Recommended Books
A curated collection of books I've found valuable and referenced throughout my articles.
Browse by Topic
#NoEstimates
by Vasco Duarte
Explores alternatives to traditional estimation in software development, focusing on delivering value continuously without detailed upfront estimates.
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix
by Charles Liu
A comprehensive guide to the best day hikes around Phoenix, including many trails in the Payson area.
75 Hard: A Tactical Guide to Winning the War with Yourself
A transformative mental toughness program designed to develop discipline, confidence, and resilience through consistent daily actions.
A More Beautiful Question
How the power of inquiry can spark breakthrough ideas in business, education, and innovation.
A Philosophy of Software Design
A collection of design principles for creating deeper, more modular, and more maintainable software systems.
A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson
A humorous and insightful account of hiking the Appalachian Trail that highlights the importance of preserving natural spaces and parks.
AI for Learning
by Neil Selwyn
An exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping educational practices and what it means for teaching and learning.
AI in Education
by Wayne Holmes, Maya Bialik & Charles Fadel
How artificial intelligence transforms teaching and learning across educational contexts.
Accelerate
by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim
The science behind DevOps: building and scaling high-performing technology organizations with research-backed practices.
Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability
An introduction to flow-based metrics that help teams better understand and improve their software delivery process.
Agile Estimating and Planning
by Mike Cohn
A comprehensive guide to planning and estimating in an agile environment with practical techniques for software professionals.
Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great
by Esther Derby & Diana Larsen
The definitive guide to effective retrospectives, offering practical activities and approaches for continuous team improvement.
Agile Testing
by Lisa Crispin & Janet Gregory
A practical guide for testers and agile teams to deliver quality software through effective testing practices.
Agile Web Development with Rails
by Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, & David Heinemeier Hansson
The definitive guide to Ruby on Rails development that helped drive its initial popularity and adoption.
Altruism
The power of compassion to change yourself and the world, with scientific research on how caring for others creates personal well-being.
Apprenticeship Patterns
by Dave Hoover & Adewale Oshineye
Guidance for the aspiring software craftsman on how to excel in the workplace and become a better programmer.
Arizona Highways Hiking Guide
A guide to 52 of Arizona's best hikes, featuring detailed trail information and stunning photography of natural attractions.
Art as Experience
by John Dewey
A foundational text on the importance of the arts as an essential component of human experience and community life.
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
How tiny changes compound to transform your habits and deliver remarkable results over time.
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
One of the most influential autobiographies ever written, providing insights into Franklin's early life and rise to prominence.
Becoming
A memoir by the former First Lady that chronicles her journey from Chicago's South Side to the White House.
Belonging
How shared rituals and practices create tribal connection in performance teams and communities around the world.
Better Tech Presentations
A guide for creating and delivering engaging technical presentations, perfect for code camp speakers and attendees.
Big Magic
How to face down fears, embrace curiosity, and live a more creative life by examining the mysterious nature of inspiration.
Blitzscaling
The lightning-fast path to building massively valuable companies through prioritizing speed over efficiency in an uncertain environment.
Blockchain Revolution
by Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott
How the technology behind Bitcoin is changing money, business, and the world by enabling new forms of trust between strangers.
Born Standing Up
by Steve Martin
A memoir of Steve Martin's stand-up comedy career, exploring how humor served as both shield and sword.
Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
Stories from a South African childhood that reveal how Noah's mixed-race birth put him at odds with the apartheid system.
Born to Run
An autobiography by the rock legend that explores his upbringing, career, and personal struggles with depression.
Bowling Alone
The collapse and revival of American community, examining trends in civic engagement and social capital.
Braving the Wilderness
by Brené Brown
The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone, exploring how shared rituals foster authentic connections.
Building Evolutionary Architectures
by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons & Patrick Kua
How to build evolutionary architectures that support constant change, with a new way to think about architecture and time.
Building Intelligent Systems
by Geoff Hulten
A practical guide to building AI systems that work reliably in the real world, addressing issues of data quality, user interaction, and system improvement.
Building Powerful Community Organizations
A practical manual for building organizations and communities that focuses on the everyday actions that create lasting change.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
A science-based approach to understanding and completing the stress cycle to prevent burnout and manage overwhelming emotions.
Can't Hurt Me
Master your mind and defy the odds through mental toughness, discipline, and hard work.
Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To
by Sian Beilock
Scientific insights into why people fail under pressure and how to overcome performance anxiety.
Clean Architecture
A craftsman's guide to software structure and design, applying universal rules of software architecture for sustainable code.
Clean Code
A handbook of agile software craftsmanship that teaches principles, patterns, and practices of writing clean code.
Clean Ruby
by Jim Gay
Writing maintainable, clear Ruby code by applying SOLID principles and design patterns.
Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don't
An exploration of what enables some individuals to perform exceptional feats under extreme pressure.
Coaching Agile Teams
by Lyssa Adkins
A companion for ScrumMasters, Agile coaches, and project managers transitioning to Agile methodologies.
Code Complete
A practical handbook of software construction that provides specific advice on improving the art of programming.
Coders at Work
by Peter Seibel
Reflections on the craft of programming through interviews with fifteen accomplished programmers, illustrating the value of community knowledge sharing.
Cognitive Surplus
by Clay Shirky
The book that introduced Shirky's sharing model, exploring how technology enables people to collaborate and create shared value in ways previously impossible.
Collaborative Innovation
How organizations can foster innovation through structured collaboration, with policy recommendations for educational and business settings.
Commitment
by Olav Maassen, Chris Matts, and Chris Geary
A graphic novel about managing project risk through real options, offering an alternative perspective on estimation and commitment.
Community Economics
by Ron Shaffer, Steve Deller, and Dave Marcouiller
Linking theory and practice in local economic development, with frameworks similar to Cole's comprehensive approach.
Community: The Structure of Belonging
by Peter Block
Creating communities of possibility, generosity, and gifts through the way we structure belonging and connection.
Competing in the Age of AI
by Marco Iansiti & Karim R. Lakhani
How AI is transforming business strategies and reshaping companies around data, algorithms, and AI-driven platforms.
Conscious Business
by Fred Kofman
How to build value through values, promoting conscious leadership and accountability in organizations.
Contagious
by Jonah Berger
Why things catch on, exploring the science behind why certain content goes viral and how to craft messages that people will share.
Content Rules
How to create killer blogs, podcasts, videos, e-books, webinars that engage customers and ignite your business.
Continuous Delivery
by Jez Humble and David Farley
Reliable software releases through build, test, and deployment automation - a foundational text on implementing effective DevOps practices.
Coworking: Building Community as a Space Catalyst
by Angel Kwiatkowski and Beth Buczynski
A practical guide to creating collaborative workspaces that foster community and innovation, representing the communal sharing model in action.
Crafting Rails Applications
by José Valim
An exploration of Rails' internal mechanisms and how to extend the framework creatively rather than just using its tools.
Creating Innovators
by Tony Wagner
The making of young people who will change the world through developing talent and innovation skills rather than traditional economic approaches.
Creating a Lean and Green Business System
by Keivan Zokaei, Hunter Lovins, Andy Wood, and Peter Hines
Techniques for improving profits and sustainability, with applications for value-add industries mentioned in Brian Cole's framework.
Creative Confidence
by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
Unleashing the creative potential within us all, with strategies for building the confidence to create rather than merely consume.
Creativity, Inc.
Lessons on fostering creativity and managing creative teams from the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios.
Crossing the Chasm
A marketing strategy framework for high-tech products that helps companies bridge the gap between early adopters and the mainstream market.
Crucial Conversations
by Kerry Patterson, et al.
Tools for talking when stakes are high and emotions are strong.
Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It, How to Keep It
by Jill Griffin
Strategies for building lasting customer relationships through exceptional service and loyalty programs.
Dare to Lead
by Brené Brown
A guide to brave leadership that focuses on vulnerability, courage, and connection in the workplace.
Daring Greatly
by Brené Brown
How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead.
Debugging
Nine simple rules to help find and fix bugs in software and hardware systems.
Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
A four-step process to overcome biases and make better decisions when stakes are high.
Deep Work
by Cal Newport
A guide to achieving focused success in a distracted world, emphasizing the benefits of deep, undistracted work.
Delivering Happiness
by Tony Hsieh
A path to profits, passion, and purpose through creating a culture of happiness and exceptional customer service.
Democratizing Innovation
How user-centered innovation fundamentally alters the way products and services are created, with implications for educational policy.
Desert Solitaire
by Edward Abbey
A passionate defense of the desert and its park lands, with reflections on the importance of wilderness preservation in the American Southwest.
Design Patterns
by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson & John Vlissides
A catalog of solutions to common programming problems that can help guide refactoring efforts.
Design Patterns in Ruby
by Russ Olsen
Adapting classic design patterns to Ruby with idiomatic implementations.
Designing Brand Identity
An essential guide for the whole branding team, covering strategy, research, design, and implementation.
Designing Machine Learning Systems
by Chip Huyen
A practical guide to building machine learning systems that are reliable, scalable, and maintainable in production environments.
Designing Your Life
How to build a well-lived, joyful life through reflective practices and intentional design.
Difficult Conversations
by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton & Sheila Heen
How to discuss what matters most when stakes are high and emotions are strong.
Digital Minimalism
by Cal Newport
A philosophy of technology use that helps you focus on your values in our increasingly digital world.
Discipline Equals Freedom
Field manual for gaining control, building discipline, and creating freedom in life through mental and physical toughness.
Disrupting Class
How disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns and transform education through student-centric approaches.
Domain-Driven Rails
by Robert Pankowecki & Arkency Team
How to apply Domain-Driven Design concepts in Rails applications to create maintainable, scalable code.
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
The surprising truth about what motivates us, exploring how autonomy, mastery, and purpose fuel high-performing teams.
Economic Development in the 21st Century
by Daphne T. Greenwood and Richard P. F. Holt
New perspectives on improving quality of life, with strategic approaches to community-based economic development.
Educated
The account of Westover's journey from a childhood in a survivalist family to earning a PhD from Cambridge University.
Effective Ruby
48 specific ways to write better Ruby code and avoid common pitfalls.
Effective Testing with RSpec 3
A comprehensive guide to testing Ruby applications with RSpec, including best practices for maintainable test suites.
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success
by Phil Jackson & Hugh Delehanty
Phil Jackson's insights into leadership and team-building from his time coaching Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls.
Eloquent Ruby
by Russ Olsen
A guide to Ruby that goes beyond syntax to cover the philosophy, conventions, and community values that shape the language's development.
Email Marketing Rules
by Chad White
Best practices for email marketing that can be implemented using tools like Boomerang to optimize sending times.
Emotional Intelligence 2.0
by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
Strategies for identifying and managing emotions, particularly in challenging interpersonal situations.
Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products
How to build successful product teams that create exceptional products through empowerment and leadership.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
The true story of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica and the remarkable perseverance of his crew.
Endure
Mind, body, and the curiously elastic limits of human performance, based on cutting-edge research.
Essential Scrum
A practical guide to the most popular agile process, with detailed explanations of Scrum roles, artifacts, and events.
Essentials of Product Management
A comprehensive guide to product management, including effective demonstration techniques.
Event Planning
by Judy Allen
The ultimate guide to successful meetings, corporate events, fundraising galas, conferences, conventions, incentives and other special events.
Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit
by Leonardo Inghilleri & Micah Solomon
The secrets of building a five-star customer service organization, inspired by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
A comprehensive guide to creating a culture of execution and accountability in your organization.
Extreme Ownership
Former Navy SEALs share leadership principles for taking responsibility and performing under pressure.
Extreme Programming Explained
by Kent Beck
Embracing change through simple rules and practices that help teams be more responsive to customer needs.
Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making
by Sam Kaner
How to help groups make high-quality decisions through inclusive and participatory processes.
Factory Physics
by Wallace J. Hopp & Mark L. Spearman
A comprehensive guide to the science of manufacturing, explaining how to improve flow, reduce lead times, and understand variability.
Fearless Change
by Mary Lynn Manns & Linda Rising
Patterns for introducing new ideas in organizations, with strategies for overcoming resistance to change.
Finding Your Own North Star
by Martha Beck
Claiming the life you were meant to live through uncovering your authentic self and purpose.
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
Based on Gallup studies of great managers, this book reveals that the best managers select for talent, set expectations, and build on strengths rather than fixing weaknesses.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
A groundbreaking exploration of the state of flow - when people are completely absorbed in activities that provide challenge and enjoyment.
For the Love of Cities
The mutual love affair between people and their places, exploring emotional connections that lead to community engagement and development.
Free to Learn
by Peter Gray
Why unleashing the instinct to play will make our children happier, more self-reliant, and better students for life.
Fundamentals of Software Architecture
A comprehensive guide to software architecture fundamentals, patterns, and practices for modern systems.
Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo
A playbook for innovators, rulebreakers, and changemakers with activities and formats for productive group meetings and events.
Get Together
by Bailey Richardson, Kevin Huynh, and Kai Elmer Sotto
How to build a community with your people, with practical strategies applicable to intentional collaborative spaces.
Getting Things Done
by David Allen
The art of stress-free productivity through a proven system for organizing and tracking tasks.
Give and Take
by Adam Grant
Why helping others drives our success, and how generosity can improve your network.
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
Clears out the confusion and misunderstanding about what strategy actually is and how to develop a good one.
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
How companies transform from good to great through different leadership styles and team dynamics.
Greenlights
A memoir that documents the actor's life lessons and experiences that have shaped his perspective on success and happiness.
Grit
The power of passion and perseverance in achieving long-term goals, and how it predicts success more reliably than talent or IQ.
Growing Rails Applications in Practice
by Henning Koch & Thomas Eisenbarth
Practical strategies for maintaining large Rails applications, including testing strategies and dealing with ActiveRecord.
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
by Steven Levy
The history of computing innovators who pushed technology in unexpected directions, similar to how the Kinect was repurposed by hackers.
Here Comes Everybody
by Clay Shirky
The power of organizing without organizations in the internet age, exploring how technology enables new forms of group formation and collaboration.
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
by Nir Eyal
A practical guide to building products that create user habits through a four-step process called the Hook Model.
How Bad Do You Want It?
Mastering the psychology of mind over muscle to achieve peak athletic performance.
How to Raise an Adult
Break free of the overparenting trap and prepare your kid for success, focusing on building resilience and self-reliance.
How to Read a Book
by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren
The classic guide to intelligent reading, providing a framework for different levels of reading engagement and comprehension.
How to Shit in the Woods
A practical guide to environmentally sound outdoor etiquette, essential for responsible camping and hiking trips.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Timeless advice on building meaningful relationships and connecting with others effectively.
Human + Machine
by Paul R. Daugherty & H. James Wilson
Reimagining work in the age of AI and how businesses can harness the power of human-machine collaboration.
Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
A leading artificial intelligence researcher examines the challenges of creating beneficial AI and the future of human-AI relationships.
Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning
by Robert Munro
A practical guide to optimizing the entire machine learning process, including techniques for annotation, active learning, and human-computer interaction.
Inbox Zero
by Merlin Mann
The methodology for managing email overload that pairs well with email scheduling tools like Boomerang.
Indistractable
by Nir Eyal
How to master the skill of the century: controlling your attention and choosing your life.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
The classic book on the psychology of persuasion, exploring the six universal principles that guide human behavior.
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
by Marty Cagan
A comprehensive guide to creating successful technology products that customers love, written by a Silicon Valley product management veteran.
Investing in What Works for America's Communities
by Nancy O. Andrews and David J. Erickson (Editors)
Essays on people, place and purpose, offering innovative approaches to community and economic development.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
How to tell your story in a noisy social world with strategies for connecting authentically on various social platforms.
Joy, Inc.
How to build a workplace people love, creating a culture that fosters creativity and engagement.
Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business
The definitive guide to Kanban methodology for software development, introducing concepts like flow, pull systems, and limiting work in progress.
Last Child in the Woods
by Richard Louv
Explores the increasing divide between children and the outdoors, and why connecting with nature is vital for healthy development and environmental stewardship.
Leaders Eat Last
by Simon Sinek
Why some teams pull together while others don't, focusing on creating a circle of safety for your team.
Leadership Jazz: The Essential Elements of a Great Leader
by Max De Pree
Explores leadership as a kind of stewardship, stressing the importance of building relationships, initiating ideas, and creating lasting value.
Leadership and Self-Deception
How we sabotage our relationships and success by staying inside a self-focused 'box' that blinds us to the true impact of our actions.
Leadership on the Line
by Ronald A. Heifetz & Marty Linsky
How to make a difference without getting 'taken out' while navigating the dangers of leading meaningful change.
Leading From Anywhere
by David Burkus
The new rules of remote work for managers, offering strategies for building trust, maintaining productivity, and leading virtually.
Lean UX
Designing great products with Agile teams through collaborative design methods and rapid iteration.
Lean from the Trenches
Managing large-scale projects with Kanban, with real-world examples of how to apply Lean principles in software development.
Legacy
by James Kerr
What the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life through 15 powerful lessons in leadership.
Living with a SEAL
by Jesse Itzler
31 days training with the toughest man on the planet - lessons in pushing beyond mental limits.
Lower Ed
The troubling rise of for-profit colleges in the new economy, providing context for the regulatory environment discussed in this post.
Made to Stick
Why some ideas survive and others die, exploring the principles that make ideas memorable.
Make Time
How to focus on what matters every day using a framework designed by former Google designers.
Making Things Talk
by Tom Igoe
Using sensors, networks, and Arduino to connect physical objects to the digital world, with practical applications for Kinect technology.
Man's Search for Meaning
A profound reflection on the resilience of the human spirit even in the face of extreme suffering, based on the author's experiences in Nazi concentration camps.
Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity
by Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya & Iwan Setiawan
How marketers can use technology to address customers' needs and make a difference while still focusing on profit.
Mastery
The secrets to achieving mastery in any field through deliberate practice and perseverance.
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation rock the world with OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).
Metaprogramming Ruby 2
A comprehensive guide to Ruby's metaprogramming features and how to use them effectively.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
How developing a growth mindset helps you fulfill your potential through embracing challenges.
Moments of Truth
by Jan Carlzon
How focusing on critical customer interactions can transform business performance and customer satisfaction.
Most Likely to Succeed
by Tony Wagner & Ted Dintersmith
Preparing our kids for the innovation era and reimagining education for the 21st century.
Never Eat Alone
A guide to building meaningful relationships that can help you succeed personally and professionally.
Never Split the Difference
by Chris Voss
A former FBI hostage negotiator reveals the tactics and strategies for becoming more persuasive in both professional and personal situations.
Nicomachean Ethics
by Aristotle
The foundational text on virtue ethics, exploring how excellence of character leads to eudaimonia (flourishing).
Nonviolent Communication
A language of compassion that strengthens our ability to connect with others and ourselves, facilitating clear requests for help.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
by Stephen King
Part memoir, part masterclass on writing, with compelling opening sections about King's early life and career development.
Open
by Andre Agassi
The autobiography referenced in this post, where Agassi reveals his authentic self and reflects on finding meaning through helping others.
Open Innovation
The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology through collaborative approaches and policy frameworks that support knowledge sharing.
Open Space Technology: A User's Guide
The definitive guide to Open Space Technology, a powerful method for facilitating group conversations and fostering community development.
Option B
by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Facing adversity, building resilience, and finding joy after tragedy, with practical advice based on psychological research.
Outliers: The Story of Success
An investigation into what makes high-achievers different, examining the 10,000-hour rule and the role of deliberate practice in success.
Pair Programming Illuminated
by Laurie Williams & Robert Kessler
A comprehensive guide to pair programming techniques and how to effectively collaborate on code development.
Peak Performance
by Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness
Science-backed principles to elevate your game, avoid burnout, and thrive under pressure.
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
by Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool
Drawing on decades of research, this book explores how deliberate practice can help anyone improve their skills and reach their full potential.
Peer-to-Peer
by Michel Bauwens, Vasilis Kostakis and Alex Pazaitis
A commons manifesto that explores belief in the commons and how it enables distributed networks of collaboration.
Peopleware
by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
Productive projects and teams, with insights on building and maintaining excellence in software development teams.
Permission Marketing
by Seth Godin
Turning strangers into friends and friends into customers by earning people's permission to deliver targeted messages.
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
A step-by-step guide for building a compelling personal brand and expanding your influence online.
Power Laws in the Information Production Process
by Leo Egghe
A detailed academic exploration of power laws in information science and bibliometrics.
Power and Prediction
by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans & Avi Goldfarb
How AI is reshaping business and creating new opportunities through the economics of prediction.
Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby
by Sandi Metz
A guide to designing classes that are easy to understand, change, and test, with principles applicable to Rails applications.
Pressure Is a Privilege
Lessons learned from a life in tennis about embracing pressure as an opportunity for greatness.
Principles
by Ray Dalio
Life and work principles that emphasize radical transparency and idea meritocracy to build innovative organizations.
Product Leadership
by Richard Banfield, Martin Eriksson & Nate Walkingshaw
How top product managers create and build successful products and teams through effective leadership.
Programming Ruby
by Dave Thomas
The definitive guide to Ruby, often referred to as 'the Pickaxe book,' covering both the language and its community.
Project Retrospectives
A handbook for team reviews that helps improve team processes and ceremonies.
Proust and the Squid
The story and science of the reading brain, examining the neurological and cultural evolution of reading throughout human history.
Quiet Leadership
by David Rock
Presents a brain-based approach to leadership that focuses on improving thinking rather than behavior.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
by Susan Cain
How introverts can harness their strengths and thrive in an extrovert-dominated world.
Radical Candor
by Kim Scott
A framework for giving effective feedback and creating a culture of honest communication at work.
Radical Responsibility
by Fleet Maull
Practices for creating ownership, choosing freedom over victimhood, and transforming your life and relationships.
Rails AntiPatterns
Best practices and solutions to common Rails programming problems and anti-patterns.
Raising Digital Natives
A practical guide to helping kids thrive in their digital world while developing healthy technology habits and critical thinking skills.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
Why generalists triumph in a specialized world, and how diverse experiences lead to more innovative thinking and problem-solving.
Reality Is Broken
Why games make us better and how they can change the world, with analysis of embodied gaming experiences like those provided by Kinect.
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
A comprehensive catalog of refactoring techniques for improving the design of existing code without changing its behavior.
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable
The elite trainer of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and other sports legends shares his philosophy of what it takes to achieve greatness.
Remote: Office Not Required
by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Why working remotely is the future and how companies can embrace this trend without sacrificing culture or productivity.
Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life's Greatest Challenges
by Steven M. Southwick and Dennis S. Charney
The source book for this post that explores the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms behind resilience, based on interviews with trauma survivors.
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
How deliberate rest enhances creativity, productivity, and well-being in our always-on world.
Rising Strong
by Brené Brown
How the ability to reset transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead, with strategies for recovering from setbacks and disappointments.
Rituals for Work
by Kursat Ozenc and Margaret Hagan
50 ways to create engagement, shared purpose, and a culture that works, with practical applications of ritual in professional settings.
Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
How colleges can prepare students for the AI economy and the jobs of the future.
Ruby Under a Microscope
An exploration of Ruby's internal mechanics and how the language works under the hood.
Rusch to Glory
by Rebecca Rusch & Selene Yeager
Adventure, risk, and hard work on the path to becoming a world champion athlete.
SEO for Growth: The Ultimate Guide for Marketers, Web Designers & Entrepreneurs
by John Jantsch & Phil Singleton
A comprehensive guide for integrating SEO into every aspect of your online marketing strategy.
Saving Higher Education
by Martin Kramer and James Piereson
The liberal arts in America, examining funding models and competition between different university systems.
Scaling Up
How a few companies make it...and why the rest don't, with practical tools for growing businesses.
Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
How the scrum framework can transform productivity and help teams deliver more value.
Setting the Table
by Danny Meyer
The transforming power of hospitality in business, focusing on customer experience and employee empowerment.
Shoe Dog
by Phil Knight
A memoir by the creator of Nike that reveals the early days of the company and the challenges faced in building a global brand.
Shop Class as Soulcraft
An inquiry into the value of work that explores the satisfaction of making things by hand in an age of passive consumption.
Show Your Work!
by Austin Kleon
A guide to self-promotion for people who hate the very idea of self-promotion.
Site Reliability Engineering
by Betsy Beyer, Chris Jones, Jennifer Petoff, and Niall Richard Murphy
How Google runs production systems, with principles that support effective DevOps collaboration and automation.
Smart Communities
How citizens and local leaders can use strategic thinking to build a brighter future, with community-focused economic strategies.
Soft Skills Engineering
by Dave Smith and Jamison Dance
The non-technical side of technical leadership, with insights on community contribution, speaking at events like code camps, and growing your network.
Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art
A balanced view of software estimation, acknowledging its challenges while providing practical techniques for making more accurate estimates.
Software for Your Head
Core Protocols for creating and maintaining high-performance teams through effective communication and decision-making.
Speaking.io
by Zach Holman
A comprehensive guide to public speaking, with advice for developers preparing for technical conferences and code camps.
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
by Jake Knapp
From Google Ventures comes a unique five-day process for solving tough problems and testing new ideas.
Start with Why
by Simon Sinek
How great leaders inspire everyone to take action by starting with their purpose - the 'why' behind what they do.
Startup Communities
by Brad Feld
Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in your city, with strategies for creating thriving startup communities in any location.
Steal Like an Artist
by Austin Kleon
10 things nobody told you about being creative - a manifesto for creativity in the digital age focusing on creation over consumption.
Steve Jobs
The definitive biography of Apple founder Steve Jobs, based on extensive interviews with Jobs and those who knew him.
Strategic Planning for Local Economic Development
by Edward J. Blakely and Nancey Green Leigh
A comprehensive guide to the process of community economic planning that aligns with Cole's methodical approach.
Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction
Insights from the Good Judgment Project on how to improve prediction accuracy in an uncertain world.
Superintelligence
by Nick Bostrom
Paths, dangers, and strategies for advanced artificial intelligence and its impact on humanity's future.
Surrounded by Idiots
A practical guide to understanding different personality types and how to communicate effectively with each type.
Talent is Overrated
by Geoff Colvin
What really separates world-class performers from everybody else, with insights into deliberate practice.
Team Topologies
by Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais
Organizing business and technology teams for fast flow, focusing on team interactions and boundaries to optimize delivery.
Team of Teams
New rules of engagement for a complex world, drawing lessons from military operations for organizational leadership.
Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital
The dynamics of bubbles and golden ages in economic and technological transformations, with detailed analysis of the five major shifts mentioned in this post.
Test Driven Development: By Example
by Kent Beck
A guide to the practice of test-driven development, which can be invaluable when refactoring legacy code.
Thanks for the Feedback
by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen
The science and art of receiving feedback well, even when it's off-base, unfair, or poorly delivered.
The 10X Rule
The difference between success and failure through massive action and extraordinary effort.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Includes innovative approaches to email management and automation to increase productivity and reduce time spent on routine tasks.
The 80/20 Principle
by Richard Koch
How the Pareto principle applies across business and life, showing how a small percentage of efforts produce the majority of results.
The Abundant Community
by John McKnight & Peter Block
Awakening the power of families and neighborhoods by focusing on the gifts and capacities of individuals, associations, and institutions.
The Advantage
How organizational health trumps everything else in business and why it's the ultimate competitive advantage.
The Age of AI: And Our Human Future
by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt & Daniel Huttenlocher
An exploration of how AI will transform human society—and what we can do to ensure its positive impact.
The Airbnb Story
How three ordinary guys disrupted an industry, made billions... and created plenty of controversy, exemplifying collaborative consumption in action.
The Alignment Problem
Examines the challenges of aligning machine learning systems with human values, goals, and principles.
The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions, and Results
How to close the gap between plans and outcomes by using a model developed by the Prussian Army in the 19th century.
The Art of Agile Development
Practical solutions for improving team collaboration, including effective meeting techniques.
The Art of Choosing
Explores how and why we make the choices we do, including how we choose to identify ourselves and others through names.
The Art of Community
by Jono Bacon
Building the new age of participation, with practical guidance for fostering collaboration in technical communities.
The Art of Explanation
by Lee LeFever
Making your products, services, and ideas easily understood through effective explanation techniques.
The Art of Facilitation: The Essentials for Leading Great Meetings and Creating Group Synergy
by Dale Hunter
Comprehensive guide to facilitation techniques that can be applied to retrospectives and other team meetings.
The Art of Focused Conversation
100 methods for accessing group wisdom in the workplace, with practical techniques for focused, productive discussions.
The Art of Gathering
by Priya Parker
How we meet and why it matters, with strategies for creating meaningful, transformative gatherings that have clear purpose.
The Art of Impossible
A peak performance primer that decodes the secrets of elite-level performers and provides a blueprint for achievement.
The Art of Innovation
by Tom Kelley
Lessons in creativity from IDEO, with insights on how successful products like Kinect are developed and marketed.
The Art of Learning
A chess prodigy's insights on the journey to mastery and peak performance through disciplined practice.
The Art of Placemaking
Interpreting community through public art and design, with case studies on how art transforms public spaces and builds community identity.
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander
Presents a set of breakthrough practices for creativity in all human enterprises and a visionary approach to leadership.
The Art of Powerful Questions
by Eric E. Vogt, Juanita Brown, and David Isaacs
How to use questioning techniques in facilitation to catalyze insight, innovation, and action without injecting your own perspective.
The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life
Using game theory principles to develop better strategies in competitive situations.
The Art of Woo
by G. Richard Shell & Mario Moussa
Using strategic persuasion to sell your ideas, with a relationship-based approach to influence that builds genuine connections.
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
How rare and unpredictable events have massive impact, and why we tend to be blind to them until after they happen.
The Charisma Myth
How anyone can master the art and science of personal magnetism to improve networking outcomes.
The Comfort Crisis
How embracing discomfort can reclaim our wild, happy, healthy selves in a world of modern comforts.
The Coming Jobs War
by Jim Clifton
What every leader must know about the future of job creation, with perspectives on developing vibrant economies beyond traditional industries.
The Courage to Be Disliked
by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
How to free yourself, change your life, and achieve happiness through Adlerian psychology principles.
The Coworking Handbook
by Ramon Suarez
Learn how to create a successful coworking space, build community, and explore differing models of shared workspaces.
The Creative Community Builder's Handbook
by Tom Borrup
How to transform communities through local arts and cultural development, with practical strategies for community revitalization.
The Creative Habit
by Twyla Tharp
A practical guide to establishing creative habits and routines that lead to sustained innovation and artistic output.
The Creativity Code
Explores how AI is learning to write, paint, and think, and what that means for human creativity and innovation.
The Culture Code
by Daniel Coyle
The secrets of highly successful groups and how they thrive through establishing purpose, sharing vulnerability, and establishing safety.
The Culture Map
by Erin Meyer
Breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business - including cultural differences in how names are perceived and pronounced.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs
The classic critique of urban planning and renewal, with lessons for sustainable economic development beyond residential construction.
The Decision Book
by Mikael Krogerus & Roman Tschäppeler
Fifty models for strategic thinking to help make better decisions in business and life.
The DevOps Handbook
by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, and John Willis
How to create world-class agility, reliability, and security in technology organizations through proven technical practices.
The Difference Engine: Teaching AI to Think Differently
by Sal Khan
How to harness AI to enhance education while maintaining the human elements that make learning meaningful.
The Effective Executive
A timeless guide on how executives can be more effective by focusing on what needs to be done.
The Effortless Experience
by Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick DeLisi
Conquering the new battleground for customer loyalty by making customer service experiences simple and straightforward.
The End of Average
by Todd Rose
How we succeed in a world that values sameness and why we need to embrace individual potential in education.
The End of Marketing: Humanizing Your Brand in the Age of Social Media and AI
by Carlos Gil
How to remain relevant in the current landscape where AI is changing how brands reach consumers.
The Fall of the Faculty
The rise of the all-administrative university and why it matters, with critical analysis of university growth strategies.
The Fearless Organization
Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth.
The Fifth Discipline
Systems thinking and organizational learning concepts that help leaders build learning organizations that thrive in complexity and change.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
A leadership fable about the barriers to effective teamwork and how to overcome them.
The Five Love Languages
by Gary Chapman
Understanding different ways people express and receive love, including recognizing when someone needs assistance.
The Founder's Dilemmas
Anticipating and avoiding the pitfalls that can sink a startup, including founder transition challenges.
The Four Agreements
A practical guide to personal freedom through four simple agreements that transform how we interact with others.
The Four Disciplines of Execution
by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey & Jim Huling
Achieving your wildly important goals through focus, leverage, engagement, and accountability.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
by Klaus Schwab
Explores the transformational changes occurring due to the fusion of technologies, building on the concept of historical economic shifts.
The Future of the Internet
How open hardware and software platforms enable innovation and unexpected uses, as seen with Kinect hacking communities.
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
A business novel that reveals how to identify and eliminate bottlenecks that constrain business growth.
The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life
A journalist's year-long journey exploring how gratitude can transform every aspect of life, from marriage and friendship to health and career.
The Great Reset
How new ways of living and working drive post-crash prosperity, examining how economic crises lead to lasting societal changes.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
by Ben Horowitz
Building a business when there are no easy answers, with insights on scaling companies and managing rapid growth.
The Industries of the Future
by Alec Ross
An examination of the next wave of innovations that will transform our economic landscape, building on the historical context of technological shifts.
The Inevitable
by Kevin Kelly
Understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future and how they will transform how we live, work, and think.
The Innovative University
by Clayton Christensen and Henry Eyring
Changing the DNA of higher education from the inside out, with analysis of public and private university business models.
The Innovator's Dilemma
A revolutionary book that explains why established companies fail to adapt to disruptive innovations despite making seemingly rational decisions.
The Last Dance
Documentary series focusing on the Chicago Bulls' dynasty and Michael Jordan's leadership, featuring the Jordan-Pippen dynamic.
The Lean Product Playbook
by Dan Olsen
A practical guide to building products that customers love by using Lean Startup principles and product-market fit strategies.
The Lean Startup
by Eric Ries
How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses.
The Lonely Century
Explores the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation in modern society and offers solutions for reconnection.
The Maker Movement Manifesto
by Mark Hatch
Rules for innovation in the new world of crafters, hackers, and tinkerers that aligns with Gangplank's creator-focused environment.
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play
by Kobe Bryant
An inside look at the mind of one of basketball's greatest players and his approach to excellence.
The Manager's Path
A guide for tech leaders navigating growth and change in their careers, from tech lead to CTO.
The Mesh
by Lisa Gansky
Why the future of business is sharing, exploring businesses that leverage the power of idling capacity and community trust.
The Metropolitan Revolution
by Bruce Katz & Jennifer Bradley
How cities and metros are fixing our broken politics and fragile economy, with case studies of metropolitan innovation and leadership.
The Nature Fix
Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative, with scientific evidence for the benefits of spending time outdoors.
The Nature Principle
by Richard Louv
Presents a case for reconnecting with the natural world to improve health, well-being, and community involvement, particularly through parks and outdoor spaces.
The New Geography of Jobs
How innovative industries cluster in specific regions and what this means for economic development and job creation.
The New Learning Economy
How to thrive in an era of innovation-driven educational transformation.
The New Localism
by Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak
How cities can thrive in the age of populism by focusing on local assets and strategic economic development.
The No Asshole Rule
How to build a civilized workplace and survive one that isn't by identifying and dealing with difficult personalities.
The Nordstrom Way
by Robert Spector and Patrick McCarthy
Inside America's customer service darling, revealing strategies for creating consistently exceptional service experiences.
The Obstacle Is the Way
by Ryan Holiday
Ancient wisdom for turning trials into triumph, based on stoic philosophy and real-world examples.
The Oz Principle
by Roger Connors, Tom Smith & Craig Hickman
Getting results through individual and organizational accountability by moving 'above the line' of responsibility.
The Personal MBA
by Josh Kaufman
A comprehensive overview of business concepts that includes guidance on how to read more effectively and extract actionable insights.
The Phoenix Project
by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr & George Spafford
A novel about IT, DevOps, and helping your business win, illustrating principles of flow and process improvement.
The Power of Habit
Why we do what we do in life and business, exploring how habits work and how to change them.
The Power of Moments
Why certain experiences have extraordinary impact, with insights for creating memorable and transformative events.
The Power of Names
An exploration of how names shape identity and perception, examining cultural, historical, and psychological aspects of naming.
The Power of Now
A guide to spiritual enlightenment focused on living in the present moment and finding deeper connection with yourself and others.
The Power of Ritual
Turning everyday activities into meaningful practices that nurture connection and community, with insights on how rituals build belonging.
The Power of the Other
Explores how the people around you shape your character, your potential, and your capacity to handle adversity.
The Pragmatic Programmer
A classic guide to software craftsmanship that helps developers create better code and become more effective programmers.
The Principles of Product Development Flow
Second-generation lean product development, with deep insights on managing queues, batch sizes, and cycle time in product development.
The Programmer's Brain
What every programmer needs to know about cognition to make their work more effective and empathetic.
The Rails 5 Way
An authoritative guide to building modern Rails applications, including deep dives into ActiveRecord and the Rails testing ecosystem.
The Read-Aloud Handbook
by Jim Trelease
A compelling case for the importance of reading aloud to children at all stages of development, with guidance on fostering a love of reading.
The Resilience Factor
by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte
Seven essential skills for overcoming life's inevitable obstacles, based on cognitive behavioral techniques and positive psychology.
The Rise of Superman
How extreme athletes achieve superhuman performance through accessing flow states under pressure.
The Rise of the Creative Class
Exploring how the growing role of creativity in our economy is transforming the way we live, work, and experience our communities.
The Score Takes Care of Itself
by Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh's leadership philosophy of focusing on the process and performance standards rather than just the outcome.
The Second Machine Age
by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies, analyzing how digital transformation affects all aspects of society.
The Secrets to Successful Events
by Lynn Fawcett
A resource guide for planning successful community events, with practical tips for volunteer organizers.
The Self-Driven Child
by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson
The science and sense of giving your kids more control over their lives, emphasizing autonomy and intrinsic motivation.
The Shallows
What the Internet is doing to our brains, exploring how digital reading differs from traditional reading and affects our cognitive processes.
The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail—but Some Don't
by Nate Silver
How to distinguish true signals from noisy data, and make better predictions in an uncertain world.
The Skilled Facilitator
A practical wisdom-based approach for facilitating groups, with guidance on maintaining neutrality and managing complex dynamics.
The Social Labs Revolution
by Zaid Hassan
A new approach to solving our most complex challenges through collaborative innovation and social experimentation.
The Software Craftsman
Professionalism, pragmatism, and pride in software development and how to build a culture of technical excellence.
The Soul of Yosemite
Examines the challenges facing national parks and offers insights on sustainable park management and citizen involvement in park preservation.
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything
How trust impacts business speed and cost, and how to build it across teams and organizations.
The Starfish and the Spider
by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom
Explores decentralized organizational models that thrive on collaboration and shared value creation, aligning with Shirky's public and civic sharing concepts.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
by Mark Manson
A counterintuitive approach to living a good life by focusing on what truly matters and letting go of what doesn't.
The Talent Code
by Daniel Coyle
Greatness isn't born, it's grown - here's how, through deep practice, ignition, and master coaching.
The Thank You Economy
How businesses can thrive through genuine customer appreciation and care in the social media age.
The Triumph of the City
How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier, with urban development insights for states like Arizona.
The War of Art
A guide to overcoming resistance and creative blocks that prevent you from doing your best work.
The Year Without Pants
by Scott Berkun
An inside look at the culture of Automattic (WordPress.com) and what their distributed work model teaches us about productivity and creativity.
Think Again
by Adam Grant
The science of rethinking and how intellectual humility can lead to better decision-making.
Thinking in Bets
by Annie Duke
Making better decisions when you don't have all the facts, using concepts from poker strategy.
Thinking in Systems
A primer on systems thinking that helps leaders understand complex problems by breaking them down to their fundamental components.
Thinking in Systems: A Primer
A concise and crucial guide offering insight for problem-solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
A groundbreaking exploration of how we think, revealing the two systems that drive the way we think and make choices.
This Is Marketing
by Seth Godin
You can't be seen until you learn to see - a guide to effective marketing in the modern age.
Training From the Back of the Room!
Teaches facilitation techniques that engage participants and make learning stick, perfect for improving retrospective engagement.
Tribal Leadership
by Dave Logan, John King & Halee Fischer-Wright
Leveraging natural groups to build a thriving organization by understanding the five stages of tribal culture.
Tribe of Mentors
by Tim Ferriss
Wisdom, advice, and life lessons from over 130 of the world's top performers in various fields.
Tribes
by Seth Godin
We need you to lead - how to build and mobilize communities that share your interests and values.
Triggers
Creating behavior that lasts and becoming the person you want to be through self-reflection.
Triumph of the City
How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier, with analysis of successful urban innovation centers.
Turn the Ship Around!
How to create leaders at every level by giving control rather than taking control.
Ultralearning
by Scott Young
Master hard skills, outsmart the competition, and accelerate your career through self-directed learning.
Uncommon Service
by Frances Frei & Anne Morriss
How to win by putting customers at the core of your business and designing service into your business model.
Understanding the Four-Phase Test
From the xUnit Test Patterns book, a framework for structuring tests that are more maintainable and less prone to flakiness.
User Story Mapping
by Jeff Patton
Discover the whole story and build the right product through collaborative visualization of user needs.
Virtual Culture
by Bryan Miles
The way we work has changed, with insights on building strong virtual teams and maintaining culture in distributed environments.
Walkable City
by Jeff Speck
How downtown can save America, one step at a time, by creating environments that attract innovative businesses and creative talent.
What Customers Crave
How to create relevant and memorable experiences at every touchpoint to win in the age of experience.
What We Made: Conversations on Art and Social Cooperation
An examination of socially engaged art practices and their impact on community development and cultural exchange.
What's Mine Is Yours
by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers
The rise of collaborative consumption and how it's transforming the way we live, with detailed examination of the four principles discussed in this post.
Where Good Ideas Come From
The natural history of innovation and how to create environments where innovation thrives.
Who's Your City?
How the creative economy is making where you live the most important decision of your life, emphasizing talent over traditional business incentives.
Wikinomics
by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
How mass collaboration changes everything, detailing how businesses can harness collective intelligence and value creation in the digital age.
Work Together Anywhere
A handbook for working remotely, successfully, for individuals, teams, and managers with practical strategies for virtual collaboration.
Working Effectively with Legacy Code
Strategies for working more effectively with large, untested legacy code bases with techniques applicable to any programming language.
Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz
How principles of jazz thinking and jazz performance can help anyone who leads teams develop critical skills for today's complex business environment.
You Are Not So Smart
Why you have too many friends on Facebook, why your memory is mostly fiction, and 46 other ways you're deluding yourself, including biases in how we perceive names.
Your Guide to the National Parks
A complete guide to exploring America's national parks, with tips for community engagement and outdoor exploration.
Zero to One
by Peter Thiel
Notes on startups and how to build the future by thinking from first principles rather than copying existing models.
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