Hella Important, Mind-blowing, Super-useful and Fun: 100 books I read in 2016, Part II

Continuing with the rest of the Super Useful books:

TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, Chris Anderson ( ebook and paper ). Outstanding guide for all levels of speakers. Enjoyable and authoritative, considering the hundreds of TED talks Anderson has vetted. 9/10

Steal the Show: From Speeches to Job Interviews to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for All the Performances in Your Life, Michael Port ( ebook and paper ) Port sets out a whole program for conceiving, outlining, rehearsing and delivering a great speech. I particularly appreciate his emphasis on rehearsal, and doing it in three separate phases. I will be taking almost all of his suggestions to heart in my next performance! 9/10

Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation, Mark Muesse ( Great Courses ). Muesse is one of my favorite teachers at The Great Courses. Even as a long-time meditator, I learned a ton, and the guided meditations were excellent. Fantastic introduction to the field. 9.5/10

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill, Matthieu Ricard ( ebook and paper ). Based on his brain scans, scientists have called Ricard the happiest man in the world. I think of him as one of the wisest. This is a broccoli book for sure, and if you follow its precepts, your life will improve. 9/10

Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, Peter C Brown ( ebook and paper ). Very good stuff, of which very little managed to stick since I listened to the audiobook . Lesson: visual learning lasts longer. 8.5/10

The Doors to Joy: 19 Meditations for Authentic Living (2014), Daniel Odier ( ebook and paper ). Daniel Odier is my secret stash for esoteric Eastern wisdom. I started with Tantric Quest , and have been hooked on his stuff ever since. Great little quick read to lift you up. 9.5/10

Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World, Adam Grant ( ebook and paper ). I was bowled over by Give and Take , Grant’s life-altering first book, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this, especially since I’m a creativity junkie (see Amazon review ). I found the title a bit of a misnomer since the central message of the book ends up being that massively successful people are often more risk-averse conformists than not. Otherwise a hugely informative and fun read. Favorite bit: to disarm your audience when pitching, open with your flaws. 8/10

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Angela Duckworth ( ebook , audiobook , and paper ). I listened to the audiobook twice, and enjoyed it both times. However, I couldn’t help but think about all the people with passion and perseverance who still didn’t make it big. Without accounting for them and only looking at the victors would make grit merely a psychological just-so story. Also missing: how to get grittier. Still, the central message of hard work trumping talent every time holds true. 8/10

Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health, Prof Jason Satterfield ( Great Courses ). Really good. 9/10

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert ( ebook and paper ). 9/10
Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work, Steven Pressfield (ebook and paper ). 8.5/10
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield ( ebook and paper ). I read these three books in rapid succession in April, probably feeling the need for a creativity boost. All three are excellent, able to pull you out of a creative rut of any depth. I refer back to the Pressfield books periodically. The War of Art is rightfully considered an indispensable classic, which is why I give it a 10/10.

The Power of When: Discover Your Chronotype -- and the Best Time to Eat Lunch, Ask for a Raise, Have Sex, Write a Novel, Take Your Meds, and More, Michael Breus (ebook and paper). The science of chronotype is just emerging, and I predict that the near future will make it a major part of how we think about work and health. This book helps classify yourself into one of four activity patterns of lion, wolf, bear or dolphin, with corresponding recommendations. 8.5/10

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain, Prof Jason Satterfield ( Great Courses ). As a part-time therapist, this seemed like a topic I needed to know more about. CBT is no panacea but a useful tool nonetheless. Satterfield is an immensely knowledgeable and sympathetic lecturer. 8.5/10

Million-Dollar Consulting: The Professional's Guide to Growing a Practice, 5th Edition, by Alan Weiss ( ebook  and  paper ). Weiss is Jesus, Buddha and Moses rolled into one when it comes to solo consulting practice. I consider him the ultimate authority. Whether you're a seasoned consultant or just about to strike out on your own, his principles can multiply your income, sometimes overnight. The section on value pricing alone is worth 100x the cover price. 9.5/10

The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connection, and Courage, Brené Brown

The Man's Guide to Women: Scientifically Proven Secrets from the "Love Lab" About What Women Really Want, by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman, with Doug & Rachel Abrams ( ebook  and  paper ). John and Julie Gottman are the husband-and-wife founders of the University of Washington's Love Lab. For the past 40+ years, they have observed thousands of couples, and know of that which they speak. Gottman is the Magus, and I consider his word gospel. A treasury of insight into relationships; should be required reading for all heterosexual males. 9/10

Nutrition Made Clear, by Roberta Anding (The Teaching Company). This audiocourse filled a part of my missing education. Heck, this stuff was not even taught to us in medical school! Everybody needs to know what they put in their body, what they should put in their body, and why. Highly recommended. 9/10

If You Really Want to Change the World, Norman Winarsky & Henry Kressel (ebook and paper ). When it comes to tech startups, these two guys are the genuine article. Required reading for all starry-eyed entrepreneurs and the VCs who would fun them. 8.5/10

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us), Tom Vanderbilt ( ebook , paper , and audio ). There’s a ton of science on traffic, and you spend half your life stuck in it, yet nobody seems to know anything about it. Huh? There are very few books that will help you understand your world better. Get the audiobook to listen in the car so you can make traffic educational. 9/10

The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life, Piero Ferrucci ( ebook and audio ). Got this audiobook on a lark since it was on sale for $2.95 and I’m a sucker for that kinda thing. Brilliant choice! Drawing upon his lifelong experience as a therapist, Ferrucci sprinkles his precepts with case histories and touching fables from ancient traditions. 9/10

Your Body at Work, David Givens ( ebook ). A good reference on body language at the workplace, by one of the pioneers of the field. 8/10

Wired to Connect: The Surprising Link Between Brain Science and Strong, Healthy Relationships, by Amy Banks ( ebook  and  paper ), 2016. The clever bastards at Amazon somehow figured out that a book on brain science applied to relationships would hit the sweet spot of my brain, so I let this one skip the queue ahead of 100+ other books on my list. The centerpiece of the book is Dr Banks' CARE protocol, an acronym for Calm, Accepted, Resonant, and Energetic.

Being Better Better: Living Better With Systems Intelligence, Raimo Hamalainen ( ebook ). A quirky little Finnish book referred to me by another quirky book. 8/10

Touch: The Science of the Hand, Heart and Mind, Robert Linden ( ebook and paper ). I must have highlighted half of this book! Almost all its information was novel to me even though I’ve studied neuroscience and medicine. Touch is such an integral part of our lives, yet it's remarkable how little we know about it. The good news is that the science of touch has been on the rise in recent years, and Linden does an excellent job of presenting its findings in a comprehensive yet engaging manner. I'll be recounting several of the stories from this book at lectures and cocktail parties many years hence. 9/10

Unmasking Narcissism, by Mark Ettensohn and Jane Simon ( ebook and paper ). The US Presidential Election of 2016 made it necessary for me to find out more about narcissistic personality disorder. This is a very good primer. 8/10

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph, Ryan Holiday ( ebook and paper). Quick read, time-honored precept, middling book. If you can get past Holiday channeling the voice of his mentor Robert Greene without being as clear a writer or thinker, the message is still worthwhile. Good for a dose of applied Stoic philosophy. 7/10

Nutrition Made Clear, by Roberta Anding (The Teaching Company). This audiocourse filled a part of my missing education. Heck, this stuff was not even taught to us in medical school! Everybody needs to know what they put in their body, what they should put in their body, and why. Highly recommended. 9/10

The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention and Energy, Chris Bailey ( ebook and paper ). Read this in one sitting, but can’t say it had any breakthrough ideas. 8/10

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, Gary Keller and Jay Papasan ( ebook and paper). Start with your endpoint: where do you want to be? What does success look like? Then trace backwards and find that one thing that needs to be done to get you there this year, this month, this week, and today. Then do it. Written by two real estate moguls. 8/10

The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate, Eugene Ehrlich ( ebook and paper ). Basically a word list for those who already know a lot of words. About 25% were new to me, making me happy enough. 8/10

How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do (2009), Sharon Moalem ( ebook and paper ). A primer on the science of sexuality, with lots of tidbits on the role of smell, the origins of circumcision, the neurological effects of being in love, and the use of leeches on wedding nights. A good, breezy read for beginners to the topic. 8/10

The Gift of Gab: How Eloquence Works, David Crystal ( ebook and paper ). Not sure if the book delivers on the promise of its title. So I will just say that this book is entertaining and useful, but perhaps less so if you’re already a professional speaker. 8/10

FUN AND FAST
I picked up these books mostly for kicks or out of curiosity. All of them are quick, entertaining reads.

Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals, Elizabeth Murray ( Teaching Company ). Every once in a while, I pick a course solely based on the fact that I know little about the subject. Now I know all about Lizzie Borden, forced confessions, and the utter unreliability of eyewitness testimony. 8/10

Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg ( ebook and paper ). I freakin’ loved Duhigg’s first book, The Power of Habit , and judging by its 4,000 Amazon reviews, so did everyone else. And how am I supposed to resist a title like this, especially when it’s about productivity? Bring it on, I say. Hell, I even pre-ordered it, which I never do. Unfortunately, it’s not really about productivity. What?!? Yeah, Duhigg spins a yarn like nobody’s business, but the book’s simply about stuff other than productivity. Kinda like buying a pound of apples, and when you come home, it’s turned into a porcupine. Still pretty cool, but not what you paid for. 8/10

Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal, Erik Vance ( ebook and paper ). A brand-new book about suggestion, placebos, hypnosis? Yes please! Quick, engaging read. Especially if you’re a professional hypnotherapist. 8/10

Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World

The Warrior Ethos, Stephen Pressfield ( ebook and paper ). I did not know Pressfield had written this. Once I did, I had to read it, duh. Short (122pp), wallopy, inspiring. You will probably want to go to a kickboxing class afterwards. 8/10

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card (ebook). A science fiction classic, and a thriller all the way. Kept me up past 3am, with one of the most jaw-dropping plot-twists of all time. 9/10

The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice, Trevor Corson ( ebook and paper ). A super-fun, light read, full of cocktail-party fodder. Eat rice sushi (nigiri) by hand, sashimi by chopstick, and always dip sushi in the soy sauce fish-side.

Ali and Nino, Kurban Said ( ebook and paper ). A dear friend gave this novel to me about 15 years ago, presumably because it had my name in the title. Now I know why it’s considered a classic. Ali and Nino, both around 20 and living in Baku, Azerbaijan, are in love. He's a Muslim Persian prince; she's a Christian Georgian princess. The backdrop of their love affair is the perennial power struggles in the Caucasus and Middle East; ethnic conflicts between Georgians, Turks, Azerbaijanis and Persians; religious strife; gender politics; East vs West, Europe vs Asia, Christianity vs Islam; and impending takeover of Azerbaijan by the Red Army. The depictions of the various locales and ethnicities are lovingly precise, and I learned a hell of a lot about exactly how backward Islam has been, especially in its treatment of women. It's a quick read, and it's considered the national novel of Azerbaijan, for what it's worth. 8/10

Into the Magic Shop, James Doty ( ebook and paper ). A quick, easy, entertaining and uneven read. Not fully memoir, not fully self-help, and not a whole lot of science. Doty, a noted neurosurgeon who started from hardscrabble beginnings, is a curious character who can spin a good yarn. 7.5/10

The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America, Don Lattin ( ebook and paper ). This sat on my shelf for about 6 years, then I picked it up on a lark and devoured it in an afternoon. Helluva story about four dudes at the forefront of the psychedelic revolution who shaped the 60s, 70s and way beyond. 9/10

Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream, James Altucher ( ebook and paper ). A Kindle freebie, so I downloaded it and even read it. Short essays of bracing honesty that deliver a much-needed kick in the rear. I now understand why he has a following. 8/10

Models: Attract Women Through Honesty, Mark Manson ( ebook ). Stumbled on this and just had to find out what the fuss was all about. Learned some stuff. Title made no sense. Good for nice guys who want to be better at dating. 8/10

Weird-o-pedia: The Ultimate Book of Surprising, Strange, and Incredibly Bizarre Facts About (Supposedly) Ordinary Things, Alex Palmer ( ebook and paper ). An impulse bargain buy, ‘cause I dig trivia and stuff. Fun read. 8/10

LOVED IT!
My reaction after reading these books was “That was awesome! Why did it have to end?”

In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Lives, by Steven Levy. The amount of access Levy got to the top Google brass is impressive. The backstories of the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin explain a lot about their ethos and how they handle hiring, fundraising, expansion, and crisis. 9.5/10

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance ( ebook and paper). Vance does a great job with this biography of arguably the busiest, most interesting man alive. Have no idea how he got such crazy access. Loved it! 9/10

Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way, Richard Branson ( ebook and paper ). What an amazing memoir! Loved it, and will probably end up reading all his other books now. 9/10

The Speed of Sound: Breaking the Barriers Between Music and Technology: A Memoir (2016), Thomas Dolby ( ebook and paper ). Delightful! Bought this on a lark on the recommendation of several sites (thanks, Amazon). First a precocious pop music icon, then a producer, then a pioneering Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur, and now a professor at Johns Hopkins, Dolby’s tale of hard work and serendipity warmed my heart and had me guffawing loud enough at 2am to wake my neighbors. Inspiring stuff. 9/10

Proof: The Science of Booze, Adam Rogers ( ebook and paper ). Read this one in a day. Thoroughly enjoyable, literally full of cocktail party fodder. 9/10

HEART-EXPANDING

Indivisible: Coming Home to Our Deep Connection, by Christine Mason (ebook and paper). An MBA serial tech CEO and mother of 6, Mason is a survivor of her mother's murder at age 9, the Iranian Revolution, and two rancorous divorces. This memoir-travelogue-personal growth book explores her journey into yoga, prison peace mediation, restorative justice, intentional communities, and the heart of healing the sources and effects of violence. Beautifully written and deeply personal, this is the grown-up, battle-hardened sister to Eat, Pray, Love. A call to deep compassion and connection. 8.5/10

The Charisma Code: Communicating in a Language Beyond Words, (2016) by Robin Sol Lieberman ( ebook and paper ). A spirited, exhortative self-help guide more than an explicit manual for developing your charisma. 8/10

The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life, Piero Ferrucci

Devotion: Love and the Power of Small Steps, Kim Nicol (ebook and paper). A gemlike series of vignettes about centering yourself, taking time to smell the roses, and expressing love. Short, easy, uplifting read. 8/10

When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi

MORE
I read only books I like, and don't report on the mediocre ones I stumble on. These books didn’t quite fit the categories above, so here they are.

Isaac Newton, James Gleick ( ebook and paper ). Concise and thoughtful, Gleick places you in the midst of Newton’s world: his farm, lab, thoughts, alchemy, books, and romping genius. 9/10

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks ( ebook and paper ). I was the last science-minded person never to have read an Oliver Sacks book, so I got this audiobook. Just wasn’t my dish. It’s good writing and some fine musings, but very little by way of actual science and diagnosis. 7/10

The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time, Arianna Huffington ( ebook and paper ). A timely book written by a sleep enthusiast (if not a scientist), ‘cause we definitely need more books on sleep. Arianna’s style is light and breezy, first presenting a strong case for making sleep the centerpiece of your day, then the science behind it, and practical suggestions for good sleep hygiene. For the definitive resource, see the related Great Course reviewed here. 8/10

Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity, Douglas Rushkoff ( ebook and paper ). Wasn’t expecting much from this one, but Rushkoff spins a good yarn, making a convincing case for how fantastically costly the growth-at-any-cost mindset is, with some suggestions for taking local action. Required reading if you’re all about the sharing economy and reducing your footprint. 8/10

The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America, Amy Chua & Jed Rubenfeld ( ebook and paper ). A sense of superiority, insecurity, and impulse control: this “triple package” enables cultural groups like Cubans, Chinese, Iranians, Jews, Mormons, Nigerians and Lebanese to do much better than average in America. In spite of the anathema heaped upon the Tiger Mother and her husband, this book has potent explanatory power. 8.5/10

A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age, Dan Levitin ( ebook and paper ) Levitin, a renowned neurology professor and professional rock music producer, is my personal hero for writing This Is Your Brain on Music. However, this was thinner than expected. 7.5/10

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius. This is a classic of the Stoic literature, and a remarkable book in its own right, written mostly in battle-tents by perhaps the wisest Roman emperor who ever lived, and the most powerful man of his day. My version was a bit archaic-sounding and hard to apprehend. Get a modern translation and run with it. 9/10

America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks, Ruth Whippman ( ebook and paper ). An Englishwoman moves to the US and notices that Americans’ obsession with happiness is actually making them miserable. Acerbic and well-researched, with astute observations about parenting, Mormons, and other American peculiarities. 8.5/10

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, Jen Sincero (ebook and paper ). A quick, irreverent and motivating get-off-your-ass self-help book. 8/10

Code to Joy: The Four-Step Solution to Unlocking Your Natural State of Happiness, George Pratt & Peter Lambrou ( ebook and paper ). The authors are experienced therapists who claim to get excellent results. However, their methods contain a bit too much unscientific mumbo-jumbo (e.g. muscle-testing) for my taste. 7/10

Man Interrupted: Why Young Men Are Struggling & What We Can Do About It, Philip Zimbardo & Nikita Coulombe (ebook and paper ). As a habit, I buy a friend’s book at his reading and get it signed, even if I don’t fully intend to read it. This one turned out to be much more interesting than anticipated. Video games and pornography are reprogamming young men’s brains en masse, and not in a good way. A cautionary tale and call to awareness. 8/10

Collaborate or Perish: Reaching Across Boundaries in a Networked World, William Bratton and Zachary Tumin ( ebook ). Lots of great stories of the triumph of collaboration, many of them drawn from the two authors’ illustrious career. A bit dry; mostly skimmed it. 7/10

Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change, Michelle Gielan ( ebook and paper). More about the workplace than happiness in general, so less my dish than usual. But it had “happiness” in the title, so I had no choice but to read it. 7.5/10