Every Book I've Read in 20 Years. All 127 of Them.

I thought it would be interesting to get AI to dig through 20 years of Amazon orders, Kindle downloads, and Audible listens to pull together every book I’ve ever read. All of them. The good, the bad, the ones I finished at 3am, and the ones I gave up after two chapters because I’d already got what I needed. Honestly, out of the 127… maybe 10-20% I only read the parts that were relevant. The rest I read inside out, cover to cover.

127 books across 20 years works out to about 8 per year on the years I was actually reading. But it wasn’t consistent at all. 2013 was 27 books in one year (I’d just discovered Kindle and went absolutely mental). 2010 was 16 (all physical, all sales and business bibles). Then there were dead years where I read nothing… 2009, 2015, 2021, 2022. Life gets in the way. The Audible years (~2016-2020) picked things back up when I realised I could consume books while driving and cooking.

Some of these genuinely changed how I think. Some I can’t even remember buying (a Forex strategy book at 2am in February 2014… classic).

This list doesn’t include online courses, YouTube rabbit holes, technical articles, blogs, or any of the thousands of hours of informal learning that actually made up most of my self-development. Just the books. Physical, digital, and audio.

I’ve tagged each one into four categories and here’s how the split looks.

The Stats

The split tells you a lot about where my head has been. Entrepreneurship and life dominate because those two never stop. Trading is a smaller slice but those books got the most re-reads. Tech books are the lowest count because… I mostly learn tech by building things and reading documentation (plus Stack Overflow at 2am, obviously). The format split is almost perfectly even across Kindle, Audible, and physical. Didn’t plan that.

The List

Newest first, oldest at the bottom. Numbers count up from oldest so adding new books just continues the sequence. Category tags: T = Trading, E = Entrepreneurship, AI = Tech & AI, L = Life.

2026

127. The Art of War by Sun Tzu · T · Physical · Strategic thinking for everything, not just war. Force and numbers don’t always win… it’s about finding advantages and edges, and most of them start with patience and positioning. Read this first in 2010, rebought a different translation.

2024

126. The Complete TurtleTrader by Michael Covel · T · Physical + Kindle · Proof that a strict rules-based trend-following system beats intuition, every time.

2023

125. Jesse Livermore’s Two Books of Market Wisdom by Edwin Lefevre / Jesse Livermore · T · Physical + Kindle + Audible · Learn directly from the man who made and lost fortunes why discipline and patience are the only edge.

2020

124. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini · E · Kindle · Spot the six triggers that bypass rational thinking so you can use them and resist them.

123. How to Own the World by Andrew Craig · T · Physical · Any normal person can beat professional fund managers by owning simple, diversified global assets.

122. Time to Think by Nancy Kline · L · Physical · The quality of your listening determines the quality of everyone else’s thinking around you.

121. The Zulu Principle by Jim Slater · T · Kindle · Beat institutional investors by specialising in small-cap growth stocks they’re too big to touch.

120. The Naked Trader by Robbie Burns · T · Physical · A plain-talking system for finding, entering, and cutting UK shares without overcomplicating it.

2019

119. Facebook Advertising 2020 by Noah Gray · E · Physical + Kindle · Set up targeted Facebook ad campaigns from scratch and stop wasting budget on the wrong audience.

2018

118. Life Leverage by Rob Moore · E · Kindle · Identify the handful of tasks actually worth your time and outsource or eliminate everything else.

117. Mindset by Carol Dweck · L · Kindle · Your belief about whether ability is fixed or learnable predicts almost every outcome in your life.

2014

116. My Blog Traffic Sucks! by Steve Scott · E · Kindle · Eight repeatable steps to grow blog traffic without being online all day.

115. Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob · E · Physical · Turn a passion for food into paid work across recipes, cookbooks, blogs, and freelance writing.

114. How to Write Great Blog Posts by Steve Scott · E · Kindle · Nineteen post formats with a step-by-step system so you stop staring at a blank screen.

113. Write Blog Posts Readers Love by Henri Junttila · E · Kindle · Find your voice, kill writer’s block, and follow a repeatable blueprint for posts people finish reading.

112. 50 Ways To Write Better Blog Posts by Zak Khan · E · Kindle · Fifty concrete techniques to tighten writing, improve headlines, and keep readers reading.

111. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle · L · Kindle · Stop identifying with your thoughts and ego to end suffering and find lasting peace.

110. Manual of Egyptian Archaeology by G. Maspero · L · Kindle · Decode how ancient Egyptians actually built, painted, and organised their monumental civilisations.

109. SAS Survival Guide by John Wiseman · L · Physical · Stay alive anywhere on earth using proven military fieldcraft and emergency techniques.

108. The Memory Palace by Lewis Smile · L · Kindle · Build a memory palace step-by-step to remember anything permanently without rote repetition.

107. You Can Have an Amazing Memory by Dominic O’Brien · L · Kindle · An eight-time World Memory Champion’s exact system to recall names, numbers, and speeches.

106. 50 Pips A Day Forex Strategy by Laurentiu Damir · T · Kindle · One repeatable intraday setup to capture 50 pips consistently from forex markets daily.

105. The Financial Spread Betting Handbook by Malcolm Pryor · T · Kindle · Master spread betting mechanics, tax advantages, and risk management before risking real money.

2013

104. Understand Psychology by Nicky Hayes · L · Kindle · Understand how the mind actually works so you can explain everyday human behaviour.

103. 20 Psychology Ideas You Really Need to Know by Various · L · Kindle · The 20 ideas from psychology that genuinely shape how people think, feel, and act.

102. 50 Management Ideas You Really Need to Know by Various · E · Kindle · Command any management conversation with the 50 concepts every leader is expected to know.

101. 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know by Various · L · Kindle · Hold your own in any philosophical debate by understanding the 50 ideas that shaped Western thought.

100. The Memory Bible by Edward V. Lewis · L · Kindle · Neuroscience-backed techniques to sharpen memory recall and protect your brain long-term.

99. 101 Good Questions to Ask on a Date by Maurice D. Chuka · L · Kindle · Questions that actually reveal compatibility instead of wasting dates on surface small-talk.

98. Make Her Beg to be Your Girlfriend by Michael Fiore · L · Kindle · The specific attraction triggers that move a woman from interest to genuine commitment.

97. How Successful People Think Smart by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler · L · Kindle · Rewire thought patterns that successful people use so decisions and focus sharpen automatically.

96. Increase Your Mind Power by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler · L · Kindle · Train your brain like a muscle using proven exercises to expand mental capacity and recall.

95. Engage Your Focus by Michael Finlayson · L · Kindle · Break the seven mental barriers that stop you acting on your own goals and ambitions.

94. The Art of Active Listening by Josh Gibson / Fynn Walker · L · Kindle · Build the habit of listening for meaning so misunderstandings drop and relationships deepen.

93. Make Her Chase You by Tynan · L · Kindle · Stop chasing. Build a life and personality that make women pursue you instead.

92. 10 Mistakes Men Make With Women by Marni Kinrys · L · Kindle · A woman identifies the ten behaviours that kill attraction and shows you how to stop doing them.

91. Get Inside Her by Marni Kinrys · L · Kindle · A woman’s unfiltered account of how female psychology actually works in dating.

90. Textual Attraction for Guys by Mike Lawrence · L · Kindle · Which texts build attraction and which ones kill it stone dead before she replies.

89. The Ultimate Texting Guide For Men by Tyler Tray · L · Kindle · 100+ tested texts and the word-choice principles behind them so you stop guessing what to send.

88. How to Text Girls by David Ahmad · L · Kindle · Written for women, not men. Useful reverse-read to understand how the other side thinks.

87. Learn in 10 Min: How to Improve Job Satisfaction by Joan Henshaw · E · Kindle · The levers that actually move job satisfaction so your team stops quietly quitting.

86. Learn in 10 Min: How to Run Performance Appraisals by Joan Henshaw · E · Kindle · A nine-step checklist that turns dreaded appraisal meetings into conversations staff find motivating.

85. Learn in 10 Min: How to Monitor Employee Performance by Joan Henshaw · E · Kindle · A five-step system to track what employees actually deliver so your feedback becomes objective.

84. Learn in 10 Min: How to Delegate by Joan Henshaw · E · Kindle · Hand off work cleanly so you stop doing everything yourself and staff grow faster.

83. 7 Worst Ways to Lead in Business by Fiona Campbell · E · Kindle · Recognise the seven leadership styles that destroy teams so you can cut them from your own behaviour.

82. Project Management: How to Plan and Deliver by Various · E · Kindle · End-to-end project planning and delivery principles distilled so you can run projects without guesswork.

81. The Three Levels of Leadership by Various · E · Kindle · The hidden “personal” inner level of leadership is what separates effective leaders from the rest.

80. Assertive Behaviour & Delegation by Various · E · Kindle · Two paired skills that let you manage people without micromanaging or creating conflict.

79. If You Want It Done Right, You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself by Various · E · Kindle · A six-step delegation framework so handed-off work actually gets done right.

78. The 48 Laws of Power in 30 Minutes by Various · E · Kindle · Core ideas from Greene’s 48 Laws condensed, with prompts for applying each one immediately.

2012

77. The Concise Art of Seduction by Robert Greene · L · Physical · Seduction is a transferable social skill. Master desire, intrigue, and emotional pull in any room.

76. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene · E · Physical · Power follows predictable rules. Learn them so nobody can use them against you without you noticing.

2011

75. Instant MBA by Nicholas Bate · E · Physical · Get the mindset and vocabulary of a business school graduate in a single sitting.

2010

74. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie · L · Physical · People do not care about you. Make them feel genuinely valued and they will do almost anything for you.

73. Persuasive Business Proposals by Various · E · Physical · Win more proposals by leading with the client’s problem, not your credentials.

72. Bare Knuckle Negotiating by Various · E · Physical · Anticipate dirty tactics, control the pace, and know your walkaway point before you sit down.

71. Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher / William Ury · E · Physical · Stop arguing positions. Focus on shared interests and objective criteria to reach deals both sides keep.

70. Perfect Pitch by Jon Steel · E · Physical · Preparation and emotion beat polish. Win pitches by making your audience feel something.

69. Bare Knuckle Selling by Various · E · Physical · Blend psychology and street-level closing tactics to win deals that polished textbook sellers lose.

68. How to Write It by Sandra E. Lamb · E · Physical · Ready-to-use templates and phrases for every business document you will ever need to write.

67. Powerful Marketing On A Shoestring Budget by Various · E · Physical · Jargon-free, case-study-backed guide to marketing every channel without wasting money.

66. Brilliant Marketing by Various · E · Physical · What the best marketers know, do, and say. Step-by-step playbook covering every channel.

65. Advanced Selling Strategies by Brian Tracy · E · Physical · Stop being a vendor. Become a consultant who understands client psychology and solves real problems.

64. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger · E · Physical · Enthusiasm, organisation, and genuine care for the client will take you further than any clever tactic.

63. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz · L · Physical · Your self-image sets your ceiling. Expand how you think about yourself and your results follow.

62. The Other 8 Hours by Robert Pagliarini · E · Physical · Your spare hours after work are where your real future gets built. Stop wasting them.

61. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill · E · Physical · Wealth starts in your head. Burn your desire into your subconscious and then act relentlessly.

60. The Game by Neil Strauss · L · Physical · Pickup artist culture looks seductive from inside but destroys you. Authenticity beats every routine.

59. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki · E · Physical · Your salary is not wealth. Make money work for you by building assets that generate passive income.

2008

58. Linux Bible by Various · AI · Physical · Complete practical map of Linux from first boot through server administration, covering all major distros.

57. Live Linux Projects by Various · AI · Physical · Build real infrastructure (backups, web servers, VPNs) so Linux skills stick instead of staying theoretical.

56. Essential Linux Device Drivers by Various · AI · Physical · Write production-grade Linux drivers for any hardware, with real kernel code to dissect.

2007

55. The Modern Law of Contract by Various · E · Physical · Working grip on every stage of contract law, from offer through remedies, with case law throughout.

54. Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data by Various · E · Physical · Every dimensional standard and space requirement you need to design any building type correctly.

53. Telling and Duxbury’s Planning Law and Procedure by Various · E · Physical · The full legal machinery of UK planning, from permission through enforcement and appeals.

52. A Practical Approach to Planning Law by Various · E · Physical · Follow the planning process step by step, from application to dispute, with real-case guidance.

51. Planning in the UK by Various · E · Physical · Concise, accessible overview of how the UK planning system actually works, from theory to practice.

2006

50. Linux Cookbook by Various · AI · Physical · Solve real sysadmin problems fast, with cut-and-paste recipes covering the non-obvious tasks.

49. Linux Administration: A Beginner’s Guide by Various · AI · Physical · Manage users, networks, security, and performance on a live Linux server from scratch.

48. VI Editor Pocket Reference by Various · AI · Physical · Finally unlock the full command set of vi/Vim so you stop using 10% of the editor’s power.

47. Learning the Bash Shell by Various · AI · Physical · Go from basic shell use to writing robust scripts with flow control and proper error management.

46. PHP and MySQL Web Development by Various · AI · Physical · Build secure, database-driven web applications from scratch, including e-commerce and auth.

Undated (Kindle PDFs, uploaded manually)

45. How I Make A Living Trading Stocks by Tony Oz · T · Kindle PDF · Every trade, thought, and P&L from a 56%-return month documented in real time.

44. Long-Term Secrets To Short-Term Trading by Larry Williams · T · Kindle PDF · Holding trades slightly longer than you want to is the actual edge most short-term traders miss.

43. A Beginner’s Guide to Short-Term Trading by Toni Turner · T · Kindle PDF · Learn to read chart signals and manage the psychology of selling, the part most beginners get wrong.

42. How Markets Really Work by Various · T · Kindle PDF · Data proves buying short-term weakness consistently beats buying breakouts, debunking most retail instincts.

Audible Library (dates not recorded)

The Audible phase was roughly 2016 to 2020. I’d listen during commutes, cooking, and gym sessions. Most of these I finished (Audible tracks it, which is nice). A few I started and parked.

41. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman · L · Audible · Catch yourself making bad decisions in real time by learning the cognitive biases that silently hijack your thinking.

40. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson · L · Audible · Stop drifting and start taking responsibility with a clear set of principles for living with purpose and order.

39. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle · L · Audible · Reduce anxiety and suffering by learning to detach from your thoughts and live in the present moment.

38. Start with Why by Simon Sinek · E · Audible · Lead and sell more effectively by articulating the belief behind what you do, not just what you do.

37. Drive by Daniel H. Pink · L · Audible · Stop using rewards to motivate people. Build lasting drive through autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

36. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz · L · Audible · Break self-limiting beliefs by adopting four simple agreements that replace self-judgment with freedom.

35. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco · E · Audible · Reject the 40-year wealth plan. Build a business that creates financial freedom in a decade.

34. Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo · L · Audible · Deliver presentations that move people by learning nine science-backed techniques from the best TED talks.

33. The Power of Body Language by Joe Navarro · L · Audible · Read people far more accurately by learning which body signals are hardwired and almost impossible to fake.

32. Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley · E · Audible · Become the go-to expert in your field by building five strategic assets that attract opportunities.

31. The Brain by David Eagleman · AI · Audible · Understand why you think, feel, and decide the way you do by seeing how your brain constructs reality.

30. Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount · E · Audible · Never have an empty sales pipeline again by building a relentless, systematic prospecting habit.

29. Ca$hvertising by Drew Eric Whitman · E · Audible · Write ads that actually sell by using 100+ proven psychological triggers that drive buying decisions.

28. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason · T · Audible · Master the timeless rules of personal finance: pay yourself first, invest wisely, never let money sit idle.

27. Build a Brand in 30 Days by Simon Middleton · E · Audible · Build a genuinely distinctive brand in a month with 30 daily exercises covering values, voice, and position.

26. How We Learn by Benedict Carey · L · Audible · Retain far more of what you study by replacing outdated habits with techniques that exploit how memory works.

25. Facebook Marketing and Advertising by David Clarke · E · Audible · Run targeted Facebook ad campaigns from scratch, covering audience building, budgets, and tracking results.

24. The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida · L · Audible · Stop suppressing your ambitions and instincts. Masculine purpose and presence transform work and relationships.

23. Start Now. Get Perfect Later. by Rob Moore · E · Audible · Finally start the thing you’ve been putting off. Imperfect action beats perfect inaction every single time.

22. The Power of Broke by Daymond John · E · Audible · Financial constraints are a competitive edge. Scarcity forces creativity, hustle, and authenticity that money can’t buy.

21. Property Magic by Simon Zutshi · E · Audible · Build a UK property portfolio with little capital by using other people’s money, time, and experience.

20. The Ideal Team Player by Patrick M. Lencioni · E · Audible · Hire and build better teams by spotting the three traits that make someone truly coachable and collaborative.

19. I’m Feeling Lucky by Douglas Edwards · AI · Audible · See how Google’s chaotic, engineer-first culture shaped the web, from the eyes of employee #59.

18. What You Need to Know About: Economics by George Buckley · E · Audible · Understand inflation, jobs, and interest rates well enough to make sense of the news and your finances.

17. The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick · AI · Audible · How Zuckerberg’s obsession with growth over profit built a platform that rewired social life globally.

16. Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff · AI · Audible · 111 actionable startup plays covering marketing, sales, and leadership from zero to billion.

15. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller · E · Audible · Five proven models for building a property portfolio distilled from 120 real millionaire investors.

14. The Edge by Michael Heppell · L · Audible · Identify the small daily habits that separate the truly elite from people who are merely good.

13. Mind Control by Edward Martinez · L · Audible · Spot and resist manipulation by learning the dark psychology and NLP tactics used against you daily.

12. The Ultimate Jim Rohn Library by Jim Rohn · L · Audible · Rewire your mindset around money, discipline, and goals using Rohn’s plain-spoken philosophy of personal responsibility.

11. Quantum Memory by Dominic O’Brien · L · Audible · Master the association and location techniques used by a world champion to recall anything on demand.

10. The Secret to Attracting Money by Joe Vitale · L · Audible · Identify the unconscious money beliefs blocking your wealth and replace them using law of attraction methods.

9. Advanced Energy Anatomy by Caroline Myss · L · Audible · Use four core archetypes and seven co-creation principles to make conscious choices that shape your health and life.

8. Hypnotherapy by Freddy Jacquin · L · Audible · Practical hypnotherapy scripts and induction techniques directly from one of the world’s leading practitioners.

7. Learn Portuguese in Your Car by Central Park Language Learning · L · Audible · Pick up conversational Portuguese phrases and 1,000 common words during dead commute time.

6. Critical Thinking by Ian Tuhovsky · L · Audible · Detect bad science, media spin, and cognitive biases so you stop making decisions based on noise.

5. Alpha Money Strategies by Alpha Male Strategies · T · Audible · Find your passion, monetise it, and build a credit and investment foundation that multiplies your income.

4. UnCommon Sense by Mark Homer · E · Audible · Profit by identifying and ignoring the popular misconceptions in property, business, and finance.

3. All About Buy-to-Let Mortgages by Peter J. How · E · Audible · Navigate every stage of UK buy-to-let mortgages in plain English and use cheap finance to build a portfolio.

2. The Complete No-Nonsense Guide to UK Property by David Tarn · E · Audible · Go from zero to first UK investment property with a step-by-step guide covering strategy, viewings, and legals.

1. Success: Success Strategies by Ace McCloud · L · Audible · 100 concrete success habits across mindset, health, and goals to build a personalised action plan.

That’s 127 books across 20 years. Some were 2am impulse downloads that I’d forgotten about until the AI pulled them up. And yes, I went through a very specific texting advice phase in December 2013. We’ve all been there. Don’t judge.

But a lot of these genuinely changed how I operate. The mindset and memory books helped me work out how my brain actually works… I don’t learn like most people. I need physical actions (this is why I still use a notebook to write things down) and emotional triggers like passion and genuine interest to lock things in, not the academic way of regurgitating facts without purpose (which is why school never worked for me). The books about women and dating? I grew up around mainly boys with very little interaction with the opposite sex in my early years, so yeah, those were necessary and needed a lot of guidance there. And all the business and strategy books helped me formulate how I survive in this day and age, how to create things, and how to plan for the future including how to manage money, finances and investments since school doesn’t teach these necessities.

If you take anything from this list… read more than you think you need to, across more topics than feel comfortable. The Linux books from 2006 led to a tech career. The sales books from 2010 taught me to survive in business. The trading books expanded how I think about markets. And the self-development books somewhere in between kept me from going mental while figuring it all out.