Books Recommended by Tim Urban
The Uninhabitable Earth
Life After Warming
David Wallace-Wells
Source: "[The author's] been scaring the shit out of me with this research for the past few years, and now it's a book I hope lots of people read/discuss/debate." - Tim Urban
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
Source: "I absolutely loved the book. Sure, the characters are extreme and one-dimensional - but to me, that was the point." - Tim Urban
Hit Makers
The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction
Derek Thompson
Source: "Every time I talk to [this author], I can't stop taking my phone out to jot down insights that pop up in the convo. [This book] has the same effect." - Tim Urban
The Three-Body Problem (3 books)
Cixin Liu
Source: "Rocked my existence for a few months." - Tim Urban
A Little History of the World
E. H. Gombrich
Source: "Super comprehensive history of everything. As if your grandfather were sitting around with a bunch of little kids explaining it." - Tim Urban
Station Eleven
A Novel
Emily St. John Mandel
Source: "Should be required reading to remind everyone that we all live in an incredible magical utopic civilization." - Tim Urban
Atomic Habits
An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
James Clear
Source: "I'd attribute about 60% of my good habits to [the author's] blog and this book is rapidly filling in the other 40%." - Tim Urban
Culture (10 books)
Iain M. Banks
Source: "They make me so depressed that I live in our primitive world." - Tim Urban
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong
Eric Barker
Source: "A mountain of scientific research on success distilled into a quick, enjoyable read." - Tim Urban
Immune
A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive
Philipp Dettmer
Source: "Super fun read and totally changed my understanding of the human body." - Tim Urban
TED Talks
The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
Chris Anderson
Source: "[I read this book] while prepping for my TED Talk and found it HUGELY helpful." - Tim Urban
Option B
Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
Sheryl Sandberg
Source: "A powerful book about a life skill we all need: resilience." - Tim Urban
The Biggest Bluff
How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
Source: "One of the most insightful and best storytellers around." - Tim Urban
Dream Teams
Working Together Without Falling Apart
Shane Snow
Source: "[This author] is an insanely interesting human." - Tim Urban
Our Final Invention
Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era
James Barrat
Source: "I think is the best overall resource on AI." - Tim Urban
Originals
How Non-Conformists Move the World
Adam Grant
Source: "Enjoyed the shit out of it. Highly recommend." - Tim Urban
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
Mark Manson
Source: "[The author's] an awesome writer." - Tim Urban
Elon Musk
Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance
Source: "A great biography on Musk." - Tim Urban
FAQ
Did Tim Urban recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has Tim Urban must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Tim Urban mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by Tim Urban is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Tim Urban actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Tim Urban, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
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