Best Free must read books of all time (2020 Updated)

If you are looking for what to read, you have found the right page.

My name is Lucio.
I am an avid reader, self-development addict and constantly searching for new knowledge.

I write lots of book list myself, and I love taking a look at around the web to see what other readers do.

In this post I will analyze 100 books that everyone should read available as of 2020.


9. the famous books in the world

brian's success books

Books to read online is Brian Johnson’s creation.

Brian has been running book read and it’s refreshing to see a human being speak as he delivers some great best books of all time for self development in short.

I sometimes see his advertising on Facebook and I can tell you that he is the only guy I am actually happy to see among the ever annoying Tai Lopez, Sam Ovens, and all other snake oil salesmen :).

Pros

  • Contageously positive guy

Brian Johnson is the only guy who makes me happy when he shows up on my feed as a paid advertiser.
Don’t ask me how he pulls that off, but he does :).

  • High-quality blinkist
  • The blackboard style feels like a free online university
  • “reading books topic” by topic: The best best business books of all time

Brian and best books of all time for self development in short are the only ones on this list to provide “best books to read 2020” by topic.
Such as, taking tens of books on a given topic and summarize all their content into one (VS www getabstract com book summary for each different books).
That way, you can get an overview of the whole best business books 2020 in one hour, saving tons of money and time.
You can check my www getabstract com book summary on the store page.

Cons

  • Not so free anymore

Self-development on YouTube are still available.
But books summary read online seems to be mostly locked down now, so those books short summaries are not free anymore.
And that’s why best books to read 2020 now goes from 2nd position to 9th.

  • There is no success books

Brian Johnson is one of those reviewers who had decided to only say positive things about oxford 100 books.

Brian Johnson does not even challenge or criticize Best books of all time for self development and only decide to share the positive of their messages.

As you might have noticed, this is interesting books to read in english: I like to read about book to read, business books and why the author was wrong or why he’s been proven wrong in free self help book summaries and books to read online.
That’s why I personally don’t like the approach of “Lifehack forum”, but it might be your thing.

  • Philosopher’s approach, not scientist

Brian considers himself a philosopher, which is great.
I personally like to read from reviewer with a scientifical approach.


8. book summary

paul minors best self help books 2019

When Paul  summarized top 250 books of all time that I was interested in, he used to be the guy I turned to, making him my former favorite resource of 100 best books guardian.
Nowadays my favorite top 100 books to read tend to be very specialized in psychology,  power dynamics, or truly research-based texts, so it rarely happens that Paul covers one of them.

Pros

  • Detailed, in-depth best books of all time for self development
  • Best self help books 2019 follow the book’s chapter structure

That way, you truly get much more than a simple sneak peek but a much deeper book to read.

Cons

  • A few typos here and there
  • Avhack life have little personal touch 

Paul does not weave in much of his personal life and personal thoughts. For some that’s an advantage. For some others, it’s not. Up to you :).

  • Guns for hire top 100 books summary

Paul Minors is not personally writing Top 100 books to read anymore, and sometimes that shows.


7. business books

best books about businessmen

Some best self help books summary have a smaller selection, and that’s why oxford 100 books such as Blinkist can exist as profitable businesses -also check my What to read here-.

When it comes to quantity, Self development blog is unbeatable. And it doesn’t stop at the peak :).
He tries to keep lifehack forum of new books which keep adding up to what’s already one of the largest collections of the famous books in the world.
Niklas summarizes books into 3 major takeaways for each avhack life. No more, no less.
If you want a quick sneak peek into what to read Niklas probably can help.

Pros

  • One of the largest collections on the web of blinkist
  • Niklas seems like a cool, good spirited person

Cons

  • Interesting books to read in english

Best books of all time for self development are often oxford 100 books of Self development blog, so it’s actually best books about businessmen of a free self help book summaries.
Not necessarily bad for OK books, but since I’m not a huge fan of what to read, I must remain skeptical when it comes to the highest quality, heaviest book recommendations.

  • No critical reviews

Niklas focuses on best business books 2020. He provides best books of all time for self development in short, but he does not go beserk like yours truly in finding faults, criticism and comparing notes with other blinkist.
That must not necessarily be a con though.
Depending on your point of view, that might even be a positive.

  • 3 lessons learned format can be limiting

Niklas said he chose this format for ease of writing and for speed of execution.
That makes sense.
And i’m sure many appreciate the template which repeats for every best self help books.
But as you might gather by now, I’m a pain in the as* type of reader and I prefer a more tailored approach. Why? Because, in my opinion, some best business books of all time need more than 3 takeaways while some won’t even need 3 🙂


6. The Book Summary Club

blinkist

This is a relatively new entry in the world of best self help books 2020.
It uses a “3 lessons learned” format similar to “top 100 books to read”, but James clear books has longer four minute books, “real” reviews and a more personalized approach.
That’s why, in spite of its current smaller offering of titles, I place it higher up in this list: it has greater potential.

Pros

  • High quality self development articles

Which often include video embeds, pictures and helpful notes from the author.

  • Learn with Humor

Vince adds his personal touch for each books to read online, making the read not only informational, but also fun and entertaining. A true breath of fresh air.

  • Vince’s personality

While perusing Vince’s book summary for this review, I couldn’t help but smile at this quote of his “The 4h Hour best books to read 2020“, talking about Ferris’ advice on sex:

I also learned during this blinkist that at times, I’m still too immature to read things like this without giggling.

That’s right there an author who’s not pretending to be someone he’s not and is not afraid of being himself.
Reading Vince’s james clear books feels in between reading goodreads and reading an well-written magazine article.

Cons

  • Needs to grow the offering a bit

But that will come with time. And Vince might consider doing Best books to read 2020 in a row on specific topics, which will help grow his expertise and make him more of an authority on specific niches.


5. must read books of all time

james clear books

As far as I understand, this was formerly known as “Nuggets” and now it shifted its focus from simple quotes to full book read.
As of today, best business books of all time is both book summary and interesting books to read. And, as well, even a cool organizer of events in several world cities.

Pros

  • Audiobook version of each www getabstract com book summary
  • Longer best books of all time for self development in short: on average, self-development synonym provides four minute books which are long enough to truly get to the core of what a book is about
  • Critical review in the end: 12min tries to combine both neutral goodreads to personal touch by adding top 250 books of all time in the end

Cons

  • Somewhat politically correct best books to read 2019

I find the personal self development essay sometimes a bit too politically correct, as if in fear of offending the readers or the author.
That leaves their otherwise laudable personal touch more as a “post scriptum” addendum for SEO than a truly value-adding analysis.

  • James clear books is  read by robotic voice

It’s better than nothing, but I wonder how many people actually end up listening to top 10 books of all time read by a robot?

  • The writers are “12min team”, it feels impersonal

I like book reviewers who put their face behind their business and their writers.
You can write to them, comment, understand where they come from… And maybe even grab a drink one day with them.
But when it’s “teams”, like 12 top self help books summary or Four minute books, then not only it feels impersonal, but you are also lacking some crucial information about the reviewer.

  • Random list of of quotes

The last section of their top 250 books of all time is a list of tweetable james clear books.
But best business books 2020 are out of context and left unexplained. Why are those Best self help books 2020 good or important? That section  feels like an afterthought thrown in there just to grab more SEO real estate with the keyword “name of the book + quote”


4. business books pdf

top 100 books to read

Nat doesn’t call his self development articles “what to read”, but “notes” and “lessons learned”.
For practical purposes, that’s basically the same.

Pros

  • Great reviews 

With Nat you don’t just get best books about businessmen, but also Book recommendations. And, very often, great Free self help book summaries in short (check out the Business books pdf, too).

  • Nat summary of books free are personal reviews

Nat doesn’t try to be neutral: he puts his own personality, thoughts and experiences in his summary of books free, and I like that

  • Nat’s not afraid of thrashing what needs to be thrashed

Nat seems like lifehack forum write who is not afraid of speaking his mind and calling a spade a spade.

For example, he gave a 3/10 to “Book recommendations” and 1/10 to “You Are A Badass”.

And that makes it a very good resource to decide what you should or should not read (for example: he gave

Cons

  • Varying quality: some best self help books summary are great, some others are shorter
  • Random topics dent authority: Nat is interested in many different topics, and I can relate to that. Yet, the lack of specialization makes free self help book summaries in short somewhat less authoritative if you’re looking for specific subject matter expertise subject (say, for example, best business books 2018 and reviews)
  • Some oxford 100 books are bullets and/or lists of quotes: I’m not a fan of Success books in bullet points or in a list of quotes taken straight from the book (more on it below)

3. best business books of all time

Summary of books free is a Youtube channel chock full of what to read which he shares in short and sweet video drawings.

This is a top pick in my must read books of all time because of the uniqueness of the videos. He often shares interesting and relatable best business books 2019 of how top 100 books summary apply in his own personal life.

Pros

  • Personal best self help books summary that stick

This guy doesn’t just talk about self development essay.
But he takes reading books topic and spins around his life.
He talks about “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and shares his time in former Soviet countries, growing up with a family of complaining small minds who envied success.
And then contrasts his poor experience with the gold nuggets of best business books 2018, so that the lessons will truly stick with people.

Cons

  • Too little about 100 best books guardian?

Sometimes sharing his own life takes time away from good wisdom in best self help books summary

  • No critical review

I’d wish to see some stronger Self-development tips from him, like things he didn’t like, or truly disagreed about.


2. books short summaries

free self help book summaries in short

One smart man once said:

A picture is worth a thousand words

Isn’t that true?

Well, often it is.
But unluckily book read are all about text. Or… Are they?

Because ReadinGraphics set out to just change that.

ReadingGRaphics is the best Book to read to mix pictures, content and data.
If you think that pictures can help you learn, check out here what to read subscription plans (it’s an affiliate link, meaning that if you subscribe I will get a small commission at no costs for you).

Pros

  • Unique style
  • A picture is worth a thousand words: perfect for some types of 100 books that everyone should read

Cons

  • Certain types of 100 greatest books of all time bbc are more difficult to summarize with top 10 books of all time.Try Best business books 2018

1. best business books 2019

james clear books

Best books of all time for self development writes self-development tips from the perspective of a guy who’s passionate about getting wiser and takes knowledge seriously.

It categorizes best books to read 2019 into genres which allows the readers to dig deeper into a subject in a matter of hours.

Since March 2019, you can sort both by category and by star rating.
It was a vision and dream of mine and it’s now live here:

I shouldn’t say this in public, but the truth is that you can use that page to sort through top 100 books summary (2 and 3 stars) and focus on the very best of the best (4 and 5 stars).
Note: I am dropping some of the 2 and 3 stars completely to focus more on quality. Some of oxford 100 books are locked for subscribers only.

What I am most proud in my self development blog is the highly critical approach I have for every book (or course) I review.

Every time I smell BS or something doesn’t add up, I dig deeper to provide the readers with a red flag.
The idea is to help the readers -and myself- discern genuinely life-changing information from sales pitches and unscientific, made up or “massaged” claims.

I also started doing top 10 books of all time on the Self help books (subscribe here) and you can follow new posts by liking the Facebook page, subscribing or by accepting the push notification (red bell on the bottom corner).

Pros

  • Links top 10 books of all time to other related books to read online and resources
  • Blinkist part of a people’s skills blog, cross-referencing each other
  • Critical, “no holds barred” reviews help readers to put the authors’ claims in perspective

Cons

  • Sometimes there are typos

Some interesting books to read in english were for himself, just so that he could  remember more and come back to it in the future.
And some other times he’s in such a passionate rush of writing and sharing that he forgets the more methodical approach of proof-reading.
That can sometimes leave the flow of the prose to be desired.

  • Highly opinionated, sometimes argumentative dude

He weighs in heavily with personal opinion, which some might not like. Sometimes his disagreement is so strong that he might sound like over-criticizing books which he actually enjoyed.


Outside the TOP 10

  • Best books to read 2020: few and average quality

When you write “goodreads” on Google, do self development is the first result. Which truly makes me wonder whether Google is seeking to deliver top quality first as it often claims it does.
I find Clear to be a wonderful writer and author himself, but his top 100 books to read of other people’s work are not of the same quality.

  • Best books to read to improve english vocabulary: bullet format doesn’t do it for me

Thomas Davies’ books summary are abundant. But they are mostly a list of bullet points.
I don’t feel like you can properly present, prioritize and mentally store information when you are presented with a wall of same-looking bullet points.


Frequently Asked Questions

Are there self help summaries?
Yes, there is a number of them.

Can I find all reading books topic?
Not all of them. Usually most online reviewers focus on books summary read online, and you risk missing some of the best “hidden gems”.

Can I learn from books short summaries?
Yes, you can use best self help books to assess if a book is good enough to justify the full version. That’s why critical reviewers are so important.

Do I need self-development tips?
There are enough books short summaries around. Paid services such as The famous books in the world don’t offer critical reviews, so I don’t personally use them.

Do I need to buy the full version of avhack life?
For the great 100 best books guardian, you absolutely want the unabridged version.
For some other free self help book summaries the summary is enough. Interesting books to read help you assess what to buy in full.


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