Books We Like
Blink; Malcolm Gladwell; Allen Lane, ISBN C713997273; Malcolm Gladwell, who also penned the best-selling Tipping Point, uses statistics to convince us of the power of first impressions, or intuition if you prefer. He starts with the story of the art experts who knew an ancient artefact was a fake, but initially were unable to tell the purchasers why: they just knew. From there we are taken on an eclectic tour through aspects of marriage guidance, race relations, tennis serving technique and the Pepsi Challenge. Gladwell does all this to convince us of his take on our world, and exposes some myths we may have constructed about ourselves and the world around us along the way.
The experts who knew the statue was a fake eventually made their case, but only after the Getty museum had stumped up the cash; relationship experts were uncannily accurate in predicting within seconds which couples would separate and which would stay together; and Coke eventually discovered that the Pepsi Challenge only identified that drinkers preferred their rival's product in a sip test whereas their product is sold in cans, bottles and crates. The discovery came after a significant passing of time, money and a short-lived new recipe.
Read, reflect and realise that sometimes all is never what it seems and you should not make snap judgements: except sometimes you should.
Against the Odds; James Dyson; Texere Publishing; ISBN 1587990148; This is the story of the man who turned the hoover back into the vacuum cleaner and then had it christened the Dyson. If William Shakespeare changed the way we look at language, James Dyson transformed the way we clean our carpets.
The Penguin Book of Twentieth Century Speeches, edited by Brian MacArthur; Penguin Books; ISBN 0 1402 8500 8. Luther King, Kennedy, Churchill, Ghandi etc. They are all in there in what is an informative historical document in addition to an illuminating journey for aspiring orators. You will read it from cover to cover, bookmark your favourites and come back again and again
Destructive Emotions, and how we can overcome them; The Dalai Lama & Daniel Goleman; Bloomsbury; ISBN 07475 6182 6. A fascinating insight into eastern and western views on human behaviour from a week-long retreat attended by the world's leading scientists, scholars and meditators.
Authentic Happiness, Martin EP Seligman; Nicholas Brearley Publishing; ISBN 1 8578 8329 2. Is your glass half-full or half-empty? Seligman has studied positive emotions and the effect being appreciative of what we have has on our lives. A journey into the core positive values of the human condition and an inspiration, if you allow it to be.
The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, Ned Sherrin; Oxford University Press; ISBN 0 1986 0289 8. Neatly categorised by subject and indexed by author this is probably the first (of many) books of quotations you should have. You can get quotations on the web, but sit with a glass of something you like, put the telly off, your feet up and dip into this one. Magic.
The Cluetrain Manifesto, the end of business as usual, Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger; Hardie Grant Books; ISBN 1 8767 1923 0. Anything that calls itself a manifesto and talks about "the end of business as usual" could be accused of hyperbole. But this is an excellent read about the effect the internet has had, and will continue to have, on the way we do business. You'll think some of it is stating the obvious- and will certainly find plenty to argue with- but much of it will make you think.
Schott's Original Miscellany, Ben Schott; Clays Ltd., ST IVES Plc; ISBN 0 7475 6320 9. Those already aware of this book will know it is a wee gem, and indespensible if you seek trivia of any sort. Cockney rhyming slang? Colours of the Empire State Building? Commonplace French? The Scoville scale for the heat of chillies? Names of the seven dwarves? They are all there, and many more facts you never knew you needed to know.