The Story Behind
2HundredBooks

My name is C. Ryan Shelton — though everyone calls me Ryan. The "C." is something I started using in high school, a small way of honoring my mom for naming me Christopher.

For me, 2HundredBooks is personal.

I'm not entirely sure where my relationship with reading began, but my earliest memory of it goes back to when I was ten years old. My mom bought a set of World Book Encyclopedias from a door-to-door salesman for around $700. At the time, we were living in government-subsidized housing and on food stamps. A set of encyclopedias was probably the last thing we needed — and certainly not something we could comfortably afford. They offered a small down payment and stretched the installments out over years, almost like buying a car. For my mom, she might as well have been.

The salesman was brilliant — or predatory. In that situation, the line is thin. He was going door to door on a Saturday morning, selling single mothers a brighter future for their kids. All for $25 down and a signature.

Somehow, even at that age, my mom and that salesman burned something into me: the idea that the secret to a brighter future — wealth, opportunity, possibility — might be hiding inside those crimson faux-leather covers of the 1988 World Book Encyclopedia. Over the next four years, I read the entire set cover to cover.

In elementary school, I'd wait anxiously for the Scholastic catalog each fall and spring, dreaming about which books I might get. My mom couldn't afford much, but she always made sure I could pick out two or three. I loved sports from a young age, but my favorite day of the school year was never Field Day. It was Book Fair Day.

I've always thought about reading the way Neo thinks about downloading Kung Fu — as a deposit into a repository that pays dividends later, in leadership, decision-making, creativity, and growth. Every book adds something: perspective, tools, language, pattern recognition, courage, conviction.

That belief has followed me across every chapter of my career — through professional baseball, motorsports, and now professional football in Italy, where I currently serve as Chief Revenue Officer of Como 1907 in Serie A. The roles have changed. The stages have gotten bigger. But the drive underneath has always been the same: I read to grow.

2HundredBooks is where I document that process. The reading here is intentionally wide-ranging — business, leadership, personal development, health, psychology, biography, history, and occasional fiction. Some books sharpen how I work. Some change how I think. Some challenge what I believe. Some simply remind me why the pursuit matters.

If you're here, I hope you find something that moves you forward — in your work, your leadership, your life.

Because that's what books have done for me.

— Ryan

About ten years ago, I set an audacious goal: read 200 books in a single year. I was deep into the world of speed reading, listening to books on Audible during every commute, and often reading two or three books simultaneously. The goal felt within reach — ambitious, yes, but achievable.

I never hit 200. The most I ever read in a year was around 50 books. By most measures, the goal was a failure.

But here's what I've come to understand: the pursuit itself was the point. Those 50 books — and the hundreds that followed over the years — changed how I think, how I work, how I lead, and how I see the world. The goal of 200 was never really about the number. It was about the commitment to growth, to curiosity, to never stopping.

2HundredBooks is a nod to that original, unattainable goal. It stands for the belief that ambitious reading — even imperfect, even incomplete — is one of the most powerful investments you can make in yourself.

We focus on books that are worth your time — timeless titles that have stood the test of years, not just weeks on a bestseller list. Our reviews cover:

• Business & Leadership — books that sharpen how you build, manage, and grow
• Personal Development — frameworks for becoming a better version of yourself
• Finance & Investing — principles for building lasting financial independence
• Biography & Memoir — lessons from people who shaped the world
• Science & Ideas — books that expand how you understand reality
• History & Society — context for the world we live in today

Every review includes a rating, key takeaways, and a direct link to purchase on Amazon — so you can go from "this sounds interesting" to "I'm reading this tonight" in seconds.

We believe in radical transparency. Here's what that means in practice:

Honest reviews: We only review books we've actually read. Ratings reflect genuine opinions — not publisher relationships or affiliate incentives.

Affiliate disclosure: This site participates in the Amazon Associates program. When you buy a book through our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps keep the site running and the reviews free.

No fluff: We respect your time. Reviews are focused on what you need to know to decide whether a book is worth reading — not padded summaries.