2018 Book Reviews

Written By Tanner Milne

I have gone back and forth writing full book reviews on each book I read. Lately, when I finish a book, I go through and take screen shots of key pages and add the photos with my notes and ideas into Evernote for future reference.

I don't have a great personal rating or ranking system. When I finish a book, I usually jot down whether or not I would recommend it, though this may not be helpful because we all read with a different objective.

As a brief reminder, I am usually simultaneously reading anywhere from two to four books at a time and listening to one on Audible. Below are the books I listened to and read in 2018 with my recommendations. I'm separating them into two different lists because I also rate Audible books on entertainment rather than just value of content.

Audiobooks

Physical Books

  • Multipliers by Liz Wiseman: Just finished this one with the Menlo team and loved it!

  • My Plan for Living to 156 by Dan Sullivan: Was okay, received at Strategic Coach.

  • Mindset by Carol S. Dweck: Loved it and feel that every person should read this.

  • Peak by Anders Ericsson: Very interesting but very scientific. I loved it, but might not recommend to everyone.

  • The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak, Dave Runyon & Randy Frazee: Super great content for being a great neighbor. Oh how communities would change for good if we adopted these principals.

  • Willpower Doesn’t Work by Benjamin Hardy: One of, if not my favorite book of the year. LOVED it.

  • Capableism by Dan Sullivan: It was an interesting, quick read that I received at Strategic Coach.

  • Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi: I really liked it, but certainly not a book I would recommend to most people, as his strategy is not very attainable for most people I know.

  • Icarus Deception by Seth Godin: I didn’t love the read, but really popped at the end.

  • Getting More by Stuart Diamond: I didn’t actually finish in its entirety but it's possibly the best book on negotiation I have read. I even got Nordstrom to return 5 pairs of pants by using one of the tactics.

  • The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: Really great read, highly recommend.

  • Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge: I recommended this book to a friend before I read it, but would not recommend unless you are in a very unhealthy physical state and need some guidance.

  • The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy: This was my second go around, as we read it as a team at Menlo. I believe we even added this to our Core Library. Highly recommend.

  • If You're Not First, You're Last by Grant Cardone: This was another one we read as a team. I really enjoyed it, but Grant is a little much for me.

  • Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters: This is a quick read for EOS only. May be worth reading for entrepreneurs.

  • Value Added by Brad Umansky: This book is specific to commercial real estate. Really great read for the trade so highly recommend for commercial real estate folks.

  • To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink: Super interesting and would highly recommend.

  • The Monk and the Riddle by Randy Komisar & Kent Lineback: This has been on my list for a few years, and I finally got around to it. Quick read and very interesting, would recommend.

  • Thrive by Blaine Strickland: This is a commercial real estate book, written by a guy I care deeply about. Quick and good read for commercial real estate folks.

  • The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor: To me, this book is a game changer and would recommend to anyone.  His TED Talk is also amazing!

  • Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk: It didn’t grab me, so unless you are looking to really take over the digital world with your personal presence, I would not recommend.

  • The ABC Model Breakthrough by Dan Sullivan. This is another book I received at Strategic Coach, really great concept.

  • The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey & Jim Huling: I really loved it, but if you are operating with Playing to Win, EOS, Rockefeller Habits, or some other system, it might throw you off.

  • The Appointment Scheduler by Gina Pellegrini: Very interesting for a sales professional or assistant to a high functioning sales professional.

  • It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong: Even though the truth has now come out, I still think he is a stud. Possibly my only nonbusiness book of the year.

  • Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Tough to get through, interesting concepts and would not recommend unless you are studying flow.

  • Think Like Sherlock Holmes by David Waterhouse: Interesting, but not recommended.

  • Faster than Normal by Peter Shankman: Really interesting. Found some things that have helped me become more effective in my day.

  • Art of Doing Less by Ari Meisel: Short but good read.  Read this in February and now I have joined Ari’s Less Doing leaders group.

  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: Really great read.

  • Essentialism by Greg McKeown: I actually read this book twice during 2018: at the very beginning of the year and then as a team at Menlo.  This might be in my top 5 books of all time.

  • Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss: I love Tim, so of course I loved this especially since I have listened to his podcast for several years.

  • Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Leavitt & Stephen J. Dubner: Probably not something I will recommend to people.

  • Deep Work by Cal Newport: I would highly recommend, although almost a year later now, I am not sure I have put anything into practice from it.

  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick M. Lencioni: We read this as a team and think it is extremely valuable for team health.

  • As a Man Thinketh by James Allen: Solid, should be on the annual list for personal alignment.

  • The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: Super quick read and highly recommend for anyone looking to dial in their morning routine.

Tanner Milne
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