Honorable Mention
Thoughts:
These are the books that I am on the fence about. They are all good but for one reason or another I didn't want to include them in the main list.
1- Walden
Henry David Thoreau's masterpiece. I do find it a little ironic that he uses and excess of words to argue for a life of simplicity. It is a really good book and Thoreau captures you in his vibrant descriptions. This book is a good book to read to re-center yourself. I enjoyed his perspectives on life though I would argue his methods to be extreme.
2- The Compound Effect
By Darren Hardy. It is really good. Almost worthy of being a classic. Darren explains in detail how the compound effect can work for or against you. I disagree with some of his points and I felt that his perspective was to narrow minded. He seems a little ridged in his approach to goal setting, recording, and improving. That doesn't work for me because I am not a procrastinator by nature so for me it is a lot of extra effort for little reward. It may be what you need though. Even if you feel the same as me it was still a profitable read and I would recommend it to you.