Looking for a new read? Rather than indulge in the latest chick-lit or fantasy novel, why not pick up something that might just change your way of thinking? We have handpicked seven different books that encompass a range of aspects of life that are required reading if you need a fresh perspective.
7 Books that might change your way of thinking
From powerful women in the workplace, to insight into brain injury from the inside, and dealing with (and predicting) seemingly impossible events, each one will tickle your mind in a slightly different way.
Curl up and get to reading.
1. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
Want to know what it’s like to be a super boss at work? Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook, gives the ultimate insight into women, power, and ambition in the workplace - especially in the tech industry. The first woman to be elected to the Facebook board, Sheryl has managed to balance personal life alongside an illustrious career - but not without its obstacles.
A best-seller around the world, this book is essential reading for anyone who’s ever experienced power struggles with men in the office, noticed the lack of women at the top, or pondered about gender dynamics in the workplace.
2. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
If you look at a game of Blackjack it's like the playground of your life. The basic rules couldn't be easier - follow them and you'll get ahead. If only there weren't turns and twists we can't predict…
Did anyone see coronavirus taking out the way that the world works, pulling the chair out from underneath us? Covid-19 is what Nassim Nicholas Taleb would term a Black Swan event - something so out of the blue that no one could really anticipate its impact.
This book gives you the tools to deal with Black Swan events - such as the unforeseen death of a family member, a catastrophic geographical event, or anything that can truly disrupt and unseat you. Perhaps a little late for the coronavirus reading list, but an eye-opener nonetheless.
3. What Every Body is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People by James Navarro
This book is exactly what it says on the cover - a way to read people’s body language to understand their feelings and intentions, as well as know when they’re lying.
An ex-FBI agent experienced in getting suspects and witnesses to sing leads us through the ways in which we can know what everyone is saying - all without hearing them speak a word.
4. Stand Out: The Ground-breaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution by Marcus Buckingham
Want to know how to win at work? Then this book will help illuminate the path to your success. Stand Out involves taking a test to determine your two key strengths (roles) in a team (as well as personally), then diving into what these roles mean.
The roles you’ll encounter include Advisor, Connector, Creator, Equalizer, Influencer, Pioneer, Provider, Stimulator, and Teacher. From there you will learn when you are at your most powerful, how to perform even better through your natural inclinations, as well as the blind spots that you’ll encounter as part of your natural roles.
5. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
Ever wondered what the world is like as seen through the eyes of someone with a brain injury? Jill Bolt Taylor was a thriving brain scientist when at the age of 37 she was struck down - a blood vessel exploding in her brain, losing her use of the left side of her brain.
This book explores Jill’s dealing with how to learn to think again and recover after stroke. It is an extraordinary insight into a scientist’s mind’s understanding of what is really happening after such an incident.
6. Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock & Dan Gardner
Ever wish you could predict the future? This book explores a unique bunch of people - Superforecasters - who have been surprisingly accurate at making future predictions for the world where even top-class analysts and algorithms have missed the mark.
By studying this group of people, the book gleans insights from them and how we can all learn to approach forecasting with a little more reliability. Perhaps you’ll end up a Superforecaster by the end.
7. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
If someone hasn’t recommended that you read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by now then it’s time that you expand your friend circles. This excellent read is full of ridiculous humour paired with scientific evidence that teaches us why (and how) those of us who “don’t give a f*ck” about a lot of things fair better off in life.
If you take things too personally or are seeking the wrong goals, then this is the book that you need to read to revolutionise your life.