Last Book Summary:

The science behind meditation, and mindfulness, its curative and transformative potential and how it can alter our minds (and even physics) for the good. If you do it well enough (and long enough) it can lead to lasting changes, which authors describe as "altered traits”

My book summary

My Favourite Books (see all @ Goodreads):

In (somewhat) order. From best to good and with summaries: 

Naval is one of my favourite person, a modern philosopher, investor and probably the greatest living thinker for me. I consume everything he produces.  It's also the book I gifted the most.

Read once and about to start the second read more than a year later.

Check my "particular" book summary

Book summary by Blas

It's a great book about investing and about how to live life. William Green interviews and distills knowledge from the greatest investors of all time. I truly think the book has the potential to become an "investing classic". 

I read it on kindle which allows me re-read chapters know and then. 

Check my book summary

Book summary by Blas

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Great book by Morgan Housel where he explains very easily what is money, how we think and act about it and more importantly: some lessons, fundamentals and takeaways.

Another book to re-read from time to time. I already did it twice. 

Check my book summary

As a reader who loves books about value investing and life this is a must-read. This book provides a unique perspective on how to navigate life and investing through the transformative quest for wealth, wisdom, and enlightenment. With its compelling lessons and thought-provoking insights, it’s no surprise that this book continues to be a favourite among investors and readers alike.

Another book to re-read from time to time.

Check my book summary

This is one of those books so dense in knowledge and wisdom that I'll have to re-read it from time to time. Everytime you re-read a book you discover new things, partially because you're a new person on that particular moment and you're living through a particular moment. In the case of this book it will be more extreme as it's full of quotes and wisdom. It's so dense that it's impossible to capture everything during the first read. 

Another book to re-read from time to time.

Check my book summary

One of the best books I’ve ever read on product, product marketing and new companies, and I plan to read and re-read my notes time and time and time again.

Check my book summary

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

It's a classic. And another book which title can held you back ... at your own cost. I recall it as the book that made me tick and initiated my escape from the corporate world. From there, I consume most of Tim content and he's one of my favourite persons on the internet and I can consider him my coach (without him knowing it)

Build by Tony Fadell

Great book where Tony Fadell shares his knowledge and advice on everything from product, marketing, management and business in general in parallel to his career evolution. Lots of good knowledge and advice.

Check my book summary

Awareness by Anthony de Mello

A classic about spirituality and philosophy of life which I discovered from Naval and which I read already twice. 

Book summary by Blas

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Travel, adventure, wilderness ... Loved every moment of this book. A non-fiction novel narrating the adventures of Chris McCandless who left everything behind and got into the wild ... to never return. 

One of the very few non-knowledge based books on my list and something it resonates in me. Dissapear into the wild? Hell Yes!!!

I picked this book after reading Naval’s Alamanack by Eric Jorgenson. Naval puts a lot of emphasis on reading and learning about the basics, about mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology and economics because those rule the world. Understanding the basics makes it easier to understand the complex world we live in.

Check my book summary

After enjoying Vol. 2 I had to read volume 3, which made me think why I never read volume 1. Is this a mental model, Shane?. I love mathematics, I think learning the basics of mathematics puts you in the 1-2% percentile and they're everywhere so having mental models around mathematics and systems in general is a must. 

Check my book summary

From the author of one thousand true fans, Kevin Kelly, or KK, he writes about the 12 technologies shaping our world. I discovered Kevin from Tim Ferriss and became a fan since. I still read his weekly newsletter.  

Book summary by Blas

Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler

Peter Diamandis is a radical optimist. A futurist. In this book with Steven Kotler they outline how lucky we're to live in the best moment of history and how it will only improve. As they say: the future is better than you think.

Seth Godin is a brilliant and sharp and this is probably his best book about marketing where he works on the idea of what is powerful marketing and how to practice it. 

As always with Balaji … be prepared to be blown away. I get this is direction the World is moving towards. Not sure it is where we will end. Balaji is an optimist, a sentiment I mostly agree with but I think he’s overly optimistic in the network states future. We are already living on the precursors of Network States but I don’t think we will see a recognized Network State on the next 20 years.


Check my (very short) book summary


Book summary by Blas

I discovered this book after listening to a podcast interview of "my amigo" Noah Kagan to the UGG founder Brian Smith. The story resonated with me. Maybe because of the surfing background, I don't know, so next thing I was reading the book which I summarised in 15 takeaways and a couple a bonus points.  

Check my book summary

Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins

Tony is a polarising character and he's difficult to differentiate from a charlatan, but man, he delivers. Everything he does, he's 100% in and I was super surprised by the quality and insights of this book. 100% recommended for personal finances with lessons and practical advice from the very best in the business. 

Book summary by Blas

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

A beautiful and illustrated book about how the pair understand business: far from the traditional build a business plan, raise capital, attacking the competition and so on. 

I've read it a couple of times. 

Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday

Ryan is an expert on stoicism and I have read and listen great things about his books and this one in particular. The book is great (and looks fabulous) but as always with the stoic philosophy ... it's hard for me to read it keeping the concentration. My mind races everywhere but the book. I don't know. Maybe it's the language or that english is not my mother tongue. 

Check my book summary

Notes by Derek Sivers

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller

A very actionable framework on how to better clarify your brand. It’s a marketing framework based on what the movie industry uses to tell stories. We are busy animals, with busy minds and only stories, good stories catch our attention. Following this framework you can clarify your brand and make it clear and more compelling for your customers. 

Check my book summary It's long. Lots of information and actionable content

Book summary by Blas

Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler

Follow up  from Abundance focused on exponential technologies. The authors describe it as a manifesto and manual on the future. 

Book summary by Blas

The story of humans understanding of risk evolved through the ages until today. Without risk there's no progress, so understanding risk is key to progress. The initial chapters were a little bit hard to read, but the final ones are better, specially chapter 16.

My book summary

The author describes the book as a means “to reliably turn advertising dollars into (enormous) profits using a combination of pricing , value , guarantees , and naming strategies”. A book on value, price, offers, scarcity, guarantees, bonuses and more based on the simple philosophy of “We are not trying to get the most customers. We are trying to make the most money”

Check my book summary It's long. Lots of information and actionable content

Man, I love Tim Ferriss. He is probably the person that influenced my life the most without knowing him in person. I love his work and his podcast, so we he decided to launch this "encyclopedia" with the tools, tactics or routines from many of his guests ... it was a no brainer. It's a book to check from time to time. 

Why going big when you can be great?. Why looking for investing when you can bootstrap and keep full control?. Why looking for an exit when you can be happy in your own company forever? Why being famous when you can be successful and anonymous? Questions that we must ask ourselves and that can lead to a different happier place.  

Book summary by Blas

A biography of the most influential figure of the XXI century. An innovator, inventor, disruptor, futurist and billionaire. Who doesn't know Musk? Even if it's the distorted image portrayed by the media. Will be the man to make humans an multiplanetary species? or to deliver the first mass production full autonomous cars? or build an army of robots to helps us on boring, repetitive or dangerous tasks?. 

He's a legend. 

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

What do high achievers share in common?. What differentiates them from us mere mortals?. 

Check my book summary

The lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant

They say history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. So I thought it would be useful to learn from it. 

Book summary by Blas

Notes by Derek Sivers

I hate self improvement, guru-type books, and Robin Sharma books quite fill into that category, but I was changing my morning routines, finding more value on getting up as early as possible and when the book came out I thought to myself that it won't hurt me. In fact I enjoyed the story. 

I joined the "5 AM" club for a brief period bur now I get up between 6:05 and 6:30 depending on the time I went to bed. On the weekends I wake p a little bit later, between 7 and 8 AM. 

Check my book summary

Autobiography of the adventurer and businessman Steve Fossett who was the first to circumnavigate the world non-stop, non-refuel. He disappeared on one of his adventures. 

I reckoned that it was hard for me to pick this book. The title is so ... freak. It's classic from the 50's. All the lessons are so evident and common sense yet at the same time so difficult to apply and to interiorise that it ends being a very good book.

Check my book summary

Bon Hoffman always provocative on his take on advertising and branding.