Feel free to cross reference my list with the following lists
1) http://sivers.org/book
The website of Derek Sivers (founder of the multi-million dollar company “CDBaby”)
Being both a musician and business man I find his site to be very helpful and inspirational. He goes the extra mile to rate them, give his notes, and give you different ways to sort his list. Someday I’ll be that thorough :)
2) http://www2.bitstream.net/~gtp/booklist.htm
Byron Stripling (All Star Trumpeter and teacher) has a book list that is a great place to start. This was the first list that I used to get suggestions on what to read.
3) http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/
A great resource for business books. They break it down into categories to help you further.
My most favorite books:
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
This is a truly amazing book. It takes a look at what has caused some people to achieve amazing success. It outlines the steps that it takes to achieve a goal. I believe that most self help books just steal from Napoleon HIll or recycle his words. I have read this book several times.
The 4 Hour Work Week - Timothy Ferris
I have spoken to several people about this book. Some people remain very skeptical of Ferris’ words, however I believe that there is a lot of truth in these pages.
My favorite thing about this book is that he gives you concrete resources that you can use.
Art and Fear - David Bayles and Ted Orland
I believe all performing and visual artists should read this book. It has helped me to continue creating music. It provides great wisdom and is very quick to read.
Living Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh
I love ANY book by Thich Nhat Hanh. This was the first book of his that I have ever read. The thing that first pulled me to this particular book was the discussion on similarities between the Buddha and Jesus. It provides a lot of great insight into spirituality and humanity. Thich Nhat Hanh is certainly a source of peace in this world.
Art of War - Sun Tzu
All time classic!! I love this book and have read it several times. I think everyone should read this. It is so concise and so potent with the wisdom that it bestows. It is deceptive in that it is a short book and can be forgotten unless you actively take notes and try to learn what it is that Sun Tzu has written.
Other books I like:
The Magic of Thinking Big - David J. Schwartz
I find this book to have some good points and that the author has a great sense of humor. My favorite concepts in this book are about how you can either interpret things positively or negatively. He goes as far as to make the activity of recalling a days events as tuning into a radio station. He says you either have the chance to tune into a positive radio station, or a negative radio station. He also says you can go to your memory like going to a bank. Ask your brain to recall reasons that you CAN get something done. It is worth reading!
Moneyball - Michael Lewis
I openly admit that I do not like baseball. I find it to be rather boring to watch. However, this book is awesome. It follows the Oakland A’s as they go about a very non-traditional method of forming a winning team. This is the ultimate book in “outside the box” thinking. It has encouraged me to take a step back from all of the assumptions in my life. “There must be a better way” seems to be the mission statement that the book has left me with.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki
This is a very easy to read book that can open your eyes to different ways of thinking about money. It doesn’t give any real concrete implementable methods, but it does cause you to think. The education of money in our school system is non-existent. In turn, most Americans seem to struggle their whole life with money. I think we should spend less time on dissecting sentences, and more time learning the rules of finance.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven Covey
The reason that I like this book is that t gives you mans of implementation in every chapter. He explains his belief and thesis statement while also showing you how to improve your life by using these techniques.
Walden - Henry David Thoreau
I’ve read this book a few times. I just recently read it again after spending a few days in Concord Mass visiting Walden Pond. The words that he writes are certainly as true today as the day he wrote them. It helps you to realize what is necessary to survive and what isn’t. I have no intention of moving into a cabin, but it is a great read.
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity - Julia Cameron
This is a unique look at helping artists to create. She seems to treat it like an Alcoholic 12 step program. She treats Writer’s block like a problem that can be dealt with similar to recovering from the disease of drug addiction.
Made to Stick - Chip Heath and Dan Heath
This book dissects what makes people remember things. It has so many implementations in life. I love the stories it tells and the formula it gives to help writers create memorable work. Definitely worth reading.
Brain Rules - John J. Medina
As someone who always wants to keep learning and understand how to learn, this is a great book. It talks about how your brain works and how to use this knowledge to learn better. It is written for the non-psychologist to understand what brain researchers have been discovering over time.
The Google Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media, and Technology Success of Our Time (Unabridged) - David A. Vise and Mark Malseed
I read this because I wanted to understand more about modern day entrepreneurs and just how Google got to be as successful as they are. It is truly an amazing story that takes you from idea to business giant. The one thing that I liked the most was their 20% time. I love the idea of giving workers 20% of the working week to work on what they want to work on. This is a great story and easy to read.
NOTE: This list only includes books I feel are worth recommending from what I have read in the past year. If I wasted my time reading a book, I don’t feel that I should tell you to do the same thing.
Enjoy!
Colin
colin@donohoemusic.com
Blogs I love:
http://sivers.org/blog Blog by Derek Sivers. He mostly writes for a musician audience in trying to help them be more successful. However, he is a brillian tman who has a lot to offer
http://worldmusiccentral.org/
The best site on the web that I have found to cover world music. If you think there is a better one, please tell me about it!
www.colinodonohoe.wordpress.com
Yes, I love my own blogs! (someone has to). It mostly covers world music, my music, and my work to create the Pangean Orchestra. Enjoy!
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