Five Books Every Human Should Read

| notes | books | reading |

I’m sorry. You were looking for a listicle, but instead you are going to have a brief existential crisis. There have been more books published this month then you will ever have the chance to read in your lifetime. This is why this is an extremely curated list that will never grow above 5. It only includes those books that I believe every human should read given their limited time on this earth.

  1. On Writing Well by William Zinsser

    Writing well is one of the most important skills. I think it will become even more important as we enter the age of AI generated garbage. Even if you’re not a professional writer, the lessons in this book will help you throughout life.

  2. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

    Ignore the cheesy title, this is the personal finance education that I wish I got when I was a teenager. This book changed my life.

  3. Principles by Ray Dalio

    A field guide for how to build a life you are proud of.

  4. How to Live by Derek Sivers

    I think if Derek Sivers started a cult, I’d join it. A book of contradicting philosophies, it inspires me, makes me angry, and provokes lingering thoughts every time I read it. Reading this book is how to live.

  5. [still searching]

Thank you for reading! Share your thoughts with me on bluesky, mastodon, or via email.

Check out some more stuff to read down below.

Most popular posts this month

Recent Favorite Blog Posts

This is a collection of the last 8 posts that I bookmarked.

Articles from blogs I follow around the net

Futureverse announces restructuring two years after raising $54 million

In 2023, there was no shortage of buzzy press coverage for Futureverse, which promised to build a metaverse and gaming-focused blockchain. They partnered with Ready Player One author Ernest Cline to build the "Readyverse". Th…

via Web3 is Going Just Great September 30, 2025

New site, kinda

If you’re reading this blog using RSS or via email (when I remember to send the content via email), you likely didn’t notice it. And if you’re reading my blog in the browser but are not a sharp observer, chances are, you also didn’t notice it. A n…

via Manuel Moreale — Everything Feed September 30, 2025

Pluralistic: Announcing the Enshittification tour (30 Sep 2025)

Today's links Announcing the Enshittification tour: Come say hi, why dontcha? Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. Object permanence: HP defeat device; It Gets Better; OPM hack endangers CIA in Beijing; Self-driving cars crash. Upcoming appearance…

via Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow September 30, 2025

Generated by openring