Last year we listed our favorite books we read in 2015. We compiled a similar list for 2016. As before, we purposely did not aim for a certain number each, so all the books listed are books we think are excellent. In other words, it is a list focused entirely on quality and not at all on quantity.
Regan
- To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
- On the Road - Jack Kerouac
- Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future - Peter Thiel & Blake Masters
- The Shining - Stephen King
- Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World - Adam Grant
Bryan
- Anything You Want - Derek Sivers
Bryan’s commentary: This book is the story how Derek Sivers accidentally created the online business giant, CDBaby.com, then eventually sold it and decided to donate a healthy chunk of the proceeds to charity. In the book, you learn why he first started the business, how he managed it, and the lessons and key advice he learned along the way. I took several notes in the book itself and re-read many paragraphs because they resonated with me deeply. It is essentially 80 small pages of straight-to-the-point advice that actually makes sense. Sivers' attitude towards business is nothing short of refreshing. He was originally a musician, producer, engineer, then started CDbaby.com when he wanted a way to sell his CDs online. He taught himself how to computer program so he could create a 'buy now' button on his website, which was the first time any musician had done this. His friends heard about his ‘buy now’ button and asked him to make one for them too. He made them for his friends only, who ended up telling their friends about it too. He did it all for free. Several, nice favors led to a multi-million dollar company. Although several tech, venture capitalists offered over the years, he never took investor money (except for his Dad's) because he didn't see the point. He was like “why do I need all of these investors?” They would respond, “so you can keep growing and making more money.” His response to that was, “well, I already have a lot of money.” Within his business, he made a few errors and paid for them dearly, but ultimately, he was in it to help musicians and others he cared about. Best advice from this book: don't create a new business for the sole purpose of making a lot of money, simply start doing favors for others and keep doing what your audience is asking of you. If you’re good, it will become your new business.
Luke
- East of Eden - John Steinbeck
- The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
- Sunny's Nights: Lost and Found at a Bar on the Edge of the World - Tim Sultan
- Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything - Joshua Foer
- The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival - John Vaillant
- Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Joe
- When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
- Sunny's Nights: Lost and Found at a Bar on the Edge of the World - Tim Sultan
- Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
- Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything - Joshua Foer
- The Power of One: A Novel - Bryce Courtenay