Book Recommendations September 2020
Reading is one of the most important parts of my daily routine – non-fiction books are practical, thought-provoking and educational. And fiction books, typically part of my before-bed routine, throw you into a story, prompt emotional responses and get the creative juices flowing.
These non-fiction books have all been recommended in my newsletters over the last two to three months. If you’d like to get them weeks (sometimes months) ahead of everyone else, make sure to sign up for my weekly words.
Philosophical
On Stoicism
There are many books on Stoicism, which has regained popularity (yay) in recent years. If you’re new to the philosophy or keen to get back into it, here are some good Stoic books if you want to get started. They’re all pretty easy reads so you can slowly step your way into the Stoic world.
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor, and meditations is a compilation of his journal entries to himself. I’m pretty sure he never actually intended to make them public: He wrote them to guide himself and remind himself of principles to live by. The meditations are short so you can easily read it in short bursts, which I’d recommend to really get the most out of it.
On the Shortness of Life – Seneca. Seneca was probably my favourite Stoic. I don’t know why, I just vibe with him. This book itself is short, you could read it in a single sitting. I think it exemplifies some of the most powerful stoic principles; living life now instead of waiting.
Enchiridion – Epictetus. Epictetus is arguably one of the most straight forward thinkers in ancient philosophy. Enchiridion means ‘handbook’ and this one is full of easily digestible ideas about living the tranquil, stoic life. If you like it, you might also like his Discourses (most Discourses editions also have Enchiridion in them, so you might be best to get a book with both).
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius – Donald Robertson. I am really enjoying this book (I’m almost finished). I particularly love that it combines anecdotes from the Roman emperor’s life with the philosophy itself.
Stillness is the Key – Ryan Holiday. Ryan Holiday is one of my favourite writers. He was arguably a key figure in bringing Stoicism back to public consciousness in the 21st Century – and I’m glad he did. Stillness is the Key is his latest work, which came out around October last year, and talks through finding stillness with beautiful historical stories and philosophy throughout.
Other philosophical reading
The Courage to Be Disliked – Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. This is a beautiful book, written as a kind of dialectic between a philosopher and his pupil about life and happiness. It’s a great one to prompt introspection and is founded on the philosophy that we aren’t our past; we all have control over our actions and identity. It’s been a fair while since I’ve read it and it’s definitely on my re-read list for 2020.
On Productivity
If your productivity and priorities have been up and down in 2020, you’re not alone. Here are some great books that can help you get back in focus.
Deep Work – Cal Newport. Deep Work is about getting in flow, ‘the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.’ Cal Newport is one of my favourite writers, so I’m biased here. But this book is incredible.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey. Written in 1989, more needed than ever in 2020.
Indistractable – Nir Eyal. Published in late 2019, this book is a nice accompaniment, to me, to Deep Work. Really specific practical advice for minimising distraction in a noisy world.
When – Daniel Pink. The only thing I don’t like about this book is that I let it sit on my shelf for so long before reading it. It’s about the science behind time – when we are most cognitively effective, creative, and so on. It’s practical, full of research and gives actionable advice on structuring your time to serve you.
Busy – Tony Crabbe. Busy is about shifting our attention from busy-ness to effectiveness. Great behavioural science, alongside simple, practical strategies.
Digital Minimalism – Cal Newport. If anything will persuade you to pop the phone away for a while, it’s this book. (Again, I’m a big Cal Newport fan. Give it a go.)
On Learning and Intelligence
Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential – Carol Dweck. Dr Dweck has conducted some fascinating studies about intelligence and success. Her most well-known research explored how students were affected by their mindset: Those who were taught that they could learn and get better at maths, did so over time. Those who believed that they had a fixed level of potential ability had different results. When you hear people talking about ‘fixed’ verse ‘growth’ mindsets, they’re probably referencing Dr Dweck’s work.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Angela Duckworth. I loved this book. Angela Duckworth is a psychologist and this book explores some awesome research and ideas about perseverance and resilience (aka grittiness).
The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things and How to Make Wiser Decisions – David Robson. This one is basically all about how smart people can be really, really dumb.
Human behaviour books with random, weird and surprising information
These books will give you enough ‘weird facts’ ammo to interrupt every awkward silence you ever experience again for the rest of your life.
Drunk Tank Pink: The Subconscious Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel and Behave - Adam Alter. From colour studies, to names, labels, symbols and more, this book is full of unusual and fascinating insights that you probably never considered before.
The Idiot Brain - Dean Burnett. This book is somehow about neuroscience and laugh out loud funny at the same time. From why we get travel sick to forgetting people’s names, it talks through our silly, fallible brain’s imperfections and why we do some of the ridiculous things we do.
On Influence
Influence – Robert Cialdini. Most people know this book as a sales and marketing bible. The most incredible thing about it is that it was not made for salespeople and marketers. It was written to do the exact opposite: Cialdini wanted to warn consumers of the tactics that could be used to manipulate their decision making. If you read it, you’ll notice through the wording a distinct underlying sense of urgency: Be wary of salespeople, be cognisant of these unconscious influences on your behaviour.
Then, salespeople found the book.
It transformed, no longer seen as a series of warnings to heed but rather subtle but effective ways to better connect with and influence others.
I feel a special kinship with this book, because it was the first sales-related one I ever read. I was 18, and my manager recommended it. Even though reading one book is a small thing, it kickstarted my fascination with human behaviour. My copy is now old, well-loved, and regularly cited in my training sessions.
I didn’t realise it then, of course. We never do realise how little things influence us until hindsight gives us 20:20. At the time, I simply poured over it and enjoyed its contents, which I recommend you do, too.
Pre-Suasion – Robert Cialdini. This book is an awesome follow-up to influence, released in 2016. If you like Influence (read that first), check this one out afterwards.
On Sleep
The Nocturnal Brain – Dr Guy Leschziner. I loved this book. It dives into extreme and weird sleeping conditions: From sleep-eating to hallucinations, narcolepsy and restless legs. It’s great because it is equal part informative and interesting. The author shares really fascinating stories about his patients and the neuroscience of sleep.
Why We Sleep – Professor Matthew Walker. Essentially a book on everything sleep. From the blurb: “Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens in our brains and bodies when we dream to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.”
Have you read any of these titles? I’d love to know which ones you enjoyed the most.
I hope you like the recommendations above. If you have any recommendations for me, please do let me know.
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