Literature
Last update on August 12, 2009
I only read nonfiction and do so almost entirely via audiobooks in iTunes. I'm one of those people that leaves the fiction for the movies.
Business and Economics
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The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss |
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| Many criticize this book because they hear the title and are immediately turned off. However, the book is really not about working a 4-hour work week. It is more about finding work you're passionate about, establishing businesses that are self-sustaining and then using those businesses to fund your lifestyle. My favorite point that Ferriss makes is on the idea of retirement. Ferriss explains that the mind-set of working until your 65 to retire is extremely dysfunctional - I couldn't agree more. I think having "mini retirements" every 6 months is definitely the way to live. | |
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The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries |
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This is a great general reference book on branding. One of my favorite laws is "The Law of Expansion" which states that the power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope. I think that many companies make the mistake of releasing new products under the banner of an existing brand in order to try to leverage the brand equity that they already have. This is terribly shortsighted because in the long run the broadened scope ends up devaluing the brand. |
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin |
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| I am a huge fan of Seth Godin and what he has to say about marketing and business. The biggest take away from this book is the dramatic shift that's occurred from the old TV industrial age to the current post-TV age. Godin illustrates that the old rule in the TV industrial age was to create safe, ordinary products and combine them with great marketing. Now, companies must create remarkable products that the right people will seek out if they want to be successful. | |
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The Long Tail by Chris Anderson |
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| This book presents the economics that all business face in the Internet age. With no traditional inventory costs that brick and mortar businesses face, online based businesses can make a significant amount of money by selling niche products to more customers. It is a must read for anyone looking to start an online based business or that just wants to gain an economic perspective on the dynamics at work with online transactions. | |
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Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson |
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| When it comes to the Internet and how it's transforming business there aren't too many people as well versed as Chris Anderson. In this book he discusses and puts to rest some of the concerns and misconceptions that people have about "free" on the Internet. The issue of free on the Internet is always a divisive issue and Anderson does a good job of bringing both sides together to illustrate how free models are good for consumers as well as businesses. | |
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The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman |
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| A great book that discusses globalization and the effects it is having on the world. Although some argue that globalization is a bad thing I personally believe that globalization is a tide that raises all boats. This book does a great job of connecting the dots and making sense of the many dynamics serving to make the world a single entity. | |
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The Google Story by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed |
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| Google is a tremendous company that I have had the chance to observe as it grew from nothing to now one of the biggest and most prominent companies in the world. I really enjoyed this book because it gave a great history of how the company evolved into becoming what it is today. | |
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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis |
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| As an economics major in college and having an affinity towards looking at things from an economic perspective, I loved this book. It discusses the process of analyzing personnel decisions strictly based on mathematical criteria. Although I believe there has to be a balance between qualitative and quantitative analysis, this book truly illustrates the value of bringing quantitative methods to something that was predominantly dominated by qualitative analysis. |
Personal Development
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey |
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| This book is a classic that has great universal lessons. My favorite habit out of the seven is Habit Four: "Think Win/Win". I think too many people have a scarcity mind-set and it causes a lot of the bad things we see go on in this world. | |
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The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron |
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| If you are a writer or just a creative person this is a great book to check out. It's a 12 week program on reigniting your creativity, overcoming your fears and getting your creative mind back on track. Unlike some of the "Band-Aid" books out there, this holistic approach to fueling creativity starts at the source of your being and has had profound effects on my life. | |
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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen |
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| I am a big GTD person and this book was the first thing that exposed me to the concept and got me to utilize the method. It's caused a dramatic shift in the way I view project and task management and has really serviced to completely alter the way I view my work on a daily basis. I highly recommend that anyone who is not familiar with GTD check it out. | |
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The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz |
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| A classic motivation book about setting high expectations for yourself and going after very lofty goals. The reality is that success on anything you go after starts with your personal mindset and your belief that you can accomplish great things. I love this book and often go back to it time to time to reiterate the lessons and messages. | |
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How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie |
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| This book doesn't necessarily reveal any profound or new insights into interpersonal relations but it does a great job of bringing to attention the things which you subconsciously already know. This quote from the beginning of the reveals just how important human relations is in business: "…about 15 percent of one’s financial success is due to one’s technical knowledge and about 85 percent is due to skill in human engineering-to personality and the ability to lead people." | |
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The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz |
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| I love this book because it spits in the face of the old industrial complex way of thinking which I can't stand. Basically the old way of thinking was to manage time, think of life as a marathon, think of downtime is wasted time and use rewards to drive performance. The new age way of thinking is just the opposite. It's all about managing energy, living life as a series of sprints, viewing downtime is productive time and using purpose as a motivation for performance. |
Culture and Design
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The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda |
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| As a graphic designer the biggest principle that guides what I do is simplicity. I can't stand graphic design or any form of design that is complex and chaotic. This book does a great job of talking about simplicity and how our culture has brought us away from simple design. I'm fascinated by the idea that companies feel the need to add features and more complexity in order to sell future versions of their products. This is truly a must read and I'm happy to see some signs of society moving back toward a mind-set of simplicity. |
Mind/Body
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The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle |
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| Too many people either live in the past or worry about the future. After reading this book I realized just how out of control and all over the place my mind was. Having the discipline to "turn off your mind" and truly be in the present moment is something that takes an extreme amount of consciousness. I really enjoyed the perspective I gained from this book and often review it to keep the practices of this book top of mind. | |
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Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl |
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| This book truly illustrates the power of the mind's ability to allow you to overcome anything. The book examines the prisoners that survived and those that didn't survive the Nazi concentration camps. Those that did make it through were those who had made the mental decision to find meaning in their suffering and find reasons to make it through. |
Science
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The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins |
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| I am agnostic at the moment but am open to changing my mind pending future evidence. I think it's a shame that some people feel the need to treat religion different than any belief one might have such as politics for example. This book examines religion just like any other belief - by looking at the facts and coming to conclusion based on the evidence that's available. That is precisely why I really enjoyed this book. | |
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A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson |
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| This book is absolutely fascinating. I listened to the entire 18+ hours of the audiobook and was never bored. Bryson really makes concepts that are very complex extremely easy to grasp. Bryson uses a bunch of analogies throughout as well as simple layman terms which serve to make the book really approachable. |
Biographies and Essays
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This I Believe by Jay Allison |
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| This is by far the most inspiring and moving book I have ever listened to. The concept of This I Believe was actually started in 1951 as a radio show program. Basically, everyone from famous people to regular people off the street share their beliefs and principles that guide their life. Listening to this book in audiobook format is a must. This is due to the fact that the actual individuals record their beliefs on the audiobook version - not a voiceover actor. There is something about listening to the principles of others that is extremely inspiring. | |
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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch |
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| This is truly an inspiring book about the last lecture given by professor Randy Pausch. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Randy gave his last lecture on the lessons he learned while living his life and the unique perspective that one has in articulating those when your days are numbered. | |
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On Writing by Stephen King |
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| I haven't ready too many King novels and generally don't read fiction but I have a lot of respect for King's ability as a writer and loved this memoir on writing. It basically starts off by going into his childhood and the experiences that influence him as a writer and then goes into practical and anecdotal advice about the craft of writing. |