Hey,

I'm a big fan of books (although I haven't still read too many of them). A good book, when APPLIED in life, can literally change it like nothing else. Books I've read shaped me and my life. What are the books that gave YOU the most, including pick-up related stuff as well as self-development and really everything? It could be an online course, audiobook, and video as well. What three products (I hate that word) gave you the most in life and you'd recommend to everyone?

I've got a book recommendations post here: http://www.practicalpickup.com/book-recommendations

But most influential on me personally? Would probably be these three:
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber
- No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert Glover

Would love to hear others' favorites.

How to be an Alpha Male- Love Systems (Mr. M, Braddock, Sherriff). The concept of the Alpha Male is hugely debated, and generally any material on it is actually detrimental. That said, I think these guys absolutely NAIL IT. This audio series changed my perspective on the world more than anything I've read in the last five years. It truly opened my eyes to how ambitious I could be, in so many areas of my life. It taught me to stop seeing people as your enemies, but just as people with flaws and insecurities. Every time I listen to this I learn something new. I seriously think I will be learning from this one thing the rest of my life. If you haven't heard it yet Mark, you really should.

To Kill A Mockingbird- Harper Lee. I read a lot of books when I was young that helped build my sense of values and morality, but this would be right up there when it comes to novels that made me furious, deeply saddened, and nakedly empathetic when it comes to intolerance and prejudice. This is just one of those books that makes you passionately determined to do your part to fight discrimination in all it's forms.

This Is Water-David Foster Wallace. I read this almost three years ago now I think, but it's still life changing. It keeps you humble, conscious, compassionate, and it still breaks my heart.

1. Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins
2. Demian by Herman Hesse
3. Nine Ball by Jeff Allen

Not necessarily the best books, but most influential to me from a self improvement point of view.

Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler - Runs a theme of discovering who your friends are, how to value and test trust and a point of view on what life is.

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell - deep analysis of the 10,000 hour rule as a path towards expertise, which I have become a big supporter of. Mark's post on Discipline explains very well why this is important.

The Prince - Machiavelli - not directly applicable today, unless you're a modern day dictator (which seem to be on the decline today considering what's happening in north Africa). However, it teaches you how to think about personal characteristics and analyze actions. A very big takeaway for me was that there's no such thing as good or evil men, only perspectives.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera - Read it for the first time in high school, this novel probably affected my views on relationships more than any other. I constantly refer back to it in conversation ten years later.

Flow - Mihály Csíkszentmihályi - A book about happiness and high achievement. The idea is that people are happiest when they are doing things that fully challenge them, but don't quite overwhelm them.

Getting Things Done - David Allen - The only book on organization/time management that still is relevant, in my opinion.

Mark referred me to No more Mr Nice Guy. I would highly recommend it to guys who are trying to break out of their shell. If your new to the whole getting out of your shell and you have started looking into the dating and PUA stuff, I would recommend The System by Doc Love for NEWBIES. It provides a basic understanding of how to interact with woman when your dating.

Other general interest books I would look into are any book by Mitch Albom (really easy quick reads) and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Yeah Alchemist is great. And I can't recommend the Lovesystems Alpha Male interview enough. Great thread by the way.

My 3:
- Way of the Superior Man (cliche, I know, but has to be there)
- Warrior of Light, A Manual (More Paulo Coelho)
- Pulling Your Own Strings (for dealing with boundaries)

Words don't even describe how much I love "This is Water" by DFW. I don't really see it as a book though. But it's possibly the best piece of self-help I've ever read in my life.

http://www.practicalpickup.com/this-is-water

(04-08-2011 09:17 AM)Mark Wrote:  I've got a book recommendations post here: http://www.practicalpickup.com/book-recommendations

But most influential on me personally? Would probably be these three:
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

She has a very icky philosophy as far as I know. The objectivist philosophy seems a lot like rationalized asshole behavior.