5 Things I Like – Issue #5 (Favorite Summer Books)

Summer time is the perfect time for catching up on our reading list. Whether we are doing a long trip to foreign lands or doing a staycation, it’s always a good idea to have great books to read during those “me time”. I often reserve certain books on my list to enjoy during the actual trip and then when there are down times during the actual trip itself.

And whether that destination spot is on the beach or poolside, off your Airbnb summer home, or just on your comfy couch at home (with air-conditioning I hope), an awesome book is always a great companion to expand our growth.

This issue is a recommendation on some of the best books within the various genre to hopefully inspire you to add to your list. I believe choosing books that span genres help serve and improve all areas of our self-growth, feel free to experiment and choose books you don’t usually read when you’re discovering new places and experiences.

Here is my favorite Summer Books recommendation.

1. Investing Book Read: The Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment by Guy Spier.

Guy Spier wrote his experience in this book as a Wall Street hedge fund corporate henchman and his life filled with moral dilemma and integrity issues that eventually drove him to seek a better way out. An honest, down-to-earth book that documents his discovery of value investing. Guy Spiers learns about Benjamin Graham and eventually his future mentor Warren Buffett and his honest investing approach. Guy re-affirms Warren Buffet’s lifestyle of staying humble, knowing your true value as a person, and eventually achieving that dharmic balance of investing enlightenment. Read this book and adopt the value investor perspective and beat Wall Street by not becoming a wolf.

http://amzn.to/2fiuui0

2. Self-help book read: “The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance” by Josh Waitzkin.

If you have seen the movie “Searching for Bobby Fisher” then you know Josh’s story. This is a book about what it takes to become a master learner. Josh transitioned his learning methodologies from chess to martial art and takes us into a step-by-step approach instruction for creating a mindset of a master learner. Along the way, this read like an autobiography, Josh becomes like a close friend, who just happens to be a genius learner. Reading this will change your mindset. If you haven’t read already, “Mindset” by Carol S. Dweck (I wrote about Mindset on this blog, click here), Josh displays how a growth mindset leads to genius. A must read for everyone.

http://amzn.to/2vsQaPb

3. Money book read: The Millionaire Booklet by Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone wrote a short manifesto on what it really takes to become a millionaire business man. This book is short and to the point. It captures the mindset of an entrepreneur and gives direct and decisive advice to how one can begin the journey to entrepreneurship. I recommend the audiobook version as it is read by Grant himself. Get it via Audible.com.

http://amzn.to/2v7V03c

4. Relationship book read: The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship: A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills

This is one of those self-help books that will stay with you and may actually help you understand yourself and your relationship with others. Don Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements” is a classic self-help book that cultivates what it means to become a person of maturity and integrity. This book builds on that and dives into how one can develop and foster a beautiful and fulfilling relationships with your loved ones.

http://amzn.to/2fiHQuS

5. Fiction read: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (Author)

Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller. The Sandman was a testament on how his talents in writing can reach other genres like comic books. And then there are his countless books such as American Gods, Neverwhere, Coraline, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, and so on. His retelling of Norse Mythology is just as entertaining. Pick this up if you need a great story from an amazing writer.

http://amzn.to/2v9IM8L

Bonus: Non-fiction read: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything Paperback – by Joshua Foer

I loved this book! Foer takes a journey to forgetfulness to becoming a U.S. Memory Champion. And the tips and tricks can elevate anyone into a master mental athlete. He takes a leap into this subculture of mental athleticism and what we find along the way his research on how making a great memory has come to be, way before we had books, and the Internet when we had to rely on memorization. Pick this up and learn to expand your memory!