Books
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.
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.
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
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.
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?
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Spam Nation by Brian Krebs
Interesting read about why spam exists and what is the business model behind it.
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
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
Unauthorized Bread is not as far as we can imagine.
Walkaway by Cory Doctorow
Is it possible to walk away from society?
The Nexus Trilogy by Ramez Naam
Technology, AI, law and impact on society.
Stories of your Life - Exhalation by Ted Chiang
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.
Future by Dmitry Glukhovsky
Extreme overpopulation caused by an anti aging vaccine.
Black Mirror by Netflix
A TV series by Netflix. Worth watching.
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
The Lessons of History by Durant, Will