Might be time to have an official Cypher Avenue Squad Member Approved Reading-List on the site. In this thread everyone can either tell us what they are currently reading or suggest books that they’ve read in the past.
It can be either fiction or non-fiction, but the only requirement is that the books have to be either highly recommended or something you think the squad might really enjoy.
The books seen in the photo above are new additions to my library. On a whim, I was motivated to search for some “self help books for men” and came across these as top contenders.
Since I haven’t yet read them all, I’ll give quick reasons why I pulled trigger on each one.
1.) The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden: Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Self Esteem. Like many people, I go through bouts in which I’m super confident then in a moment’s notice become an insecure bag of meat. Then I look at so many people thirst trapping and bragging on social media and wonder if those are displays of high self esteem or just disguised cries for help. So I wanted to do a little research on the topic. This book was suggested by many others.
2.) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey: When I look back at my life I know that I’ve accomplished a decent amount in my 40 years here on Earth. However, I know that I could be doing so much more, not just with my career but also my personal life.
3.) Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins: I always viewed Tony Robbins as a quack motivational speaker but this book was highly recommended as actually having very good advice and self help tools.
4.) You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero: I’m a sucker for books with curse words in the title. Sometimes even I need reminders of just how fuckin’ dope I am. The reviews of this book suggested it would help.
5.) The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson: Again, curse words in the title! Seriously though, as many regular readers already know, there’s already a lot that I don’t give a fuck about. All of the many positive reviews on this book suggest that it offers great counter-intuitive advice on finding personal happiness and fulfillment.
6.) How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie: I bought this classic book not only to gain tips on gaining and growing even more adult friendships, but also to help with my various business endeavors that involve interacting with people.
7.) The Autobiography of Gucci Mane by Gucci Mane: Say what you will about his music, the man def has an interesting life story. A New York Times Bestseller and massive critical acclaim, this was a no-brainer for me.
I’m still only halfway through the book so I haven’t reached the part where he talks about being cloned while in prison.
8.) Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a Fuck: Even more curse words in the title! Lately I’ve started eating healthier and considered adding at least a few vegan dishes to my options when cooking at home. This book stood out because it had tons of photos and seemed to have the type of recipes that looked appetizing to even non-vegans.
And how could I say no when it features a black kid drawing comic books?
What books would you add to the Cypher Avenue Reading List?
List it below and tell us about it!
Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes To Those Who Create It by Charlamagne tha God (gov't name: Lenard McKelvey), (NYT Bestseller & debuted at #6 on the charts) – highly recommended non-fiction book.
I have read most of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People while in college. I had an advanced biochemistry professor suggest it to me because he said he saw something in me and felt like the book could take me to the next level.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson was recommended to me by @Infinite_loop and another fellow Cypher Avenue friend who lives here in ATL that loves reading books. I will have to check it out someday.
Right now during the winter, I want to get into 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill (self-help; non-fiction) and also 'Lives of Great Men' by Chike Frankie Edozien (non-fiction). The latter book is a collection of short stories from Nigerian gay men which is looking to be pretty interesting. S/O to @Infinite_loop for gifting me with the book.
I am a big bibliophile so this is a thread I can get behind(no pun intended):
I read The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson and I am currently reading Lives of Great Men as suggested by @Nick Delmacy and @African King respectively. They are both incredibly engaging books. Also, Dale Carnegie's and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are both classics that I love and re-read/skim them for insight, at least once a year
Here's a short list of some of my favorite books this year as well:
1) The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in Life and Business
There's a lot of chatter and books about habits, but if you want a fascinating look on how habits are formed and how they become a fabric of every product being pushed, this is the book.
2) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African ChildHood by Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah is hilarious and his upbringing is as interesting as it is going to get. Get this as an audiobook if possible. Audible.com has it narrated by Trevor himself.
3) Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
To quote the author "Computers, like us, confront limited space and time, so computer scientists have been grappling with similar problems for decades. And the solutions they’ve found have much to teach us."
If you could give one less fuck about algorithms, but still kinda curious about what the fuss is all about, this is a good book to read. One such algorithm is based on the optimal stopping theorem which can teach a thing or two to gay dudes about when they need to stop chasing dick and ass and actually settle down :kermit: LOL
4) Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who we really are
Democratic strongholds search for the N-Word the most, the Bible Belt loves gay porn, ….let this former Google data scientist tell you what's really the tea…
I read How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie a few years ago. It is definatley a good recommendation by @Nick Delmacy. I actually started reading it again.
Also the following book is good if you want to learn a little more about index funds.
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing is the classic guide to getting smart about the market. Legendary mutual fund pioneer John C. Bogle reveals his key to getting more out of investing: low-cost index funds
Here is my 2017 readling list:
Kill all Normies was a book that I read to get a better understand of this online culture that has risen up in this era of Trump. It also confirms what we already know, white men are mediocre and racist AF.
Everything by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I will also include "Between the World and Me," too on this list. I honestly think that Coates is the Black Thought Leader of this generation.
This is the most recent book that I finished. It was gifted to me by a friend who thought I might find it interesting. While the book was informative and spoke to a lot of things I experienced growing up it is written for white gay men of a certain status. The book talks a lot about shame and the experience of shame.
This book was a purchase because I don't read a lot of fiction and it was on the recommended list. At first, I was like I don't know about it, its a romance novel about youthful lust and obsession. But after getting through it, I thought it was really good. The book is getting new life because they just released a movie under the same title.
This Book is an interesting take on the status of the American criminal justice system. It is relatively short. It will make you angry. But as a black man, it is something I already know too well…