Recommended reading

Books worth reading

A deliberately short shelf of books I’m comfortable recommending without hesitation.

The bookshelf

Read selectively. Return to the best.

This is not a comprehensive reading list. Only books I’m comfortable recommending without hesitation belong here. The shelf spans business, leadership, family, productivity, and fiction, but inclusion remains intentionally selective.

Business

Cover of Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

Profit First

by Mike Michalowicz

A cash-management system built for the way owners actually behave. Simple accounts and disciplined allocation turn profit from a hope into a habit.

View book
Cover of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Unreasonable Hospitality

by Will Guidara

Service meets expectations. Hospitality makes people feel seen. A compelling case for turning thoughtful, human care into a lasting competitive advantage.

View book
Cover of The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz

The Pumpkin Plan

by Mike Michalowicz

Stop trying to serve everyone. Find your best customers, solve their deepest problems, and prune the work that keeps a remarkable business from growing.

View book
Cover of The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham

The Great Game of Business

by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham

Open-book management done right: teach your people how the business works, give them a stake in the outcome, and invite them to help improve it.

View book
Cover of Monetizing Innovation by Madhavan Ramanujam and Georg Tacke

Monetizing Innovation

by Madhavan Ramanujam and Georg Tacke

Start with what customers value and will pay for—not what your team is excited to build. A rigorous guide to product design, pricing, and profitable growth.

View book

Leadership

Cover of Delegation by Dave Ramsey

Delegation

by Dave Ramsey

A short, practical guide to handing off real responsibility without surrendering accountability—essential for any owner who has become the bottleneck.

View book
Cover of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

by Patrick Lencioni

A memorable framework for building trust, welcoming healthy conflict, committing clearly, embracing accountability, and pursuing shared results.

View book
Cover of Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

Who Moved My Cheese?

by Spencer Johnson

A deceptively simple story about recognizing change, releasing what no longer works, and moving forward before fear makes the decision for you.

View book
Cover of EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

EntreLeadership

by Dave Ramsey

Practical lessons from the trenches on leading people, managing money, shaping culture, and building a business with clarity, conviction, and purpose.

View book
Cover of The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

The Coaching Habit

by Michael Bungay Stanier

Seven questions that help leaders talk less, stay curious, and develop people instead of reflexively rescuing them or handing out advice.

View book
Cover of Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

Multipliers

by Liz Wiseman

The best leaders do not need to be the smartest person in the room. They create the conditions for everyone else to think, contribute, and grow.

View book
Cover of The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

The Advantage

by Patrick Lencioni

A persuasive case that organizational health—not another clever strategy—is the durable advantage. Clear, practical, and immediately useful.

View book
Cover of Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni

Death by Meeting

by Patrick Lencioni

Meetings are not the problem; bad meetings are. This book offers a simple structure for making them focused, candid, useful, and worth everyone’s time.

View book
Cover of The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni

The 6 Types of Working Genius

by Patrick Lencioni

A useful language for the work that gives each person energy, the work they can do, and the work that drains them—then designing teams accordingly.

View book

Productivity

Cover of Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt

Free to Focus

by Michael Hyatt

Productivity is not doing more; it is doing more of what matters. A practical system for cutting the noise and protecting your best time and energy.

View book
Cover of Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits

by James Clear

Lasting change rarely begins with a dramatic overhaul. Clear shows how small choices, repeated faithfully, compound into a different life and business.

View book
Cover of The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington

The 12 Week Year

by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington

Annual goals invite delay. A twelve-week horizon creates urgency, clearer priorities, and a weekly rhythm for turning plans into consistent execution.

View book

Parenting

Cover of Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham Jr.

Family Shepherds

by Voddie Baucham Jr.

A direct, biblical call for fathers to lead their homes with conviction and care—not by outsourcing discipleship, but through ordinary, faithful presence.

View book
Cover of The Disciple-Making Parent by Chap Bettis

The Disciple-Making Parent

by Chap Bettis

A practical, gospel-centered guide to the long work of helping your children know, love, and follow Christ—without pretending there is a formula.

View book

Family Fiction

Cover of The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

The Wingfeather Saga

by Andrew Peterson

A beautifully told family adventure full of danger, laughter, sacrifice, and hope. The rare series children and parents can genuinely love together.

View book
Cover of The Growly Books by Philip and Erin Ulrich

The Growly Books

by Philip and Erin Ulrich

Gentle, imaginative adventures made for reading aloud. Growly’s stories invite younger children into courage, friendship, home, and the joy of a good quest.

View book
Cover of The Green Ember Series by S. D. Smith

The Green Ember Series

by S. D. Smith

Rabbits with swords, a fallen kingdom, and hope worth fighting for. Stirring family fiction about courage, loyalty, sacrifice, and the mending of the world.

View book
Cover of The Lightseeker Series: Out of Darkness by Daniel Atkins

The Lightseeker Series: Out of Darkness

by Daniel Atkins

A young hero, a gathering darkness, and light worth seeking. A faith-shaped fantasy adventure about courage, calling, and hope when the way ahead is unclear.

View book

Fiction

Cover of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

A story of courage, resurrection, and costly love set against a world coming apart. Its final act remains one of fiction’s clearest pictures of sacrifice.

View book

Legacy & Financial Planning

Cover of The Legacy Journey by Dave Ramsey

The Legacy Journey

by Dave Ramsey

A biblical view of wealth that moves beyond accumulation toward responsibility, generosity, and a legacy that serves your family and God’s kingdom.

View book
Cover of The Forgotten Commandment by Dennis Rainey

The Forgotten Commandment

by Dennis Rainey

A practical, biblical call to honor your father and mother—even when the relationship is difficult—and to recover the healing power of gratitude and tribute.

View book