Books I Have Read in 2023

This is the second year that I have been keeping track of the books that I have finished reading. See the Books that I read in 2022 here and my Top 5 Books for the year. I plan to read 4 or 5 books each month. The goal is 52 books for the year or a book per week on average.

I say on average because I’m always reading multiple books at any one time and I finish them in clumps. So I might not finish reading any books for three weeks and then finish four in a few days. I can’t start just one book and finish it in one week as I’m just not wired like that.

I’ll list each book as I finish it and will review it shortly after if I liked it enough. I’m probably not going to bother reviewing a book if I really didn’t like it. I will list every finished book below though.

Books I Have Read in January 2023

• The Force by Stuart Wilde
  More of a booklet than a book as it’s only 71 pages. It’s a beauty though. Definitely worth reading if you like the author or you’re into all things metaphysical. I also have the audiobook which was read by Stuart and is also highly recommended.
• Value Able by Roger Montgomery
  Australian funds manager and financial media commentator shares how he values listed companies and looks for undervalued stocks with good financials. Great to learn more about value investing and what qualities to look for when buying a stock.

February Books

• Cashed Up with Commercial Property: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Cash Flow Positive Portfolio by Helen Tarrant
  Looks at the difference between investing in residential and commercial property and then looks at how to build an income with commercial property in Australia.
• Modern China by Jonathan Clements
  Good summary of China today and where it’s potentially heading.

March Books

• Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza
  I really like the author. The audiobook version of Becoming Supernatural is also highly recommended. I need the physical book to properly absorb a book but listening to the audiobook is a great way to revisit the information.
• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
  Interesting look into the life and businesses of one of the richest people in the world. It almost made me think about buying a Tesla Model S electric car. If you look at the Tesla website you’ll see their vehicle range as: Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. See what they did there? Sexy.
  

Books in April

• The Successor: The High-Stakes Life of Lachlan Murdoch by Paddy Manning
  I’m not sure why I insist on reading books about the media as it mostly disgusts me and it usually leads to talk of politics which disgusts me even more than the media. At least now I know a little more about Lachlan Murdoch.
• Gina: The Untold Story of the Richest Woman in the World by Adele Ferguson
  Interesting look at Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart.

Books I finished in May

• The Millionaire’s Factory: The Inside Story of How Macquarie Bank Became a Global Giant by Joyce Moullakis and Chris Wright
  I recently bought 10 shares in Macquarie and then noticed this book while browsing Amazon so I figured I should learn more about the Australian investment bank. I now feel poor as the CEO Shemara Wikramanayake owned 1,088,094 Macquarie shares at the time of the book being published. If she sold them today they would be worth (AUD) $194,855,873 and mine are worth $1,790! lol. It’s an interesting book though and I definitely learned more about how they actually make their money. So I think I’ll buy ten more ASX:MQG stocks when I can.
• One Up on Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market by Peter Lynch and John Rothchild
  Excellent, easy to read book on investing in stocks. Reading about money and investing in stocks can become very dull very quickly when the book is written by an expert as they’re generally very dull people. This isn’t one of those dull books as Peter Lynch seems to have a sense of humor and writes for readers.
• Communion: A True Story by Whitley Strieber
  I really struggled to finish this book. I’ve enjoyed reading most books on the topic of aliens but this one didn’t do it for me at all.

Books Finished in June

• Million Dollar Book Formula: How to Write a Short Book that Will Sell Forever by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz
  I always thought I had a book or two in me somewhere but I figured it would be something I would think about after I had almost finished living life. This little book got me thinking that maybe I should write a book NOW!
• Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money by Robert T. Kiyosaki
  In television terms this book would be called an infomercial. I’m not sure if people use it to describe books but they should. If I had a dollar for every time I had to read the word “CASHFLOW” to promote his game I would probably have a million dollars in my bank account. I think it’s fine to push your products and mention your previous books but seriously writers, show a little bit of respect to your readers who have already invested their money into purchasing your book and are now investing their time into reading your book!
• How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge into Words by Joanna Penn
  Now that I’ve definitely decided that I want to write a book I have been reading everything I can on the subject. Joanna looks at writing books and making a good living from it. This is a book I’ll be referring back to in the coming months as I move further down this book writing/publishing/marketing path.
• Money Magnet: How to Attract and Keep a Fortune that Counts by Steve McKnight
  Good base to build upon if you’re a poor wage slave. It’s things that we should be learning in school but then the system would have a harder time enslaving people as we would have choices.

Books Read in July

• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza
  I’ve also had this book in audio format for a couple of years. I decided to buy the paperback so that I can go through and do the exercises which I’m still yet to do. It’s a really good book though and I definitely recommend it. Even if the whole “pseudoscience” thing scares you, there’s enough in the book to get you asking your own questions about who we are and why we do what we do.
• The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
  Interesting look at money and investing, coming at the subject from a slightly different angle to most. Worth a read.
• You Can Create an Exceptional Life by Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson
  Written more for women but it was enjoyable and one can never have too much optimism in life.
• Investing for Growth: How to Make Money by Only Buying the Best Companies in the World by Terry Smith
  Terry Smith runs the successful Fundsmith fund in the UK. His mantra is to buy good companies, don’t overpay and then do nothing. He’s a value investor but looks at companies that have a habit of creating more value for investors rather than simply looking for cheap companies that have a habit of destroying value. The book is a collection of previously published articles and annual reports for Fundsmith.
• Black + Whiteley: Barry Dickens in Search of Brett by Barry Dickens
  I didn’t like this book at all. It was probably nine chapters too long and there were only ten chapters in the whole book. I did like that it was only 150 pages though.

Books Read in August

• Whispering Winds of Change: Perceptions of a New World by Stuart Wilde
  Definitely my favorite new age author. This book was first published way back in 1983. I read it sometime in the nineties I think and have kept the book ever since. The book literally fell apart while re-reading it after more than twenty years but it was worth the effort. I wish he was alive to see the past few years on this funny little planet we find ourselves on.
• Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor by Tren Griffin
  Lots of quotes by Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett so it’s worth a read.
• Modern Value Investing: 25 Tools to Invest with a Margin of Safety in Today’s Financial Environment by Sven Carlin
  I would much prefer to listen to Sven Carlin on his popular Youtube channel. His book has lots of good information in it but it really needs a good editor to go through it. I probably wouldn’t have finished it if I wasn’t already a fan of Sven online.
• Artists in Conversation by Janet Hawley
  Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in famous Australian artists like Brett Whiteley, John Olsen, William Dobell, Lloyd Rees, Albert Tucker, Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, Margaret Olley, Ben Quilty and others. Good biographical summary of each artist and lots of quotes from the artists.

Books I Have Read in September

• Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Amy Newmark
  Collection of motivational stories, some good, some not so much. Not sure this book lived up to the hype.
• Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World’s Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life by William Green
  Collection of insights and stories on investors like Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Monish Prabai, and John Templeton.
• 30 Properties Before 30: How you can Start Investing in Property Right Now by Eddie Dilleen
  Ok, I’m older than 30 but I decided to read a whole bunch of real estate investing books. Eddie’s strategy is to buy cheap properties that are positively geared and preferably using a buyer’s agent, which of course he is one. His story of poverty to wealth is inspirational.
• Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone by Satya Nadella
  This felt like a public relations book more than anything else. I wanted something motivational or insightful but I found neither.

Books I read in October

• The Three Keys to Self-Empowerment by Stuart Wilde
  This is three of Stuart Wilde’s booklets in one: Miracles, Life was Never Meant to be a Struggle and Silent Power. I like anything written by the author.
• The Big Fella: The Rise And Rise Of BHP Billiton by Robert Macklin and Peter Thompson
  I’m trying to read more books on business to help me with investing in stocks. I enjoyed this one on BHP but I did have to push myself a few times, mostly because mining isn’t my area of expertise or interest. I’m glad I persisted.

Books I Read in November

• The Day After Roswell by Colonel Philip J. Corso
  It was an enjoyable read but I’m suspicious of government people so why should I trust anything he says?
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
  I probably set myself up to not like this book because it was so popular and I didn’t disappoint myself as I struggled to finish it and wouldn’t recommend it.
• Super Brain: Unleashing the explosive power of your mind to maximize health, happiness and spiritual well-being by Deepak Chopra and Rudolph E. Tanzi
  Some interesting thoughts on the brain and how it works.

Books for December

• None! Actually, I still read quite a bit but I didn’t finish any books. It’s been at least a few years since this has happened.

What books have you been reading this year? Anything you would recommend?