5 recommended books to read this summer
These are the five books I'd recommend reading this summer. The books covers a wide area of topics, including Business, Technology, Strategy, Medical, Science and Psychology.
All the books are available in most formats, from print to Kindle to audiobooks on Audible, and most of them are also available on other “regional” book sites and as audio books for other languages than just english so feel free to pick your best way of reading/listening to them.
Happy reading!
1. How Google Works
By Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
My summary
The “How Google Works” book takes us into the very details on how Google is built up, from the startup it was back when the Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded it back in the 90s, to today becoming one of the largest companies in the world.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and Jonathan Rosenberg, former SVP of Products at Google and today an advisor to Alphabet (Google) and CEO Larry Page, gives an incredible insight into how Google has transformed over the years, how they have handled tons of crisis and not least how they manage to keep the startup mentality even though they today have tens of thousands of employees all over the world.
Practical reading tip: Easy-to-follow book, perfect for reading/listening to on the beach or during a transport leg like a flight.
How to read/listen to the book
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YDDnEH
Note that the above links refer to the First Edition from 2014. A Second Edition was released in 2017, however this release has been hard to find both online and in-store.
2. Thinking Fast and Slow
By Daniel Kahneman
My summary
The psychologist and not least Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Daniel Kahneman, takes us on an amazing tour of our mind, and explains in-depth how we think and makes up our mind, from the fast, intuitive and emotional system 1 to the slower and more logical built-up system 2, and how we can more efficiently decide which system to use in the various scenarios we are facing daily.
The book gives practical and useful insights into how we make choices both in the world of business and private, and how we can use techniques to prevent us from making too many wrong decisions in life.
Practical reading tip: Although the book doesn't use too complicated scientific language, I'd recommend reading/listening to the book without being disturbed. I'd also recommend reading/listening to it twice.
How to read/listen to the book
- Hard cover: https://amzn.to/30ci6lQ
Ghost in the Wires
By Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon
My summary
Unless you are a true geek you have most likely never heard of Kevin Mitnick. However, Kevin Mitnick is most likely the history's most elusive and “best” hackers.
By using an incredible combination of technical knowledge and cleverness he managed to break into the world's biggest corporations, and at the same time playing cat and mouse with nothing less than the FBI.
Mitnick eventually got caught at last, and has long ago already completed his total of 5 years prison sentence.
Kevin Mitnick is today working as a professional security advisor, helping corporations with any security related topics.
In Ghost in the wires, Kevin himself gives the full, thrilling story of how it all started and how he “worked” as a true hacker and how he eventually got caught, and with a ton of practical security related tips for anyone, both private persons and corporations.
Practical reading tip: Easy reading. Can be read anytime, anywhere, and in chunks of time as it fits the time-table. Can also be read as a lightweight thriller, although every sentence in the book is based upon real stuff.
How to read/listen to the book
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Xu6WfB
Medical Myths, Lies and Half-Truths
By Stephen Novella (professor)
My summary
Is drinking vitamin-injected water more healthy, or does vitamin C protect you from catching a cold? What about natural foods?
We are being bombed with myths, half-truths and misconceptions every single day, and I like anyone else take many of them for granted without considering the scientific truth behind them, which at worst can cause serious harm to our own health.
After reading this book you most likely feel much more calm and relaxed, as you get to learn the true facts behind many of the medical myths we are surrounded with. You might even become more healthy.
Practical reading tip: Can be read in chunks of time now and then, chapter by chapter. Skipping a chapter or two is also fine.
How to read/listen to the book
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JfWjUG
The Moment of Lift
By Melinda Gates
My summary
I have a ton of people a look up to, from Elon Musk, Bill Gates and even Steve Jobs, to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, which all have helped transformed the lives to literally billions of people in a for the most positive direction.
More general groups of people I look up to are nurses and teachers.
And then, last by definitely not least, we have women, also in general.
Women are the ultimate reason we exists (okey, the man needs to spend an hour or so of his life to “ignite” the process). Women don't start fights. Women definitely don't start wars. Heck, women don't even argue with the referee after a faulty judge decision during a football match.
And yet, men still basically control the world.
Melinda Gates, husband of Bill Gates, and one of the richest people on the planet Earth, has dedicated much of her life to empower women, which is the single most important factor to simply make the world a better place, as Michael Jackson also once said.
Funfact: You might not know, but the Swedish professor and doctor Hans Rosling was a very close friend to both Bill- and Melinda Gates, and learned them (among many other things) the importance of empowering women to help get countries out of powerty.
Hans Rosling died in 2017, and his book “Factfulness: Why Things Are Better Than You Think”, is actually also worth reading.
Practical reading tip: Can be read in chunks of time now and then, chapter by chapter.
How to read/listen to the book
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/30kVY9c
Want to discuss any of the books?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments field below.
