In between all that Brexit, I’ve read some cracking books of late.
TED Talks by Chris Anderson. I wrote a piece about the book here; as a person who devours books about public speaking, this is by far the best I’ve seen. Bravo. (US) (UK)
The Shock of the Old by David Edgerton. (US) (UK) Fascinating take on the history of technology, pointing out that the innovations that make the headlines aren’t necessarily the ones that really make a difference. All hail to concrete and the bicycle!
On a similar topic but a more upbeat vein, How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson is jolly good. Much I did not know here. (US) (UK)
Other People’s Money by John Kay is a magnificent book – witty, penetrating and wise. All about the gap between what the financial sector does and what it could and should do – but by someone who really understand the sector in some depth. (US) (UK)
Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths. (US) (UK) This one is very good too: using computer science to help understand how to get a date, how to sort a bookshelf, how to find an apartment, how to tidy your desk, etc. etc. You learn a lot about computer science and a fair bit of self-help too. It’s not quite as good as Brian Christian’s The Most Human Human (US) (UK) but since that’s perhaps the best book I’ve read all decade, no big deal.
Or if you fancy reading one of my books, I’m rather proud of The Undercover Economist Strikes Back.