Glen's Reading List 2026
What I'm reading, what I've finished, and the ten books that shaped how I think about investing, business, and life. Every book earns a rating and a one-line verdict.
15+
Books in 2026
10
All-Time Favorites
6
Categories
5,000+
Pages This Year
Charlie Munger
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time — none, zero.”
Reading is compounding for the mind. Every book adds a new mental model, a new framework, a new lens. The ROI on reading is infinite — the only cost is time, and the returns never stop.
Currently Reading
What's on my nightstand right now. Updated as I start and finish books.
Alchemy
by Rory Sutherland
Brilliant contrarian take on irrational consumer behavior. Every chapter has an insight you can apply to business or investing.
View on AmazonChip War
by Chris Miller
The semiconductor supply chain is the most important geopolitical story of the decade. Essential for understanding AI, Taiwan, and tech investing.
View on AmazonOutlive
by Peter Attia
The most evidence-based longevity book I have read. Changed how I think about exercise, metabolic health, and compounding years of life.
View on AmazonCompleted in 2026
Every book I've finished this year, rated on a /10 scale. A 9+ means I've gifted the book to someone.
| Book | /10 |
|---|---|
| Same as Ever by Morgan Housel Housel does it again. The things that never change are more useful than the things that do. A masterclass in timeless thinking. | 9 |
| Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson Love him or hate him, the man ships. Isaacson captures both the genius and the chaos. Essential for understanding the most consequential entrepreneur alive. | 8 |
| The Fund by Rob Copeland Bridgewater from the inside. Ray Dalio built something extraordinary and terrifying. The radical transparency machine revealed. | 8 |
| Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke Decision quality versus outcome quality. This book changed how I evaluate my investing process. Resulting is the enemy of good judgment. | 9 |
| The Founders by Jimmy Soni PayPal Mafia origin story. Thiel, Musk, Levchin. The amount of talent density in one company is staggering. | 8 |
| Amp It Up by Frank Slootman How to run a company at maximum intensity. Slootman turned around three companies and took two to $1B+. Pure operator wisdom. | 9 |
| Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir The Martian meets first contact. Possibly the most fun I have had reading a book in years. Science fiction at its absolute best. | 10 |
| Die With Zero by Bill Perkins Contrarian take on wealth accumulation. Not everything should be optimized for the end. Time-bucketing your experiences is a powerful framework. | 7 |
| Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss FBI negotiation tactics applied to business and life. Tactical empathy and calibrated questions are now permanent tools in my toolkit. | 9 |
| The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson Wealth creation and happiness in one book. Naval is the modern-day Poor Charlie. Specific knowledge, leverage, and accountability distilled perfectly. | 9 |
| Breath by James Nestor How something as simple as breathing correctly can transform health. Nose breathing, CO2 tolerance, and the lost art of slow breathing. | 8 |
| Dark Matter by Blake Crouch A thriller wrapped in multiverse physics. Could not put it down. The central question about identity and choices stays with you. | 8 |
| The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger Disney CEO memoir. Four massive acquisitions (Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox) and the leadership principles behind each. Understated brilliance. | 8 |
| Range by David Epstein Generalists triumph in a specialized world. Munger would approve. The case for breadth, sampling, and late specialization is compelling. | 8 |
| Shoe Dog by Phil Knight The Nike origin story. Raw, honest, and terrifying. Knight nearly went bankrupt a dozen times. The best entrepreneur memoir ever written. | 9 |
Ratings: 10 = life-changing, 9 = gift-worthy, 8 = excellent, 7 = good with caveats, 6 = decent. Links are Amazon affiliates (tag: glenbradford-20).
All-Time Top 10
If I could only keep ten books, these are the ones. Each shaped how I think about money, people, and building things. In order.
by Benjamin Graham
The foundation of value investing. Mr. Market, margin of safety, and the investor vs. speculator distinction. Buffett calls it the best investing book ever written. I agree.
by Peter Kaufman (editor)
The collected wisdom of Charlie Munger. Mental models, multidisciplinary thinking, and the sharpest wit in finance. I reread sections of this every quarter.
by Morgan Housel
Why personal finance is more personal than financial. Wealth is what you do not see. Housel distills behavioral finance into stories that stick forever.
by Peter Thiel
The contrarian bible for building the future. Competition is for losers. Monopoly is the goal. The most thought-provoking business book of the last decade.
by Daniel Kahneman
System 1 and System 2. Every cognitive bias that costs investors money, explained by the Nobel laureate who discovered them. Dense but life-changing.
by Robert Cialdini
Six weapons of persuasion. Munger called Cialdini the most important psychologist alive. Once you see these patterns, you see them everywhere.
by Yuval Noah Harari
The story of how Homo sapiens conquered the world through shared myths. Changes how you think about money, religion, nations, and companies. All are stories we agree to believe.
by Ben Horowitz
No management book prepares you for the actual hard parts. Horowitz does. Wartime CEO versus peacetime CEO. Firing friends. The struggle is the point.
by Ray Dalio
Radical transparency, idea meritocracy, and systematic decision-making. Agree or disagree with Dalio, his framework for thinking about reality is powerful.
by Eric Ries
Build-measure-learn. The scientific method applied to building companies. MVP thinking saved me from building things nobody wanted. Multiple times.
By Category
How the 2026 reading list breaks down. Munger said to build a latticework of mental models across disciplines — this is my attempt.
Investing
3Value investing, portfolio strategy, and wealth building.
Business
4Operators, builders, and company-building wisdom.
Psychology
4Behavioral science, decision-making, and cognitive biases.
Biography
3Lives of extraordinary builders and thinkers.
Sci-Fi
2Imagination fuel. The best sci-fi is about humanity.
Health
2Longevity, performance, and the body as an asset.
Why I Share This
Reading Is the Highest-ROI Activity
Warren Buffett reads 500 pages a day. Munger was a “book with legs.” Naval Ravikant reads 1-2 hours daily. The pattern is clear: the best investors and thinkers are all obsessive readers.
I publish my reading list because transparency creates accountability. If I tell you I read 20+ books a year, I have to actually do it. And sharing creates conversations — some of the best book recommendations I've gotten came from readers of this page.
If you only read three books from this entire list, make them The Intelligent Investor, Poor Charlie's Almanack, and The Psychology of Money. They will change how you think about money forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books does Glen Bradford read per year?
Glen reads approximately 20-30 books per year, mixing investing and business books with psychology, biography, science fiction, and health titles. He follows Charlie Munger's advice to read across disciplines rather than staying in a narrow lane.
What is Glen Bradford's favorite investing book?
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham is Glen's all-time #1 investing book. He considers it the foundation of value investing and rereads Chapter 8 (Mr. Market) and Chapter 20 (Margin of Safety) annually. Poor Charlie's Almanack is a close second.
Does Glen Bradford prefer physical books or audiobooks?
Glen uses a mix of both. Physical books for dense material like investing and psychology (easier to highlight and flip back), and audiobooks for biographies and narratives during commutes and workouts. He keeps a Kindle for travel.
How does Glen rate books on his reading list?
Glen rates books on a /10 scale based on a combination of insight density (how many actionable ideas per chapter), lasting impact (does it change how you think months later), and re-read value (would you read it again). A 9 or 10 means he has gifted the book to others.
What categories of books does Glen read most?
Investing and business books make up about 50% of Glen's reading. Psychology and behavioral science account for about 20%. The remaining 30% is split between biography, science fiction, and health. He believes reading fiction improves empathy and creativity, which are underrated investing skills.
Where can I buy the books on Glen's reading list?
All books on Glen's reading list include Amazon affiliate links. Purchasing through these links supports the site at no additional cost to you. Glen only recommends books he has personally read and found valuable.
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Read moreDisclaimer: This reading list represents Glen Bradford's personal opinions and is not financial advice. Book ratings are subjective. Amazon links are affiliate links (tag: glenbradford-20) — purchases made through these links support the site at no additional cost to you. Some content was generated or edited with AI assistance.