This is a list of the best books I’ve read while researching for answers on the question “How to live?”
I have only included books that I have spent many hours reading, digesting, and whose advice I have applied in my own life and work. All of these books have influenced how I understand reality, how I develop practices, and how I pursue my purpose and the work that I do.
I also keep a list of all the books I have read in the last couple of years.
Self-Directed Learning
Books on reclaiming your intellectual autonomy
- Do Not Go Back To School: A Handbook for Learning Anything
- Peak Learning: How to Create Your Own Lifelong Education Program for Personal Enlightenment and Professional Success
- The Independent Scholar’s Handbook
Philosophy
Books to sharpen how you think about and experience the world
- Square One: The Foundations of Knowledge
- What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy
- Meditations
- Beyond Morality
Economics
Books on money, education, and work
- A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity
- Early Retirement Extreme: A Philosophical and Practical Guide to Financial Independence
- The Last Safe Investment: Spending Now to Increase Your True Wealth Forever
- Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
Healing
Books on healing the mind, body, and relationships
- A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives
- Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
- The Grief Recovery Handbook: A Step-by-Step Program for Moving Beyond Loss
Flourishing
Books on creativity, productivity, and everything beyond healing
- Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
- The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
- Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions
- The Renaissance Soul: How to Make Your Passions Your Life
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity