Recommended Reading:
What Readers Are Reading

In your last issue of The Golden Thread, Porter Stansberry revealed that he considered reading to be his "No. 1 competitive advantage in life" and we gave you a list of books other AWAI master copywriters are reading now as well as a list of a few direct mail classics.

Here's what Michael Masterson had to say in Early to Rise Message #528…

"The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries."
Rene Descartes (Discourse on Method, 1639)

Tap Into the World's Best Ideas for Free
By Michael Masterson

Many, if not most, successful people attribute a share of their success to the books they read. To keep my mind moving, I try to read one book a week. If you do the same, you may eventually feel as if you've run out of good books to read.

Here's a simple way to bolster your book list: Ask for recommendations from people you respect. Ask your smart friends and successful colleagues what they've enjoyed. Ask them about the books that have made the biggest differences in their lives.

Try it now. Think of someone you like and admire – someone who knows something you don't, can do something you are impressed by, etc. Send an e-mail or call and simply ask, "Can you recommend a good nonfiction book?"

He or she will be flattered that you are interested and may give you a small reading list.

I get regular recommendations from folks who read ETR, and it's improved my reading program immensely.

In fact, just recently I asked my readers to send in a few of their suggestions and here's what they said:

L. Cole:

"Dianetics," by L. Ron Hubbard
"How to eliminate aberration in the mind – a very practical subject."
H. Robson:

The Uncle Eric series, by Richard Maybury
"Nine books, each of which can be read in a day or two. A great example of clear thinking on economics, politics, and business."
K. Willingham:

"The Road Less Traveled," by Scott Peck
D. Hughes:

"Seabiscuit: An American Legend," by Laura Hillenbrand
"How three losers came together and put together one of the most remarkable careers in horse racing."
G. Charboneau:

"Psycho Cybernetics," by Maxwell Maltz
"How the mind works and how it determines how well you do in life."
C. Martin:

"Skipping Christmas," by John Grisham
"How people band together in a time of need."
R. Zimmerman:

"The Effective Executive," by Peter Drucker
"Though many of the examples of effectiveness are dated, the concepts are classical."
JF:

"The Art of Worldy Wisdom," by Baltasar Gracian
"300 maxims as valid today as when they were written 400 years ago."
Claude:

"The World's Money: International Banking from Bretton Woods to the Brink of Insolvency," by Michael Moffitt
"Very revealing in the finance and investment field."
B. Baxter:

"Unstoppable," by Cynthia Kersey
"A very inspirational and moving book."

[ EDITOR’S NOTE: If you don't already subscribe to Early to Rise and would like to hear from Michael Masterson every weekday morning, visit Early to Rise.]

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Published: February 11, 2002