Books
I love reading. I'm trying to read again for pleasure and on non-work related topics. I've listed the books I recommend and what I've read by month with a short verdict. All of the links are amazon affiliate links, which means if you buy it through that link, I will get a small referral fee.
Books I recommend to almost everyone that will listen to me:
To think
-As the future catches you this is one of the best books I've read - as a latin american, some parts hurt - and the fact that it still feels futuristic to me so many years after it was published reminds me i'm in the wrong industry...
Leadership and relationships
-Eat that frog best book for learning how to be successful in work and life in general - key to getting important things done.
-The one minute manager i love this book because it teaches a simple framework for getting along with people.
-Winning it's always amazing to listen to a successful CEO talk about his job, but Jack's message of candor and leadership strikes a very human chord
-The Greatest Salesman in the World this is just a phenomenal book to create good habits. The "salesman" word can turn people off, but please don't be too judgeful and just pick this book up. The book is two parts, a nice short story and ten "scrolls", who amazon reviewer Langford Brue summarized real nicely as:
The Scroll Marked I, Today I begin a new life - Form good habits and become their slaves
The Scroll Marked II, I will greet this day with love in my heart - Show love and compassion to the world and you shall find it returned
The Scroll Marked III, I will persist until I succeed - Persistence will bring you success
The Scroll Marked IV, I am nature's greatest miracle - Love yourself
The Scroll Marked V, I will live this day as if it is my last - Seize the day
The Scroll Marked VI, I will be the master of my emotions - Live courageously and do not fall victim to fear and disappointment
The Scroll Marked VII, I will laugh at the world - Appreciate each situation and do not take life too seriously
The Scroll Marked VIII, Today I will multiply my value hundred fold - Find ways to create value for others in your exchanges
The Scroll Marked IX, I will act now - Act decisively to achieve success
The Scroll Marked X, I will pray for guidance - Renew yourself through a connection with God
-The Serving Leader I asked Keith Townsend for a book that he recommended and he sent me this one. It's a great book that takes many concepts in others and unifies them into a usable framework, and it's also a easy read.
For fun
-Ready Player One I read this in March 2016 and it's still, in my mind, one of the best geeky fun books ever.
-Harry Potter Books 1-7 and The Cursed Child Once I take up a HP book I can't put it down. The only ones that took me two days to finish were the 4th and 5th - all others I read in one day! They're that good, and the movies don't do them justice.
Book log
I tend to start several books, but finish very few. Since I tend to buy books and not finish them, I've put myself a goal to finish at least one book a month. So, only books I've finished make this list. I'm happy to report my joy and habit of reading is back and healthy, and I'm already seeing benefits in my mental sanity.
2016
January
Installing Linux on a dead badger lots of fun, especially how the author took the narrative of the first story into some really funny scenarios.
February
Ghost in the Wires: My adventure's as the world's most wanted hacker made me appreciate IT Sec even more, and was an engrossing read.
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The origins of the internet I wish this book had been mandatory in my Networking class. If you work in IT, you need to read this - you will appreciate the spirit of the internet and also understand why it's flawed from an architectural standpoint for things like IT security. I found this BSD talk later that addresses the same story but from a completely different point of view!
March
Ready Player One - really awesome, geeky joy ride. If you grew up in the 80s it will be even more fun, although I enjoyed it a lot being a 90's kid. Recommended by Jim Jones
Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor I learned from this book not to trust financial advisers, and also to value continuous learning, patience, and discipline.
April
Snow Crash - I'm a fan of Ancient Aliens, Japanese culture and IT, so this book is right up my alley - but I loved the Y.T. character and I learned about the Aleutians. Solid, although ending felt rushed.
The most productive people in history - I really liked this book. First, since it focuses on different people, from ancient to Elon Musk, it's very broad. Second, I loved the commentary at the end on the common behaviors. If you are a student of productiveness this is a great read
May
Breaking 2000 - this book is for table tennis players, but in between the lines, you can learn a life lesson: In order to set goals, and achieve them, you need determination, a system, focus and patience.
The Phoenix Project - Everybody in tune with the times recommends this book. It has value: it's an engrossing read (I couldn't put it down), it makes you analyze IT operations as a manufacturing plant, and it introduces the concept and advantages of DevOps inside the main story. If you are not in IT, this could be a very enlightening read. However, I think in the end they show a very good outcome with no growing pains and a lot of detail glossed over (ie, how... did they never take an inventory? fix virtualization performance problems? no mention of adjusting ITIL processes for continuous delivery? discuss the variability of OpEx spend in using cloud services?). I still think everyone should read it, but I'm not a raving fan. I will read The Goal and possibly other books mentioned in it though!
June?
July
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child I had this book bought and read the day it came out. It was good! Had some meat to it :)
August?
September?
October
The Serving Leader - this is not a Leadership 101 book - some of the concepts are better explained in other books - however it does combine several good principles into a cohesive story and framework. I really liked this book and I find it a good read for everyone.
November?
December
The Martian - mixed feelings with this one. If you have not seen the movie: pick it up! It's great, fun, witty, and a page turner. You want to read the book first. I, sadly, saw the movie first. I must say reading the book after left me with some more details, but also the realization that they changed some things, near the end, both good and bad.