5/5

A 1967 classic on personal effectiveness, written by the man who invented the term "knowledge worker". This book is full of important ideas, and is quite clearly the trunk off of which the modern productivity genre has branched. Peter argues that an effective executive knows where their time goes, focuses on the output of their work rather than the work itself, builds on their strengths, concentrates on high-leverage activities, and makes effective decisions. This book is a how-to manual for each of these behaviours that has aged surprisingly well.

5/5

A collection of the idiosyncratic habits of famous creatives (artists, writers, philosophers, composers). Substance abuse and a strict routine seem to be the two requirements for consistent creative output. The joy for me was in the details. One of my favourite books of 2024 to date.

5/5

This is one of my favourite books. I'm a newbie when it comes to philosophy, and the form of this book makes it the perfect jargon-free introduction to the actual ideas rather than the various -isms that can make the topic seem impenetrable. The ideas presented are deliberately contradictory from one chapter to the next, so it's interesting to see what jumps out at you personally.

5/5

A good discussion of some pretty uncomfortable topics, written by one of my favourite writers. His main idea is reimagining the Left-Right political spectrum by adding a y-axis to account for higher- and lower-order thinking, and using this to explain the US's extreme political polarisation. An excellent read regardless of your political leaning.

5/5

A perfect example of gripping narrative non-fiction. Thoroughly enjoyable read that's hard to put down. The story gets to the point where the author is being used as a bargaining chip between Putin and Trump, truly outrageous stuff. Highly recommended. Pairs well with Once Upon A Time In Russia.

5/5

The main ideas from the world of product design applied to the process of writing a non-fiction book. Work in public, interview target users, aim for timeless appeal, design around a recommendation loop, optimise for value-per-page. Specific to 'useful' (problem-solver) books. The author practices what he preaches, this is a good book.

5/5

How to learn better using desirable difficulty, spaced repetition, generation and reflection. Practical advice for designing learning environments that prioritise actual learning outcomes rather than a comfortable experience for students. The passage from John McPhee was a particular highlight for me. Highly recommended.

5/5

An excellent introduction to project management. Aimed at the 'unofficial' project manager who has wound up doing it by accident—often without formal authority to back them up.

5/5

A sweeping overview of some influential ideas in philosophy, politics, economics, architecture and design. Written at least in part by Alain de Botton. I loved this book, it's served as a good jumping-off point for exploring the standout ideas in more detail.