Essential books for product builders
I've put together a collection of my all-time favorite books, organized by their jobs-to-be-done. When your manager tells you to work on a particular development area—or if you’re just feeling the itch for self-improvement—these are the books to read.
To keep this list extremely high signal-to-noise, I forced myself to pick only three books per category (so hard!), and only books I’ve completed.
The collection includes both classics and under-the-radar gems. I very much agree with @pmarca's take that you should mostly read books that are over 10 years old (because those are the books that have stood the test of time), so you’ll notice no super new books.
There are so many great books that I didn’t include here, either because I haven’t had a chance to read them or they just didn’t make the cut. I’m sorry if I didn’t include your book, or a book you love. I probably forgot some important titles, too. That’s why we’ll have a part 2 (coming soon)!
Here's the full collection: https://t.co/USi56JOxNa
P.S. What's a must-read that I missed (within these 12 categories)? Let me know in the comments.
P.P.S. If you’re feeling like you have no time to read, I was in the same boat, especially after having a kid. @bryan_johnson's suggestion of reading a book for 10 minutes before bed changed my life. I started reading more books, and I got better sleep! Try it out.
@Ashwinreads Thanks. I have been wanting to buy it since seeing it on the wiki page of @tferriss Tools of Titans. Just bought this. Thank you @stripepress!
There's a certain genre of article I can't get enough but find hard to name. It's typically a numbered list of life advice, maxims, practical tips, principles, and so forth. Done well, it's a marvelous compression of wisdom, both quirky and universal.
Here are some of my favorite collections. Are there others that should be on this list? (I'm planning to write my own soon; it'd be cool if more people did this!)
103 bits of advice by @kevin2kelly
https://t.co/Rjvk4Lct8u
Principles by @nabeelqu
https://t.co/3j6bq5vlyz
50 things I know by Sasha Chapin
https://t.co/0ge9rIYq8C
50 things I know by @catehall
https://t.co/vAiY0yia9o
Observations on People, the World, and Everything Else by @mariogabriele
https://t.co/xGnj8riYuc
talking points by @visakanv
https://t.co/Z8mlauWMfM
28 Pieces of Life Advice by @david_perell
https://t.co/YNoOOSiQGO
@cappucinokarma - Grateful for everything you write and choose to write about. Today's piece was very helpful @Mint_Lounge@livemint - https://t.co/M3oe7u2Q4q and feels in someways close to this one - https://t.co/hw19kgGJif
@rikusayuj The world (and airports) need more friction, i feel. They help me contemplate more, largely because they make me walk more. Btw, the BLR airport (T2 esp.) is such a marvel (i can't name anything better in my experience) - https://t.co/vcCo6qGR2T
@gonsalves_r Wonderful! This 1.5-y-o-video, also ft. @srinualavilli is another good analysis. It dwelves into history + culture (Eg: BOM, MAS started with a suburban rail network, there when people want to get P2P they think mass transit, in BLR, cars/roads) !https://t.co/uE7ZJYc7da
Just yesterday i was speaking to a good friend about how in S Korea, candidates scoring top scores in schools and colleges are gifted botox and facial treatments. This @TheEconomist analysis sums up the real S Korea quite well
@manujosephsan does it again with his latest S Korea piece. I was so smitten by the TV Series "When life gives you tangerines" and had gotten into a rabbithole of K dramas last year. My main takeaway from then (reddit mainly) - production, aesthetic appeal, and emotionally engaging storylines
I remember watching Materialists and Saiyaara on consecutive days, and noticed how the former spoke to my head and the latter to the heart. K dramas take this to a different level. The real insight here is "misconceptions" and how they transmit novelty and personal biases.
@ankushd14@ankushd14 - exactly. This stat made me and my 4 year old take the stairs every alternate day. I got this from his @wakingup series of sessions titled "Embracing Discomfort" which i highly recommend
@Ashwinreads Remember @naval saying that GLP1s and drones are the most important things that the media is not paying enough attention to currently (in his podcast with @ChrisWillx last year). So glad you are solving for this. Would also love to hear your thoughts on 2nd order effects of GLP1s
Beautiful piece - love the attention to detail here!!
@DasguptaAyesha
How clothes shaped power in ‘Freedom At Midnight’ https://t.co/iyWx3rAyJ6
Download mint app for latest in Business News - https://t.co/2zURkc3tXu
Original quote:
"A self is the last thing the world cares about and the most dangerous thing of all for a person to show signs of having. The greatest hazard of all, losing the self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss – an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. – is sure to be noticed."
The intro of this piece starts with Kierkegaard's quote - this can't be more timely and relevant.
"The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all."
What would the world be without @claudeai@AmandaAskell ?