A list of books I read and like to share.

Table of Contents


LIFE AND WORK


Finite and infinite games. James P. Carse

There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.

This is one of my favorite books of all the time, it helps to put things in perspective.

Link


Never Split the Difference

Most people avoid negotiation as an uncomfortable necessary fact of life. This book shares some tecniques to improve negotiation skills and get the most out of them.

The writting style is very clear with many examples and advices about how to apply the tecniques in real life.

I started applying some of the advices on my personal and professional negotiations with great results so far.

Link

Blog


MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

The Manager's Path

The Manager's Path

The Making of a Manager

The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo

Extreme Ownership

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin


FOCUS AND PRIORITIZATION

These books help to understand how focus and saying NO are the only way to be productive. For most people productivity is about how many tasks are completed. But the really important part is about what is in the list.


Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s not about getting less done. It’s about getting only the right things done.

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The One Thing by Gary Keller

What’s the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

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Deep Work by Cal Newport

Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.

Link


The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford

In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize.

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SOFT SKILLS

Soft skills include:

  • how to deal with people
  • how to negotiate
  • how to manage conflicts
  • how to manage time and schedule

Never Split the Difference

https://www.blackswanltd.com/home

Team of Teams

A must read for team managers and team members.

Link


The Power of Habit

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change by Charles Duhigg


Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

A beginner’s mind sees with clarity while an expert’s mind is full of preconceived notions.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

SOCIETY AND TECHNOLOGY


The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us by Nicholas Carr

From doctors’ offices to the cockpits of passenger jets, from the frozen hunting grounds of Inuit tribes to the sterile landscapes of GPS maps, The Glass Cage explores the impact of automation from a deeply human perspective. Mixing history and philosophy, poetry and science, the book culminates in a moving meditation on how we can use technology to expand the human experience rather than narrow it.

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Spam Nation by Brian Krebs

Interesting read about why spam exists and what is the business model behind it.

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SCI-FI

I usually read utopian and dystopian fiction along with narrative and short stories.

Note: I do not read fantasy, despide sci-fi and fantasy are commonly placed in the same category.


The Expanse

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Radicalized by Cory Doctorow

Unauthorized Bread is not as far as we can imagine.

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Walkaway by Cory Doctorow

Is it possible to walk away from society?

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The Nexus Trilogy by Ramez Naam

Technology, AI, law and impact on society.

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Stories of your Life - Exhalation by Ted Chiang

Link and Link


The Takeshi Kovacs Novels by Richard Morgan

This series made me think again about the possibility to upload a mind on a computer. I came to the conclusion that life is not something can be transferred. An upload can be only a low-resolution copy of the original.

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Future by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Extreme overpopulation caused by an anti aging vaccine.

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Black Mirror by Netflix

A TV series by Netflix. Worth watching.

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Other books and TV series worth to be included

Capitalismo immateriale. Le tecnologie digitali e il nuovo conflitto sociale by Stefano Quintarelli

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson

Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Hari, Johann

Radicalized by Cory Doctorow

The Lessons of History by Durant, Will

Futu.re. by Glukhovsky, Dmitry

Elogio dell'ozio by Russell, Bertrand