The ENOUGH Bookshelf
Books that shaped this newsletter
These are the books I return to. Each one helped me see something I couldn’t see on my own. They’re organized by the six coordinates of the ENOUGH Principle. Not by genre, but by what they helped me understand.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase them. It costs you nothing extra. I only recommend books I’ve actually read and referenced in this newsletter.
E — Exhale Stillness
Pause before you plan.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The book that taught me the difference between having enough to live by and having something to live for.
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
The philosophy behind the best meal I ever had, and why abundance has nothing to do with price.
N — Notice
Awareness before action
Awareness by Anthony de Mello
The book that taught me the difference between following rules and seeing reality.
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The book that gave me language for why more information often means less clarity.
Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
The book that taught me presence has a name.
O — One Focus
Choose what actually matters
Enchiridion by Epictetus
The book that asks one question: Is this up to you or not? Everything else follows from the answer.
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
The best book I’ve read on why we keep moving the goalpost and how to stop.
Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
The book that rewired how I think about money, satisfaction, and what I’m actually trading my life for.
U — Undo
Release what no longer fits
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The first book that made me want less on purpose. Subtraction is a strategy.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
The book that made me realize attention is the most valuable thing I own, and I’d been giving it away for free.
G — Grow Curiously
Keep asking why
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
The book that made me stop waiting for my life to get interesting and go find out what it already was.
The Essays by Michel de Montaigne
The original commonplace book. Montaigne quoted others to find himself, and eventually, I did too.
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown
A map of 87 emotions that helped me stop confusing what I was feeling with what I thought I should be feeling.
H — Honor What’s Yours
Navigate by your own compass
Living for Pleasure by Emily Austin
The Epicurean case for satisfaction over success, and why “enough” is the only finish line that matters.
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The essay behind a twenty-year habit of noticing what I notice and keeping it.
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The book that taught me wildness isn’t acquired. It waits.
Just Enough by Ranee Taylor
My children’s book, built on one idea: instead of wishing your child everything, wish them enough.
This list will grow as the newsletter does. If a book has changed the way you think about enough, reply and tell me. I’m always reading.