{"id":95689,"date":"2018-01-13T14:30:37","date_gmt":"2018-01-13T21:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/renewsblog\/?p=95689"},"modified":"2021-03-16T13:47:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T19:47:21","slug":"top-10-books-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/top-10-books-2017","title":{"rendered":"My Top 10 Books (Out of the 56 I Read) for 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy new year! It\u2019s 2018, and you know what that means? It\u2019s time to reflect on the goals we set last year and make new ones for this upcoming year.<\/p>\n

While reflecting on 2017, I looked back at my goals and atop the list was to read 60 books. Initially, my goal was to read 12, but after reading Grant Cardone\u2019s 10X Rule<\/em>, I decided to make it 60. (I know 12 x 10 = 120, but that\u2019s a bit aggressive.)<\/p>\n

I failed.<\/p>\n

I only read 56.<\/p>\n

Am I mad about it? Absolutely not. Despite having to take a two-month hiatus due to a real estate class and a four-week trip traversing South America, I still managed to read 4.7x more books than I expected.<\/p>\n

I know many BiggerPocketeers are always looking for new books to read, so hopefully you can add a few books from this article to your list.<\/p>\n

As you read, you will see that the article is broken up into 3 parts. The first part is my top 10 spit-balled at you. The second part is where I give a brief synopsis of each book in the top 10. Thirdly, I give you a list of the remaining 46 books I read.<\/p>\n

Here it goes!<\/p>\n

My Top 10<\/strong><\/h2>\n

10. The Fifth Mountain\"\"\u00a0<\/em>by Paulo Coelho<\/p>\n

9. Ben Franklin Biography: An American Life <\/em>by Walter Isaacson<\/p>\n

8. 10x Rule <\/em>by Grant Cardone<\/p>\n

7. The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor <\/em>by Amanda Han<\/p>\n

6. The Book on Managing Rental Properties <\/em>by Brandon Turner<\/p>\n

5. Set for Life <\/em>by Scott Trench<\/p>\n

4. Millionaire Next Door <\/em>by Thomas J. Stanley<\/p>\n

3. Outwitting the Devil <\/em>by Napoleon Hill<\/p>\n

2. Miracle Morning <\/em>by Hal Elrod<\/p>\n

1. Never Split the Difference <\/em>by Chris Voss<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

My Top 10 Explained<\/strong><\/h2>\n

10. The Fifth Mountain<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Paulo Coelho<\/h3>\n

Paulo Coelho, who famously wrote The Alchemist, <\/em>tells an extremely entertaining story about a prophet who is forced to leave his home country of Israel. He seeks reprieve from a young widow and falls in love, but the romance is cut short as he fights for both his own and his new country\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n

This was a book I could not put down. It was super entertaining, and throughout the book were gems of wisdom that can easily be applied to life today.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to take a break from all of the real estate\/self-help books, this is a good book to read since it disguises itself as a beautiful beautiful story.<\/p>\n

9. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Walter Isaacson<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This book is written by Walter Isaacson, the same guy who wrote Steve Job\u2019s autobiography. Isaacson has an incredible talent for gleaning information from thousands of different resources and putting them together into an all-encompassing book. Ben Franklin\u2019s story is a perfect example of that.<\/p>\n

Isaacson paints a brilliant, easy-to-understand picture of Franklin\u2019s life from birth to death. Not only that, but he is really good at intertwining bits of wisdom (mainly from Ben Franklin\u2019s Autobiography) that still apply today throughout the book.<\/p>\n

I have not yet read Ben Franklin\u2019s autobiography, so that is atop my list for 2018.<\/p>\n

8. The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Grant Cardone<\/h3>\n

The 10x Rule<\/em> was a game changer for me. It got me into the mindset of thinking big. In fact, 10x as big. Even if you fall short and complete 7x your original goal, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be upset about that. He takes the adage, \u201cShoot for the stars and you\u2019ll land on the moon\u201d and applies it to reality.<\/p>\n

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. Grant Cardone narrates it himself and is extremely motivating. He adds some stuff that the editors wanted him to take out. There is some swearing, though, so be mindful if you are listening around kids.<\/p>\n

7. The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor<\/em><\/a> by Amanda Han<\/h3>\n

I never thought a tax book would ever make it into my top 10 books read\u2014until I read Amanda Han\u2019s book. Finally! A book on real estate taxes that somehow does not bore you to death.<\/p>\n

Amanda does a great job at articulating each tax rule such that an average Joe can understand. She reinforces her explanations with relatable examples so we can understand even more so. In terms of ROI, reading this $20 book can easily save investors thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

6. The Book on Managing Rental Properties<\/em><\/a> by Brandon Turner<\/h3>\n

After obtaining my first rental property, I read through a half dozen books on how to manage rental properties. While there were nuggets in all of them, Brandon\u2019s book was without a doubt the one that contained the most useful, up-to-date, and nicely illustrated information.<\/p>\n

Given that, I still reference the book for various managing issues that come up. The least I could do is give the book a top spot in my top 10 for the year.<\/p>\n

5. Set for Life<\/em><\/a> by Scott Trench<\/h3>\n

Disclosure: Scott did not pay me or threaten me to mention his book. Set for Life<\/em> is really the first book of its kind. In three phases, Scott describes how one can one go from zero net worth to financially free with hundreds of thousands of dollars of net worth in a 7-10 year span.<\/p>\n

Without a doubt, Set for Life <\/em>is targeted towards those in their 20s to early 30s who are willing to work hard to make more, spend less, and invest the difference wisely.<\/p>\n

4. The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Thomas J. Stanley<\/h3>\n

The Millionaire Next Door <\/em>is an instant classic. In this book, Stanley compiles years of research and interviews of various millionaires in today\u2019s society. What does he find? That the vast majority of millionaires do not have beautiful houses and super nice cars in upscale neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Rather, the most likely millionaire is the more modest individual you would never expect. For example, a car mechanic or janitor who owns their own business is more likely to be a millionaire than the person in the Ferrari next to you at the red light.<\/p>\n

This book really struck home for me because I think of myself as frugal, and it reinforces the point that I am doing the right things now to get to where I want to be. I do not like to spend money on things I do not value. Material objects absolutely fall into that category.<\/p>\n

Truthfully, in my head, I now make fun of people with really nice cars, unreasonably large houses, etc.<\/p>\n

3. Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success<\/a>\"\"<\/em>\u00a0by Napoleon Hill<\/h3>\n

Napoleon Hill\u2019s most famous book is undoubtedly Think and Grow Rich<\/em>. However, I don\u2019t think there is a book that instills more wisdom than Outwitting the Devil<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Written in 1938 and published in 2011\u201441 years after Hill\u2019s death. It took 63 years for this book to get published. Why?<\/p>\n

In this book Hill recounts his interview with the devil. The devil is a metaphor for all of the bad things in life\u2014from junk food to cigarettes, etc. It feels so real\u2014so real that Hill was afraid to publish it, as the devil promised to smite him and his family if he did.<\/p>\n

2. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Hal Elrod<\/h3>\n

WAIT! Before you skip this book because you are a “night person” read it! In this book, Hal describes six activities called SAVERS that many very successful people do daily. While it is typically performed in the morning, it does not have to be.<\/em> Try performing these at night if you\u2019re a night person.<\/p>\n

Hal Elrod completely changed my life with this book. I am a morning person, and I have created a 3.5-hour regimen every morning where I complete all of the SAVERS, and my life has changed dramatically.<\/p>\n

1. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Chris Voss<\/h3>\n

Never Split the Difference<\/em> is indisputably THE best book on negotiating of all time. Chad was the lead FBI negotiator for 30+ years, and he goes through all of the negotiating tactics he used. His stories are wildly suspenseful, and he does a fantastic job of relating these tactics to everyday situations that you and I may run into (i.e. negotiating a salary, buying a car, etc.).<\/p>\n

The tactics in this $15 book have helped me save over $20,000 in the first year. These strategies helped me negotiate the amount of my salary, my first property, and my car.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Rest<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There you have it: my top 10 books for 2017. See below for the list of other books I read for the year, in no particular order. If you have any questions on any of these books, feel free to leave a comment below, and I\u2019d be happy to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Building Wealth One House at a Time<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by John W. Schaub<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The 48 Laws of Power<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Robert Greene<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Richest Man in Babylon<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Charles Conrad<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes, and Quads: The Fastest and Safest Way to Real Estate Wealth<\/a><\/em>\"\"\u00a0by Larry Loftis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing: How to Identify the Hottest Markets and Secure the Best Deals<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Ken, McElroy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs<\/em><\/a> by J Scott<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Art of the Deal<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Donald Trump<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How I Turned $1k into $5M of Real Estate<\/em><\/a> by William Nickerson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing<\/a><\/em>\"\" by Martin Stone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10.\u00a0 Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Robert Kiyosaki<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11.\u00a0 The Art Of War<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Sun Tzu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12.\u00a0 The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Don Miguel Ruiz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13.\u00a0 The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results<\/a>\"\"<\/em>\u00a0by Gary Keller<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14.\u00a0 The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It’s Not About the Money…It’s About Being the Best You Can Be!<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Gary Keller<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15.\u00a0 Marketopoly – The Definitive Guide to Beating The Real Estate Recession and Winning at The Game of Investment Real Estate<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Mark Mackenzie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16.\u00a0 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Stephen Covey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17.\u00a0 Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Oren Klaff<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18.\u00a0 The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime.<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by MJ DeMarco<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19.\u00a0 Landlording on Autopilot: A Simple, No-Brainer System for Higher Profits and Fewer Headaches<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Mike Butler<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20.\u00a0 Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by T. Harv Eker<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21.\u00a0 What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Marshall Goldsmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22.\u00a0 Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Matthew Desmond<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23.\u00a0 The Unofficial Guide to Managing Rental Property (Unofficial Guides)<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Melissa Prandi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24.\u00a0 How to Create Lifetime Cash Flow Through Multifamily Properties<\/em><\/a> by Rod Khleif<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25.\u00a0 HOLD: How to Find, Buy, and Rent Houses for Wealth<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Steve Chader<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
26.\u00a0 The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Brian Moran<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27.\u00a0 Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Jim Collins<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28.\u00a0 Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Brian Tracy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29.\u00a0 Finding & Funding Great Deals<\/em><\/a> by Anson Young<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30.\u00a0 Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Brian Tracy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31.\u00a0 80\/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Perry Marshall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
32.\u00a0 Be Obsessed or Be Average<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Grant Cardone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33.\u00a0 The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Charles Duhigg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
34.\u00a0 How to Sell Your Home<\/em><\/a> by Mindy Jensen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35.\u00a0 The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Tim Ferriss<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
36.\u00a0 Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Robert Kiyosaki<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
37.\u00a0 The Magic of Thinking Big<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by David Schwartz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
38.\u00a0 The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World (Perigee Book.)<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Chris Guillebeau<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
39.\u00a0 Retire Rich with Rentals: How to Enjoy Ongoing Cash Flow From Real Estate…So You Don’t Have to Work Forever<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Kathy Fettke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40.\u00a0 The Riches Within: Your Seven Secret Treasures<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by John Demartini<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
41.\u00a0 Mastering The Art Of Success<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Jack Canfield<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
42.\u00a0 The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Brian Tracy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
43.\u00a0 Make It BIG!: 49 Secrets for Building a Life of Extreme Success<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Frank E. McKinney<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44.\u00a0 Real Estate Tax Secrets of the Rich: Big-Time Tax Advantages of Buying, Selling, and Owning Real Estate<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Sandy Botkin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
45.\u00a0 Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by Richard Branson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46.\u00a0 Wealth Can’t Wait: Avoid the 7 Wealth Traps, Implement the 7 Business Pillars, and Complete a Life Audit Today!<\/a>\"\"<\/em> by David Osborn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If you have any recommendations, please let me know! I always like adding to the list.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What are your top recommendations from 2017?<\/em><\/p>\n

Comment!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know many BiggerPocketeers are always looking for new books to read, so hopefully you can add a few books from this article to your list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":174125,"featured_media":85796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5524],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-investing-for-beginners"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/174125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}