Want to lose yourself in a good book this Christmas? Check out our list of recommendations from those in the business of tech.
It’s close to Christmas now, and whether you’re searching for a very (and I mean very) last-minute present or something to occupy your winter break, we may have what you’re looking for.
This past year, SiliconRepublic.com has been asking entrepreneurs and business leaders from our Start-up of the Week and Leaders’ Insights series about what books they would recommend and why.
From the struggles of founding a business to adventures in the Egyptian pyramids, we have a varied list of literary options for you to consider this Christmas.
Straight to business
When asking for book recommendations from entrepreneurs and business leaders, one should expect a few business books to pop up every now and then. For those of you thinking of throwing your hat in the start-up ring next year, we have a few reading materials for you to peruse.
One book that captured the admiration of both Dara & Co’s Naomh McElhatton and Brighterly’s Eugene Kashuk is The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Andreessen Horowitz co-founder, Ben Horowitz. Described by Kashuk as a “no-BS founder’s code”, this New York Times bestseller offers advice on building and running a start-up along with the difficulties that can arise.
“It’s such a practical and sometimes emotional piece that I always find new ways to relate to it,” says Kashuk. “I’ve gotten back to this book multiple times, and it always helps me cope with the challenges of being an entrepreneur.”
Another book that details the struggles of entrepreneurship is Lost and Founder by the founder and former CEO of Moz, Rand Fishkin, whose humourous and transparent retelling of his start-up journey struck a chord with Platforum9’s Patricia Gannon.
“The book explores themes such as the pressures of venture capital, the importance of company culture, and the impact of personal sacrifices on the entrepreneurial path,” she explains. “Fishkin also reflects on his struggles with depression and the toll that the start-up grind took on his mental health.”
One of the most popular recommendations we received this year was The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, a book described by Vertigenius’ Dr Dara Meldrum as “full of invaluable advice for start-ups”. This book details Ries’ ‘lean start-up’ strategy, an approach that aims to ensure that new companies are more capital efficient and leverage human creativity more effectively.
“It’s a must-read for any entrepreneur,” says Storyby’s Artem Kutukov.
Topping off this year’s business category is Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, which is a personal favourite of Spectrum.Life’s Dr Emelina Ellis. “Leaders Eat Last stands out for its profound insights into the importance of trust, empathy and service-oriented leadership,” she says.
“Sinek’s exploration of the neuroscience behind effective leadership resonates deeply with my belief in the significance of serving compassionately and vulnerably as a leader.”
The wonderful world of sci-tech
Moving on from the business side of things, we also received a number of science and tech book recommendations this year. The first sci-tech recommendation we have is The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks, a book on software engineering and project management first published in 1975.
This book is a “go-to” for BlackFog’s Dr Darren Williams because “it focuses on a few key areas where I think many technology companies make mistakes”, such as choosing the wrong performance metrics and the inefficiencies of having too many people on a team.
GlitchAds’ Kingsley Kelly chose to highlight This Explains Everything by John Brockman, a compilation of 150 one-page essays from world-leading academics on their favourite, most elegant theorems. “It’s shockingly readable and covers everything from neuroscience, evolution, psychology, physics to fashion, history and sociology,” says Kelly.
“It’s wild and amazingly I’ve used pieces of it when thinking about our product design, our market and how to onboard users.”
Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith was the top choice of FMCI’s Russell Vickers, who was encapsulated by the book’s exploration of the formation and evolution of our universe.
“After reading that book, it made me realise, how incredible it is that we exist and that time is precious.”
The human side
Included among the various books on business advice and scientific wonder were some unique recommendations that explore human behaviour, capability and perseverance.
Both Niamh Costello of Crew and John Delves of UCD’s Professional Academy and English Language Academy recommended James Clear’s bestselling self-help book Atomic Habits, which intends to help readers transform their habits using evidence-based strategies.
“I am a big believer in creating positive habits and pushing yourself day by day and week by week,” says Delves, explaining his recommendation. “This book goes beyond just being applicable to business, it serves as a manual for life.”
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, which chronicles various success stories in the areas of athletics, music, science and more, is championed by Energia Group’s David Macartney and GlitchAds’ Aisling Browne. The book examines factors that have led to the success of numerous people, including household names such as Bill Gates and the Beatles.
“I remember picking it up when I was living in New York and being completely inspired by all the different stories,” explains Browne. “That was the first time I started thinking about setting up my own business.”
Last but certainly not least, DCEV’s Adrian Slattery recommends Man’s Search for Meaning, a memoir written by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, which details his experiences as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. The book describes Frankl’s psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose to each person’s life, and explores spirituality and meaning in dire circumstances.
“It’s amazing and makes you realise us humans are a lot more resilient than we think if we focus on the right things,” says Slattery.
A fix of fiction
With any list of book recommendations for the holidays, there needs to be a few works of fiction included that readers can get lost in.
Making an appearance this year is Frank Herbert’s much-loved sci-fi classic, Dune. The 1965 novel, which returned to cinema screens this year with the second instalment of a two-part adaption, is a favourite of Precision Sports Technology’s Emma Meehan, who says she falls back to the particularly resonant ‘Litany Against Fear’ quote when things seem insurmountable.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear – I will permit it to pass over me and through me. When it has gone past, I will turn my inner eye to see its path. Where fear is gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
HumanLoop’s Peter Hayes recommended The Third Policeman, written by Brian O’Nolan under the pseudonym Flann O’Brien. Published in 1967, shortly after O’Nolan’s death, The Third Policeman is a dark comedy about the nature of time, death and existence set in a two-dimensional police station.
“It touches on themes of innovation and the human condition, with a healthy dose of absurdity and nihilism,” explains Hayes.
Featured next, and considered a modern classic by many, is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This 1988 novel follows a shepherd boy called Santiago who sets out on a journey across North Africa to the Egyptian pyramids after dreaming of finding treasure there.
Naviro’s Lola Nolan says she has kept this book by her bedside throughout the hardest months of her start-up journey. “It is in no way a business, strategy or entrepreneurial guide, though it speaks to the fact that we all have something calling to us, when we really listen to ourselves, something that wants to be fulfilled,” she says. “Sometimes that takes a lot of trial and error to figure out, but this book is a beautiful ode to that journey of finding your own treasure.
“It has been a motivator to me to keep going and to be grateful for the process, even when it feels terrifying, that it’s all an adventure really, and it’s up to us to let go of our own limitations as best we can and just go for it.”
Finally, bringing a close to our book list for 2024, is a collection of books familiar and treasured throughout many a childhood. The acclaimed books of Roald Dahl are recommended by Enet’s Jean Toomey, whose daughter is at the age where she is now starting to read through his many classic tales for the first time.
“It has been great to revisit these classics and remember how much I enjoyed them the first time around,” says Toomey. Perhaps revisiting some of these stories – or introducing them to any little ones at home – is just what you need this Christmas.
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