---
title: "My 10 Favorite Books of 2018"
description: "Discover 10 must-read books from 2018, including insights on market behavior, Apple's innovation culture, and timeless literature. Curated reading list for founders and leaders."
categories: ["books"]
keywords: ["2018 book recommendations","must-read books","Benoit Mandelbrot","Apple innovation culture","Philip Roth","investing theories","Alderian psychology","sleep importance","Theranos scandal","creative brainstorming techniques"]
ai_summary: "Explore 10 essential books from 2018 that offer insights on finance, innovation, literature, and personal development."
date: 2018-12-14
lastmod: 2026-07-27
canonical_url: https://www.tomtunguz.com/10-best-books-of-2018/
author: "Tomasz Tunguz"
---

These are my ten favorite books from 2018.

[The (Mis)Behavior of Markets](https://www.amazon.com/Misbehavior-Markets-Fractal-Financial-Turbulence/dp/0465043577) - Written by Benoit Mandelbrot, the Belgian mathematician who pioneered fractals, this book and theory inspired Naseem Taleb. It's a powerful book on the uncertain nature of financial turbulence.

[Creative Selection](https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Selection-Inside-Apples-Process-ebook/dp/B079DVT6VP/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544721459&sr=1-1&keywords=creative+selection) - Ken Kocienda, a former Apple engineer who co-authored Safari and the iPhone keyboard, writes about culture at Apple. [Among other insights](https://tomtunguz.com/creative-selection-an-inside-look-at-some-key-moments-at-apple/), he discusses the most effective ways to brainstorm with teams - it's not with ideas.

[American Pastoral](https://www.amazon.com/American-Pastoral-Philip-Roth-ebook/dp/B004GKMUTO) - Philip Roth is the most decorated novelist in American history. I read his speech "[I Have Fallen in Love with American Names](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/06/05/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names)" in the New Yorker and I won't ever forget the way it evoked in me a sense of pride in American unity. When a founder told me about this book, I read it right away. He is right. American Pastoral is one of Roth's finest books, and a Pulitzer winner.

[The Zurich Axioms](https://www.amazon.com/Zurich-Axioms-reward-generations-bankers-ebook/dp/B00371V6WU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1544721848&sr=1-1&keywords=zurich+axioms) - Max Gunther, former journalist and Princeton graduate in the 1950s, interviews many of the most successful Swiss bankers and condenses his learnings into a book. There are some provocative points of view including: investing is the same as gambling, we just call it another name.

[American Kingpin](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L8C4WBG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) - the true story of an Eagle Scout became one of the US largest drug runners in about five years; and how three government agencies captured him in a public library in San Francisco.

[The Importance of Being Earnest](https://www.amazon.com/Importance-Being-Earnest-Oscar-Wilde/dp/0486264785) - a classic play by Oscar Wilde. Most humor doesn't endure, but this satire does. This short book is laugh out loud funny.

[Finite and Infinite Games](https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse-ebook/dp/B004W3FM4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544722009&sr=1-1&keywords=finite+and+infinite+games+by+james+carse) - This book forces you to think about the world differently. Every time you engage with someone else, you're either playing a finite game or an infinite game. And how you ought to engage in each is radically different.

[The Courage to be Disliked](https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Be-Disliked-Phenomenon-Happiness-ebook/dp/B078MDSV8T/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544722077&sr=1-1&keywords=the+courage+to+be+disliked) - Alder was a master philosopher, a contemporary of Freud and Jung, but less well known. In this book, the author explains Alderian psychology via conversations between a sage and a student.

[Why We Sleep](https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams-ebook/dp/B06ZZ1YGJ5/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544722161&sr=1-4&keywords=why+we+sleep) - Read this book to understand why [sleeping is the most important thing you should do today](https://tomtunguz.com/the-most-important-book-2018/). More than working out. More than meditating. It's the best investment of your time.

[Bad Blood](https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Blood-Secrets-Silicon-Startup-ebook/dp/B078VW3VM7/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544722214&sr=1-3&keywords=bad+blood) - It will make your blood boil. It's the story of Theranos, the failed medical startup.