Books

Reading recommendations just for you

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It’s no secret I love to read.

If anything, I might mention my reading habits too often. Perhaps even at the expense of making more sales because instead of yapping about what I’m reading (or how I’m reading) all the time, I could instead mention other cool facts, interesting stories, and controversial opinions which would undoubtedly lead to more sales.

But I don’t.

See, most people would greatly benefit from developing a better reading habit (not to be confused with those “you have to read at least 52 books a yaer!!!” type people).

As it stands, I’m a writer.

Sure some purists out there might object and say I'm “not a real writer”. Yet the fact remains, I press keys on my keyboard, which makes words appear on my screen (often quite a lot of them), which I then publish on the internet for many others to read. And this process is getting me paid.

So yes. I’ll call myself a writer.

And, as most people intuitively realize, there are two major “practices” writers do to become better at their craft (and yes, you have to do both).

First is to write frequently and write a lot.

Second is to read frequently and read a lot.

The more types of writing you read, the better. Good writing, bad writing, literary writing, junk writing, persuasive writing, pop culture writing, technical writing, and every other type of writing you can imagine.

A simple method to start reading is to read whatever interests you most.

That’s an extremely underrated (and weirdly effective) method to go about reading.

But in case you still don’t know where to start, no worries—I got you.

Because as of today I’ve created a recommended reading list on my website where I post what I’m currently reading, as well as every book I’ve read so far that I found either extremely enjoyable or insanely valuable (mostly both).

It’s not a big list by any means. (Not yet, at least)

But it’s enough to get some people started and give some honest recommendations.

Anyway.

Check it out here: https://alexvandromme.com/reading-list/


In need of a new fantasy book to read

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It’s that time again.

I’ve finished reading A Clash Of Kings, the second book in the A Song of Fire And Ice series, also known as Game of Thrones.

The book itself was about 800 pages, which shouldn’t have taken me that long.

But I have this habit of always reading multiple books at once—around 8–12 most of the time.

Why do I do this?

It helps me to stay disciplined in my reading habit. Whenever I don’t feel like reading a certain book, I’ve got a handful of others to choose from.

So no matter what mood I’m in or if I don’t feel like reading a specific book that day, I’ll still get my daily reading in (A nice and rather unexpected consequence is how it also helps me make better connections between different topics I’m reading about)

Doing it this way allows me to get through a lot more reading each month than I would otherwise.

The secret isn’t to read fast (I’d argue reading slower is better), nor is it to spend half your day reading.

No.

The secret is best described by the man, the myth, the legend, Rocky Balboa himself, when training Adonis in the movie Creed.

“One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time.”

And so it is for reading, business, and life as a whole.

The goal for most important things in life isn’t to win, it’s to keep playing the game one step at a time.

Another way I’ve been applying this “one step at a time” mentality is with email.

Just one simple email a day, for months, years, or even decades straight has the power to change your entire life.

So why not give it a try yourself?

Check out Email Valhalla here to see what all the fuss is about: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


To book or not to book

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Over the past two years, I’ve built quite a book collection.

Almost to the point where I need to buy a whole new bookcase just to store all of them—and I thought this one would last me a lifetime already.

Still I’ve already learned lots of things, useful consequences, of owning physical books.

For one, I find myself picking up books I’ve already read and flipping through pages I’ve marked every few days.

This helps me a lot with coming up with ideas to write about, but also allows me to develop a deeper understanding of difficult topics simply because of the frequent repetition.

Because as you may (or may not) know, people learn best by repetition.

So that got me wondering.

That new writing course I’m thinking about—the one I talked about in yesterday’s email with the idea of “How to make writing fun, easy, and enjoyable (while writing faster than ever before)”.

Well, why not create it in book form?

I love books. They’re useful, easy to go through (you can take them with you wherever you go), and can be strategically placed in sight to help you pick them up once in a while and learn through repetition.

Long story short.

I found books to be one of the best formats for educational content.

Plus, I’d force myself to learn how to create and publish a book, something I’m planning on doing eventually anyway, so why not learn it now?

Not sure if that’s actually what’s going to happen.

But thought I’d share it with you.

In the meantime, check out Email Valhalla here for more of the good stuff: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


One of my all-time favorite short books

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And I mean seriously short, this book is only 41 pages with a ginormous font.

Not to mention, It’s an old gem as well.

It was first written and published in 1902, yet still relevant and published today (a rule I picked up from Naval Ravikant is that if an old book is still around, it’s got something inside of it that’s worth reading).

Anyway.

The book I’m talking about is As a Man Thinketh.

As the title suggests, it’s all about the power of your mind, and how your thoughts, and their quality, influence and decide everything about you, your life, your surroundings, and the things life rewards (or punishes) you with.

What I like most isn’t just how it’s practical, relevant, very clearly written, easy to read in one quick sitting, or even how it broadens your mind and shows you a new way of thinking.

No.

It’s how it conveys complex ideas, in an understandable and easy-to-grasp manner, yet still wording it beautifully and poetically.

Everyone who has ever written knows how simple language and poetry don’t easily go hand in hand. Yet As a Man Thinketh seems to have cracked the code because it does it on every. single. page.

Here’s an example:

“Man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth.”

That, to me, reads beautifully.

And I hope you can share this joy with me by seeing the beauty in it as well.

On another note.

While it might not help you write as beautifully or as poetically, Email Valhalla will help you write valuable and entertaining emails in a simple and easy-to-understand manner to keep your readers interested, sometimes even obsessed, making them come back each and every day.

If that sounds like a skill you’d want to develop, then check out Email Valhalla here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla