Why I Love and Hate These Books for Self-Development
On March 5, 2021 by Megan FolsomIt’s time for another guest post by my husband, Austin! All of these books he recommends would be great to read during nap time or listen to throughout the day.
*Click on the image of each book for a shoppable link!
I’ll let him tell you more about his 2020 goal and his honest reviews:
Austin’s 2020 Book Review
by Austin Folsom
At the beginning of 2020 I set the goal to read or listen to at least 12 books. I am happy to say that I managed to fit 14 books in throughout the as well as 2-3 others that I had started and have yet to finish them.
These are the books that I was able to complete with a brief summary of what I liked, disliked, whether I’d read/listen to it again, and if I’d recommend it to be added to your reading list! These are in no particular order of favorites or the order I read them in.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephan R. Covey
This is one of those books that always seems to be among the top of ‘self-help’ or ‘personal development’ book lists. The way Stephan R. Covey breaks down success and the evolution of what success is/used to be really made me think and gain some perspective on what success really is.
He speaks a lot about the perceptions we have and their importance in gaining success. His philosophy is that in order to change our situation(say you want to have more success) we have to change ourselves, and to change ourselves we have to change our perceptions.
What I liked: this books caused me to reflect on myself and changed what my personal definition of success is
What I disliked: the audio book is over 13 hours! Probably some ADD in me, but I start to lose interest about the 8-9 hour mark and have to take a break from the book for a while.
Would I read it again: Yes, but I’ll wait a few years before coming back to it
Would I recommend it to a friend: definitely, this should be on your reading list
Triggered
by Donald Trump Jr
OK! Before I get flack or praise for reading this book, let it be known I read it for the soul purpose that I think Don Jr is an interesting guy. I used to be way to much into politics and I only found myself becoming more and more unhappy(from both political side btw). Recently, I have since taken a step back and I am a much happier person.
This book is somewhat of an autobiography and I found much of his upbringing to be different that what I would have thought. How he has lived out his life and the different experiences he has had are intriguing.
What I liked: I learned lots about him as a person, his life experiences, and what makes him tick as a Person.
What I disliked: the politics were a bit much at times.
Would I read it again: maybe, I don’t have any plans to as of right now.
Would I recommend it to a friend: yes, but if you get upset by conservative politics(I guess there is some irony in the title of the book)you may want to steer clear. If you can let the politics roll off then go for it.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
When it comes to learning the basics of people skills and being likable, this book is a first class teacher. No matter the stage of life that you are in, this book will be of great worth to you on a daily basis. Dale Carnegie could be called one of the best “people persons” and teacher of people skills in the last several hundred years if not longer.
This book is riddled with real life examples and the principles behind winning friends and influencing people. I don’t want to say much more, for fear that I will take away from the powerful lessons of this book.
What I liked: I learned many new ways to to connect and build relationships with people as well as how to figure out what makes people tick.
What I disliked: The book was originally published in 1936 and lots of it was written in the 20 years previous to its publishing…its much older/more proper English and can be a bit dry at times.
Would I read it again: No question, I have plans to read this book at least every other year, but can say I will be reading it again THIS year.
Would I recommend it to a friend: Absolutely, especially if you want to improve your people skills.
The 4-Hour Work Week
by Tim Ferris
This is in my personal Top Five books I have read. When it comes to changing your life and perspective on ‘rich,’ this book is fire! The ideas and concepts in this book have the ability to give you the freedom to do things that many people can only dream of.
Although much of this book is based upon the typical 9-5 office type job, I found so much value in this book even though I work in the construction industry. That’s all you’re going to get from me…GO READ IT!
What I liked: …all of it…
What I disliked: I didn’t read it sooner.
Would I read it again: Absolutely
Would I recommend to a friend: I already said “GO READ IT” so…yes.
Unfu*k Yourself
by Gary John Bishop
I read quite a few reviews about this book and the majority of people thought it was phenomenal. I wasn’t one of those people. It’s not that it is a bad book, I just wasn’t feeling it. It is very much a motivational type book.
I listened to the audio book and I felt that I was at some sort of ‘self-help, get your $h!t together, pep talk’ type seminar or YouTube video. I think I probably wasn’t feeling this book because I give myself fiery pep talks multiple times a day. If only you could hear the pep talks in my head haha.
What I liked: Gary John Bishop is from the UK so the audio book read by him is more interesting because of the accent.
What I disliked: Well…most of it…
Would I read it again: nope.
Would I recommend it to a friend: This one depends on the friend. If you have a hard time motivating yourself, this book might just be the kick in the pants you’ve been looking for. If you are good at self motivating, you might feel the same as I do.
The 5 Love Languages
by Gary Chapman
Whether you are in a relationship or not, this book will help you understand others and how to show them love the way they best receive love.
A simple google search or online love language test can tell you about the 5 love languages. Understanding and being able to identify the five will benefit anyone in marriage, dating, friendships, and business relationships.
What I liked: The book is fairly short, but jam packed with great information.
What I disliked: I can’t remember much of anything that i really disliked about this book.
Would I read it again: Yes I will. I think this would be good to brush up on at least a little bit every year to stay focused on the thing that are important to the people in your life.
Would I recommend to a friend: Yes, read it at least once.
Fortitude
by Dan Crenshaw
Dan Crenshaw is a cool guy who has served his country. That’s as basic as I can go. I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about Dan, his experiences and some about life in the special forces.
Dan Crenshaw reads the audio book and there is lots of added humor that is sure to make you laugh. This is another one of those books that gets political, although it is more so focused on Dan’s journey to being elected into The House of Representatives.
What I liked: I have a much greater respect for Dan as a person and the trials and adversities that he has overcome in his life.
What I disliked: It does get political, but he does keep it fairly mellow and in context to him running for office.
Would I read it again: Maybe, it wasn’t bad but I don’t know that its re-read material.
Would I recommend it to a friend: I think yes, if you enjoy learning about people and their life experiences you would probably find this an interesting read.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
by J.K. Rowling
It’s Harry Potter…what do you want from me here? Haha. I felt that I needed some lighter reading (listening) and I’ve never read through the series so I am not making my way through them a bit at a time.
What I liked: It’s a good casual fiction read that can take my mind to another place to decompress.
What I disliked: I don’t know that there is much to dislike. I think you either like Harry Potter or you don’t.
Would I read it again: If I do, it will be several years down the road as I still need to complete the series.
Would I recommend to a friend: Yeah, give it a chance. If you don’t like it after a bit then don’t continue.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling
I am going to refer you to the previous entry about the first Harry Potter book on this list.
The Go Giver
by John Burg & John David Mann
This is a short read or listen and as soon as I started, I didn’t stop until I finished. I think the main takeaways I got from this book is to always give more than you take and that finding the right people to be in your life is integral to your success.
Disclaimer: this book is fictitious and its sole purpose is to illustrate the importance of giving.
What I liked: The book is so simple at illustrating the importance of people and always providing more value that expected.
What I disliked: N/A
Would I read it again: I will read it again before the end of the year.
Would I recommend it to a friend: Yes, no doubt.
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
My first though when reading this book title was atomic bomb. Big habits, right?! Wrong! It didn’t take too long to figure out that it was the exact opposite. This is all about the little, small and seemingly insignificant habits that add up to make a massive difference over time.
What I liked: The book is filled with personal experiences as well as experiences of others that make the book applicable to just about everyone.
What I disliked: Nothing comes to mind that I didn’t like so that either means its a pretty good book or my memory is slipping.
Would I read it again: I might, I don’t have any plans to right now but it would be a good book to touch up on.
Would I recommend it to a friend: Yeah, I think its worth the read even just once.
The Compound Effect
by Darren Hardy
This is another book that is very focused on habits. Over the past few years I have followed Darren Hardy’s daily motivational videos off and on. He’s a very successful guy in many different aspects of life. Even though this book is similar to Atomic Habits it definitely adds a different perspective and way of teaching the principles of habit.
What I liked: I was able to see and learn more about habits from a different perspective.
What I disliked: Like I said previously, my memory might be slipping…if I remember correctly, i think the book could have been consolidated a bit, but that just means it was thorough.
Would I read it again: Right now I have too many other books on my reading list, but I may come back and read it again in the future.
Would I recommend it to a friend: For sure, it has lots of valuable content that is worth the read.
The Carnivore Code
by Paul Salidino, MD
Want to challenge what you believe about diet? This is the book for you. It is all about the carnivore diet, its benefits, how to implement it and much more.
I first heard about this book on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Paul Salidino was a guest and I found what he had to say very fascinating and it resonated with me. I’ve actually listened to the podcast a couple times, listened to the audio book, and thumbed through to read specific parts that I wanted to go over again.
What I liked: I think that Paul does a great job providing evidence and correlations to back up his point of view. I like that this book challenges the typical narrative of what a healthy diet is and because of that it made me think and mold preconceived thoughts that I have had. I like to have my ideas and thoughts challenged because I think it strengthens my critical thinking skills.
What I disliked: The book is very one sided and only has information to back up his ideas. I don’t mind it in this instance because it is still something that challenges my to form new ideas.
Would I read it again: Yes. I will read it this year for sure.
Would I recommend it to a friend: Heck yeah, it’s crammed with interesting information and it could potentially help you to become healthier.
The Immortality Key
by Brian C Muraresku & Graham Hancock
I will say that this book is definitely different that the rest of the books on this list. This book is more a less a fascinating history book. I honestly never got bored with it. It talks about Ancient Greece and sacred ceremonies had their, Christianity and the evolution of religion.
I’ll be straight up, psychedelic substances and drugs are the main common tie throughout the book. Reading this could cause you to expand your horizons, it may cause you to question ideas you have held close, or it might just be another block of new information that you find to be fascinating…or not.
What I liked: I enjoyed the read/listen and didn’t ever get bored with it. I felt that I was able be challenged in my ideas, but at the same time incorporate new ideas along side my own.
What I disliked: I don’t think there was anything that I didn’t like.
Would I read it again: I totally would. I’m not sure when, but I plan to in the next year or so.
Would I recommend it to a friend: This one really depends. Both authors were on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in the same episode (episode #1543.) I’dd suggest listening to the podcast episode to see if you’d enjoy the book. I would say that you will have a good idea within the first 20-30 minutes, if not sooner.
Hopefully this list can help you in finding the next book that you want to dive into.
Any of these books would be great to read during nap time! I have a whole list of other ways to Make the Most Out of Nap Time and Fill Up Your Own Cup!
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