Recommendations
Recommended Books
Health and Nutrition
- Your Personal Paleo Code (Chris Kresser) – The most scientifically accurate intro to eating Paleo. If you’re only going to buy one book on eating healthy, get this one.
- Practical Paleo (Diane Sanfilippo) – Another great intro to Paleo, but a bit easier reading for folks who are not as interested in the scientific detail.
- Rich Food Poor Food (Jayson and Mira Calton) – A practical “buy this, not that” guide to grocery shopping.
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Michael Pollan) – Do you know where your food comes from? A revealing look behind the curtain of how food gets from farm to table.
Psychology and People Skills
- The Social Animal (Elliot Aronson) – The bible of social psychology. Required reading if you are a human who interacts with other humans.
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert Cialdini) – Learn how to use and protect yourself from weapons of mass influence.
- What Every BODY is Saying (Joe Navarro) – The best book on body language. By a former FBI agent.
- The Willpower Instinct (Kelly McGonigal) – Effectively manage your willpower and avoid self-sabotage.
Strength Training and Fitness
- Starting Strength (Mark Rippetoe) – If you’re going to buy one book on weight training/powerlifting make it this one.
- Power to the People! (Pavel Tsatsouline) – Strength is a skill. Advice from the famous former Soviet special ops instructor and drill sergeant.
- Convict Conditioning (Paul Wade) – No gym? No problem. The fundamentals of bodyweight training.
- Underground Secrets to Faster Running (Barry Ross) – Strength training advice from Allyson Felix’s former coach.
Relationships
- The Way of the Superior Man (David Deida) – The manual for men on how to relate to women and have the relationships you want.
- The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman) – Find out the channels you and your partner best communicate and receive love on.
- Buddy System: Understanding Male Friendships (Geoffrey Greif) – A book for men on improving the quality and fulfillment of their friendships with other men.
- Two Plus Two: Couples and Their Couple Friendships (Geoffrey Greif) – Foster and maintain friendships with other couples.
Human Nature and Evolution
- The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) – How evolution really works. You are an organic machine designed to perpetuate your genes that has become self aware.
- The Mating Mind (Geoffrey Miller) – Could the human brain have evolved to be a sex organ? An evolutionary psychologist’s take on dating, mating, and the opposite sex.
- Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior (Geoffrey Miller) – Become aware of the hidden forces that shape your spending without your knowledge.
- The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker) – Are we really born with blank slates for minds? How much of your mind is innate and how it affects your life.
- Sex and War (Potts and Hayden) – Men, sex, and group violence. Why “we band of brothers” doesn’t translate to “we band of sisters.”
- The Old Way: A Story of the First People (Elizabeth Thomas) – What hunter gatherer life tells us about being human. An anthropologist’s story of living with the !Kung.
Personal Finance
- I Will Teach You to be Rich (Ramit Sethi) – If you’re finally getting serious about getting your financial house in order, start here.
- The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need (Andrew Tobias) – Index fund investing. Why to avoid financial advisors, “hot” stock tips, “market beating” mutual funds, and other money traps.
Spirituality and Life Purpose
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell) – The wisdom of metaphors from mythology. Also interesting because Star Wars is based on the hero’s journey.
- The Spectrum of Consciousness (Ken Wilber) – Opens one up to the possibility of spirituality without religion. Very dense reading, not for the faint of heart.