I’ll add books to this list that I’ve read and think
other people need to read too. They’ll usually be related to IT, and/or geared toward
improving oneself and/or ones work environment.
I read lots software industry related books, so I will only post those here which I’ve
really enjoyed or found extremely useful in some way.
blink – The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
“It’s a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye.”
As with Tipping Point, Gladwell beautifully reinforces his ideas with examples that are a perfect fit to the theme at hand. One interesting
idea that sticks in my mind is that contrary to conventional wisdom, it’s likely better to spend time analyzing simpler issues while
going with the gut reaction of experts on more complex ones. The human mind is far better at unconsciously analyzing things relative
to ones experience than we ourselves are at doing so consciously. Mr. Gladwell very clearly illustrates this via his excellent choice
of examples.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
In our daily lives human beings put up with a lot of issues small and large. The large ones will always be there, and be beyond our control for the most part. The smaller ones on the other hand are actually something we may be able to steer, if not control. Tipping point really drove this home for me and illustrates that perhaps it’s exactly that sense or perception of control which makes the small things so important. Giving that perception of control lends to feelings that make a real difference in people and their behavior.
The tipping point has some extremely interesting views. I particularly liked the real world examples provided for comparison. Each was carefully chosen to highlight specific points and each does so phenomenally well. If you’re in the mood for something that has the potential to alter your view of the world, this book is it. Whether you believe it’s message or not, you’ll look at things differently.
Making Things Happen – Mastering Project Management
By Scott Berkun
Making Things Happen is superb. This book is among the list of books any software engineer should read.
It provides perspective on areas many in the software industry may not be familiar with, in a way that clearly
drives home what the project management role is all about. Unless you’ve been in a project management role,
it’s very difficult to understand a lot of these topics, yet the book succeeds at sharing the critical bits so anyone
involved in software can learn and grow.
Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering
Facts and Fallacies is a nice short read with lots of useful information. Particularly, for me anyhow,
it provided a new and different perspective on a number of things while also introducing me to several new
ideas that I found very intriguing. It’s a good read.
Smart & Gets Things Done
By Joel Spolsky
I’ve always enjoyed Joel’s writing style, and have been reading his blog for some time. This short but sweet gem has
a wealth of knowledge and many interesting ideas in the realm of tech hiring practices. Having been a part
of numerous interviews, I found much use in the information it offered up. If more folks responsible for the actual
yeah/nay of a hire read and followed the advice and suggestions this book offers, IT organizations everywhere would
be much better off. Good stuff, highly recommended.
The Black Swan
I never quite took to the writing style, but it did certainly offer up interesting information, and a thought provoking point of view. Essentially, society today obsesses with predicting everything. I came away from Swan with the notion not to focus on such things, and in fact am now very cognizant of when I, and those close to me do so. For myself, it’s interesting to notice when I’m doing just that so I can step back and ponder why. Usually, it’s not good. Another result is that I notice myself paying more attention to the decisions others around me are making, and namely, their fringe decisions and how they reflect on the person. Swan (among many other works) was great at illustrating the point that it’s far more telling what people do in the toughest and most unexpected situations. It brings to mind one of my favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer quotes. From episode Becoming, part 1. Whistler: “Bottom line is, even if you see ‘em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are”.
The Dip
By Seth Godin
Decent short read to get another perspective and some thought provoking ideas on
the topic of being the best. The gist is, it offers opinions on deciding which things to focus your time on so you
can excel. Which things should you focus on, and which things should you quit, to spend more time+effort
on the truly worthwhile.
While short, it did indeed provoke some useful thoughts, and pointed out ways to help identify
when and why to move on to better opportunities.
It’s an inexpensive and quick read, there’s really nothing to dislike…
Happy Hour is 9 to 5
Learn How To Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work
I mostly skimmed this one, as it never pulled me in for the in-depth read. Nonetheless, here were some
nuggets that were thought provoking for me.
- Offering incentives or bonuses as motivation has been shown to be detrimental
Internal self-motivation is replaced by external incentive based motivation resulting in lower standards and poorer quality - When people quit, they don’t leave a company, they leave a bad boss
- Happiness at work is a better goal than job satisfaction
- Happiness at work is the only lasting cure for job related stress
- Karoshi – japanese for “death by overwork”
- More hours do not equal better results
- How do I make my job/task/work environment fun ?
- The journey towards the happiness at work goal starts with yourself.
It’s currently freely available online (linked from title above)
Peopleware
Productive Projects and Teams
By Tom DeMarco & Timothy Lister
Best written technology book I’ve read in a very long time, if not ever. Full of
informative, thought provoking ideas and examples. If you’re involved with
the IT industry in any fashion you need to read this book.
The Pragmatic Programmer
From Journeyman to Master
By Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
Interesting examples and application of ideas.
Very specific focus, which may put off some people who don’t
agree with the benefits offered.
The Mythical Man-Month
Essays on Software Engineering
Its examples are dated, since this books original edition
was written more than 20+ years ago.
The core messages however will endure indefinitely, and
are valuable to anyone in the IT field.
While detailed, the writing style tends more toward
the mathematical, which I found less engaging than
I would have liked.
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—- xorcyst.com —- - xorcise your daemons (another IT blog) » Added Happy Hour is 9 to 5 to Books page01-29-07
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xorcyst.com — xorcise your daemons - ramblings on software development, and other assorted bits. » Added Happy Hour is 9 to 5 to Books page07-13-07
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xorcise your daemons - ramblings on software development » blink08-19-09