Books Books Booksy Books

[suttonred]

Those Star wars sequels are better than the original scripts. Wouldn't mind seeing some of them made.

[horlock07]

Cheers, that's the Orwell account isn't it?

I've not really read much on the Spanish Civil War (basics aside) and having spent a bit of time in Barcelona, it's got me interested.

Yeah it is Orwell .. and I was exactly the same with a Barcelona visit firing my interest.

[Amir]

Be careful with the Spanish Civil War, depends what side you are reading from but it made me realise that left wing politics are as unpleasant and corrupt as right wing politics.... Interesting topic though - A Homage to Catalonia is also worth a read!

I know! I always thought Stalin was just a bit of a lad until I read that I do know what you mean.

I liked the anarchist regiments who didn't have to obey orders, but did because they knew they had too.

I'm reading some crap collection of short stories by J.D.Salinger at the moment. Atlas Shrugged is up next.

[horlock07]

I know! I always thought Stalin was just a bit of a lad until I read that I do know what you mean.

I liked the anarchist regiments who didn't have to obey orders, but did because they knew they had too.

Just made me think a bit to be honest, you have it banged into your head that left - good, right - bad (or perhaps I am just friends with too many Guardianistas), but actually they are all as bad as one another!

Now I work from home I am reading a lot more but it tends to be limited to library books which has made me broaden my range a little last three are.....

History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Biography of Thatcher - Just as I was too young to really understand her term and certain things I had recently read suggested that a lot of the anti-Thatcher stuff banded around is essentially bollocks,
History of the Dreyfus Affair - If you thought that the Germans invented antisemitism... think again!

Not sure what will come next depends what they have on the shelves really!

[Amir]

I've no idea what the Dreyfus Affair was(until I google it in a minute). Did we invent it? I know the term holocaust is from when Edward I expelled the Jews.

[Bewster]

Also quite a bit recently. You can probably see from the theme that I'm a bit of a personal development geek.

David Allen - Getting Things Done
Tim Ferriss - The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body
Darren Hardy - The Compound Effect
Paolo Coelho - The Alchemist

Sam, do you find that you get any benefit from reading these ? Do you change the way you work/live ?

Its a genuine question as I've read a few and I find that they give me something to talk about as opposed to being life changing. I also tend to buy more than I read so it would be interesting to get someone else's view.

[horlock07]

I've no idea what the Dreyfus Affair was(until I google it in a minute). Did we invent it? I know the term holocaust is from when Edward I expelled the Jews.

I only vaguely knew anything before this book! Not sure about the term holocaust, although I am aware that the UK is generally credited with inventing the concentration camp?

[Samdy Gray]

Sam, do you find that you get any benefit from reading these ? Do you change the way you work/live ?

Its a genuine question as I've read a few and I find that they give me something to talk about as opposed to being life changing. I also tend to buy more than I read so it would be interesting to get someone else's view.

I think if you can approach them from a 'I might learn something interesting' point of view instead of a 'this is going to change my life' point of view, there's definitely something to take from personal development books. For me, it's more about the science and psychology, to read about different approaches to life and understand how people tick. I suppose it's more of a hobby than anything else, I just enjoy reading and learning about 'stuff'. Coincidentally and kind of related to personal development, I've done quite a bit of reading about MBTI recently and my personality type and this thirst for knowledge is just a scratch that constantly needs to be itched.

There are certainly things that I've gleaned from these types of books that I've implemented in my life and I think you can become a much more rounded individual by being well-read, but I don't think (and I don't think you were insinuating) that a single book should become a way of life.

[StfcRusty]

a bit of reading about MBTI recently and my personality type and this thirst for knowledge is just a scratch that constantly needs to be itched.

Free MBTI assessment below. I got loads of my friends and family to do it and it was uncanny how many were doing the job most suited to their personality type

http://www.quistic.com/personality-type/test

[Samdy Gray]

I've already completed a test a little while back. Reading the results and the descriptions was quite eerie as to how accurately it related to me.

[donkey]

I only vaguely knew anything before this book! Not sure about the term holocaust, although I am aware that the UK is generally credited with inventing the concentration camp?

The UK may be generally accepted as inventing the concentration camp (in the Boer War), but the Spanish did it before in Cuba and the Russians were using forced labour camps in Siberia in the 1600s.

[Bewster]

Cheers Sam - that's a great answer. I was once told that when you go on a course you'll be doing well to take away 10% of what you have learnt and implement it which is what I often think about self improvement books. As you say if you can glean a few things from each book you can develop and grow. My biggest issue is that I read late at night to fall asleep which is far from ideal for this genre of books.

A friend of mine said that reading "I'm Ok, You're Ok" did significantly change her life and helped her move away from alcoholism.

[Barry Scott]

I think if you can approach them from a 'I might learn something interesting' point of view instead of a 'this is going to change my life' point of view, there's definitely something to take from personal development books. For me, it's more about the science and psychology, to read about different approaches to life and understand how people tick. I suppose it's more of a hobby than anything else, I just enjoy reading and learning about 'stuff'. Coincidentally and kind of related to personal development, I've done quite a bit of reading about MBTI recently and my personality type and this thirst for knowledge is just a scratch that constantly needs to be itched.

There are certainly things that I've gleaned from these types of books that I've implemented in my life and I think you can become a much more rounded individual by being well-read, but I don't think (and I don't think you were insinuating) that a single book should become a way of life.

As someone who's read most of the books you list in your previous post, and I find myself always reading self-improvement and pop-psychology, here's a few you may fancy having a read of.

2 of my personal favourites:

• Influence - Robert Cialdini - I seriously fucking love this book
• Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
  

Other books I'd recommend are:

• Dan Ariely - predictably Irrational
• Daniel Pink - Drive
• Neil Fiore - Now Habit
• Charles Duhigg - The Power of Habit

And a book I've recently finished and loved (he has a great writing style) is:

• Choose Yourself - James Altucher

In the above book Altucher mentions this in glowing terms, and I've just got it, but yet to start:

• Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It - Kamal Ravikant

[Samdy Gray]

Cheers, I'll be sure to check them out.

Thinking Fast and Slow is one that I've started in the past but not read all the way through. I'm familiar with the behavioural finance bits though because of the professional implications.

[Bewster]

Thanks Barry, some good recommendations