Need a New Book? My Favorite Booklists, in One Place
I was at the local bookstore today, and boy, I felt like a kid at a candy store—just drowning in possibility. Should I read a book on Aristotle? No, some epic fantasy? Ooh, a pretty guide to the Italian coast!
Now, I can also get the same sense of drowning (in possibility) from the convenience of my home, when I stumble on a quality booklist.
Quality booklists are hard to come by.
They need to be:
Honest
Across genres
For a general audience
& Packed with hits!
Derek Sivers’ Book Notes (Link)
THE nonfiction book list on the internet, in my humble opinion. Sivers takes notes on book, and posts the notes, along with a review and rating for the book. I use the ratings to filter for the best books.
Nat Eliason’s Book Notes (Link)
Nat Eliason has a similar system to Derek Sivers set up. I’ve read over a dozen of his recommendations, and I trust his ratings.
I also just love his blog in general. I feel like we’d get along :)
Bill Gates’s Book Recs (Link)
Bill Gates’s recommendations, I love because he doesn’t recommend self help for junkies like me. Instead, he reads a lot of fiction, and he also reads about the world. Gates has been the only reliable fiction source for me, but that’s because I don’t follow any fiction bloggers—yet.
Mark Manson’s Book Recs (Link)
I love Mark Manson’s all-time top book recommendations. When I’m up to learn something complex about life or the world, I go here. If you’re a member, you can check out his recommendations for previous years.
St. John’s College Great Books Curriculum (Link)
This booklist is special. It’s a list of the classics you read for a liberal arts degree from St. John’s college, where there are no exams, just discussions.
I haven’t read any of the books on here yet, but I plan to. I want to read more foundational books, like Naval Ravikant suggests, to be more of an original thinker.
Thanks to James’ article for the list.
Finally, a cry for help
Hope y’all enjoyed this list of booklists. Astute readers will notice I have no great fiction booklists.
Big sad, so help me out! If you know any, tweet me @rdhanaraj!
Update: I do know this one fantasy booklist. This website is super trustworthy, I’ve read over a dozen books off here: http://bestfantasybooks.com/best-epic-fantasy.html
Another update: After writing this, I’ve been sent a ton more great booklists! Thanks everyone!