7 Books that you simply must Read

Charlie Rogers
Sep 7, 2018 · 9 min read
7 books that you simply must read

This Summer I have had the joy of reading seven of the best books that I’ve ever stumbled across in both fiction and non-fiction, covering a range of topics.

I found these books through reading online blogs, listening to friend’s recommendations and scrolling through Amazon reviews. I will provide you with an overall rating for each book, a few pointers on what the book is about and a breakdown of some of the key learning points I highlighted during my read.

I’ve read most of these books on my Kindle, which I feel has really helped to kickstart my reading habits and is a definite must for anyone looking to find their love for reading again as you can get books cheaper, transport them anywhere and even know how close you are to the next chapter (very important for me!).

Whatever type of book you love reading, you’ll find something for you in the list below:

1. Irresistible: Why we can’t stop checking, scrolling, clicking and watching Adam Alter (Non-Fiction)

Rating: 9/10

This book explores substance and behavioural addiction, before applying the same principles to modern technology and more specifically mobile phones and their apps.

“Tech isn’t morally good or bad until it’s wielded by the corporations that fashion it for mass consumption”

The chapter on goals is particularly eye opening as it highlights the danger of viewing life as a series of goals to achieve. The examples shown in the chapter really demonstrate that if you approach life as a series of milestones to be achieved then you will exist in a “state of near-continuous failure”

The book also outlines how behavioural addiction consists of 6 ingredients:

  • Compelling goals that are just beyond reach
  • Irresistible and unpredictable positive feedback
  • A sense of incremental progress and improvement
  • Tasks that slowly become more difficult over time
  • Unresolved tensions that demand resolution
  • Strong social connections

Key Take-aways:

Individuals, especially children, learn best and are motivated when the material that they’re learning is just beyond their current abilities.

Zeigarnik Effect — Incomplete experiences occupy our minds more than completed ones, which forms part of the reason why cliff-hangers addict us so much. To avoid this, consider watching TV shows until 10 minutes into the following episode, wherein the cliff-hanger will have been resolved.

The difficulty of measuring self-worth in comparison to height, weight or income means that metrics on social media become so vital to addictive feedback loops.

The important difference in language between stating “I can’t use Facebook” vs “I don’t use Facebook”. One takes away control from your actions, while the other empowers you and distinguishes your character.

Gamification greatly increases addiction cycles through points, badges and leaderboards.

2. The Design of Everyday Things Donald A.Norman (Design)

Rating: 9.5/10

This book explains what makes good design in the modern world through providing relatable and understandable examples that resonate with any reader.

“Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating”

If you have ever been overwhelmed by an everyday item such as a glass door or a series of ambiguous light switches, then this book will help to explain how it is not your fault and is instead the result of bad design.

Great designs account for three aspect of a user’s psychology:

  • The Visceral level (unconscious behaviour that the user does without thinking, such as breathing) — There should feedback in the form of audio and visual indicators that indicate an action has been completed.
  • The Behavioural level (quick conscious responses that do not require a lot of time to think, such as habits) — There should be a clear indication of the time that will need to be taken to complete a task.
  • The Reflective level (conscious functions that involve complex planning and problem solving) — Well designed devices can induce pride and enjoyment; a feeling of being in control and pleasure.

Key Take-Aways:

Blaming the user is embedded in society and the legal system, especially when accidents occur and a blame is sought to be attributed. However, human error is more often than not the fault of poor design and only by asking why beyond the human cause can you ever find the true design flaw.

The design process should take a circular approach based on the iterative cycle of observation, idea generation, prototyping and testing. This can conflict with the deadlines and lateral approach employed by most project managers and time should be given to undertaking market research before the design stage is started.

If you support the activities involved in a product you are creating, while being sensitive to human capabilities, then people will accept the design and learn whatever is necessary.

Designing for the handicapped can lead to products that are outright better than the current alternatives and are better for every user involved in the process.

Designers should take people’s difficulties as signifiers of where the product can be improved and should not blame people when they fail to use your products properly.

3. Tao Te Ching: The book of the Way — Lao Tzu (Philosophy/Meditation)

Rating: 8.5/10

This short book of Taoism originally written in the 6th Century BC explores ‘the way’ and all principles behind leading a fulfilling and happy life.

“The way of the Tao is simple — stop striving, defeat desire. In the absence of striving, there is peace; in the absence of desire, there is satisfaction”

This book is widely open to interpretation and making your own journey through the words is central part of Taoism itself. However, a feature that is experienced by all that read it is its ability to relax and calm the reader with only words and their meaning.

Some of the best quotes from the book:

  • “Not to desire material things is to know the freedom of spirituality; and to desire them is to suffer the limitations of matter”
  • “The wise attend to the inner truth of things and are not fooled by outward appearances. They ignore matter and seek the spirit”
  • “Here are four fundamentals of true spirituality: recognise simplicity, cherish purity, reduce your possessions, diminish your desires”
  • “Bring out the best in yourself, and you will bring out the best in others”

This book speaks of important themes that are as relevant today as they were when it was first written in a manner that is calming, spiritual and relaxing — definitely worth a read!

4. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams (Sci-fi)

Rating: 9.5/10

A hilarious classic in science fiction that continuously made me laugh to myself in public places with strangers looking onto me with confused eyes.

“He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it”

If you love fiction books or you want to pick up one for the first time, this book is great — it follows the character of Arthur Dent, a human whose planet has just been demolished in favour of a hyper-speed bypass and his saviour, Ford Prefect, a humanoid writer for the travel guide ‘Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy’

This book is an absolute classic in cult history and the first of a five part series that is one of the most widely translated and distributed books of all time. A book perfect in its length that does not outstay its welcome is a must read for anyone. I could not put this book down and had one of the best times reading it and I’d love for others to have a similar experience (plus you can find copies pretty cheap nowadays so there’s no excuse).

5. Take your Shot Robin Waite (Business)

Rating: 9/10

A must read for anyone thinking of starting a service orientated business, this book demonstrates how you can increase your revenue without sacrificing all of your time, through an engaging and interesting personal story.

“Firstly you have to have a specific goal. Secondly, you have to have a strong desire to achieve that goal”

Key Take-Aways:

  • You need to create a product out of your service and to sell the result that you are providing. There must be an element of choice with the products focusing on different potential improvements to the client’s problems.
  • The product needs to have a set of features that will lead to a guaranteed result over a certain time period — this is called ‘packaging’.
  • The service that you off needs to be charged based on the value of the outcome for the client and more value should be incrementally added to provide a better quality of service that allows you to charge more.
  • Involve the client in your offering by getting them to commit to you by agreeing to undertake steps outside your hours that benefit them.
  • A follow-up process is key to ensuring that the client is happy following the delivery of your product.

6. The Man I Think I Know — Mike Gayle (Fiction)

Rating: 8/10

A heartwarming story of two individuals who’ve both encountered obstacles in their lives that have held them back from achieving their true potential.

“The truth is that we all fail sometimes, we all do things or have things done to us that will throw us off course, but you always have a choice: give in or get up”

Their unique relationship allows them to draw on the best qualities of one another so that they can both face obstacles in their lives. The book changes its point of view each chapter between characters and has language which reflects the different thought processes and patterns of each person. I found that the short chapters and the changing point of view made this book a pleasure to read an even addictive at times.

7. How to Own the World: A Plain English Guide to Thinking Globally and Investing Wisely — Andrew Craig (Personal Finance)

Rating: 8/10

A personal finance book written in English that is understandable to anyone and even more valuable to those that read it.

“Having a wide range of shares from all over the world, as well as property, bonds and commodities, gives you the best chance of consistent success”

This book highlights different methods of investment for the average person, the best ways of attaining them and how to go about consistently growing your pot of money so that you have enough to live on once you retire. This book isn’t a get rich quick scheme, but is instead a plan of action for the rest of your working years to make sure that you successfully get the most out of your wage.

Key Take-Aways

  • You can invest up to £15,240 a year into NISAs (new ISAs) tax-free in the UK in any combination of cash or investments.
  • The government statistics for Unemployment, Inflation and other key measures are grossly skewed and are not representative of the real changes in these key statistics.
  • Owning commodities, such as precious metals, effectively allows you to own inflation as these goods increase in value as a reflection of demand given their rather fixed supply.
  • Compound interest allows you to grow your pot to even larger amounts each year with the same percentage growth as the starting number is larger.
  • A diversified portfolio of assets is the best way to grow your wealth with the least risk.
Charlie Rogers

Written by

Entrepreneur, Runner and Reader with an enthusiasm for Adventure https://www.facebook.com/CharlieRogersEntrepreneur/

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