Ever since I was a kid, I remember having an intense interest in books. I’d scour the library for books covering a variety of topics. I can’t say I read them all, but books have remained a part of my identity. They’re an opportunity to learn from the people you admire and to live the experiences you may never have. I always have a book on hand and a queue of books ready to read.

I believe you should read books that will help you become the person you want to be.

Below are my book recommendations by category. If you’re interested, take a look at my entire reading list.

Keep this in mind: If you start a book and don’t enjoy it, don’t force yourself to finish it. Stop reading it and pick up another book.

First They Killed My Father by Luong Ung

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Losing My Cool: Love, Literature, and a Black Man’s Escape from the Crowd by Thomas Chatterton Williams

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom

Good to Great by Jim Collins

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau

Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo

Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference by William MacAskill

So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport

What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

The Sympathizer: A Novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko

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Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz

Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman

Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

The Road to Character by David Brooks

Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdani

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal and Ryan Hoover

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Choose Yourself! Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream by James Altucher

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant