Better late than never. From my fourth quarter book stack, I recommend the following works (I’d recommend a few others, but those focused on books, publishing, and writing, as I did background research for my new venture GoodBookery). Once again, few are strictly about marketing or sustainability, but all will provide context for your business (all links are affiliate).
- Nick Bilton, “I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works: Why Your World, Work, and Brain Are Being Creatively Disrupted”, 2010 - A more immediate, if subjective and evangelistic, look at the digital present and future. An entertaining, light read.
- Kevin Kelly, “What Technology Wants”, 2010 - It’s like you and me. Technology is an extension of evolution and as such it wants what humans want.
- Marshall McLuhan, “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Critical Edition”, 2003 - If “the medium is the message” this hefty volume is certainly worth sustained attention and reckoning with. Back to basics, my friends!
- Matt Ridley, “The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves”, 2010 - Want a reason to cheer up and a proof market exchange is good for humanity? Bonus: A few well-argued (evangelistic but non-ideological) jabs at sustainability. Wishing for more level-headed books like this one in 2011.
- David Meerman Scott & Brian Halligan, “Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History”, 2010 - Who knew the Grateful Dead could clean your marketing department’s clock out. Read and
weepsing along.
- Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, “Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World”, 2010 - A follow up to their successful (and even more highly recommended) “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything”, taking the business of mass collaboration to the higher level.
Best of 2010
These were the most influential or helpful books for me last year. Arranged by author alpha and published beyond 2010. Read them!
- Nicholas Carr, “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains”, 2010
- Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives”, 2009
- Kevin Kelly, “What Technology Wants”, 2010
- Daniel Pink, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”, 2009
- Andrew Potter, “The Authenticity Hoax: How We Get Lost Finding Ourselves”, 2010
- David Shields, “Reality Hunger: A Manifesto”, 2010
- Clay Shirky, “Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age”, 2010
- James Surowiecki, “The Wisdom of Crowds”, 2005
- Nassim Nicholas Taleb, “The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable”, 2007
- David Weinberger, “Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder”, 2007
unReviewer’s Choice: Pierre Bayard, “How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read”, 2009
Loudly Tooting Own Horn Selection: Peter Korchnak and Megan Strand, eds., “The Portland Bottom Line”, 2010 - You know all about this one. Get it, benefit Mercy Corps Northwest, and plant a tree!
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Image credit: Horia Varlan
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