From Success Strategies to Fantasy Adventures: The Best Books to Read Now
Whether you are attempting to solve a problem, trying to learn something new or escaping reality through your imagination, books are a useful tool to achieve all of these.
Our team has compiled our top book recommendations for your light (or active!) reading if you are on the hunt for something worthwhile.
Business Books
Most people learn to run a company based on certificates and degrees, while the rest learn from past and current experiences. If you would like to get keen insights as to how managers around the world run theirs, you may want to start with this list.
SYSTEMology by David Jenyns – Stephen Lilley attests that this is a great resource if you want your team or business to run like clockwork. SYSTEMology outlines a step-by-step approach to systemising a business. It highlights the importance of building effective, adaptable processes to enhance efficiency that leads to sustainable growth.
Who Moved My Cheese by Spenser Johnson – Do not let the book title mislead you to thinking that this is a children’s book. Anjana Jaiswar finds this inspiring as it teaches one to turn each adversity into an opportunity, and how to get what you want in life despite obstacles.
Good to Great by Jim Collins – This book investigates the transformation of 28 companies from ordinary to exceptional over a 30-year period, and caps it with timeless insights into achieving business excellence. A personal favourite of Michael Xu, which fuels him to do better in his professional engagements.
Radical Candor by Kim Scott – An ADM library book, this is based on the idea that building stable trusting relationships with direct reports is a key to effective leadership. Radical Candor demonstrates an efficient communication approach that will not dishearten or demotivate employees.
Fantasy Novels / Fiction
If, like Alison Clark, you’d like to temporarily escape reality, or like Jessy Potroz and Robert Smith who have a penchant for mystery and suspense, you may find the following books enthralling.
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – Also known as GoT, is a series of books, with five volumes written out of seven planned. This series is about nine noble families that engage in political, physical, and strategic mind games to win the Iron Thrones that seats the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien – Or called LOTR for short, is a series of six high-fantasy books set in Middle-earth. It is a quest to destroy One Ring that holds the power to end civilisation. The novels are very well written that it even has around 15 made-up dialects and languages across the entire series.
Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – This novel is about a Harvard symbologist who tries to solve a murder inside the Louvre, which leads to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years.
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley – The Seven Sisters is a saga about the seven sisters who are adopted as babies and brought up as sisters by a Swiss billionaire. These sisters were each given a clue to their origins, which sent them on a quest when they grew up.
The Firm, The Client, and The Pelican Brief by John Grisham – These books have movie adaptations named after the title. Rob Smith finds them gripping, regardless of the version, because they blend the law, government/corporate corruption or criminal activities and suspense to the whistleblowers in a chilling way.
Finance Books
Jadon Townsend believes that the world is changing fast, and it is worth keeping an open mind about less conventional forms of money – enter Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is a digital currency which is not regulated by any government or financial institution. Their value floats based on the cryptocurrency market. If you want to learn more about their origins and evolution, these books come in handy.
Broken Money by Lyn Alden – explores the evolution of money through technology.
The Price of Tomorrow by Jeff Booth - delves into the impact of technological deflation on the economy. It offers insights on how to adapt to this rapid change and thrive in the future.
Science Fiction Books
It is not surprising that when asked, Jono Brown – who spent almost 20 years teaching Environmental Sciences at Monash University – has recommended science fiction books! These books have dominated his youth, from authors who highly influenced his interest in the sciences. If you are into this genre, you may find these interesting.
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds - The story is about finding out what led to the extinction of the Amarantin, a pre-technological race that once inhabited the bleak world of Resurgam, a human colony wracked by political upheaval.
Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov - a science fiction story about the fall and rebirth of a galactic empire. The series is set in the far future when humans have taken over the galaxy.
Self-help and Personal Development Books
Nicole Layton encourages you to consider the following books to develop great habits and be productive. Reading is her most favourite hobby – in fact, she challenges herself to read/listen to 100 titles this year – but these came top of her list.
Atomic Habits by James Clear – is a comprehensive, practical guide on how to change your habits and get better every day.
Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty – is about overcoming negative thoughts and habits to access the calm and purpose within ourselves.
Have you read any of these books? If you have a favourite that is not in this list, please feel free to share it with us here!
