The following is a list of some of the noteworthy books I read this year. They are not all new books, in fact there are a few older books included that I either only discovered this year or that I finally got round to reading. I read around 50 books this year (some were audio books) and these are what I consider to be the best, most important or entertaining to me personally. They are in no particular order.
In defense of food: An eaters manifesto by Michael Pollan. Perhaps one of the most important books I have read in a while. The book contains great information (and some opinion) on the state of the western diet and the source and quality of our food supplies.
Strengths based leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. Another great book from the folks at Gallup. I saw the co-author of this book (Barry Conchie) give a talk earlier in the year and got a lot of additional information from him in a very short time. The book is a good next step up from the popular Strengthsfinder 2.0 book and is most suited to those managing people or teams. The best part of this book for me is the detail on the ‘strengths domains’. It breaks the 34 strengths themes into 4 categories. This is a great resource for organizing and getting the most out of teams.
The anatomy of stretching by Brad Walker. Stretching is an easily overlooked aspect of overall health and fitness. This book includes 114 stretches with great illustrations. It’s a great source for new ideas to add to your routine for fitness enthusiasts and trainers alike.
Bring me the head of Sergio Garcia by Tom Cox. I don’t read all that much fiction but this is written by a guy I used to play junior golf with as a teenager in England. Both Tom and myself (along with many thousands of others) failed in our attempts to become professional golfers and some 15 years later Tom gives it another try. I related strongly with his attempts and admired his courage to try and recapture some of his childhood dreams of becoming the British Open champion. The journey is both funny and insightful and feels like it was written just for me. Tom writes with a flowing, easy to read style that I’m extremely jealous of.
Coaching for performance by Sir John Whitmore. Not just a great book for coaches. I consider this book a must read for anyone that manages people. Now in its 4th edition.
Buddhism is not what you think by Steve Hagen. Zen Buddhism for normal people; practical and unpretentious.
Man’s search for meaning by Victor Frankl. This is the type of book that absolutely everyone should read. This is an emotional and thoughtful book that details the authors experience in the death camps of Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1945. This will really make you realize and appreciate what really matters most in life. There are many insights in this book but I particularly like the following quote: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
The 4 hour work week by Timothy Ferris. Packed with lots of great ideas this is also a pretty motivational book. A new edition was just released but I haven’t checked it out yet.
Leaving Microsoft to change the world by John Wood. My wife bought me this book ages ago and I finally got round to reading it this summer and I’m glad I did. It’s the biography of John Wood who quit his job as an executive at Microsoft to start the charity Room to Read which supplies books and builds libraries to communities in very poor countries such as Nepal and Vietnam. A great example to us that if you believe in something enough you can make anything happen. To Support the ‘Room to Read’ project here.
The 80/20 principle by Richard Koch. The 80/20 principle was mentioned in the 4 hour work week but this book goes into more detail on the principle put forward by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in 1897 (Pareto’s Principle). The principle states that roughly 80% of the effects (or output) comes from 20% of the causes (input). Or to put it another way…80 per cent of what we do might be pointless. The trick is to find the most rewarding, productive, or profitable activities and focus on them. Great ideas in a corporate world that thinks it’s a weakness to say no to anything.
So there it is, my completely biased list of the top 10 books for 2009 (or the top 20%) as it stands right now. I’m currently reading Gut Feelings by Gerd Gigerenzer which looks like it could be a contender. I also have several books that I haven’t made it to yet that are sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how they do in 2010. The books patiently sitting in my ‘to be read’ pile are:
- The Inner Game of Stress by Timothy Gallwey
- The Power of 2 by Rodd Wagner and Gale Muller
- Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
- Drive. The surprising truth about what motivates us by Daniel Pink
