Books in 2019

In 2019 I started reading more. Some books in paperback format, some on my iPad via the Kindle app. I tend to prefer the Kindle app since I can highlight certain parts and export those highlights later on for my archive.

Here is a list with the books I read in 2019 and some comments on each of them:

• Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense: More targeted towards the advertising industry (that’s where the recommendation came from - thanks Natalia), nevertheless an entertaining read. Rationalism vs creativity. Favorite quote: “If rationality was valuable in evolutionary terms, accountants would be sexy.”

• Competing Against Luck: Explains the “Job to be done” theory. Favorite quote: “The railroads were in trouble, Levitt wrote back in 1960, because they assumed themselves to be in the railroad business rather than in the transportation business.”

• The Riftwar Saga, #1 - #3: I am a sucker for fantasy novels. This trilogy was quite right in terms of being a mix of magic, romance and a twist of dumbfounded bravery.

• The Grand Design: Fascinating read. It might be slightly outdated, but cosmology always leaves me in awe.

• Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent: Nice read, but not something I would buy in paperback format for my library. Favorite quote: “Any fool can learn from experience. The trick is to learn from other people’s experiences.”

• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World: Inspiration for my blog post on the scholar, artist, and warrior. Favorite quote: “Ironically, jobs are actually easier to enjoy than free time, because life flow activities they have build-in goals feedback rules and challeges… Free time, on the other hand, is unstructured, and requires much greater effort to be shaped into something that can be enjoyed.”

• White: Hara is generally hard to read. I think the Japanese text might be easier to understand since most of the wordplays and origins of the subject stem from the Japanese language. Nevertheless a nice book. No.3 though after Designing Design and Ex-formation.

• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: A look inside the story of Pixar. I liked the Braintrust idea and how they stuck to the basic principles that made them successful over the years.

• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think: A very positive book about the real facts of this world and how we wrongly perceive certain aspects on it, backed by data. Recommended.

• Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success- Currently reading

• Great Thinkers: Simple Tools from 60 Great Thinkers to Improve Your Life Today - Currently reading