Reading has become one of my favorite pass times and I make it a priority to read every day. That being said, I read a lot of books, and I actually set goals to read even more every quarter. I want to work my way up to reading at least 52 books a year, one a week. As it was for most people, 2021 was a hectic year for me, however I was still able to get a decent number of books read. So here are my top 10 books from 2021 that will hopefully give you some good suggestions.
10. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is an amazing book. First published in 1866, it has become one of the most famous and influential books of Russian literature. Dostoevsky dives straight into the core fundamental problems of morality, and argues from multiple perspectives, via his characters. The main character, Rodion Raskolnikov is an impoverished law student who is conflicted about morality. He believes that there are extraordinary men who contribute so much to society that they should be above the law, he uses Napoleon as an example. With this in mind, he decides to murder a pawnbroker who is a horrible person, and from there the fun begins.
Dostoevsky comments on the god complex of humans via Raskolnikov and asked questions such as is there a god? And whether rational thought should trump religion, amongst many others. I wrote a post going into this more in depth that I will link (here). This was definitely an outstanding novel to read, and one I look forward to reading again as I find and study Dostoevsky’s other works.
9. The New Great Depression: Winners and Losers in a Post-Pandemic World by James Rickards
This book is written by one of my favorite authors. James Rickards has multiple New York Times best-selling books on top of being an investment advisor, lawyer, inventor, and economist. If you listen to some of his interviews you will quickly find out that he is an absolute firehose of information. In The New Great Depression, Rickards makes the argument that the United States has years of deflation, mass unemployment, and declining demographics to look forward to. According to him, the trillions of dollars that the Federal Reserve has been printing as well as the fiscal deficit spending from the government will not have the desired effect that voters would like to believe. He also goes in-depth and cites legit articles and sources for his information. This is definitely a point of view you will want to listen to.
I have read quite a few of his books and I recommend him in general as an author. Regardless, you can find this book HERE if you are interested.
8. Tax-Free Wealth: How to Build Massive Wealth by Permanently Lowering Your Taxes by Tom Wheelwright, CPA
I am not a tax advisor; however, Tom Wheelwright is. After reading this book I have a much deeper understanding of taxes in the United States, and some things in mind to help me reduce them legally in the future. He explains why the government actually wants you to pay less in taxes and why investors and entrepreneurs get all of the tax breaks. This happens for a reason. It is called Tax-Free Wealth for a reason. He also gives some resources and a bunch of book recommendations at the end.
7. ABCs of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss by Ken McElroy
My favorite asset class so far is real-estate, and all of Ken McElroy’s books have helped me significantly in understanding much more about it. After reading his books, if I do not understand something about real-estate, I at least now know where to look. Saying it is the ABCs version is not an understatement. This was one of the first real-estate related books I read, and he does a good job at explaining in a way that is understandable to a complete beginner. If you are interested in learning more about real-estate, I’d definitely recommend looking into Ken McElroy’s books. He also has a YouTube channel where he gives some of his knowledge away for free.
6. The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny by William Strauss and Neil Howe
Now this book will completely change the way you think about history and the events that currently happen in the world. The authors apply their knowledge of generational theories to the cycles of history, and they explain in depth how this applies for American history all the way to the War of Roses in England.
Essentially, there are four archetypes that define each generation as well as four different seasons (turnings) that cycle through history. Each turning lasts about the length of a generation, so whenever each generation reaches a new phase of life, approximately every 20 to 25 years or so. The characteristics of each generation and their place in life define how society progresses through history at that time, and vice versa. History defines the people; the people define the history. This book has an obnoxious amount of information because they really go in-depth and use a lot of history and facts to explain themselves. I highly recommend this book for everyone to read, their predictions are also scarily accurate as this book was written in 1997.
5. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius became the emperor of Rome in 161 A.D. and Meditations is essentially his journal during the last few years of his life. It is not like a typical journal, it is mostly quick reflections of his, normally not exceeding a paragraph or two. Being known for his effect on stoic philosophy, Marcus provides wisdom, insights, and pragmatic guidance on life and coping with adversity, something he had plenty of experience with. I personally read the version translated by Gregory Hays, an associate professor of classics at the University of Virginia. Hays gives an introduction that provides some background knowledge that really does help a new student of stoicism understand Marcus’s actual work. This is a book that needs to be re-read on a regular basis, like once a year at least.
4. Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest In, That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! By Robert Kiyosaki
This is one of the books that is a part of what I like to call Rich Dad’s BIG THREE, which consists of Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Cashflow Quadrant as well, all by Robert Kiyosaki. These were the three books that I think really lay the groundwork for a person’s financial education. All three of these books are amazing, but I read the other two in 2020, so this is the one that makes the cut for 2021. Robert does an excellent job of keeping this simple, so simple in fact, that he includes pictures. I personally see no reason to be ashamed for needing a visual aid to help you understand a concept. Actually, this is something that a lot of my colleagues in physics do even when you get to more advanced levels.
In this book, Robert provides the reader with many lessons that you must understand to be mentally prepared to become an investor in the first place. He also explains how there are different types of investors, a concept not everyone understands. The different types he gives are Accredited, Qualified, Inside, and Ultimate. Before you get mad about the inside investor comment, he is talking about the legal version, and he explains this in-depth. Finally, he also gives you lessons that will help you build a business that is fundamentally strong, and how these tie into your life investing goals. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to lead a life into financial freedom. This is not a book to just be read, this is a book to be STUDIED. There is a difference.
3. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
If you think the adversity you have endured in your life is a proper excuse to be lazy or play the victim, you must read this book. David Goggins is a retires Navy SEAL that has competed in many ultra-marathons, ultra-triathlons, and other endurance events. He also used to hold the Guinness World Record for completing the most amount of pull ups in seventeen hours. If you continuously use excuses and have a victim mentality, no matter what you have experienced in your life, this book will give you a kick that will help you completely alter your mindset. He even gives you activities to do to actively change it as well. His motivational videos and interviews on YouTube are must watches as well.
2. Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics by Henry Hazlitt
You don’t need a Ph.D. in economics to understand how the economy works. Henry Hazlitt actually breaks it down into a very easy to understand book about 200 pages long. The actual one lesson he alludes to in the title is only five pages, and the rest of the book is used to destroy myths about economics that are taken for granted and with some of them even taught in school. I have also written a post about this lesson that will be linked (here) just in case you want to read more about that lesson. This book placed second on my top 10 books from 2021 because it really does lay the groundwork for the understanding of economics.
1. The Unplugged Alpha: The No Bullsh*t Guide to Winning with Women & Life by Richard Cooper
Finally, my number one pick for my top 10 books from 2021. Now, hear me out because titles can be deceiving. Essentially a playbook for becoming successful with women and in life, this book provides a perspective that will completely change the way a person thinks about themselves. The main reason this book is my number one pick for my top 10 books from 2021 is that it completely changes my mindset on how I view myself. Since reading this book, I have completely embodied the concept of “Chase Excellence, not Women”. For women to actually be interested in you, as a man, you need to become the man they want to be interested in. Focus on yourself, become the success however you define it, and women will come. However, it is not about the women, it is more about the success. You need to become the person you want to be. Screw what others think of you in this respect because it really doesn’t matter. Chase excellence as you define it FOR YOURSELF, and everything else will either gravitate towards you or you will realize you never really cared about it in the first place.
Above are the covers of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd books from my top 10 books from 2021 list! So they will be easier to find.
Final thoughts
I hope this top 10 books from 2021 is helpful, or at least gives you some recommendations for a starting place. As long as you start, you will find out if you are on the correct path or not, and you can pivot if need be. If you never start you will never get what you want in life in the first place.
To your wealth and future,
James Forsythe
