Fiction I consider to be a waste of time (no
doubt others will disagree) ...although I have read some brilliant fictional books such as Captain Corelli's
Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres.
My preferred books are biographies and the
how-to types.
Hereare a few of the books that I've read in 2015 and haveparticularly enjoyed.
And there's even one fiction
book...
59 Seconds, Think a Little, Change a Lot - Richard
Wiseman
The first comment I wrote into Evernote as I read this book was "Happiness
doesn't just flow from success, it actually causes it."
Happiness is the first subject the author discusses before moving onto topics
such as persuasion, motivation, creativity, relationships, parenting and decision
making.
Every bit of the book I found fascinating - particularly
the quick test to determine whether I was predominantly left side or right side of the brain
dominant.
If you enjoy personal development from a scientific basis, and understanding a
bit more about how people tick, you'll love this book.
The Organised Mind - Daniel
Levitin
Whenever I stop at a motorway service station, I love to check
out what WH Smith consider to be their top 10 books.
Obviously they're promoting those ten - but sometimes one particular book
will stand out.
That happened in June 2015, when I spotted "The Organized
Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload".
It's a rather large book, but it looked quite
interesting.
Now I prefer Kindle 'cos I can download a sample of the book before I decide
whether to buy - and I don't have to put up with the tiny print they'd ended up with when they'd tried to
squeeze all the content into this particular paperback.
So I downloaded and read a sample from this book (which was about the length
of some of those 99p books you see on Amazon)... and in the end bought the full
version.
It's fascinating. If you want to know how the brain organises things and how
to optimise that, it's well worth a read.
Now I understand why, after I've dashed upstairs to get
something, I've totally forgotten what I went there for!
Ready, Steady, Retire - Martin Bamford & Justin
King
Whoever would think that a book about preparing
for retirement would be interesting.
But this one certainly
was.
Even though I was more than 10
years to state retirement age (unless the Government change it again before I get there!), I enjoyed it
thoroughly.
It's well written, informative, entertaining, and practical.
And it's written by 2 experts in the field of investments and
pensions.
It was also fascinating to read all about the "baby boomer"
generation, of which I belong.
If you're in the 10 years leading up to when you'd like to
retire, I'd certainly recommend you read Ready, Steady Retire!
Switch On Your Brain - Dr Caroline
Leaf
How we react to events and
circumstances can have an enormous impact on our mental and physical health.
So claims Dr Caroline Leaf in this fascinating
book.
It's a scientific book, written
by a leading brain expert. Yet it's aimed at the lay person.
Because of her Christian faith and knowledge of the Bible, Dr
Leaf shows how science confirms scripture.
The term "Neuroplasticity"
describes how the brain is malleable and adaptable, changing moment by moment of every day. People can
change their brains with their minds, by the way they think, as Romans chapter 12:2 in the Bible describes:
"..be transformed by the renewing of the mind".
As a Christian, I found the
links between what the Bible says and what science has proved to be fascinating.
The book concludes with a 21 day
detox plan for anyone who wants to deal with negative thought patterns they wish to
change.
If you want to learn about the
brain and how it functions - whether you have a faith or not - this is well worth reading.
Beyond the Bricks - Rob
Dix
This is a book about buy-to-let
property investment.
I got it as an audio book, and
enjoyed listening to stories of landlords who had bought properties and had let them out.
From highly motivated business
people to a socially motivated lady with a heart of gold, each account was inspirational and
personal.
If you're a landlord, or if you
want to become one, this is worth getting for its ideas and inspiration.
Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion
- Robert B. Cialdini PhD
It's a book about psychology.
But it's very interesting.
In the chapter about social proof, I discovered why you're more
likely to get help from an individual stranger than from a group of people, and what to do to secure help should
you ever need it.
What car salesmen do to influence you, and what you can do about
it.
There's a lot of practical stuff about what makes people do what
they do, and why.
...And how to use that knowledge.
Another good book.
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
I love Malcolm Gladwell's
books.
This one deals with why some people
are exceptional.
Such as ultra talented musicians,
sports people, entrepreneurs.
Is it because of privilege?
Or genes?
Malcolm investigates the
reasons.
And in doing so, tells some amazing stories.
And explains the science and research.
...Before coming to a fascinating conclusion.
Creativity For Sale - Jason SurfrApp
This guy sold his
name.
Yes, you heard it right - he
sold his name to the highest bidder.
He also made $1,000,000 by
wearing T shirts.
The book is his personal account
of those ideas and methods he used.
It's one of those sorts of books which makes you think "If he
can do that, why can't I come up with some crazy ideas that will make me a bit of money too!".
If you want to be inspired by a guy who can't bear the 9-5
type of job, and who loves making money from working out his ideas instead, you'll love this.
The Janitor - Todd
Hopkins
Not my normal type of book, this is a fictional story.
But it's an exceptional one.
The janitor helps the CEO of a major company to re-evaluate
how he is leading his business and his life. His wise counsel, based upon six principles, changes the CEO's
whole business and personal life.
It's a moving and powerful story.
The principles make you think about your own life and how you can improve it,
how you can influence others for good, and how to live life to the full.
POP! - Sam Horn
POP! (Purposeful, Original,
Pithy) is about creating the perfect pitch or tagline.
There are so many great ideas in this book that I stuggle to remember them
all.
It's one of those books I'm going to have to read again.
But it's also one of those books that every time you read it, you'll get
something to apply to just where you're at.
I used some of the ideas in my websites.
Sam Horne is just brilliant. She seems to have a never ending source of ideas
and new ways to do things.
The Churchill Factor - Boris
Johnson
Over the years, many books have been written about Sir Winston
Churchill.
Boris Johnson's approach is
quite different.
He looks at all the aspects of
the great leader's life.
It's both historical and an
investigation into his life, family and associations.
It's
fascinating.
From the beginning the book had
me on the edge of my seat as Boris Johnson describes how, just before the start of the second world
war, Churchill single handedly attempted to persuade the Government cabinet how dangerous Hitler was.
Boris has a wonderful command of the English language, and
he's made use of that within this book.
I loved it. And I learned a lot about the statesman to
whom we owe so much
The Classics
(Well... David's Classics!)
These books are some that
I've read more than once over the years... so they must have had some sort
of impact!
Strange
Places,
Questionable People John Simpson
John Simpson impressed me many years ago with his live coverage from Baghdad
during the first Gulf war.
I watched with bated breath the live broadcast, as John diplomatically persuaded
the Iraqi military that he was trying to repair his satellite dish rather than broadcasting
to the world.
John is a master of the English language, using words to paint vivid
pictures.
A Strange Places, Questionable
People is a masterpiece of places he's been to and people he's met around the world in
his role as the BBC's World Affairs Editor.
John holds you captive recalling his adventures. I viividly remember one
particular story about him being confined to a hospital in enemy territory during the bombing
of Belgrade, whilst a local surgeon performed emergency surgery. Talk about having to trust
in human nature...
The sort of book you just can't put down.
The Naked
Trader Robbie Burns
I bet we've all made the classic mistakes. We've bought shares in a company
someone tipped. And then the share price went down.
Yes, I have too.
So when I wanted to learn how to buy and sell shares without losing money, I
bought a few books on the subject.
The Naked Trader was one of those books.
It's written in such a way that it appeals to starters and those wanting to
learn new skills in the stock market.
It's ideal for those with only a few pounds to spare, or with megabucks to
spare.
It's written with humour and personality. And most important of all, it teaches
you how to avoid the costly mistakes so you can make money on the stock market instead of
losing it.
No magic formulae. Just common sense principles on how to pick good companies,
what to look for, and when to invest.
I've applied the principles Robbie teaches - and they work.
The Bible
- Message Version Eugene H. Peterson
I love reading the Bible. Probably because, although it was written all those
years ago, I find it so relevant for today's busy lifestyle.
Maybe that's because it's about real people with real issues (those things don't
go away, do they?).
There's murder mystery, adventure, war, love, and incredible wisdom.
This Message version is a complete modernisation of the language and style. It's
so contemporary.
Of all the books I've read, this particular
book probably has had the most influence on me. In fact, I regard it
as my guidebook for life.
How To
Win Friends and Inflence People Dale Carnegie
Although it was published in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People
remains one of the first best-selling self-help books ever published.
I like the book, not only because it's so readable, but it's so
practical.
Dale gives lots of examples when his principles were applied - so it's easy to
see when and how they can be applied in your own life.
There are absolute gems of wisdom for business life, home life and social
life.
And it does exactly what it says on the cover: it shows you how to win friends
and influence people.
No wonder it's sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
Interestingly, a new version was released in 2011.
Aptly titled How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital
Age, the new version embraces the use of emails, Twitter and Facebook.
I'm not as keen on the digital-Age version - but I'd certainly recommend the
original version!
To be absolutely transparant, if you buy a book via a
link on this page, I'll get a commission. Amazon will give me a whopping 5% of the sale! But
every little counts, and I appreciate you buying via the link.
