What books are you reading right now?

What books are you reading right now?

Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

I personally try to alternate between real estate/business books and then something more "entertaining" like a fictional novel or biography. I'm down to my last few books on the shelf and am looking for fresh ideas for 2020!

I'm currently reading "Evicted - Poverty and Profit In The American City" by Matthew Desmond. The author follows eight families in Milwaukee, as well as some Landlords, to give a detailed look at the problems facing renters. It was written right before the housing crisis and is very timely. My big take-away: I'm not surprised these people are trapped in poverty because they continue to make the same bad decisions without ever stopping to think they could have a better life by making a few hard choices. I was surprised to see how the Landlords could be so hard...then generous...then inept. 

The second book I'm reading is "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas. This is about a young, Christian pastor that stood up to Hitler from the very beginning and lost his life for it. Very interesting and Metaxas is a great author.

The next one I'm starting is "Never Lose a Customer Again: Turn Any Sale Into Lifelong Loyalty in 100 Days" by Joseph John Coleman. I haven't started it yet but it's all about building that customer experience that develops into customer loyalty. I'm looking forward to it!

So, what are you reading right now?

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Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y

I sit on the couch and watch Dancing with the stars reruns while I drink Pabst till I drift into unconsciousness

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  • Mark AinleyBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Roselle, IL (Chicago Suburb) · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Nathan Gesner I read Evicted and it helped me  see things from a different perspective.  Being from nearby Chicago I was jealous of ease to evict there.  I actually emailed the author some questions but he never got back. 

    I have been on a ready frenzy the last 6 weeks and this is what I read(listened) and actually recommend them all. 

    The South Side - Chicago book about the long history of Segregation.  Anyone interested in the investments here on Chicago’s South Side this gives a deep background. 

    Eat That Frog - Short book about taking on the most important tasks first each day. 

    Do It Scared - we all have a fear type and when a coach had me take the online survey to find out my fear type I was interested to read the book.  

    The People’s Tycoon - Henry Ford Biography I love history

    Blue Ocean Strategy - gives you a differ approach to customers you find.  Wasn’t that great and redundant. 

    What You Do Is Who You Are - I love Ben Horowitz. Good book about office culture. Any manager or business owner in any field should read. 

    The Road Less Stupid - Anyone that hasn’t heard of Keith Cunningham will love listening to this guy.  This book in Chapter 9 outlines this guys top real estate principles.  He lost like 200 million in a crash in the 80s. 

    Atomic Habits - for people that are pretty disciplined this takes it a step further. 

    They Ask You Answer - Awesome book on content marketing.  

    @Ned Carey

  • Ned CareyPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    6y

    @Mark Ainley I don't know why you tagged my but I didn't think Blue Ocean was very good either.   Good list. I have several books I need to add to my audible want list from this thread. 

  • Investor · Ormond Beach, FL · Member since 2014 · 53 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    Some cool books on here! Ones that I haven't heard before. I'm reading Seven Years to Seven Figures right now. I'm 33 so I want to get to 7 figures/"retire" by 40

  • Rental Property Investor · Fresno, CA · Member since 2017 · 109 posts · 48 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G. First off, great name. Im a nathan, too. Right now my books are:

    1. The psychology of winning in the 21st century by Denis Waitley

    2. Never split the difference by Chris Voss

    3. The 7 powers of questions by (can’t remember!)

    What are the 3 most influential books you’ve ever read?

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2019 · 24 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G.

    Currently

    Tax strategies for the savvvy real estate investor-Amanda Hann and Matthew McFarland

    Last read

    The power of now- Eckhart Tolle

  • Rental Property Investor · Kansas City, MO · Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 7 votes
    6y

    How to win friends and influence people

  • Layton, UT · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 49 votes
    6y

    Too many serious answers on this thread. I'm reading What If by Randall Munroe. The subtitle is "serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions".

  • Jerry W.Pro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Thermopolis, WY · Member since 2012 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y
    I really liked Extreme Ownership, The Subtle art of not Giving a F*ck was actually good despite its title.  Of course the Miracle morning and the One Thing were great.
  • Saint Petersburg, FL · Member since 2016 · 10 posts · 3 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G.

    TRILLION DOLLAR COACH - The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell

    A book about leadership and managing teams. Just started but really good so far.

  • Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 18 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G. The Book on Investing in Real Estate With No Money Down

  • Shiloh LundahlPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Gilbert, AZ · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y

    I’m currently reading (listening to) Wealth Can’t Wait by David Osborn. I listened to the first half and then I started it over and started listening to it slower and more carefully because of how good it is.

    @Whitney Anne Kwek, @Ned Carey, and @Nathan Gesner I also did not have a moving experience  with Think and Grow Rich. I rarely say that out loud for fear of being ostracized by the intelectual elites. So please don’t share that with others.

    Whitney, a book I would recommend if you haven’t read it already would be The Richest Man in Babylon. It is the foundational finance book of America.

  • Rental Property Investor · Saint Louis, MO · Member since 2019 · 3 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G. Hello,

    Currently I’m reading “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. It’s a good read so far, very eye opening.

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Nathan Shankles:

    First off, great name. Im a nathan, too. Right now my books are:hat are the 3 most influential books you’ve ever read?

    The most influential are The Bible,  Rich Dad Poor Dad, How To Win Friends and influence People. Those are the three that really created a shift in mindset and put me on a new path. The 4-Hour Work Week is another eye-opener though I believe it's full of exaggerated results.

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7247 Reviews
  • Rental Property Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2019 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G

    Currently reading The Book On Rental Property Investing by Bigger Pockets’ own Brandon Turner. Very eye opening stuff and easy to read due to Brandon’s conversational style when writing..can’t put it down.

    Also, The Devil In the White City is a great one about America’s first serial killer who lived in Chicago in the mid-late 1800’s. Pretty dark stuff but very entertaining!!

  • Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    @Nathan G. Newcomers-gentrification and it’s discontents by Matthew Schuerman

    Just started so can’t endorse or critique but aims to be a balanced look at “the ways policy makers over the past 60 years have aided gentrification in both deliberate and inadvertent ways”

    Looks at Mission, Brooklyn and Cabrini-Green in Chicago.

    Shoutout to @russel Brazil for the Whitey read. I remember that era too. Triple Os is gone. Boston is a lot better now.

  • Realtor · Cumming, GA · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    Currently reading Good to Great by Jim Collins and just finished re-reading The 4 Disciplines of Execution by McChesney/Covey/Huling.

    Both are excellent.

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y

    @Chase Randolph I used to read a lot of true crime stories. Too much of that and I start getting a little too comfortable with thoughts of the perfect crime. The last one I read, which was about 10 years ago, was the Black Dahlia Avenger by Steve Hodel. I started off very skeptical but he makes a very compelling case for his father being the Black Dahlia murderer.

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7247 Reviews
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y

    @Shiloh Lundahl I agree with The Richest Man In Babylon. Not long, and free on the internet.

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7247 Reviews
  • Rental Property Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2019 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G.

    Sounds interesting, I’ll have to check it out!

  • Investor · Boston, MA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Ned Carey:

    @Mark Ainley I don't know why you tagged my but I didn't think Blue Ocean was very good either.   Good list. I have several books I need to add to my audible want list from this thread. 

    I share your guys opinions on Blue Ocean when I first read it, thought it spent a lot of time going over the same ground over and over again. But then I had to read the academic paper it was based on for one of my corporate strategy classes and it came alive. I think the book suffers from the curse that it was a paper to start with that got really good reviews in B-school academic circles so the authors decided to cash in and expand it to book length, which was a bad call. The 40 page paper and associated cases give the highlights. At 200 odd pages it becomes to dense for everyone but marketing and strategy professors.

    Ned: The Snowball can be incredibly dry at times, but keep trucking through, it will be worth it in the end; it is still one of my favorite biographies of all time. That is the downside to audible is that you can't flip a few pages ahead to see where the boring parts end.

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y
    The DIY Landlord Book4.7247 Reviews
  • Contractor · Osterville, MA · Member since 2018 · 41 posts · 30 votes
    6y

    A couple of my favorites from this years reading are - "It's Your Ship" by Micheal Abrashoff  and "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss. 

    Currently reading "Never Eat Alone"  by Keith Ferrazzi, but having a hard time staying interested so far 

  • Investor · Longmont, CO · Member since 2019 · 46 posts · 23 votes
    6y

    @Chase Randolph I loved Devil in the white City!

  • Rental Property Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2019 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    6y

    @Michele King

    Great book! Tough one to put down, but very disturbing!

  • Rental Property Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    6y

    @Nathan G.

    Outliers

    Book by Malcolm Gladwell

    Great read. Opens up your eyes to a different perspective of “Geniuses”.

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