Are you hoping to learn something new, boost your knowledge on a certain subject or look at something from a different perspective? Curling up with a non-fiction book can be the perfect way to spend an evening or pass time as you commute.
If you’re looking for something new to add to your bookshelf, there are some fantastic options to add to your must-read list this year.
1. You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing & Why it Matters – Kate Murphy
According to author Kate Murphy, we’re not listening enough as she sets out to change how we communicate. Despite social media and emails, conversation remains a critical way to connect. This book looks at how by listening more we can improve relationships, working lives, self-knowledge and creativity. The book is filled with interesting insights from professionals who listen as part of their job, from priests to CIA agents and is well worth a read.
2. Sway: The Science of Unconscious Bias – Dr Pragya Agarwal
Unconscious bias is a word that’s becoming more commonly used in everyday language. Sway takes an insightful look at stereotypes and what they mean for the way we act and think. As a behavioural scientist, Dr Agarwal unravels the impact of bias in a way that’s easy to understand. Combining real-world stories with scientific theories, the pages are easy to dive into and it could change the way you think.
3. Fake Law: The Truth About Justice in an Age of Lies – The Secret Barrister
If you read the first book from the Secret Barrister, this one should definitely be on your reading list. This time, the author exposes the lies and misinformation that’s spread about rights. Looking at some of the biggest legal stories from recent years, you may recognise a few of the cases from headlines you’ve read. Equally eye-opening and hilarious, Fake Law gives us an insight into our justice system and the ways it can be abused.
4. Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World – Matt Parker
You don’t have to be a mathematician to enjoy Humble Pi. If you hated maths at school, you may have thought ‘what does this have to do with the real world?’. Well, Matt Parker shows us how our lives are built on maths, from finances to engineering, and what happens when it goes wrong. It’s an opportunity to work out your brain too, the book contains puzzles and challenges to try your own hand at.
5. Joy at Work – Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein
Marie Kondo soared to fame following her Netflix show that encouraged us to get our homes organised and decluttered. Now, she turns her attention to our work environments. Joy at Work is a guide to ordering your professional life so that it ‘sparks joy’. It could help you organise your working life to improve confidence and motivation. It’s a step-by-step book that you can work through to boost your professional life to give it a Kondo makeover.
6. The Changing Mind – Daniel Levitin
If you’re looking for a book that puts a positive spin on ageing, pick up The Changing Mind. Old age is often associated with forgetfulness and diminishing abilities. But neuroscientist Daniel Levitin is challenging that belief. In fact, research suggests that decision-making sills and happiness levels peak in our eighties. It’s the ideal read if you’re heading into retirement with some apprehension, as Daniel Levitin explores the findings of over 4,000 papers, it could alter your perception of getting older.
7. The Effortless Experience – Matthew Dixon, Rick DeLisi and Nick Toman
How do you build customer loyalty? This book turns the conventional wisdom of delivering over the top customer service and instead, it argues that how well companies deliver on their basic promises is more important. Forgetting the over the top factors, this book focuses on getting the basics right. If customer service is important to your role, this book can help you start building an organisation that inspires loyalty.
8. New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence – Dagogo Altraide
New Thinking asks what can history’s greatest breakthroughs in science and technology teach us about the future? As advancement increases at an exponential rate, this book offers us an intriguing insight into what got us to where we are today. Going back centuries right up the modern-day, it offers a glimpse of how the technology we use now can spawn new advancements that will change lives.