2017's Reading List

Self-Tracking by Gina Neff and Dawn Nafus

I was looking for an introduction to the concept of "the quantified self" - what it meant, how it works and why it exists. This did the trick. 

Oryx and Crake / The Year of the Flood / Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood

In typical Atwood fashion, you're presented with a plausible dystopia based on things we know to be true. Can't recommend this series enough. 

A World in Disarray by Richard Haass

The optimism of the West, that took hold around 1991, didn't last for long. Almost 30 years on and the world is in apparent disarray, with the future order of things very difficult to predict, diplomatic dogma ("we will not intervene anywhere") at odds with more nuanced situations on the ground and the prospect of a non-polar world looking more and more likely. 

Influence by Robert Cialdini

It's just a classic and should be read by everyone. Cialdini walks through the key weapons of persuasion, including: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. There are two facets to this book - how to employ these weapons and then how to defend against them. 

Dynasty by Tom Holland

A blow by blow account of the rise and fall of the Julio-Claudian clan. If I took one message from the whole book, it's this (to paraphrase Rabbie Burns): the best laid plans of mice, men and even the great man Augustus, often go awry, not least because you end up outliving everyone. 

Get Backed by ​Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis

An OK introduction to building a successful pitch deck - with plenty of real world examples that are useful to have all in one place. 

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

A series I somehow managed to completely miss when I was younger - now seemed like the right time to rectify this mistake. 

La Belle Sauvage

As it turns out I was actually very lucky to not have read the His Dark Materials trilogy until 2017. It meant I didn't have to wait 17 years for the follow up. 

Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss

The Cult of Ferriss (in a good way) continues with Tools of Titans. Much like 4HWW it's definitely the sort of book that inspires you to make changes. Read it. 

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

One of those business classics I never actually got round to readying so decided I may as well. Not revolutionary for me but that's probably because a lot of mainstream leadership thinking has been so influenced by Sinek's work, rather than because it's not useful. 

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

"Much of your pain is self-chosen". Yes, a Khalil Gibran quote, but one that sat well with my often Stoic thinking. 

​Discourses of Epictetus

Speaking of which, one of the classic Stoics in all his glory. 

Guns, Germs, and Steel by ​Jared Diamond

The original Sapiens - but with a specific thesis: the gaps in power between the various societies and civilisations that have existed on our planet originated largely due to environmental differences. These differences then created positive feedback loops to further amplify the gap. 

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

I'm writing the next four separately because, even though technical part of a series, the stories are somewhat distinct. To set the scene a little, the action takes place in and around a civilisation known as The Culture - a civilisation spread across the Milky Way that is highly advanced, exists post-scarcity, utopian and socialist. Consider Phlebas tells the story of a cross-galaxy war against a civilisation that does not share its ideals - a species that in many ways, at least to begin with, more advanced. ​

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

The Player of Games tells the story of a skilled humanoid within The Culture who decides to help the Minds who run the civilisation understand a new civilisation by taking part in a series of games that decides who rules. 

​Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

The structure of this book is what I love about it - chapters alternate between the normal chronological order letting a story unfold, and then reverse chronological order explaining how our hero became who he is. 

​The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks

A collection of short stories exploring different themes and aspects of the Culture civilisation. One in particular left me feeling lost and heartbroken as I realised my place in the natural order of things. 

Adults in the Room by ​Yanis Varoufakis

I genuinely believe that this is one of the greatest political works of all time - certainly that I've read. 

The Place I Call Home by Anna Lo

Anna Lo walks us through her life, from British Hong Kong to MLA for South Belfast with life, love and children in between. 

The Psychology of Price by ​Leigh Caldwell

If you're looking for a handy guide to psychological concepts around pricing, this isn't a bad place to start. Told through the prism of a business exploring how price impacts their product launches through time. 

I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan by Alan Partridge

Read. It. Now. 

I've even included a link for you. Just do it. 

Nexus by ​Ramez Naam

This book presents some brilliant idea on the subject of brain-machine interfaces and where we might get to - and is told in incredible detail. If you like exciting page turners, this fits the bill as well. At times I felt some of the page-turning action was a little contrived, but that's probably just my aversion to feeling like I'm being forced to do something. 

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel

I started this several years ago and didn't get beyond the first story - so I gave it a go again. Solid short stories but not a patch on the complexity and pleasure of Wolf Hall. 

Nightfall by Isaac Asimov

I was very excited to read this and it didn't disappoint. Whilst it is a fantastic story, wonderfully written, it also makes some important points about basing our understanding of the world around us on what we see, hear and know, rather than what we do not. 

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson

If you're in the mood for a farcical adventure that lightly explores some important points about the press, religion, moral ambiguity and the stubbornness of humankind, then give it a whirl. I enjoyed it, but it won't be for everyone.