over 7 years ago from tony w, design at vaam
I've decided that this year should be a year filled with knowledge. This is also why decided to challenge myself with reading at least 50+ books throughout the year.
I know a lot of you most certainly have lots of great tips on good reads and it doesn't really matter if it is fresh on the shelf or a real classic that can't go unnoticed.
So let's hear it -- What books do you suggest that one should read in 2016?
I wonder why nobody read novels. Do people thinks it's useless? I think it's sad. Althrough some books are interesting in your lists, be aware that they're all really Americanized-centric, Medium-style "How to Win the World in 10 lessons with Cold Showers and Meditation". Well, diversify your view. Think different! ;-)
Can't agree more.
Well, do you have any good novel recommendations? Or did you just come here to leave your grumpy comment?
Le Wrong Generation.
Hello, sorry it was not supposed to be grumpy in any way, but i'm French, I can't advise any english novel. Just pick something that inspire you I think, that's what I do in my bookshop.
Anything from Haruki Murakami. They are good imagination exercises. But I can recommend Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
Peter Mathiessen's The Snow Leopard is a person account of a journey in Tibet... eminently readable // Life of Pi, if you haven't read or watched the film already... I still feel the book is better // Orhan Pauk - My Name is Red //
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho is a classic.
Definitely agree with you; each time I read such posts I end up feeling a but underwhelmed not only by the fact that most mentioned books either design/self-empowerment/startup related but also by the simple idea that novels are just not represented. I'm not criticising such books, it's just that I like novels more than any other kind of book so I always hope to find some good recommendation in such posts ;)
Here are the books I read in 2015 (alot of sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, ...) some of these were re-reads from my teens:
Next on my reading list:
Please find three of my favourite novels here:
I decided exactly the same last year. Good choice! Tip also use audio books, great way to consume books while doing the dishes or walking to the store for example.
Nice! I read nearly the same set, except for "Elon Musk". Heard great things about it. Will likely read soon. "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" was intense yet oddly satisfying. Thanks for sharing!
Great list. Im currently reading Essentialism - Greg MCKeown
I loved The Power of Habit and Thinking, Fast and Slow
Great list! Thanks for sharing
Love it. Love that there are other designers interested in books and not just Medium posts.
I highly recommend reading things that are seemingly unrelated to design. Fiction especially — I've found anything that provides a richer perspective on human nature to be edifying, both personally and professionally.
I've also decided that in 2016, I should start reading some books instead of browsing 9gag ;-)
Here's my list:
+1 for Paradox of Choice and Start With Why. Both are great books.
The Art of Looking Sideways is a persona favourite - readable anytime, from any part f that fat volume :-)
Just finished Nicolas Taleb's Anti-Fragile. Came away with an new understanding about career risks and why it's not that bad to be a freelancer. And some tips and tricks for the day civilisation collapses (stock up on gold and canned food :)
Awesome! I'll def add it to my list! :)
+1 Antifragile, one of the most interesting books I've ever read. Thinking about reading the rest of his trilogy: Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness.
Gadzhi, you'll like them both.
What order would you recommend reading them in?
Not easy reads, but 'illuminating' - I read Black Swan first...
I remember Tim Ferriss mentioning "Anti-Fragile" on his podcast. Will check it out!
That book really opened my mind
Here's my stack for next few months. I've read some of them on Kindle (Zero to One and Creativity Inc), but decided to get hardcover versions of those.
+100000 for Ready Player One
Started reading Ready Player One last night and wow, reading hasn’t felt this much fun in a while—already 25%. Thanks for the recommendation
I couldn't put it down. I think I blew through the whole book in about 3 days.
I am trying to pick up a few more copies because I find every time I lend it to someone it never comes back.
The Martian by Andy Weir
One of the most enjoyable books I read last year. If you saw the movie, it doesn’t do the book justice—gotta read it.
Not a fan of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?
Umbridge makes me ragequit.
I lose
Read the Red Rising trilogy, by Pierce Brown (not UI or UX)
Mastery
Recent books I have loved reading (both fiction and non): • How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie • Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior, Leonard Mlodinow • The Southern Reach Trilogy, Jeff VanderMeer • The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
I also use the goodreads app to track my reading and get suggestions, try it out! Not sure how I feel about it yet, but so far so... alright.
I wrote a medium article at the end of last year going over all my reads. I'd say the best ones I'd have to recomend are:
Three that I've read last year more related with stoicism:
On the Shortness of Life - Seneca Meditations - Marcus Aurelius The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday
This list provided by Frank Chimero have amazing books: http://www.frankchimero.com/library
War of the Worlds - HG Wells
The Great White Space - Basil Copper
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
Anything by HP Lovecraft
Wool - Hugh Howey
Ones I haven't seen mentioned yet that I read this year and enjoyed (although most of them aren’t new).
Thinking Fast and Slow is fascinating. If you're info SF, Three Body Problem series is pretty cool.
A couple of books that I kept turning to last year for Design & my job:
The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide - http://amzn.to/1RVOmU7
Communicating the User Experience: A Practical Guide for Creating Useful UX Documentation - http://amzn.to/1RVOUJp
I'm doing alot more UX Design, Research & Documentation and was turning to these books alot.
The Essential Rumi
First: Great goal! I hope you hit your goal. That said…
Second: If you haven't built reading time into your regular schedule, you might find reading almost a book a week a bit ambitious. If you have and you can read that much: awesome! Personally I'd love to read that many books but life gets in the way. My goal this year is 24 books.
Third: +1 for fiction writing. Writing which stirs the imagination can help feed your creativity.
Here are some books I've enjoyed recently (fiction, and non-fiction):
I tend to switch from Fiction to Industry books to Biographies. I believe, its important to learn as much about your industry to be able to contribute something of value, but to be innovate and move the industry forward, you have to look outside—show us something we've seen like we've never seen it before. Some of the best ideas are hidden in the lives of notable people or insight locked away in classic fiction. Lately, I've shy'ed away from industry books (Web or self development related) because its all theoretical (but super interesting)... I have to always catch myself when I read too many industry books, because It's mostly when I don't want to do work, but reading books feels like I am...makes me feel productive...lol if that makes any sense.
Happiness Industry by William Davies - gives you excellent perspective into the political nature of an emotion we designers focus a lot on.
Read some books that make you uncomfortable about being a designer. Books that challenge the modern western narrative of a problematic world waiting to be solved help us understand the larger structures that use design.
Sorry for the lack of diversity in that list. If anyone has suggestions for political theory or design/architectural criticism not written by white men, I'd be excited to add them to my bookshelf.
Design books:
About Face (doing interaction design)
Articulating Design Decisions (convincing people about your designs)
Design for Dasein (design and philosophy)
Hidden in Plain Sight (design research and innovation)
Deep Work (focus)
Sci-fi books that expand your mind:
Ancillery Justice / Ancillery Sword / Ancillery Mercy (told from the POV of a massive spaceship's AI stuck in a human brain, deals with gender, distributed consciousness, class and colonialism and cool space battles)
Firefall series (Blindsight and Echopraxia) (deals with a first-contact story with aliens that are truly alien, raising questions about consciousness and self)
Philosophy:
Thinking Fast and Slow
Thinking in Systems
Activity Theory
The 'Art of the Deal'. Apparently is almost as good as the Bible.
Lean in.
(I'm loving the book club formed in this thread)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - a Book About Quality.
These two books about office life are pretty funny: The Room: a Novel (Jonas Karlsson), Nonprofit (Matt Burriesci)
I would suggest all 3 of the 99u books. along with "damn good advice for people with talent" and the great discontent magazines. I am reading the accidental creative as well, which so far is fantastic
Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever is the one I'm slowly but surely working through. Tom's an A+ guy and the books really good so far.
Purchased! Looking forward to reading it. Thanks!
Here's a couple that aren't design books, in case you were interested:
The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
Drawing Blood - Molly Crabapple
Devil in the White City is a great book.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Start with WHY by Simon Sinek
Talk like TED by Carmine Gallo
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People: What Makes Them Tick? (Voices That Matter)
Writing That Works, 3e: How to Communicate Effectively in Business
The Establishment: And how they get away with it
The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness
Wabi-sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative - Austin Kleon Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered - Austin Kleon
Both are excellent books that get you out of any rut as well! Both are a good 40 or so minute read too
Also the Do Books are amazing - http://thedobook.co/
We are looking to take care of bees and this one is great - Do Beekeeping: The Secret to Happy Honey Bees http://amzn.to/1RW46pS
but they also have books more catered towards web/business.
Tobias Van Schneider has a pretty good list http://www.vanschneider.com/reading/
The Southern Reach triology, which starts with Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer. Some of the best science fiction I've read in awhile. It's becoming a movie next year, directed by the director of Ex Machina.
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield.
There are some good suggestions in this post: https://www.designernews.co/stories/61510-ask-dn-a-book-a-month-challenge--suggestions
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