Book Recommendations
Reading and listening to good books can do a wonder of good. They constantly challenge our ideas, helping to keep our minds flexible and young. They are a practical guide to a healthier and happier life. They create habits of discipline by hammering home the same points until they become part of our way of thinking. They create excitement and interest, ideas and anecdotes to share with family and friends.
I especially recommend talking books, which can give double benefit to time spent driving, exercising, gardening, and much else.
Super-charge your life with books!
Health & Happiness Books
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
“A practical guide on creating good habits and getting rid of poor ones”
Tiny Habits
by B.J. Fogg
“Similar, but even more practical in that it shows how change can start with very small adjustments of behavior”
The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life
by Sahil Bloom
“An immensely practical guide on how to build real wealth. Not just in financial terms but in relationships, sense of purpose, proper use of time, and mental and physical health.”
Seven habits of highly effective people
by Stephen R. Covey
“How to develop real character, rather than looking simply to manipulate people. Much better than Dale Carnegie“
Curious habits: Why we do what we do and how to change
by Luke Mathers
“Another useful book on the same subject. It doesn’t hurt to read multiple books on the same subject, especially one as crucial as this. They all provide different aspects and help reinforce the main points.”
Ultra-Processed People
by Chris Van Tulleken
“Really freaks you out about the dangers of ultra-processed food”
The Expectation Effect
by David Robson
“How what we expect influences it’s effect on our body and mind. Some of the stuff about diet is really extraordinary, such as that food can be more or less filling depending on how we think about it. I’ve read this book twice in the past year alone”
The Psychology of Money: timeless lessons on wealth, greed and happiness
by Morgan Houssi
“Beautifully written book about the irrationality of the way we look at money“
Happiness by Design: creating your best life
by Paul Dolan
“A practical account of how to achieve happiness, based on well-designed studies”
Exercised
by Daniel Lieberman
“You think you know everything about exercise, but here’s a whole lot more.”
Dopamine Nation
by Anna Lembke
“Why drugs, alcohol, junk food and other dopamine boosters don’t make people happy. The brain adjusts by making us less sensitive to the effects of dopamine, leading to generally poorer mood. His idea of ‘gremlins’ in the brain is colourful and memorable.”
The Happiness Hypothesis: putting ancient wisdom to the test of modern science
by Jonathan Haidt
“Money and success are not the key to happiness..”
Stolen focus: why you can’t pay attention
by Johann Hari
“Good account of the danger of smartphones, amongst much else.”
The Sweet Spot: suffering, pleasure and the key to a good life,
by Paul Bloom
“The activities that provide the most satisfaction are often the ones that involve the greatest sacrifice.”
Why we eat too much, The new science of appetite
by Andrew Jenkinson
“A practical guide on how to lose weight and keep it off.”
The talent code: greatness isn’t born, it’s grown
by Daniel Coyle
“A practical guide on how to achieve your full potential.”
The Village Effect: why face-to-face contact matters
by Susan Pinker
“Why social media is not nearly enough to satisfy our needs.”
How not to diet
by Michael Greger
“Huge book going on and on about the advantages of plant-based food and the dangers of anything else. From my reading of the literature he overstates the case, in that animal-based foods can have real benefits, but this book really indoctrinates you in the benefits of plant-based foods. I was inspired by it to launch ‘Jim’s Healthy.“
How not to die
by Michael Greger
“Simillar to “How not to diet”.”
The Anxious Generation
by Jonathan Haidt
“The terrible damage done by smart phones to the mental health of teenagers. Every parent should read this book.“
The Chaos Machine: the inside story of how social media rewired our minds and our world
by Max Fisher
“A really frightening account of how social media algorithms lead people into really dark places and make the world worse”.”
Bad Therapy: why the kids aren’t growing up
by Abigail Shrier
“The ever-growing use of therapy may actually be harming the mental health of our youth. We’d be better off doing more and thinking about it less. I find this book very convincing.“
The Circadian Code: lose weight, supercharge your energy, and sleep well every night
by Satchin Panda
“A powerful case for the benefit of good sleep, and advice on how to achieve it. Since reading this book, I try to avoid eating four hours before bed-time.”
Lost Connections: uncovering the real causes of depression – and the unexpected solutions
by Johann Hari
“Convincing argument against the use of anti-depressants. There are real solutions..“
Family Unfriendly: how our culture makes raising kids much harder than it needs to be
by Timothy Carney
“Our kids will be much better off if we stop pushing them how hard to achieve and allow more time for free play. And we will enjoy them far more I bought multiple copies of this book and gave them to my kids, who are having children of their own
Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: why being a great parent is less work and more fun than you think, Bryan Caplan. Similar message. Parents cannot read too much on this topic.”
Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent Is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think
by Bryan Caplan
“Similar message. Parents cannot read too much on this topic.”
Science
Guns, Germs and Steel
by Jared Diamond
“How physical technologies such as food crops and domesticated animals determine which areas forged ahead in history. So beautifully written and engaging it won a Pulitzer Prize”
The Righteous Mind: why good people are divided by politics and religion
by Jonathan Haidt
“This book is about how morality has evolved to serve the needs of community”
The Evolution of Desire
by David Buss
“How genes determine sexual behaviour and mating strategies. For example, why men seek out multiple partners more than women do”
Blueprint: how DNA makes us who we are
by Robert Plomin
“Genes matter a surprising amount in determining our behaviour and character”
Vaxxers
by Sarah Gilbert
“Α well-written account of the development of the Covid vaccine”
Never Cry Wolf
by Farley Mowatt
“An engaging and humorous account of living with wolves in the Canadian arctic”
Homicide: Foundations of human behaviour
by Martin Daly
“A detailed account on who exactly kills who and why”
Sociobiology
by E.O. Wilson
“Fascinating on the development of insect societies. The last chapter on humans very weak, but this is a classic book”
The Code Breaker
by Jennifer Doudna, Walter Isaacson
“The development of CRISPR, the amazing technique that allows precise editing of the genome”
The story of the human body
by Daniel Lieberman.
“The best account I’ve ever read about how our bodies changed step by step from chimp-like creatures to us”
The Secret of our Success: how culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter
by Joseph Henrich
“This beautifully complements the Lieberman book. Humans are well adapted to develop, teach and learn cultural technologies, allowing us to live in extreme environments such as the arctic and rain forests. These systems are far too complex for any individual to work out by themselves.”
The Weirdest people in the world: how the west became psychologically peculiar and particularly prosperous
by Joseph Henrich.
“An account not only of how different we are but what made us so, including such things as wide-ranging taboos against incest by the Medieval Catholic Church”
A Farewell to Alms
by Gregory Clark
“The rise of industrial civilization was driven by a change in character. A powerful and convincing case by an economic historian.”
Neanderthal Man
by Svante Paabo.
“Development of the technology that allowed us to unravel the Neanderthal genome, showing that most of us are part Neanderthal“
Alchemy: The surprising power of ideas that don’t make sense
by Rory Sutherland
“An engaging look at why we so often act strangely and against our own self-interest”
Who we are and how we got here: ancient DNA and the new science of the human past
by David Reich.
“What DNA tells us about waves of human migration in the past“
The Elephant in the Brain
by Kevin Simler, Robin Hanson
“This book lays clear our true motives, as against the reasons we tell ourselves. As an example, why we so often vote against our own interests, the true reason why we go to see the doctor so often, the case against education, and more”
Policy and Public Affairs
Progressive Myths
by Michael Huemer
“Wonderful book showing how much of progressive ideology is wrong and even damaging. My favourite finding is from the Copenhagen Consensus, a group of economists who determined that attempts to reduce global warming would not even rate in the top ten most effective ways to improve human welfare.“
Abundance
by Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson
“Shows how increasing regulations, all imposed with the best intentions, are crippling productivity and making it impossible to get things built”
The Power Broker
by Robert Caro.
“About Robert Moses, who was astonishingly successful in getting parks, roads and bridges built in New York between the 1920s and 1950s. A deeply unpleasant man, ruthless in his pursuit of power and contemptuous of the poor, especially blacks. But showing just how quickly and efficiently public works can be done, with the right man and the right system to work within“
Of Boys and Men: why the modern male is struggling, why it matters, and what to do about it
by Richard Reeves
“Shows how increasing regulations, all imposed with the best intentions, are crippling productivity and making it impossible to get things built”
Boys Adrift:The five factors behind the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men
by Leonard Sax.
“Essential reading for any parent of boys. Very strong on the dangers of Ritalin.“
The Insect Crisis: the fall of the tiny empires that run the world
by Oliver Milman
“We should all be alarmed by the catastrophic decline of insect populations.”
How to avoid a climate disaster
by Bill Gates.
“Good overall account of potential strategies to reduce global warming, their strengths and weaknesses, by someone with real insider knowledge.“
Anything Goes
by Theodore Dalrymple
“A psychiatrist working with the English under-class. Vivid and cynical.”
The Case Against Education: why the education system is a waste of time and money
by Bryan Caplan.
“A really convincing account of how post-secondary education helps people compete for jobs but has virtually no benefit to society.“
Excluded: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls we don’t see,
by Richard Kahlenberg
“Good on the evils of zoning.”
Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation
by Bryan Caplan.
“This is graphic novel, so not everyone’s taste, but really strong on all the evils associated with restricted planning. Increases inequality, reduces overall wealth, hurts working class man, etc. etc.“
Nowhere to live: The Hidden Story of America’s Housing Crisis
by James S. Burling
“Also good on the evils of restricted planning.”
Growth: A Reckoning
by Daniel Susskind
“How to achieve continued growth, and all the policies that hold it back.“
Anatomy of an Epidemic: magic bullets, psychiatric drugs, and the astonishing rise of mental illness in America
by Robert Whitaker
“A convincing argument that most drugs used to treat mental illness make them worse.”
Chasing the Scream: the search for the truth about addiction
by Johann Hari
“A powerful and convincing account of why the war on drugs causes far more harm than good.“
Alienated America: why some places thrive and others collapse
by Timothy F. Garney
“Some places are seeing a catastrophic fall in marriage, voting, church attendance and volunteer work. Poverty is as much a social problem as an economic one.”
Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance
“An engaging and personal account of poverty and its causes. I first read this book many years ago. It’s become increasingly interesting now that Vance has become VP.“
The Captured Economy: how the powerful enrich themselves, slow down growth, and increase inequality
by Brink Lindsey, Steven Teles
“Deals with a number of areas including the malign effect of zoning regulations, but especially good on the bad effects of occupational licensing.”
The Licensing Racket: how we decide who is allowed to work, and why it goes wrong
by Rebecca Haw Allensworth
“Further on the same subject. State by State comparisons show that occupational licensing increases costs, reduces the level of service, and restricts social mobility.“
The Genius of Israel
by Dan Senor,Saul Singer
“Fascinating on what makes Israel work, including a population with a powerful sense of community and purpose. Especially interesting because of the light it throws on why Israel is the only OECD country to have fertility well above replacement level.”
Start-Up Nation
by Dan Senor,Saul Singer
“About the economy of Israel. Shows the value of near universal army service, and the willingness of Israelis to question authority.“
Ideas
Don’t Trust Your Gut
by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
“A really fun book on what we can learn from the internet.”
Everybody Lies
by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
“Μore of the same”
The Intelligence Trap: revolutionise your thinking and make wiser decisions
by David Robson
“Intelligence is no defence error. Our biases and emotions can lead us wildly astray.”
Range: how generalists triumph in a specialised world, Davod Epstein
by David Epstein
“About the value of knowledge on a wide range of topics, and how that can feed creativity”
Outliers: the story of success
by Malcolm Gladwell
“How 10,000 hours of practice is the key to being really good at doing anything. Much more than natural talent.”
Freakonomics
by Stephen J. Dubner
“Entertaining and surprising account of the economics of everyday life”
Super Freakonomics
by Stephen J. Dubner
“More of the same.”
Business Books
Elon Musk: how the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is shaping our future
by Walter Isaacson
“This is a really good new biography of Musk, the best I’ve read to explain why he is so brilliant at engineering and also so odd. Stories about his work on the assembly lines is fascinating.”
Steve Jobs
by Walter Isaacson
“I think the best book about Jobs”
Finding My Virginity
by Richard Branson
” An entertaining account of a colourful character. Much to learn about how to promote and publicise a business.”
That will never work: the birth of Netflix by the first CDO and co-founder Marc Randolph
by Marc Randolph
“This is about the early days, up to the time they started streaming. Perhaps the best-written business biography I’ve ever read”
Creativity Inc: an inspiring look at how creativity can – and should – be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar
by Ed Catmull
“Clearly lays out the system that made Pixar so brilliant, by getting feedback from other creative teams rather than managers.”
The Story of Lululemon
by Chip Wilson
“The development of a unique culture that genuinely cared about staff. My daughter Jasmine worked there for a time and was hugely impressed”
Drive
by Daniel H. Pink
“An inspiring account of how intrinsic motivation, the desire to do a job for its own sake, is so much more effective than motivation based on ‘carrots and sticks’, which can actually reduce creativity. Gave me lots of ideas about how to improve my business..”
The Employee Advantage
by Stephan Meier
“Lots of good ideas on how to become an employee-centric company”
Ask
by Jeff Weizler, Amy Edmondson
“How to really listen to staff, and the lessons it brings. I’ve applied these principles just recently, with very good results”
Catch of the Decade
by Gabby Leibovich,Hezi Leibovich
“How to launch, build and sell a digital business,Gabby Leibovich and Hezi Leibovich. A great story about Australian entrepreneurs, starting from nothing and building a billion-dollar business”
Invention: a life of learning through failure
by James Dyson
“One of my favourite business books, detailing the incredible persistence it took to make really great products”
No Rules Rules: Netflix and the culture of reinvention
by Reed Hastings
“One key lesson is to pay staff well and insist on great performance. I liked this book so much that I bought several copies and gave them to my staff”
The man who broke capitalism: how Jack Welch gutted the heartland and crushed the soul of Corporate America – and how to undo his legacy
by David Gelles
“Welch was at one time the most admired CEO in America. This book the terrible results of all the steps he took to push the stock price ever higher: ruthless treatment of employees, financial manipulation, cutting back on research and quality, and the rest. An excellent handbook on the mistakes to avoid”
The Whole Story: adventures in love, life and capitalism
by John Mackey
“The story of Whole Foods, growing from one store to a massive corporation. Sad that in the end he was pushed out”
Conscious Capitalism
by John Mackey
“An inspiring account of how businesses prosper by looking after all stakeholders including staff members, customers and suppliers”
Where good ideas come from: the natural history of innovation
by Steven Johnson
“A historical account of the invention of different technologies including the printing press and the pencil, and how they came about”
Who: The A Method for Hiring
by Geoff Smart,Candy Street
“Finding the best people through networks and intense systems of interviewing. Another book I liked so much I bought multiple copies to give to my managers”
The Everything War: Amazon’s ruthless quest to own the world and remake corporate power
by , Dana Mattioli
“Really creep the way Amazon treats people, especially suppliers who use its website. Made me so angry I (briefly) cancelled by Prime membership, but there is really no better way to buy books!”
History and Current Affairs
Blood and Treasure
by Duncan Weldon
“Great insights on the economics and social impact of warfare, including why the French declined to train their people in the longbow, and thus lost the battle of Agincourt and others. In effect, French kings were more scared of their own people than of the English!.”
The Madness of Alexander the Great
by Richard A Gabriel
“A brutal psychopath who probably wasn’t even much of a general. Far less capable than his father Phillip. I really love books which overturn conventional wisdom, and this argument is strong.“
What really happened in Wuhan
by Sharri Markson
“A very convincing argument that Covid leaked from the Wuhan Virology Institute. I read this at a time when almost everyone was convinced Covid started in a market. It didn’t, and more and more people are now convinced Sharri Markson was right.”
Tobruk
by Peter Fitzsimons
“The courage and irreverence of these guys was amazing. Makes me proud to be Australian, and sad that we have gone so far downhill since then. The spineless timidity of our reaction to Covid a perfect example!”
The last charge of the Australian Light Horse: from the Australian bush to the battle of Beersheba
by Peter Fitzsimons
“Totally exciting and absorbing account”
Mutiny on the Bounty
by ,Peter Fitzsimons
“Well written and engaging account. Really, anything by Peter Fitzsimons. I never liked Australian history before stumbling across him!”
The Peloponnesian War
by Thucydides
“The book that inspired my interest in history, and in the rise and fall of civilisations. I’ve read it three times. Never gets old”
Bob Hawke: Demons and Destiny
by ,Troy Bramston
“An amazing, inspiring and likeable leader, and a seriously flawed man. Very engaging and readable.”
Science Fiction
These are my personal favourites and clearly won’t appeal to everyone! My obvious preference is for post-disaster stories, especially those written decades ago. In sharp contrast for my taste for recent books in other categories. I’ve read all these books multiple times.
Alas, Babylon
by Pat Frank
“An old book but classic, about a small community caught in the backdraft of a nuclear war”
The Chrysalids
by ,John Wyndham
“Centuries after a nuclear war, a society struggling to rebuild and fight against mutations”
The Day of the Triffids
by John Wyndham
“Most of the population goes blind, and the great majority die”
Earth Abides
by George R. Stewart
“A poetic and moving account of the aftermath of a plague that wipes out 99.99% of humanity. About rebuilding society and the healing of the Earth”
The Mote in God’s Eye
by Larry Niven
“Coming across an alien species divided into highly specialised sub-species that makes the whole super-successful. A plausible account about what a long-term future for humanity might look like”
One Second After
by William R. Forstchen
“The aftermath of an EMP which took down the power, computers, and virtually all of civilization. Totally plausible and became a best-seller. If this doesn’t scare the pants off you, it should!.”
Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
“Diary of a mentally retarded man who has an operation to become increasingly intelligent, and then starts slipping back. Like no other book ever written.”
The Foundation Trilogy
by Isaac Asimov
“The decline of the galactic empire, and efforts of a small scientific foundation to resist the decline and work towards a rebuild. An inspiration for my own biohistory foundation, though mine is based on biology and Asimov’s on mathematics. More recent Foundation books by Asimov are terrible, as is the TV series.”
Island in the Sea of Time
by S.M. Stirling
“The Island of Nantucket is thrust back 3,000 years into the bronze age. Very readable. Fascinating bad guy!”
Dies the Fire
by S.M. Stirling
“What happens when gunpowder and machines all of a sudden stop working?”
A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller
“Slow recovery of civilization following a nuclear war, set around a monastery in the New Mexico desert.”
The Death of Grass
by John Christopher
“Almost all the food crops die, leading to chaos and mass starvation. Ruthless actions taken in the desperate quest for survival.”
Other Fiction
Shogun
by James Clavell
“Makes Japanese culture intensely attractive
The Tale of Genji
by Murasaki Shikibu
“A thousand-year-old book about court life in Heian Japan, with an intense aura of sadness and the beauty of nature.”
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