Book recommendations?

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David Hopkins

If you recommended one book to someone to read, be it work-related or not, what would it be and why?

Here's are four recommendations from me:

  • Creativity Inc. (Ed Catmull). Whilst mainly about the history of Disney Pixar this book is a fantastic insight into how a business or operation benefits from creative minds and creative approaches. I may not like Pixar or it's film, but reading the book will give you a different perspective on how different approaches, and how you work with them, can benefit an individual and organisation.
  • Ready Player One (Ernie Cline). You may or may not like sci-fi books, but this one is a great look at the future. With everyone using OASIS, an all-access Facebook/Second Life mashup. The book is about who gets control of this behemoth of a system (and it's money), but this book is great on so many levels, not least how Ernie Cline sees education in this future (very reminiscent of Issac Asimov here).
  • The subtle art of not giving a f**k (Mark Manson). Once you get past the title and profuse swearing there is a solid premise to this book .. learn how to manage your own life and responsibilities, as well as those who try and dump their troubles on you (personally or professionally). Well worth a read if you have ever felt you take on to much and can't find yourself among the noise of others.
  • Learning with 'E's (Steve Wheeler). I have a huge amount of time for Steve and his work. This book is an insight into Steve, his work, his blog, and his thinking that if you have any interest in learning, eLearning and anything digital / teaching / learning then this is for you! Seriously, it is!

My other book reviews are available here.

If you recommended one book to someone to read, be it work-related or not, what would it be and why? Click To Tweet
Image source: Andreas (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)​
 
I'd suggest First and Only by Dan Abnett, despite the… questionable depiction of the Iron Warriors. It is the start of a widely loved series in the community and imo is a great way to get into the universe and especially the Astra Militarum.
 
For people who are fond of novels with multiple installments, I suggest you read George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The Game of Thrones TV series is also based on his books so if you are a fan of it, the books are a must-read in order to understand better the Westerosi culture. These books are amazing because, aside from the wonderful story line and heartbreaking and heartwarming plot twists, the books also present various societal problem that are actually present in the real world such as prostitution, corruption, and slavery. If you want to embark on a new journey, venture now to the amazing world of Westeros and indulge yourself of the different cultures of The Seven Kingdoms.
 
I highly recommend the Art of War by Sun Tzu. It's is a great book. Everything you read in there if you truly understand can be applicable in real life. One thing I learned from that book is that timing is essential. You have to know when to attack the enemy. In real life you have to know when to execute a long term goal. You have to be prepared for everything.
 
I would recommend The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. It takes an investigative journalism approach to disaster capitalism, IE how governments and organisations use disasters for financial gain. I found it utterly fascinating and Klein provides loads of references and evidence to back up what she has to say.
 
In my opinion, Ready Player One is a horrible book. In a nutshell it's just a mediocre story filled with cheesy pop-culture references. The author even wrote a page specifically listing the high scores and their names for a specific games, which got pretty boring.

Also have you seen the author's other works? It contains literally redneck-material.
 
Definitely the BIBLE. It is the best book among all books because it contains the words of God that we need the most in our lives. It contains the way to salvation and the way to eternity.
 
Last edited:
Klint said:
For people who are fond of novels with multiple installments, I suggest you read George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The Game of Thrones TV series is also based on his books so if you are a fan of it, the books are a must-read in order to understand better the Westerosi culture. These books are amazing because, aside from the wonderful story line and heartbreaking and heartwarming plot twists, the books also present various societal problem that are actually present in the real world such as prostitution, corruption, and slavery. If you want to embark on a new journey, venture now to the amazing world of Westeros and indulge yourself of the different cultures of The Seven Kingdoms.
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These are one of the best books I've ever read. I'm not a big fan of novels or fantasy books, but A Song of Ice and Fire made me reconsider what I thought about the genre. The richness of character, their development arc, the story, everything in the books is enthralling.
 
I would recommend Chimamanda Adichie's books. Her Americanah, Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and That Thing Around your Neck are very interesting and riveting. Chimamanda's books are books you remember long after you read them; a character or event in the book come back to you and you smile or tear up. I'm not big on giving gifts because I'm always conflicted about what to give but Chimamanda's books have now become my favourite gifts to give
 
David Hopkins said:
If you recommended one book to someone to read, be it work-related or not, what would it be and why?

Here's are four recommendations from me:

  • Creativity Inc. (Ed Catmull). Whilst mainly about the history of Disney Pixar this book is a fantastic insight into how a business or operation benefits from creative minds and creative approaches. I may not like Pixar or it's film, but reading the book will give you a different perspective on how different approaches, and how you work with them, can benefit an individual and organisation.
  • Ready Player One (Ernie Cline). You may or may not like sci-fi books, but this one is a great look at the future. With everyone using OASIS, an all-access Facebook/Second Life mashup. The book is about who gets control of this behemoth of a system (and it's money), but this book is great on so many levels, not least how Ernie Cline sees education in this future (very reminiscent of Issac Asimov here).
  • The subtle art of not giving a f**k (Mark Manson). Once you get past the title and profuse swearing there is a solid premise to this book .. learn how to manage your own life and responsibilities, as well as those who try and dump their troubles on you (personally or professionally). Well worth a read if you have ever felt you take on to much and can't find yourself among the noise of others.
  • Learning with 'E's (Steve Wheeler). I have a huge amount of time for Steve and his work. This book is an insight into Steve, his work, his blog, and his thinking that if you have any interest in learning, eLearning and anything digital / teaching / learning then this is for you! Seriously, it is!

My other book reviews are available here.

If you recommended one book to someone to read, be it work-related or not, what would it be and why? Click To Tweet
Image source: Andreas (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)​
Click to expand...
I would gladly recommend you to read the book of enoch. It has so many hisorical facts about our wolrd and how we may know the ending of it. It also lots of topics about the fallen angels that betrayed GOD and choose to live with humans. It has so many lessons to learn from it thst we can use in our everyday life. You can discover things that we all may know that did not exist like flying cloud like thunder.
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David Hopkins said:
If you recommended one book to someone to read, be it work-related or not, what would it be and why?

Here's are four recommendations from me:

  • Creativity Inc. (Ed Catmull). Whilst mainly about the history of Disney Pixar this book is a fantastic insight into how a business or operation benefits from creative minds and creative approaches. I may not like Pixar or it's film, but reading the book will give you a different perspective on how different approaches, and how you work with them, can benefit an individual and organisation.
  • Ready Player One (Ernie Cline). You may or may not like sci-fi books, but this one is a great look at the future. With everyone using OASIS, an all-access Facebook/Second Life mashup. The book is about who gets control of this behemoth of a system (and it's money), but this book is great on so many levels, not least how Ernie Cline sees education in this future (very reminiscent of Issac Asimov here).
  • The subtle art of not giving a f**k (Mark Manson). Once you get past the title and profuse swearing there is a solid premise to this book .. learn how to manage your own life and responsibilities, as well as those who try and dump their troubles on you (personally or professionally). Well worth a read if you have ever felt you take on to much and can't find yourself among the noise of others.
  • Learning with 'E's (Steve Wheeler). I have a huge amount of time for Steve and his work. This book is an insight into Steve, his work, his blog, and his thinking that if you have any interest in learning, eLearning and anything digital / teaching / learning then this is for you! Seriously, it is!

My other book reviews are available here.

If you recommended one book to someone to read, be it work-related or not, what would it be and why? Click To Tweet
Image source: Andreas (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)​
Click to expand...
I would gladly recommend you to read the book of enoch. It has so many hisorical facts about our wolrd and how we may know the ending of it. It also lots of topics about the fallen angels that betrayed GOD and choose to live with humans. It has so many lessons to learn from it thst we can use in our everyday life. You can discover things that we all may know that did not
 
Captive Universe by Garry Garryson. It's a great book by a great author. The best thing is the twist. Nothing is at it seems. I think it's quite friendly to all ages, with the exception of very young kids.
 
I'd recommend Decameron by Boccaccio. This book consists of 100 short tales with a wide range of topics. This is a satirical work, with some stories borderline blatant, but it's healthy fun all the same since times have changed and those that kind of material is not so frowned upon anymore, especially if it comes from a classical book.
 
I would recommend the detective stories of Sherlock Holmes, he observed people and things and find a solution or the culprit. Also the chronicles of Narnia.
 
I would recommend you to read A Song Of Ice and Fire by George R.R Martin. It is a great series of books and if you are into fantasy, these books will blow your mind! They are so great and characters in them are so good and unrivaled. Story arcs are also great! Grab a copy!
 
My recommendation is Battle Field of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. It totally changed my outlook on how I handle life and stress. I loved it so much that I gave my copy to my daughter and had to run out and get another copy for my collection. She is an awesome life teacher and incorporates scripture in the book. This book is motivational and inspirational. There is some funny stuff in there also that makes us relate to her life experiences. So funny that you will laugh and look around to see if someone heard you.
 
One of the books we were required to read in class was the Things Fall Apart by the Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe. I never thought I could actually like something that I was tasked to initially read as a school work. What I like about this novel is the plot and how the writer was able to include symbolism in the book whilst relating it towards certain issues they were discovering during their time. Although a lot of terms needed deeper researching, each and every single term will never fail to amaze you. I love how I got to know their culture more in a historical sense. The fact that it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, is one attribute of the book that I adore. The story revolves within a certain community, on its search for its true Chief.
 
Capitalist Realism - Is There No Alternatative by Mark Fisher

A brilliant diagnosis of our current culture. A very readable book that's interesting even for those not usually titillated by philosophy or political-economic theory.
 
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