Last year was a decent year of reading for me (although, like everyone I wished I read more). Here are my reviews of the books I read last year.

On Confidence by The School of Life

This is a very short book (2-3 hours) written by The School of Life. It’s a really good book, honestly. It’s my second read. I’ve listened to the audiobook sometime either last year or two years ago.

The School of Life was founded by Alain de Botton. Their mission is finding secular wisdom for modern living, and this book hits the nail on the head.

The idea in this book is that true confidence doesn’t come from being better than everyone else. It comes from realizing that everyone is struggling. We share the same limitations, anxiety, and stress. The moment you realize “we are all listening” on the same human level, you become more confident.

Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

The most impactful of Holiday’s works for me.

I’ve been following Ryan Holiday for years, but this book hit me harder than The Obstacle Is the Way. The message is kind of a warning that if you don’t stop thinking you are the “main character” of an anime or a movie, bad things will happen. The world will not bend to your will, and believing your vices are necessary for your work is a trap.

The book is structured as an anthology of stories from history a lot of famous people, politician or successful entrepreneurs. It’s like walking in a museum of the achievements of great people but also at the same time in the display there’s a huge wall that explains all their mistakes and failures (catastrophic failures in fact, for some of them). I think anyone who reads this will be humbled. I plan to re-read this annually to keep my own ego in check.

Models by Mark Manson & Mate by Tucker Max

The only two dating books you need.

I read these back-to-back based on a recommendation from Chris Williamson (Modern Wisdom podcast). He called them the “only two good dating books out there,” and I agree.

They offer a very sobering take on dating. It isn’t about pickup lines or tricks; the first 70% of both books is purely about the philosophy of how you approach dating and self-worth. Models went way more in depth on the “how” of dating, but both books are great.

$100M Offers by Alex Hormozi

I don’t even have a rapidly growing business yet, but I read this because Hormozi is such a strong role model for discipline and hard work. I learned a ton of terminology and business concepts. This book will be way more useful if I have a business…

The Algebra of Happiness & The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway

I have massive respect for Scott Galloway (“Prof G”). He offers non-hustle culture advice that is actually grounded in reality.

Beyond business, he talks about what it actually means to be happy (including a very touching story about his mother). If you haven’t seen his TED Talk, start there, then grab these books.

The Million-Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

I think it’s best to just skim this book. Noah Kagan is a successful entrepreneur, but this book was a letdown. It tries to be half-story and half-tutorial, which means you get the best of neither.

Basically the main takeaway is that you have to suck before you succeed. You just have to start. If you want the nitty-gritty business details, read Hormozi instead.

Meditation for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Burkeman is fantastic (I recommend almost all his books). This book challenges the failure of modern productivity. He argues that our systems (to-do lists, time blocking) often “work too well,” just adding complexity to our lives. It’s a reflection on living meaningfully amidst distraction and the anxiety of the future. Lots of bite sized lessons (only a few pages) for 28 days. The whole theme is about human finitude, I love it so much. I’m really into existentialism and finding a more sane and “down to earth” way of approaching life and success these days, so this is definitely a treat. If you read it cover to cover it’s probably less than three hours so grab it if you like.

The PARA Method by Tiago Forte

Building a Second Brain* was bad. The PARA Method is his only good book. It’s short, practical, and I implemented it immediately in my Obsidian vault. The basic idea is that PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive) organizes files based on utility and timeline, not category. It cleaned up my file directory instantly. You can use this method in any software on any platform. Definitely very useful for productivity. It’s like one of those really good books like GTD for someone who has never heard of it before. And it’s also very short, just a few hours.

A System for Writing by Bob Doto

This is the best book on Zettelkasten.

If you are interested in the Zettelkasten note-taking method, read this. Do not read How to Take Smart Notes (which I found poorly written). I found this book because I was trying to implement Zettelkasten so that I can write more, with less effort.

Doto explains clearly how to link notes to explore thoughts and ensure you never lose a concept from a book you’ve read. I’ve been using his system for weeks, have over 100 notes, and it has been a game-changer for my writing workflow. Doto also has a very good series on his website so you can look into that before reading the book if you’re unsure yet.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I am not an objectivist. But this book was a wild ride.

This book was a struggle. It took me 3 months to finish because the prose is notorious for being dense and very terse. However, the ideas—specifically regarding freedom and free market enterprise—left a massive mark on me (I have over 514 highlights).

As an engineer, I identified heavily with the protagonist, Hank Rearden, and the descriptions of the steel and railroad industries. It’s essentially a philosophical treatise disguised as a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s insanely fun when it gets into the main plot, like I said, it’s like a movie. But then there’s like, a two hour long monologue at the end of the book…which is insane. I read alongside listening the audiobook version and I wholly recommend that for both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, otherwise I wouldn’t have finished this book (it’s 1100 pages!)

The Chair of the Flamingo (홍학의 자리)

A South Korean crime thriller. It hasn’t been translated into English yet. It fits my usual genre preferences (crime/gore), but this one was fairly predictable. It’s not the best book I’ve read, though I did appreciate the plot twist at the very end. I was planning to read more novels last year but got distracted by English books since they’re more relevant to me now, but at least I’m reading. I have a full review of this book on my previous post.

The Mountain’s Range by BronzeStar (on AO3)

This was my “guilty pleasure” of 2025. It’s a Game of Thrones fanfiction where a modern character is inserted into Westeros.

It is 800,000 words long (for context, that is significantly longer than Atlas Shrugged). I read it every single day for three months towards the end of the year. Did I learn anything? No. But it reminded me why we fall in love with reading in the first place: purely for the joy of a story you can’t put down. This fanfic was sooooo fun. Hopefully I don’t find fanfic that is so fun like this again because I can’t put it down once I start reading. This was not my first AO3 fanfic, so I know how addicting it could be.

Here’s to more reading in 2026!!! I’m hoping to read more philosophy and business books since that’s what I want to learn more from but let’s see, only time will tell.