Lenny Rachitsky has published part 2 of his essential books for product builders series, organized by jobs-to-be-done and capped at 3 personally completed titles per category. The list excludes recent releases, applying a deliberate filter: only books that have held up over time make the cut. A bonus section adds roughly a dozen reader favorites that either narrowly missed the main list or remain unread by Rachitsky himself.
The reading method matters as much as the list. Rachitsky reads 10 minutes before bed, extracts one actionable nugget per book, photographs it, and emails it to himself for the next morning. That single-nugget philosophy shapes how he presents each recommendation: every entry comes paired with a specific insight that has stayed with him years after the first read.
The full piece is worth reading for the category structure alone. Knowing which problem a book solves, not just its reputation, is the actual signal. Part 1 is linked for context, and the fan-favorites appendix at the end gives you a ranked second tier to work through after the core list.
[READ ORIGINAL →]