One of my favorite ways to spend a summer day at the beach is reading a good book. As you may know, there are countless benefits to reading. A few that come to mind are knowledge enhancement, mental stimulation for your brain, and stress reduction. Whether it be a good fiction novel or a non-fiction personal development book, reading is without question a great way to invest your time. Given that we are in the middle of the summer, I thought it would be a good time to share a list of my favorite books. I narrowed it down to ten books. I chose four related to personal finance and six related to personal development. This will be a two-part series, so stay tuned for part two in August! I hope you get a chance to check out at least one of the books below. Enjoy!

Johnny's take: This is my favorite personal finance book that I have read to date, and it absolutely deserves a spot on your bookshelf. It really drills down on the fact that behavior is key to building wealth and improving our financial lives. Housel knocks it out of the park with this one.

Johnny's take: Maggiulli authored this book in 2022, and I picked up a copy as soon as it came out. He is truly a data guru and has an outstanding weekly blog called, Of Dollars and Data - Act Smarter. Live Richer., which I would highly recommend you follow. His book is broken down into two sections: saving and investing, and was written to be a quick reference guide for readers. It is jam-packed with outstanding practical examples that we can all learn from, no matter where you are in your wealth-building journey.

Johnny's take: If you are looking for an in-depth book on investing, Graham's book is for you. However, it is not for the faint of heart and may be more info than many are looking for. Pick up a copy if you'd like to do a deep dive on investing fundamentals and how to become a value investor. Steer clear if this sounds like too much information for you.

Johnny's take: Lowry's book was one of the first books I read about personal finance. As a Millennial myself, the title immediately grabbed my attention. Her book does a really nice job of explaining some complex financial topics in a simple manner and is a practical financial guide that any young person can learn from.

Sources: Amazon; Lifehack