactics found in this book. Read 2015 paperback.
Junk to Gold
Autobiography of Willis Johnson, billionaire and founder of global auto auctioneer Copart. Describes his upbringing, military service, and how he transformed a scrapyard into a global auto auction empire. He shares each of the invaluable lessons, strategies, and the philosophies he developed build his company.
Didn't have a mission or vision in the beginning. Lessons reinforced with concise stories. Read 2014 paperback.
The First 20 Hours
This book provides the framework to go from zero to competent in any skill in just 20 hours. Discover a step-by-step simple process anyone can use to rapidly learn new skills and accelerate their personal and professional growth.
Framework works - I confirmed when I created 100 podcasts. Read 2014 paperback.
The Outsiders
Describes how eight CEOs generated outsized returns, and beat the market, using a secret weapon: superior capital allocation. Learn how the best CEOs deployed their company resources strategically.
Masterclass on capital allocation. I wish I knew about this book in 2012. Would've been a better CEO. Read 2012 hardcover.
The Perfect Store
Learn the behind-the-scenes founding story of eBay and the invaluable lessons learned along the way. Discover the challenges, strategies, decisions, and innovations that propelled eBay to a global marketplace and community.
Best example of product-market fit I've ever read. Their early community was key. Read 2003 paperback.

May 2024

7 books

Walk Through Fire
Details how billionaire Sheila Johnson navigated personal and professional challenges to co-found BET, build Salamander Hotels & Resorts, and own professional sports teams. A blueprint for extraordinary resilience and entrepreneurial triumph.
Story of struggling while achieving outsized success. Investment from John Malone. Read 2023 hardcover.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Learn about Naval Ravikant's mental models for building wealth and living a fulfilling life. This book curates a decade of Naval's most powerful insights, extracted from his online posts and interviews. Use his thinking framework to understand how the world works and build a life you truly want, both in business and personally.
Insights on infinite leverage and luck are invaluable. Read 2020 paperback.
The Man Who Solved the Market
The story of Jim Simons and quantitative investing. This book details how Simons transformed from a mathematics professor and Cold War codebreaker into the founder of Renaissance Technologies (RenTech), the most successful hedge fund in history. This book reveals his strategies and decisions along the way, but also the twelve years of relentless struggle and personal tragedies Simons overcame to build his empire.
Read 2019 hardcover.
A Man for All Markets
From professor to blackjack legend to Wall Street innovator, this book reveals Edward Thorp's remarkable journey and how he applied mathematics to conquer seemingly unbeatable odds, ultimately building a fortune. It details his pioneering work in quantitative investing and the unique perspectives he developed on risk, reward, and the power of analytical thinking.
Amazing story. Great frameworks for navigating businesses and life. Will reread yearly. Read 2017 paperwork.
Distant Force
Learn the inside story of Teledyne Corporation's founding and how Henry Singleton built it into an industrial powerhouse. This book details the principles, strategies, and tactics behind Teledyne and Singleton's remarkable success.
Useful insights on management, capital allocation, and measuring financial performance. Hard to find. Email me for tips. Read 2007 hardcover.
The Billion Dollar BET
The story of how Black Entertainment Television (BET) went from an idea to being sold for $2.3 billion. This book describes how Robert "Bob" Johnson founded, built, and sold the company. The book describes internal struggles and Johnson’s personal missteps, while detailing the impact of the channel on the Black community.
BET mentioned in Cable Cowboy(John Malone). Leveraged cable/satellites to serve black niche. Read 2004 hardcover.
Cable Cowboy
How one visionary and financial engineer built the modern cable TV industry from the ground up. Learn the strategies, deals, and bold moves John Malone used to build a media empire.
Invested $180k for 20% of BET and loaned another $320k. Sold BET stake for $850 million. Cable industry history. Owned cable distribution assets. Deals with Ted Turner, BET, and Kirk Kerkorian. Read 2002 paperback.

June 2024

5 books

The Gambler
Recounts how a penniless Armenian immigrant became a billionaire dealmaker. This book recounts Kirk Kerkorian's extraordinary life and how he transformed Las Vegas into a global entertainment mecca. It details his shrewd investments and deals across industries, from aviation and movie studios to luxury hotels and casinos.
Amazing story. Kirk succeeded in aviation, real estate, casino, and stock market investing. Kirk created the vision for Las Vegas. Read paperback 2018.
How to Get Rich
Felix Dennis shares the unvarnished truth about building wealth through entrepreneurship. He delivers a direct and practical guide packed with hard-won lessons. He shares his stories of both spectacular successes and brutal failures.
Brash. Full of valuable lessons. I wish I'd read this in 2009. Read 2009 paperback.
Against the Odds
The story of British inventor James Dyson and how he revolutionized the appliance industry. Chronicles his decades-long journey of experimentation, failure, and ultimate triumph, revealing the secrets behind his groundbreaking designs and approach to innovation.
A decade of struggle. If you think you have it bad, read this book. Read 2003 hardcover. Expensive book. Email me for cheap alternatives.
A Passion to Win
A candid autobiography detailing how Sumner Redstone built a media empire through acquisitions. He describes his thinking during his biggest deals, his epic battles, and the challenges he endured over several decades to own BET, Paramount Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, Blockbuster, Simon & Schuster, and CBS.
Specifics on big deals. Another perspective on Wayne Huizenga and Blockbuster Video deal. Read 2001 hardcover.
The Making of a Blockbuster
The story of a serial dealmaker and entrepreneur who built fortunes in trash, videotape rentals, professional sports teams and more. This book details Wayne Huizenga's journey and offers insights into his business strategies, leadership style, and deal-making prowess.
Growth through acquisition. Specifics on deal mechanics. Epic battle with Sumner Redstone. Deal with Richard Branson to open Virgin Music stores in U.S. Read 1995 hardcover.

July 2024

4 books

Am I Being Too Subtle?
Sam Zell's masterclass on entrepreneurship and investing. His unfiltered thoughts on his contrarian investment philosophy and his unique approach to business and life. Sam shares frameworks for understanding real estate, supply and demand, and market cycles.
A billionaire's thinking on real estate and dealmaking. Insights on market cycles and supply/demand imbalances were great. Read 2017 hardcover.
More Lives Than One
Biography of British publisher and Maxim magazine founder Felix Dennis. The story of his eccentric life and how he built fortunes in magazine publishing and mail-order computer parts. And how he lost some of his fortune to addiction.
Cautionary tale of excess. Read 2015 hardcover.
The Man Who Invented Las Vegas
Hollywood Reporter founder Billy Wilkerson faced massive gambling debts. To minimize his gambling losses he decided to become the house and created the Flamingo hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The untold story of Billy's vision, early Las Vegas, and his epic battle with Bugsy Siegel over the project told by his son.
Dark side of entrepreneurship. Kirk Kerkorian's book mentioned Billy. Read 2000 paperback.
Succeeding Against the Odds
How John H. Johnson bootstrapped Ebony and Jet magazines to over $200 million in annual revenue in the 1980's and became the publisher of choice for Black Americans. He shares his journey from Arkansas poverty to Chicago titan. He shares his strategies and lessons learned along the way, along with his personal tragedies.
Full of wisdom and lessons. Ingenious distribution strategy. Quantifies power of media in niches. Read 1992 paperback.

August 2024

5 books

Bloomberg by Bloomberg, Revised and Updated
Autobiography of data entrepreneur and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg. This book details his early years, corporate career, and how he built a $100 billion fortune selling data to Wall Street. Michael describes strategies and philosophies on business, life, politics, and more.
Genius strategy for selling publicly available information. Great insights on the business of selling information and media. Read 2018 hardcover.
Hollywood Godfather
Billy Wilkerson shaped Hollywood, built Las Vegas, and embraced the underworld. In this biography, his son reveals how a failed movie career fueled the creation of The Hollywood Reporter and how his gambling transformed a desert outpost into the glittering Flamingo Hotel.
Interesting story. Dark side of Hollywood and media. Origin story of Las Vegas. Read 2018 hardcover.
Call Me Ted
Autobiography of media entrepreneur and CNN founder Ted Turner. This book details his upbringing, sailing passion, and how he built a $10 billion fortune revolutionizing the cable industry. Ted describes his personal struggles, strategies, tactics, battles, and the deals that led to his success.
Masterclass on buying, repackaging and distributing content using new technology. Mentions Kirk Kerkorian, John Malone, Bill Gates, Steve Case, and Warren Buffett. Read 2008 paperback.
The Last Mogul
Biography of newspaper, cable, real estate, and professional sports entrepreneur and billionaire Jack Kent Cooke. This book dives deep into his early years, acquisition strategies, deals that created an empire, and his personal struggles.
Acquired radio stations and cable. Owned the L.A. Lakers, Washington Redskins, and L.A. Kings at the same time! Financed Ali vs Frazier fight. Read 1992 hardcover.
Roy Thomson of Fleet Street
Biography of Roy Thomson, a newspaper entrepreneur and the patriarch of Canada's richest family. Details his childhood, his failures, and how he built a billion-dollar cash-flowing media empire by acquiring newspapers in North America and the U.K.
Syed Balkhi suggestion. Canada's richest family built a cash flow machine by acquiring newspapers and radio stations. Mentions Jack Kent Cooke. Read 1965 hardcover.

September 2024

4 books

Newhouse
Biography of Samuel "S.I." Newhouse Jr. and his family's then $13 billion media empire. This book details how he expanded his father's empire from newspapers to magazines such as GQ, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and more. Also covered are his business strategies, management style, and personal background.
Similar to Canada's Thomson family. Built a cash flow machine by acquiring newspapers and magazines. Read 1997 paperback.
The Thomson Empire
Biography about Canada's richest family and how they built a fortune in newspapers, media, and oil and gas. This book describes how Roy Thomson built the empire and his son Kenneth Thomson turned the empire into the financial data powerhouse later known as Thomson Reuters.
Part of the trilogy on Roy Thomson. See "After I Was Sixty" and "Roy Thomson of Fleet Street." Read 1984 hardcover.
After I Was Sixty
Autobiography of Roy Thomson: After reaching sixty and moving to the U.K., this book picks up where the biography "Roy Thomson of Fleet Street" left off. Roy describes how he built a U.K. and international newspaper empire and climbed the social ladder to become a Lord.
Strategy to get social status in U.K. Got into oil with J. Paul Getty. Read 1975 hardcover.
My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising
Combines "My Life in Advertising" and "Scientific Advertising" to share legendary copywriter Claude Hopkins' journey into the principles and fundamentals of direct marketing. Considered an advertising industry bible, it explains many concepts, including test marketing and coupons.
Good insights on psychology, direct marketing, and copy writing. Worked for Albert Lasker. Read paperback.

October 2024

3 books

Newspaperman
Biography of billionaire and newspaper entrepreneur Samuel "S.I." Newhouse Sr. Details his immigrant upbringing, growth by acquisition strategy, deals, and tax optimization strategy used to leave a billion dollar empire for his family.
Best book on "S.I." Newhouse Sr. Deal specifics. Advanced inheritance tax strategy. Read 1983 hardcover.
At Random
Autobiography of book publishing entrepreneur and Random House founder Bennett Cerf reveals his journey and the secrets behind publishing iconic books at Random House.
Insights into book publishing and how they make money. Read 1977 hardcover.
Newhouse, Newspapers, Nuisances
Biography of Samuel 'S.I.' Newhouse Sr., patriarch of a newspaper empire and billionaire media mogul. Details his strategies around labor relations, decentralized leadership, editorial independence, and Monopolistic ownership.
Critical perspective of Newhouse Sr. and his methods. Read 1966 hardcover.

November 2024

5 books

The Unpublished David Ogilvy
Part memoir and part framework, this book is a collection of internal and external communications from David Ogilvy that shows his early years before advertising and his thoughts on creating ads that sell, and building a global agency.
Read 2012 paperback.
Confessions of an Advertising Man
Framework from entrepreneur and advertising pioneer David Ogilvy, detailing his thoughts on creating ads that sell, and building a global advertising agency, alongside his principles and philosophies on business and advertising
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger admired Ogilvy. Mentions Albert Lasker and Claude Hopkins. Read 2011 paperback.
Master of the Game
Biography of media entrepreneur and the architect of Time Warner Steve Ross. This book describes how Ross built Warner Communications into a behemoth through opportunistic dealmaking, a ruthless vision, and a $14 billion merger with Time Inc.
Turned a funeral home into a $14 billion media and entertainment company. Questionable associations. Read 1994 hardcopy.
Ogilvy on Advertising
Framework from entrepreneur and Mad Men-era genius David Ogilvy. This book is the how-to guide on various aspects of the advertising industry to help you create ads that sell.
Great examples of ad copy and visual ads and why they work.
A Memo for the Children from S. I. Newhouse
Memoir of billionaire and newspaper entrepreneur Samuel "S.I." Newhouse Sr. Describes the family history and deal by deal how he built his empire. He explains his business principles and philosophies.
Interesting to hear S.I. Newhouse Sr's perspective after reading biographies. Hard to find book. Email me for tips. Read 1980 hardcover.

December 2024

5 books

Warren Buffett
Framework for decision-making based on Warren Buffet. This book explores his investment strategies, mindset, and the underlying psychology frameworks used to improve decision-making.
Describes the ideal investor mindset. Got me interested in psychology to improve my decision-making. Read 2021 hardcover.
Mastering The Market Cycle
Framework billionaire debt investor and Oaktree Capital founder Howard Marks uses to understand and navigate the financial markets and the cycles in them. This book outlines how human psychology and patterns influence those markets and economics.
Explanation of risk relative to position in cycles for different asset classes was great. Helpful insights on real estate cycles. I will read this book yearly. Read 2018 hardcover.
The Warren Buffett Way
Framework for investing process used by Warren Buffett. This book breaks down each step in Buffett’s investment process. Buffett’s investing strategies and philosophy are detailed and connected to his framework and checklist. Examples of how Buffett applied this framework with some of his largest investments are detailed in the book.
Examples of how Buffett evaluated specific companies, including calculating intrinsic value. Read 2014 hardcover.
The Warren Buffett Portfolio
Framework and strategy based on Warren Buffett’s concentrated investment approach. Explains focus investing and why investing in a few exceptional businesses is a key to this strategy. The book details the importance of understanding the financial performance, backing quality management teams, and other areas too."
Explains why concentration generates outsized returns. Helpful framework. Read 1999 paperback.
The Money Masters
Biographical anthology about nine investors who founded their own firms. Details their lives, investment philosophies, and strategies. Investors include Warren Buffett, Paul Cabot, Philip Fisher, Benjamin Graham, Stanley Kroll, T. Rowe Price, John Templeton, Larry Tisch, and Robert Wilson.
A useful intro to nine investors who founded their own firms and the strategies they used. Read 1980 paperback.