I love book giving! I haven’t given books out at the same frequency as I have before, this is partially due to the fact that I don’t read as much as I used to or want to, therefore I’m assuming others aren’t either. But, anyhow – I figure a great place to start in regards to creating rich, meaningful book talks – is by sharing with you The 5 Books that I have given to people most frequently.

Here we go!

1- The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho (Fiction/Adventure/fantasy, 208 Pages, first published in 1988)

A beautiful tale of triumph and hope. A parable for wisdom and living life beautifully. Everyone I have ever given this book too, has either said “Thank you, my friend has been telling me to read this for the longest” or has come back to me after reading it and say “Wow, that was an amazingly eloquent story!” Originally written in Portuguese, translated in 69 other languages, it is one of the most widely read novels, ever!

2- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (non-fiction/popular psychology, 320 Pages, first published in 2005)

An amazing Pop-Psychology book. Although calling it “pop” anything cheapens Gladwell’s contributions to the betterment of humanity. He is a “pubic-intellectual” for sure, and that often has a negative connotation. But, Gladwell is definitely an intellectual. All his books are amazing, as his Podcast Revisionist History – http://revisionisthistory.com/ . Also, if anything, Malcolm Gladwell’s work gives you an amazing reference point/starting point to really research into so many different fields, whether it is “viral-marketing”, “snap-judgments/instant psychological analysis”, “hidden advantages people have” or “uncovering clever pop-culture references to what otherwise would be obscure topics”, Gladwell is your Author to delve into!

3-Money Ball by Michael Lewis (non-fiction/business/sports, 288 Pages, first published in 2003)

If you are even mildly interested by sports, even just based on the performance rankings or the economics aspect of it, then this is a book for you! If you are interested in business/economics, this book is for you. If you are interested in “Sports & Business/Economics”, why haven’t you read this book, yet? And, if you saw the movie! “Cool”. I’d say the movie breaking out, was largely driven by the popularity of the book. As the movie was solid, yet the book was AMAZING! Okay, Okay, obviously Brad Pitt staring in the movie helps. But still, even if you watched the movie, it will not spoil the book for you, I promise!

4- Dreams from my Father by Barrack Obama (Memoir/Autobiography, 442 Pages, re-published and expanded in 2004)

This book, I haven’t gifted in some time. It was a favorite among my friends in Zambia, as Obama just got elected President when I lived there as a Peace Corps Volunteer (2008-2010). I have also gifted it to Black friends who had recently immigrated to America. I realize it is a book that has been mass-published for 12+ years now (hard to believe!) but, I in some ways still find it relevant to make sense of Obama’s rise in politics, and what his Presidency meant to millions upon millions of people world-wide.

5- Tools of the Titans by Tim Ferriss (Personal Development/Self-Help, 673 Pages, Published 12/6/16)

This one is a late edition. As it is a great book that looks more daunting than it really is. You can read it in bite-size sittings if you’d like (as I often do). This book will give you tips and tools for enhancing personal performance in just about every area of life imaginable. It was my most popular Holiday/Xmas book I gave out this past season. Some of my friends already declared it will be a great book to keep in their bathrooms for those extra-long potty breaks. 😉

Anyhow, hope you enjoy the list. Please reply in the comments section if you have any commentary on my current book list, requests for other book lists or you have other suggestions or recommended reads for me.