Book mentions in this thread

  • Votes: 20

    Tao Te Ching

    by Lao Tzu

  • Votes: 20

    The Body Keeps the Score

    by Bessel A. Van der Kolk

    Originally published by Viking Penguin, 2014.
  • Votes: 20

    The Checklist Manifesto

    by Atul Gawande

    A New York Times Bestseller In latest bestseller, Atul Gawande shows what the simple idea of the checklist reveals about the complexity of our lives and how we can deal with it. The modern world has given us stupendous know-how. Yet avoidable failures continue to plague us in health care, government, the law, the financial industry--in almost every realm of organized activity. And the reason is simple: the volume and complexity of knowledge today has exceeded our ability as individuals to properly deliver it to people--consistently, correctly, safely. We train longer, specialize more, use ever-advancing technologies, and still we fail. Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist. In riveting stories, he reveals what checklists can do, what they can't, and how they could bring about striking improvements in a variety of fields, from medicine and disaster recovery to professions and businesses of all kinds. And the insights are making a difference. Already, a simple surgical checklist from the World Health Organization designed by following the ideas described here has been adopted in more than twenty countries as a standard for care and has been heralded as "the biggest clinical invention in thirty years" (The Independent).
  • Votes: 10

    Atomic Habits

    by James Clear

    James Clear presents strategies to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that help lead to an improved life.
  • Votes: 5

    Crime and Punishment

    by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

  • Votes: 5

    Einstein

    by Walter Isaacson

    From Isaacson, the bestselling author of "Benjamin Franklin," comes the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all his papers have become available--a fully realized portrait of a premier icon of his era.
  • Votes: 5

    The Black Swan

    by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    The Black Swan is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand. The other books in the series are Fooled by Randomness, Antifragile, and The Bed of Procrustes. A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives. Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and time and time again fail to take into consideration what we don’t know. We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate opportunities, too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize, and not open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the “impossible.” For years, Taleb has studied how we fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we actually do. We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential, while large events continue to surprise us and shape our world. In this revelatory book, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don’t know, and this second edition features a new philosophical and empirical essay, “On Robustness and Fragility,” which offers tools to navigate and exploit a Black Swan world. Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications, The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world. Taleb is a vastly entertaining writer, with wit, irreverence, and unusual stories to tell. He has a polymathic command of subjects ranging from cognitive science to business to probability theory. The Black Swan is a landmark book—itself a black swan. Praise for Nassim Nicholas Taleb “The most prophetic voice of all.”—GQ Praise for The Black Swan “[A book] that altered modern thinking.”—The Times (London) “A masterpiece.”—Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired, author of The Long Tail “Idiosyncratically brilliant.”—Niall Ferguson, Los Angeles Times “The Black Swan changed my view of how the world works.”—Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate “[Taleb writes] in a style that owes as much to Stephen Colbert as it does to Michel de Montaigne. . . . We eagerly romp with him through the follies of confirmation bias [and] narrative fallacy.”—The Wall Street Journal “Hugely enjoyable—compelling . . . easy to dip into.”—Financial Times “Engaging . . . The Black Swan has appealing cheek and admirable ambition.”—The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition.
  • Votes: 5

    The Name of the Rose

    by Umberto Eco

  • Votes: 5

    The Stranger

    by Albert Camus

    An ordinary man is unwittingly caught up in a senseless murder in Algeria
  • Votes: 4

    Metaphors We Live By

    by George Lakoff

  • Votes: 4

    Never Split the Difference

    by VOSS/RAZ

    'A master of persuasion.' Forbes'This book blew my mind.' Adam Grant, bestselling author of OriginalsA former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating - effective in any situation. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists. Never Split the Differencetakes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most - when people?s lives were at stake. Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Differencewill give you the competitive edge in any discussion.'Filled with insights that apply to everyday negotiations.' Business Insider'A stupendous book.' The Week'It's rare that a book is so gripping and entertaining while still being actionable and applicable.' Inc.
  • Votes: 4

    Nonviolent Communication

    by Marshall B. Rosenberg

    Clinical psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg offers an enlightening look at how peaceful communication can create compassionate connections with family, friends, and other acquaintances.
  • Votes: 4

    Siddhartha

    by Hermann Hesse

    Siddhartha is an allegorical novel by Hermann Hesse which deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian boy called Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha. The book was written in German, in a simple, yet powerful and lyrical style. It was first published in 1922, after Hesse had spent some time in India in the 1910s. The story revolves around a young man who leaves his home and family on a quest for the Truth. Embarking on a journey that takes him from the austerities of renunciation to the profligacy of wealth. That leads him through the range of human experiences from hunger and want, to passion, pleasure, pain, greed, yearning, boredom, love, despair and hope. A journey that leads finally to the river, where he gains peace and eventually wisdom. This is the story of Siddhartha as told by Nobel Laureate Hermann Hesse in his most influential work.
  • Votes: 4

    The Art of Learning

    by Josh Waitzkin

    An eight-time national chess champion and world champion martial artist shares the lessons he has learned from two very different competitive arenas, identifying key principles about learning and performance that readers can apply to their life goals. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.
  • Votes: 4

    The Power Broker

    by Robert A. Caro

    Moses is pictured as idealist reformer and political manipulator as his rise to power and eventual domination of New York State politics is documented
  • Votes: 4

    The Snowball

    by Alice Schroeder

    A portrait of the life and career of investment guru Warren Buffett sheds new light on the man, as well as on the work, ideas, business principles, strategies, and no-nonsense insights that have guided his phenomenally successful business endeavors.
  • Votes: 4

    The Three-Body Problem

    by Cixin Liu

  • Votes: 3

    A Life on Our Planet

    by Sir David Attenborough

  • Votes: 3

    A Social History of Tea

    by Jane Pettigrew

  • Votes: 3

    Dancing in the Streets

    by Barbara Ehrenreich

  • Votes: 3

    Mastery

    by Robert Greene

    Evaluates the tactics employed by great historical figures to offer insight into how to gain control over one's own life and destiny, challenging cultural myths to demonstrate how anyone can tap the power of a love for doing something well to achieve high levels of success.
  • Votes: 3

    The Nordic Theory of Everything

    by Anu Partanen

  • Votes: 3

    Rory Sutherland

    by Holly Newson

  • Votes: 3

    The Hour of Fate

    by Susan Berfield

  • Votes: 3

    The Panic Virus

    by Seth Mnookin

  • Votes: 3

    The Splendid and the Vile

    by Erik Larson

  • Votes: 3

    When the Fund Stops

    by David Ricketts