Reading list of 2020
Still managed to continue reading in 2020, and came in at 15 books. I believe that’s the smallest number of books I’ve finished in a year since I have started tracking my reading.
There was a big shift in what I read. The books now mostly revolve around investing and the stock market. The software reading is still there, but it’s mostly relegated to blog posts and independent research. The stock market books are definitely dominating the “bookshelf”.
Let’s get to the list.
January (0)
I was busy on sabbatical coding away on my personal projects.
February (1)
Natural History of the Piano
Someone gifted me this one for Christmas as I have started to play the piano a year ago. I actually enjoyed the book, it was a great break from serious reading that I usually do.
March (1)
100 Baggers: Stocks that return 100–to-1 and how to find them
It’s a wildly popular read with investors and comes highly recommended. To be honest, I was not a big fan when I read it first, and after studying the markets intensely for close to a year now, not a big fan of this book now either.
I love the concept of 100 baggers. I love the general idea that the book promotes: it is extremely hard to hold on to the 100 baggers and not sell early. I dislike it simply because I find it not practical. You are not going to learn how to find 100 baggers from this book, and you are definitely not going to learn how to hold them. Read this book for fun.
April (0)
Some sort of virus was kicking ass and kids were at home. Yeah, no time to read.
May (1)
It’s a book written in 2017 that perfectly describes the technology trends we see today and/or are about to experience. I love the structure of the book and at its core, it changed my attitude and understanding of the whole idea of us socially sharing thoughts, knowledge, and how we live online. I used to think about social media in negative terms only but after reading this book I have changed my mind.
Things like sharing, mixing, tracking, and filtering have gone from something that felt uncomfortable to something that now seems necessary, is a fact of life, and technology around these topics is what the world revolves around today.
June (5)
Covid lifestyle was starting to settle in and I found more time to read.
The Gig Economy
I needed this one as much as I needed “The Inevitable”. Up until I read this book the gig economy felt something like what a small percentage of people did that is this niche thing that I paid very little attention to. Now I think it’s a trend that is only going to grow and has continued to grow.
The book is much more than just doing side gigs. It’s about a lifestyle that includes: spending less, having less debt, saving more, and diversifying your income. Income diversification is the key here. Multiple revenue streams can unlock possibilities in your life that a single but “steady” job cannot.
Rocket Stocks
Meh. I only looked at it to see what are the talking points of someone that tries to sell you the concept of “rocket stocks”. That way I know how to avoid such sellers in real life :) No lies in this short book, all truth, but basically not very practical and oversimplifies the concept of uncovering the exponential gains.
The Art of Execution
I would classify this book as the start of the turning point in my stock trading and investing approach. I was still very much blind after reading the book but it planted the right seeds for the next steps in my education.
Before this book, I thought there is ONE way to make money in the markets. This book was the start of dispelling such a notion, as there are many ways to do it. Also, before this book, I thought it was EXTREMELY important to be right in order to make money in the markets. This book showed that no, you can be wrong most of the time and still make money. Professionals are wrong all the time. It’s what they do with situations when they are right that makes all of the difference.
Earn 5 to 10% Monthly Selling Options
I had spent around nine months doing basically what this book talks about, but before I read the book. So it was very cool to see and compare the notes of how the authors approached a similar money-making strategy and why they thought it was great. I think you can learn a thing or two from reading it.
Here are my notes on the book:
it was OK, basically my selling strategy for the most part except they had some bells and whistles with credit and debit spreads.
Dangerous actions of margin selling here and there with multiple contracts.
Yup yup.
The Complete Guide to Option Selling, Second Edition
NOTE: the author went completely bust following the strategy described in the book!!!
I hope they never discontinue selling this book. It’s perfect as you can see how certain investing strategies can lead to ruin but you get to see it when things are going great and ruin appears like a very distant and unlikely possibility. I love books on what NOT TO DO.
My notes on it were funny:
Poor bastard. Lost everything in one of his schemes. Repeatedly saying in the book “the odds of this event happening a really good, so you should go for it, manage the risk”. But really, he did not manage it himself.
This book made me SUPER conscious about the downsides of my moves. Always always always always always always start with risk management. And you will be shitty at it, the biggest risks are the ones you do not anticipate, but that does not mean you should not think about it and try to anticipate. It might turn a situation that would ruin you into a situation that might just hurt you.
July (1)
Super Human
It’s interesting but I did not find it earth-shattering. A good read to pick up a few ideas here and there and just to get a general sense of what matters if you want to keep your body in top shape. There is a lot to this topic, so I was just curious to see what the biohackers are up to.
August (2)
14 Habits of Highly Productive Developers
Meh. Interviews with devs working at some of the more famous software shops. Did not learn much.
The Lifecycle Trade
Meh. The book contains some interesting numbers on IPOs and offers several approaches to how one could execute such trades. If nothing else, it made me more cautious and yet at the same time more comfortable with getting into some IPOs. My rule #1 is to avoid them, but if I find myself in one, I have some data that I can use which tells me what is normal and not normal in the IPO price action.
September (0)
Weird, no finished books in September. I was probably busy at work.
October (3)
Blood Makes the Grass Grow
I love reading about counter-terrorism and military books from time to time, so picked this one up for a nice diversion from daily coding and investing education. It was an interesting read.
Think & Trade Like a Champion
It’s a very recent read, but I have to say this book has changed my life.
My approach to how I handle investments, especially short term trades, has been forever altered because of this book. All of my trading now roughly follows the framework laid out by the author. I might read this book yearly or quarterly until the lessons inside of it are burned into my brain.
It’s not only about investing. It’s about how you live your life. Choosing to be a winner, choosing to have success, putting in the work, and cultivating the right attitude.
The Art of Scalability
I have had this book for a couple of years. I tried reading it in the past and had found it to be dry and not very practical. Not sure what changed but I returned to it years later and LOVED IT.
It’s a must-have if you are a senior engineer and want to understand how to build scalable teams and products. It’s super dense in how much information it has so you might need a few passes and in each pass, you will pick up different things.
November (0)
December (1)
The Psychology of Money
A great book to end the year. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with how Morgan presents his ideas on Twitter, they come off a bit “click bait” -ish. But whatever, the book contains many truths and ideas that can benefit you greatly if you want to understand money and how the world operates.
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That’s the full list. Here is to more reading in 2021!
