I’d like to share with you 10 books I have read throughout the last year or so. I do not read dozens of books per year, nor do I read fictional books – I just don’t have the patience. When I read I want to learn something, preferably something I can apply both personally as well as professionally. Here are 10 titles I enjoyed very much and knowing my audience, so to speak, I’m pretty sure you will too, with an exception here and there. Per book I’ve included a short description as well as the accompanying ISBN numbers.
All books below are available through Amazon, though other web shops, like bol.com, for example, if you are in NL will have most as well.
Mark Zuckerberg – In His Own Words
- ISBN-10: 1932841768
- ISBN-13: 978-1932841763
Description: The Boy Billionaire: Mark Zuckerberg In His Own Words is the first and only book to detail the visionary thoughts and opinions of Facebook’s founder entirely through direct quotations from Zuckerberg himself. It is the most intimate and most authoritative look at the man behind Facebook’s once-a-generation success, the tech heir-apparent to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
Richard Branson – Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons In Life
- ISBN-10: 0753510995
- ISBN-13: 978-0753510995
Description: Global entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has built a business empire and made billions, yet is renowned for his approachability, ability to challenge and succeed against the odds. Screw It, Let’s Do It reveals the lessons from life that have helped him through his business and personal life – such as, believe it can be done and that, if others disagree with you, try and try again until you achieve your goal; or that you must love what you do. These and other lessons, with examples of how he learned them and how he’s used them, are included in this stirring and candid look at his lessons from an exceptional life, which will inspire you to make a difference in your own life.
David Millar – Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar
- ISBN-10: 9781451682687
- ISBN-13: 978-1451682687
Description: In this arrestingly candid memoir, which he wrote himself, world-class cyclist, Tour de France stage winner, and time trial specialist David Millar offers a vivid portrait of his life in professional cycling—including his soul-searing detour into performance-enhancing drugs, dramatic arrest and two-year ban, and his ultimate decision to return to the sport he loves to race clean.
Mark Manson – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
- ISBN-10: 0062457713
- ISBN-13: 978-0062457714
Description: In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. “F**k positivity,” Mark Manson says. “Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it.” In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.
Scott Berkun – Confessions of a Public Speaker
- ISBN-10: 1449301959
- ISBN-13: 978-1449301958
Description: In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For managers and teachers — and anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen — Confessions of a Public Speaker provides an insider’s perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It’s a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.
Roger D. Smith – Chief Technology Officer: Defining the Responsibilities of the Senior Technical Executive
- ISBN-10: 0982304048
- ISBN-13: 978-0982304044
Description: This book describes the role and responsibilities of the Chief Technology Officer and executives with similar titles. It provides a framework for understanding the many unique flavors the position; identifies key responsibilities that go with the job; and provides vignettes of successful CTO’s in large and small companies. This book is the first to take a disciplined look at this important executive position and to describe the best practices necessary to excel.
Michael D. Watkins – The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded
- ISBN-10: 1422188612
- ISBN-13: 978-1422188613
Description: In this updated and expanded version of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions—no matter where you are in your career. Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions and adviser to senior leaders in all types of organizations, also addresses today’s increasingly demanding professional landscape, where managers face not only more frequent transitions but also steeper expectations once they step into their new jobs.
Nancy Duarte– Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations
- ISBN-10: 0596522347
- ISBN-13: 978-0596522346
Description: No matter where you are on the organizational ladder, the odds are high that you’ve delivered a high-stakes presentation to your peers, your boss, your customers, or the general public. Presentation software is one of the few tools that requires professionals to think visually on an almost daily basis. But unlike verbal skills, effective visual expression is not easy, natural, or actively taught in schools or business training programs. slide:ology fills that void.
Mark E. Russinovich, David A. Solomon, and Alex Lonescu – Windows Internals, Part 1: System architecture, processes, threads, memory management, and more (7th Edition)
- ISBN-10: 0735684189
- ISBN-13: 978-0735684188
Description: Delve inside Windows architecture and internals and see how core components work behind the scenes. Led by a team of internals experts, this classic guide has been fully updated for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. Whether you are a developer or an IT professional, you’ll get critical, insider perspectives on how Windows operates. And through hands-on experiments, you’ll experience its internal behavior firsthand–knowledge you can apply to improve application design, debugging, system performance, and support.
Garr Reynolds– Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations (2nd Edition)
- ISBN-10: 0321934156
- ISBN-13: 978-0321934154
Description: Here to guide you on your journey is best-selling author and popular speaker Garr Reynolds, whose design wisdom and advice will open your eyes and give you new ways to look at your slides. Filled with practical insights and plenty of examples, you’ll learn how to design effective presentations that contain text, data, color, images, and video. Once the design guidelines are established, you will benefit from Garr’s years of experience as a master presenter and learn how you can achieve an overall harmony and balance using the powerful tenet of simplicity. Not only will you discover how to design your slides for more professional-looking presentations, you’ll learn to communicate more clearly and will accomplish the goal of making a stronger, more lasting connection with your audience.
Concluding
That’s it for now. As you can see, some books are technical, some are more inspirational and educational at the same time (not all). Take the book of David Millar, for example. If you are a cyclist fan, you’ll love it, guaranteed. But even if you are not, the book contains some valuable life lessons – depends on your point of view as well. Anyway, use the list to your advantage and have some fun.
Given my taste of books, as the list clearly shows, which books do you recomend me reading?
