Books recommended by James Clear

James Clear is a well-known author and productivity expert who gained fame for his work on habit formation and behavioral change. He’s particularly famous for his book “Atomic Habits”, which provides a comprehensive guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones.

His recommended books, such as Sapiens, Principles, Meditations, Guns, Germs, and Steel, and Into Thin Air, showcase James Clear’s eclectic style of writing that blends science, philosophy, and storytelling. His book recommendations often focus on self-improvement, personal growth, and understanding human behavior through history and anthropology.

You can find more information about his work at https://www.jamesclear.com/

1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari). Recommended by Ashton Kutcher , Bill Gates , Bill Gurley , Daniel Ek , Demis Hassabis , James Cameron , Joe Rogan , Karlie Kloss , Keith Rabois , Kishore Biyani , Lex Fridman , Mark Zuckerberg , Naval Ravikant , Peter Attia , Ray Dalio , Reid Hoffman , Richard Branson , Ryan Shea , Sam Kass , Sebastian Junger , Vinod Khosla , Whitney Cummings , PewDiePie , Melinda Gates , Anthony Pompliano , Changpeng Zhao , Patrick O’Shaughnessy , Chris Evans , Mark Manson , Simon Mayo , Penn Jillette , James Clear
2. Principles: Life and Work (by Ray Dalio). Recommended by Arianna Huffington , Bill Gates , Bryan Johnson , Diddy , Doug McMillon , Drew Houston , Dustin Moskovitz , Gary Vaynerchuk , Howard Marks , Jack Dorsey , Kevin Systrom , Lex Fridman , Marc Benioff , Mark Cuban , Michael Bloomberg , Naval Ravikant , Reed Hastings , Tim Ferriss , Tony Robbins , Austen Allred , Patrick O’Shaughnessy , Tom Bilyeu , Marty Cagan , James Clear
3. Meditations: (by Marcus Aurelius). Recommended by Adam Robinson , Anna Kendrick , Arianna Huffington , Chip Conley , Jack Dorsey , Joe Rogan , Lex Fridman , Naval Ravikant , Neil Strauss , Ryan Holiday , Sam Altman , Stewart Brand , Tobi Lütke , Austen Allred , Shane Parrish , Mark Manson , James Clear , Ankur Warikoo
4. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (by Jared Diamond). Recommended by Bill Gates , Charlie Munger , Daniel Ek , Jesse Williams , Joe Rogan , Patrick Arnold , Simon Sinek , Stewart Brand , Jamie Dimon , Mark Manson , Margaret Atwood , James Clear
5. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (by Jon Krakauer). Recommended by Richard Branson , James Clear
6. Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (by Keith Johnstone). Recommended by Patrick O’Shaughnessy , James Clear
7. A Brief History of Time: (by Stephen Hawking). Recommended by Richard Branson , James Clear
8. A Manual for Living: (by Epictetus). Recommended by Neville Medhora , James Clear
9. When Breath Becomes Air: (by Paul Kalanithi). Recommended by Bill Gates , Melinda Gates , Anthony Pompliano , Patrick O’Shaughnessy , Tim Cook , Peter King , Shauna Niequist , James Clear
10. Candide: (by Voltaire). Recommended by Ryan Holiday , James Clear
11. The Alchemist: (by Paulo Coelho). Recommended by Aubrey Marcus , Big Sean , Brené Brown , Daniel Ek , Eric Ripert , Gabby Reece , LeBron James , Lisa Ling , Ryan Flaherty , Ryan Shea , Tony Robbins , Will Smith , Garry Tan , Lewis Howes , Jodie Cook , James Clear , Andy Frisella
12. To Kill a Mockingbird: To Kill a Mockingbird, Book 1 (by Harper Lee). Recommended by Jordan Peterson , Oprah Winfrey , Taylor Swift , Kathie Lee Gifford , James Clear
13. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: (by Stieg Larsson). Recommended by Charles Koch , James Clear
14. Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets (by Nassim Taleb). Recommended by Art De Vany , Ev Williams , Howard Marks , James Altucher , Nick Kokonas , Ryan Shea , James Clear
15. The Count of Monte Cristo: (by Alexandre Dumas). Recommended by Mike Maples, Jr. , Patrick Collison , PewDiePie , Nassim Taleb , James Clear
16. The Lessons of History: (by Will & Ariel Durant). Recommended by Kevin Systrom , Naval Ravikant , Ray Dalio , Tim Ferriss , Shane Parrish , Mark Manson , Lyn Alden , James Clear
17. The Little Prince: (by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). Recommended by Brandon Stanton , Emma Watson , Evan Goldberg , Ricardo Semler , Fred Wilson , Garry Tan , James Clear
18. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (by Robert Cialdini). Recommended by Adam Robinson , Alexis Ohanian , Charlie Munger , Guy Kawasaki , Max Levchin , Naval Ravikant , Neil Strauss , Noah Kagan , Ramit Sethi , Samy Kamkar , Scott Adams , Tobi Lütke , Andrew Wilkinson , Patrick O’Shaughnessy , Mark Manson , Alex Hormozi , Michael Hyatt , James Clear
19. This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life (by David Foster Wallace). Recommended by Hugh Jackman , Peter Attia , James Clear
20. Siddhartha: (by Hermann Hesse). Recommended by Bryan Johnson , David Blaine , Emma Watson , Lex Fridman , Naval Ravikant , Navdeep Chandel , Neil Strauss , Tim Ferriss , Wim Hof , Fred Wilson , Patrick O’Shaughnessy , Phil Jackson , Jack Edwards , James Clear , Harry Styles , Justin Kan
21. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character (by Richard P. Feynman). Recommended by Brian Armstrong , Ev Williams , Larry Page , Mark Zuckerberg , Naval Ravikant , Noah Kagan , Peter Attia , Sergey Brin , Tim Ferriss , Sahil Lavingia , James Clear
22. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles (by Steven Pressfield). Recommended by Aubrey Marcus , Brian Koppelman , Daniel Pink , Derek Sivers , Joe Rogan , Lex Fridman , Marie Forleo , Ryan Holiday , Seth Godin , Soman Chainani , Russell Moore , Jen Sincero , Jodie Cook , Danny Miranda , Michael Hyatt , James Clear