The 4 Best Books I Read in 2017

Last year, I read 21 books and here are the four best books I read in 2017.

Here are my top four books:

Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark

I read Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark, a Swedish-American cosmologist, after reading a tweet by Elon Musk. Life 3.0 is a book that talks about AI. By reading this book, I learned the pros and the cons of AI, the need to have something like a Geneva Convention for regulating AI, why something like universal income will be mandatory in the future because of the loss of jobs to machines, and the evolution of humans with AI.

The Dhandho Investor by Mohnish Pabrai

The Dhandho Investor by Mohnish Pabrai is the best Investing book I read last year. I read the book last month, and I have been a big fan of Mohnish Pabrai. The Dhandho Investor is very interesting and filled with useful information about how to invest in the stock market or in businesses without losing money and obtaining a high return on your investment. I love the mantra that Mohnish gives in the book “Heads; I win; tails, I don’t lose much!” I will be following this mantra in the future whenever I am investing in a company to reduce my risk of losing money.

The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen

I heard about Sam Zemurray when I was reading The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. The Fish That Ate the Whale tells the story of Sam Zemurray from his arrival in America in 1891 to become one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. By reading this book, I learned a lot about business, history, and the incredible journey of Sam Zemurray for running one of the biggest company and becoming a threat to foreign nations.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius is named as one of the Good Emperors. Meditations is filled with a lot of wisdom. It will probably not be the last time I will be reading this book. In fact, I intend to read Meditations once every year because I don’t think reading the book once gives justice to the incredible notes of Marcus Aurelius.

Honorable mentions:

1. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
2. Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups—Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000 by Jason Calacanis
3. The Little Book That Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt
4. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande [Book Review]
5. Gratitude by Oliver Sacks
6. The Motley Fool Investment Guide: Third Edition: How the Fools Beat Wall Street’s Wise Men and How You Can Too by Tom Gardner and David Gardner

Here is a list of all the book I read this year:

1. Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups—Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000 by Jason Calacanis
2. The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor by Howard Marks
3. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
4. The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen
5. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark
6. The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
7. The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing by Jason Kelly [Book Review]
8. L’Étranger by Albert Camus
9. Learn to Earn: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics of Investing and Business by Peter Lynch [Book Review]
10. Lion by Saroo Brierley
11. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande [Book Review]
12. The Little Book That Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt
13. The Motley Fool Investment Guide: Third Edition: How the Fools Beat Wall Street’s Wise Men and How You Can Too by Tom Gardner and David Gardner
14. Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
15. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
16. How to Read a Financial Report: Wringing Vital Signs Out of the Numbers by John A. Tracy
17. Gratitude by Oliver Sacks
18. Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk
19. The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns by Mohnish Pabrai
20. Investing 101: From Stocks and Bonds to ETFs and IPOs, an Essential Primer on Building a Profitable Portfolio by Michele Cagan [Book Review]
21. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin

Currently Reading:

1. Millennial Money: How Young Investors Can Build a Fortune by Patrick O’Shaughnessy

2. Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio

3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

4. Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock, Dan Gardner

5. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

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