Read any good books lately? 10

[bradpa77]

I like to read self-help type books that are related to my career. I'm trying to find a good book that will help motivate me at work. I'm happy at my job but I just feel like I need a good 'pick-me up' because I've gotten kind of lazy and frustrated lately. Any of the career books I've found are about changing careers or finding a good job but that's not really what I'm looking for.

Can anyone recommend a good book that will help me re-ignite my enthusiasm about my job?

 

[Christine74]

Carl Sagan: The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
(

http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Haunted-World-Science-Candle-Dark/dp/0345409469)

Richard Dawkins: The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
(

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Watchmaker-Evidence-Evolution-Universe/dp/0393315703)

Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion
(

http://www.amazon.com/God-Delusion-Richard-Dawkins/dp/0618680004

-Christine

 

[bridgebuster]

Robert Spitzer - Healing the Culture

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Cultu..._bbs_sr_1/104-8426924-4306355?ie=UTF8&s=books

 

[SomptingGuy]

I'd like to read "Is it just me or is everything shit?". And it's my birthday soon, so hopefully my Mum will buy it for me. Not many book shops stock it.

Well, it's my birthday today and some kind soul bought me the above book. It's good...

 

[nadam35]

im reading book 4 of the harry potter series =O

its not work related, it doesnt empower me, but it is a pretty good book...


-nadz

 

[VisiGoth]

Dale Carnegie, Vonnegut, Ayn Rand, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Max Lucado, Carl Sagan, and the first 2 Potter books are what I have read from the thread so far. And "SomtingGuy", this is not an advertisement. Who is control of you if your comment is specific to one set of books but not the others?

I have just read (on CD audio, does that count?)
Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005.

I thought this of significance as related to the interesting Kyoto thread and the CO2 is "more important than pollution, life and death" thread.
I think engineers would find this interesting. I also found it important and helped me take some local action.


I am reading at the same time "Grant" and "Lincoln", and the third Gingrich-Forstchen Civil War (war of Northern aggression) book. It is interesting to same the same events and thoughts in a different light.

Begger,
Thanks for the report on "Edly's Music Theory for Practical People". I plan to look into that further.

 

[MechNorth]

Tom Clancy's "Every Man A Tiger" and "Shadow Warriors". Interesting stories as far as military biographies go, but I found them more than relevant to an engineer. Both books delve into the creation of an organization, process, system, or whatever, in a tightly controlled and micro-managed environment. They're books of leadership, organization, and realities that I found applicable in my daily engineering environment.
I was going through a low period at work, banging my head on some thick steel plates, and tired of the system. I drew some interesting comparisons and contrasts and drew something to remotivate myself. Maybe it will work for you...don't know.
Jim

Jim Sykes, P.Eng, GDTP-S
Profile Services
CAD-Documentation-GD&T-Product Development

http://www.profileservices.ca

 

[SriMat]

Me started reading The Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra..

Giving a new perspective to the way I look at physical problems. Me being from India, makes a lot of sense of what he says

and 'Higher Ground', an anthology of real short stories of survivors from the recent tsunami from various regions that were affected.


As for self-help books, a few on my list would be -

1)Jonathan Livingstone Seagull - a gud motivational book
2)Who moved my cheese
3)First Things First - Stephen Covey
4)FISH, The Book.

Cheers,
SriMat

 

[PSE]

"Two Sides of the Moon" by David Scott and Alexi Leonov. It takes a look at the development and race to the moon from both the US (Scott's) and (then) USSR's (Leonov's) viewpoints. An easy read and not very technical but an enjoyable look at a couple of amazing careers.

Regards,

 

[rmw]

Has anyone else read "The Physics of Immortality" by Tipler?

rmw

 

[macmet]

I just read 'E=mc2: A history of the world's most famous equation' by David Bodanis. No math involved but definitely a good read.

 

[buffer72]

Thanks for the “How to Win Friends and Influence People” I’m finding it just as intriguing as “ how not to let people push your buttons”.

Sincerely

 

[65Roses]

"To Be the Man"

Woooooo.....

Ha, ha!

Why is my handle 65Roses?
Please visit

http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/About65Roses/

to learn why!

 

[2dye4]

"Fooled by randomness" Nassim Taleb
"The lucifer principle" Howard Bloom
"Cryptonomocon" Neil Stephenson
"The selfish gene " Richard Dawkins

 

[satchmo]

"Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell.

 

[beaugy]

The NEW Strategic Selling
The NEW Conceptual Selling
Successful LArge Account Management
5 PAths to Persuasion
Getting to YES
Freakonomics
Get Clients Now!
The Innovator's Dilemma
1776
The World is Flat
Blue Ocean Strategy
Managing the Professional Service Firm
Selling Machine
True Professionalism
Flawless Consulting
Competing on Value
Cracking the Value Code


See more recommendations on my web site.

Rick Beauregard

http://www.thebeauregardgroupe.com

 

[bvanhiel]

"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins

It's the triumph of reason over superstition. Not the most well written of his books, which are very clear explanations of evolutionary biology, but certainly the most direct.

More inspirational to me than the bible, and with less gore!

-b

 

[JimRogers]

The path between the Seas by David McCollough - The building of the panama canal 1870 - 1914. The interaction of engineering and politics was interesting

Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun both by Richard Rhodes Some technical details and a lot of insight on a truly large engineering program.

 

[Impdrew]

Or..instead of reading too many self-help books, use the money to enrol on a study course on a topic you have never done. The fresh challenge will pick you up, might open a new avenue or at least give you a break.

I used to know a doctor who instead of holidays, he often took a locam for a few weeks in a new job, new place. Used to say it worked a treat.

 

[VisiGoth]

bvanhiel,
You reviewed "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.

Did he explain why evolution stoppped? Or how God used evolution to create us? Or if there is progression pattern built into our DNA, so that we evolve by a sequential pattern programmed into our DNA? Did he mention which god owned his mind when he wrote this? Was there self introspection as to who and what drove him to do this?

 

[SomptingGuy]

"why evolution stoppped" [sic, with all those p's]

Evolution has never stopped. Man's short lifetime (probably optimal in length for evolution) means that Joe Blow can't see the big picture. There is no big plan. What works takes over. Theistic engineers, get a life or change jobs.