Below you can find my personal list of the ten books that have had the deepest impact on my life, career, and way of thinking over the past ten years.
Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull
It’s a fascinating book about how to build a successful and sustainable creative business, told by one of Pixar’s original founders. A thorough study of the work culture at Pixar, it outlines the importance of feedback, trust, and open communication.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
It’s all about making you more aware of where your mind is prone to making costly mistakes. It’s a fascinating read about the workings of the human mind and its “cognitive biases” that work against it. It had the most impact of any book in shaping how I approach thinking and reasoning.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
A glimpse into the grueling journey of starting your own company. It reminds the reader that there are no shortcuts to knowledge that can only be gained from experiencing something firsthand, such as entrepreneurship. Among other things, it details why a company’s culture is so essential to its survival and excellence, and encourages developing a habit of confronting the harsh truths of your business head-on.
Factfulness by Hans Rosling
Written by a renowned epidemiologist, this book is a powerful antidote to the doom-and-gloom outlook on the world that is so prevalent today. It presents science-backed arguments for why the world is actually getting better, not worse, and why you shouldn’t let the media distort our view of reality.
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Applying the principles in this book is a sure way to make your co-workers and family like you less. It’s an exploration of the importance of focused, distraction-free work in the career of knowledge workers, something that is sorely missing from the lives of so many of us.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Simply put, presents effective ways to get rid of bad habits, and get into new, good ones.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
A scientific, cold look at what we know about the origins of our species. By acknowledging where we come from, it helps us to better understand our place, role, strengths, and limitations.
Up Down Up by Kim Nordström
It’s the first book to look at the business side of making games so thoroughly, accurately, and realistically. A definite recommendation for anyone wanting to start their own game company.
How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens
Using a technique called Zettelkasten, teaches the reader to develop a “second brain” by taking smarter notes. It has been a lifesaver in helping me organize my thoughts and ideas.
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell
It’s arguably the best book out there on game design. A must-read if you make games. You can find my review on it here.
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