Books

Software Best Practice Books:

• Effective Feature Management: (3/5 stars)
• A free book (well you need to put in an email address/name - no verification).
• Written by the company launchdarkly - pretty much an explanation of why they are needed in the software universe
• The short book explains what most engineers already know, but it is a nice refresher.  
• Explaining what what feature flags (a few kind: skill switch, A/B testing, different user permissions) and why they are important.  
• Direct Link the Book (PDF Copy)
  
• The Manager's Path
• 4.26 on GoodReads
• Talks about how to progress to higher management, and what each level requires of you.
• Talks about mentoring, team lead, manager... all the way to CTO
• Designing Data-Intensive Applications (did not read yet)
• 4.75 on GoodReads
• Still to read. 
• The Five Dysfunctions of a team (did not read yet)

Life Books:

• 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey (4/5 stars)
  
• think of the bigger picture
• learn what influences people (what they live for)
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson (5/5)
  
• This book made Mark Manson famous
• contrary to the title, the book is about putting energy in things you care about not about things you do not care about.
• Very entertaining
• Lots of side stories about historical events and how they relate to his higher points
• EVERYTHING IS FUCKED: A BOOK ABOUT HOPE by Mark Manson (3/5)
  
• A follow up book from Mark Manson
• Not as useful as the first book, but equally entertaining
• Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard (4.5/ 5)
• A very short book
• Give honest feedback to everyone (restaurant owners...)
• If they care they will make the changes to improve your future experience.
• Have a vision in your company and ensure everything is around that.  Provide a certain customer experience you envision.  
• Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant (4/5)
  
• 4.23 on Good reads
• How to think like a scientist, using data not emotions.  And how our views SHOULD change as we get more information.  The book also talks about how to not look at black and white, and that most people agree on 90% of things, but we are polarized to only talk about the 10% we do not agree on. 
• How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnage (3/5)
  
• 3.93 on good reads
• A very simply written book on how to be a good friend, engage people...  Lots of one off examples, not really explaining the bigger picture.  
• You can read the subheadings and get 60% of the understanding.  This should have been a 50 page book, not 200.  
• Just read the summary here.  
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson 
• 3.92 on Good Reads
• Chapter 1: (4.5/5 stars) "Stand up straight with your shoulders back."
• Great antidotes on how we figure out who is "alpha"
• How good and bad behaviours can build on top of each other and improve/ruin your life
• Being confident goes a long way 
• Chapter 2: (2/5 stars)"Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping."
• Chaos vs Order. How you need chaos to change.  Need order to be stable.  Finding that right balance is important. (rants a lot about bible not making sense)
• You are going to ensure your dog takes the medicine, but you will not take the medicine yourself when you are sick? Why? 
• Chapter 3: (4/5 stars)"Make friends with people who want the best for you."
• Entertainingly talks about his upbringing in a small city of 3,000 people.  You know by age of 12 if you who/what type of person you will be. How he felt when he left for Edmonton
• Talks about a person wanting to "help" other people who are worse off them is not as simple as it sounds.  
• Chapter 4: (5/5 stars) "Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today."
•  We are not one dimensional, we have different things traits, things we value...
•  Those we wish to become might have other parts of their lives which we do not want.
•  Figure out who you want to me, what you want (More about abstract thought than actual item) then work on that piece by piece.  Try to improve every day
• Chapter 5: (5/5 stars) "Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them."
• A MUST read chapter
• You need to give your children praise and punishment
• How to correctly discipline your kids to avoid resentment
• You are responsible for your kids discipline, better from you than from society or other people who love them less 
• "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world."
• "Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)."
• "Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie."
• "Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't."
• "Be precise in your speech."
• "Do not bother children when they are skateboarding."
• "Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street."

Make you think novels:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series) by Douglas Adams (5/5 stars)
  
• 4.38 on GoodReads
• Cynical and Funny
• A proper science fiction book
• Makes you think about small things we take for granted and what could happen in the future
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• 3.90 on GoodReads / 62nd in Penguin's list
• Very short 
• Makes you think about into what humans will evolve next
• A classic
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• 3.99 on GoodReads / 7th in Penguin's list
• A classic
• Dystopian Future
• Makes you think what we value, how/why our relationships work...
• 1984 by George Orwell
  
• 4.19 on GoodReads / 24th in Penguin's list
• A classic 
• Even though written in 1949 talks very relevant for today
• Big Brother (everyone is watching you)
• 3 super powers constantly battling it out - but no major wars.
• Lord of the Flies: by William Golding
• Story of boys getting stuck on an island by themselves
• how life changes when there are no consequences
• how kids have to quickly grow up
• The Family by Puzo
• A book follows the Borgias family (based on real events). Talks about lies, deceit, and brutality that are needed to get power and maintain it.  
• There is a TV stories to follow this
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.

Pure Fun:

• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolken
  
• 4.52 on GoodReads / 30th in Penguin's list
• follow adventures of hobbits, dwarves, elves, orcs.
• There are movies you can watch after
• The Boys (Graphic Novels) by Garth Ennis 
• 3.74-4.10 on Good Reads
• Cringy, dark, science fiction universe where there are 200,000 people with super powers (flying, laser eyers, super speed...) and how they use it for good (and their public image managers) and for bad/evil (hidden from the public eyes by their managers)
• Well wrapped up (there is an ending which makes sense, without loose ends)
• There are a few of the scenes which are a bit boring (going into the past of some characters) but in the end you get to see whole picture
• There is a TV show on Amazon Prime about it as well
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
  
• 3.91 on Good reads
• A great novel tied with history bits ties to it

Biographies

• Born a crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trever Noah
• 4.49 on GoodReads
• I was not aware a story could be so dark and humorous at the same time.  Trevor tells his story of his upbringing in South Africa, a bit about Apartheid.  
• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
  
• 4.47 on Good Reads
• A story about how the company Nike was created. Dives into some business decisions, ruthlessness of his partnerships...