The 12 Best Books I Read in 2012

27 December 2012

Posted in Book Review

What would we do without “Best Of” lists at the end of the year? I have been playing World of Goo because I found it on a list of Best Android Games. Soon I will be checking out the list of best restaurants in Brussels. And I’m writing this post while listening to the annual Top 2000 on Dutch radio.

So here’s my contribution to the long list of of lists. These are the 12 best non-fiction books I read this year…

Stumbling on Happiness – Daniel Gilbert This book not only has a huge number of references to scientific literature, but also an ample supply of humor.
Tribal Leadership – Dave Logan, et al. I might not agree with the linearity of the staged model proposed here, but the stories and insights are great.
Predictably Irrational – Dan Ariely Again, a book full of scientific references, which all indicate that human beings make irrational economic choices.
Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure – Tim Harford The message in this book is no surprise to anyone familiar with Agile thinking, but the stories in the book are good.
What Matters Now – Gary Hamel The latest offering of the number one management guru in the world. It is hard to disagree with anything he says.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts… Susan Cain A surprise read for me, and others. It made me feel happy that I don’t have to apologize for being an introvert.
Resonate: Present Visual Stories… Nancy Duarte One of the best books for anyone doing presentations, with a heavy emphasis on storytelling and visualization.
Business Model Generation – Alexander Osterwalder, et al. The best looking business book in the world. It may not be a surprise that there were Dutch people involved…
SuperFreakonomics – Steven D. Levitt, et al. Great overview of statistics, and the silly ways in which people are fooled by them, with plenty of humor on top.
The Fractal Organization – Patrick Hoverstadt Another surprise read for me. One of the few books with a very good application of complexity thinking to business.
The Magic of Reality – Richard Dawkins This is actually a children’s book, but who cares? The illustrations are wonderful, and still I learned new things.
The Web of Life – Fritjof Capra This is another great book on complexity science and its implications for business and management.