I read 55 books in 2020.

Here are my top 10 favorites and a short summary of each.

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0/ Intro

I read a lot of incredible books this year so don't let this list take anything away from books that didn't make the cut.

I based this list off of the books that had the biggest impact on me personally.

Also, this top ten list is in no particular order.

Let's begin!
1/ Limitless by @jimkwik

Your brain is your most powerful organ but it doesn't come with an instruction manual on how to use it to its maximal potential.

This book serves as a guidebook to your brain. It's filled with helpful studying, learning, and reading tips.
2/ Ultralearning by @ScottHYoung

A bit similar to "Limitless" but Scott's book dives more into the art of learning.

He teaches readers practical strategies to master new skills, how to properly test yourself so that you remember more, busts common learning myths, and more.
3/ Indistractable by @nireyal

An incredibly actionable book about how to deal with distractions.

Nir empowers people by providing concrete steps to combat internal and external distractions. Read this book if you want to control your tech and not the other way around.
4/ Tiny Habits by @bjfogg

This is the most scientific and in-depth book about habits that I've read.

Once you understand Fogg's B=MAP model, you'll understand why you behave the way you do. The book also shares the importance of building a habit before trying to optimize it.
5/ The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by @EricJorgenson

All of @naval's wisdom about health, wealth, and wisdom in one place.

You'll learn how to get rich without getting lucky, why you need to use leverage, how to be happier, and countless more wonderful tips for a better life.
6/ The Psychology of Money by @morganhousel

The book is filled with 19 short stories that will help you better understand how to think about money, how to invest it, the difference between being rich and being wealthy, how not to get greedy, and so much more.

A must-read.
7/ Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t by @SPressfield

Pressfield is the Coach K of the writing world. He'll teach you how to be a better writer (and creator).

He provides honest and blunt writing advice in a tough-love type of way. Helpful to both fiction or non-fiction writers.
8/ The Go Giver by @BobBurg & @JohnDavidMann

An entertaining and insightful parable that every business person should read.

Probably the most important lesson I learned is that your compensation is determined by how many people you serve: Bigger impact = Bigger paycheck.
9/ Steal Like An Artist by @austinkleon

Every creator should read this book.

You'll learn that your ideas do not have to be 100% original. That lesson took a huge weight off my shoulders. That doesn't mean you should steal, but it is okay to steal like an artist.
10/ How To Read A Book by Mortimer Alder & Charles Doren

This book showed me that reading was a skill and ignited a fire in me to study the art of reading.

I hope to pick off where Alder & Doren left off and eventually write an updated version of their book.
What were some of your favorite books of 2020?
PS:

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I write a summary with actionable advice from a new book each week.

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More from @AlexAndBooks_

30 Dec 20
I've been working at @podcastnotes for almost 2 years.

During that time, I've taken notes on 400+ podcasts.

Here are my top 10 favorite podcasts of all-time.

(thread) 🧡 Image
10/ Naval Ravikant (@naval) on The Knowledge Project (@ShaneAParrish)

Taking notes on this podcast landed me the job at PN and introduced me to the vast wisdom of Naval.

I loved learning about Naval's reading system, his advice on happiness, how he views habits, and much more.
9/ Josh Wolfe (@wolfejosh) on Invest Like The Best (@patrick_oshag)

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β€’ Don't be boring (2x)
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28 Dec 20
This year I completed the 52 book challenge for the first time ever.

What did I learn from this hitting this goal?

The 52 book challenge is flawed and outdated.

Here's why (plus a free & better reading challenge for you):

(thread) 🧡
0/ Background

The goal of the 52 book challenge is to read 52 books in 52 weeks.

It's a popular challenge for readers:

β€’ The r/52books subreddit has 132k+ subs
β€’ Goodreads has over 5.3 MILLION users participating in the challenge

BUT...this challenge has a ton of flaws
0/ (continued)

At first glance, the challenge seems great:

β€’ Gives people a big goal to strive for
β€’ Encourages people to read more
β€’ Easy to measure success

However, the incentives of this challenge aren't properly aligned for becoming a better reader.

Here's why:
Read 20 tweets
9 Dec 20
The incredible story of how Frederick Douglass learned how to read & write.

(thread) 🧡
In his book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass talks about his life as a slave and his heroic escape to the North.

One part of his story that I found especially fascinating was how he taught himself how to read and write.
As a slave, Douglass was treated poorly.

He was often overworked and underfed.

He was given almost no clothes and slept in a sack to stay warm, β€œIn the hottest summer and coldest winter, I was kept almost naked...I had no bed,” Douglass wrote in his memoir.
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8 Dec 20
I'm building an online course to help people become better readers.

BUT...I've never built a course before.

SO...what do you say we build this together?

β€’ How To Build A Successful Online Course (build-in public edition)

(thread) 🧡
/ Thread Intro:

This will be a live and ongoing thread where I share how and why I'm building my course The Art of Reading.

I'll be transparent about the success of my course and share helpful resources to help YOU build your own course.

Let's begin!

alexbooks.podia.com/the-art-of-rea…
1/ Why build a course?

Content creators of today all have a website, social media presence, newsletter, and maybe even a podcast.

The content creators of the future will all have a course (or other digital products).

Why?
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7 Dec 20
The A&B Merch store is live! πŸ‘•

After months of going back and forth with designers and product samples, I'm happy to share that the A&B merch store is up.

(discount code below)
Currently, we have the classic A&B logo on t-shirts and stickers.

I'll likely expand to more designs and products over time but if you want to be a true fan and get the first-ever official A&B merch, check out the store.

Shirts are 100% cotton and also come in women's sizes!
β€’ Use promo code "TW25" to save 25% on your first order!

Check out the store here: πŸ˜ƒ

teespring.com/stores/alex-bo…
Read 4 tweets
29 Nov 20
What The World’s Reading Habits Look Like in 2020

(thread) 🧡
Which Countries Read The Most? 🌎

(hours per person each week)

1) India = ~11 hours
2) Thailand = ~9.5 hours
3) China = 8 hours
...
22) USA = ~6 hours
In 1820, 12% of the global population could read and write.

In 2020, 86% of the global population can read and write.

BUT...there is a gender discrepancy:

β€’ 90% of boys are literate compared to 83% for girls
Read 9 tweets

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