Here are 39 books that You Are Not So Smart fans have personally recommended if you like You Are Not So Smart. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Yves Van Nuland Author Of Validating a Best Practice

From my list on evidence based management better decision making.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a chemist (PhD University of Leuven, Belgium). This explains my preference for a rational approach. I was also an assessor for the European EFQM organization. This European Management Model allows an organization or company to achieve excellent results for all its stakeholders. One of the methods used is the Best Practice method. Finally, at the end of my career, I asked myself the question: How do we know that our country is well managed? There is no management model for this yet. That is why I developed a new model: the SAC model. Together with my colleague Grace L. Duffy, we have described this model in several papers.

Yves' book list on evidence based management better decision making

Yves Van Nuland Why Yves loves this book

The author starts with the question: “Are you smarter than my chimpanzee?” When you finished the book, you’ll be so humble to say: I am not!

While reading the book, I was several times surprised by how adults (including myself) have a distorted perception of reality. For example, eighty percent of children worldwide are vaccinated. This means that almost all human beings alive today have some access to basic modern health care. However, on average, just 13 percent of people get the right answer.

Don’t forget that you can only make correct decisions based on accurate data. For this, you can rely on (the many) reliable databases that are available via the internet.

It was for me the first book that convinced me to think and work more with facts and data, i.e., evidence-based management

By Hans Rosling , Anna Rosling Rönnlund , Ola Rosling

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Factfulness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases.' BARACK OBAMA

'One of the most important books I've ever read - an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.' BILL GATES

*#1 Sunday Times bestseller * New York Times bestseller * Observer 'best brainy book of the decade' * Irish Times bestseller * Guardian bestseller * audiobook bestseller *

Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts.

When asked simple questions about global trends - why the world's population is increasing; how…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Thinking, Fast and Slow

Eldon Taylor Author Of Mind Training

From my list on using your mind power for health and success.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I often wondered why people behave as they do, think and believe in certain ways, and/or rationalize away their behavior, ranging from the criminal to the bizarre. I have researched and studied the mind for nearly fifty years now. I have written or co-authored more than twenty books on the subject.

My new book, Mind Training, co-authored with my wife and student of over thirty years, is the culmination of everything we’ve learned. In reality, it's a story that crosses over many disciplines, cites over 200 studies, offers multiple tools for empowerment in every chapter, and does so in the personable and friendly manner that my co-author is so very good at doing.

Eldon's book list on using your mind power for health and success

Eldon Taylor Why Eldon loves this book

Daniel Kahneman’s book is a must read for all who desire to understand their mind/brains and thereby maximize the use of the mind’s power over our lives.

In clear language, Daniel Kahneman illustrated the heuristic shortcuts that often limit our understanding and predispose our actions. We all hold onto outdated psychological mechanisms that create self-imposed limitations, and in doing so, we can find ourselves living out self-limiting lives.

Kahneman does an excellent job at showing us how we think we understand what we really don’t. His transparent and careful treatment of his subject has the potential to change how we think, not just about thinking, but about how we live our lives.

By Daniel Kahneman ,

Why should I read it?

49 authors picked Thinking, Fast and Slow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The phenomenal international bestseller - 2 million copies sold - that will change the way you make decisions

'A lifetime's worth of wisdom' Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics
'There have been many good books on human rationality and irrationality, but only one masterpiece. That masterpiece is Thinking, Fast and Slow' Financial Times

Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast,…


Book cover of Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, & Endorphin Levels

Eldon Taylor Author Of Mind Training

From my list on using your mind power for health and success.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I often wondered why people behave as they do, think and believe in certain ways, and/or rationalize away their behavior, ranging from the criminal to the bizarre. I have researched and studied the mind for nearly fifty years now. I have written or co-authored more than twenty books on the subject.

My new book, Mind Training, co-authored with my wife and student of over thirty years, is the culmination of everything we’ve learned. In reality, it's a story that crosses over many disciplines, cites over 200 studies, offers multiple tools for empowerment in every chapter, and does so in the personable and friendly manner that my co-author is so very good at doing.

Eldon's book list on using your mind power for health and success

Eldon Taylor Why Eldon loves this book

Often our brain chemistry betrays us in that we may desire to achieve an objective but our chemistry undercuts our intention.

In plain English, the neurochemicals underlying success and happiness are not just laid bare, but Professor Breuning provides examples of how each of us can learn to manipulate those chemicals, ensuring that they support our goals and ambitions.

By Loretta Graziano Breuning ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Habits of a Happy Brain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A revolutionary approach to enhancing your happiness level!

Get ready to boost your happiness in just 45 days! Habits of a Happy Brain shows you how to retrain your brain to turn on the chemicals that make you happy. Each page offers simple activities that help you understand the roles of your "happy chemicals"-serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphin. You'll also learn how to build new habits by rerouting the electricity in your brain to flow down a new pathway, making it even easier to trigger these happy chemicals and increase feelings of satisfaction when you need them most. Filled with…


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Book cover of The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More by Meredith Marple,

The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.

Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…

Book cover of How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion

Eldon Taylor Author Of Mind Training

From my list on using your mind power for health and success.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I often wondered why people behave as they do, think and believe in certain ways, and/or rationalize away their behavior, ranging from the criminal to the bizarre. I have researched and studied the mind for nearly fifty years now. I have written or co-authored more than twenty books on the subject.

My new book, Mind Training, co-authored with my wife and student of over thirty years, is the culmination of everything we’ve learned. In reality, it's a story that crosses over many disciplines, cites over 200 studies, offers multiple tools for empowerment in every chapter, and does so in the personable and friendly manner that my co-author is so very good at doing.

Eldon's book list on using your mind power for health and success

Eldon Taylor Why Eldon loves this book

Most people hold somewhat delusional views about how and why they believe what they believe, and they are unaware of the various manipulation techniques and strategies influencers use to persuade and maneuver our opinions.

McRaney shows us how our beliefs are formed, why it can be so hard to change them, how they can be manipulated, he does so in a wonderfully insightful manner, making the science of human psychology relatable through practical stories and examples.

Moreover, the writing style is warm, not dogmatic or smug.

By David McRaney ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked How Minds Change as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Genes create brains, brains create beliefs, beliefs create attitudes, attitudes create group-identities, group identities create norms, norms create values, and values create cultures. The most effective persuasion techniques work backwards.

Ideas sweep across cultures in waves, beginning with early adopters who reduce uncertainty for the rest of the population. It's rarely because the innovation is amazing in and of itself, but because early adopters signal to the group that it's safe to think again.

This book explains how minds change - and how to change them - not over hundreds of years, but in less than a generation, in less…


Book cover of Scale: The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies

Jono Hey Author Of Big Ideas, Little Pictures: Explaining the world one sketch at a time

From my list on changing how you look at the world and yourself.

Why am I passionate about this?

I draw and write the Sketchplanations newsletter, in which I'm slowly explaining the world, one sketch at a time. In it, I blend my training as a designer and entrepreneur, what I learned in my PhD at UC Berkeley, and my amateur love of sketching, and I try to share my personal lightbulb moments through simple sketches. I'm constantly looking for ideas that change how I look at the world and myself. The books here are some of those that have given me the most valuable ideas I want to share and entertained me along the way.

Jono's book list on changing how you look at the world and yourself

Jono Hey Why Jono loves this book

Geoffrey West does a remarkable thing in this book; he brings his training as a theoretical physicist to problems of biology, global sustainability, and the economics of our cities. He shows the power of mathematics to illuminate remarkable facts about fundamental questions like "Is there a limit to how long animals can live?", "How big can animals get?" and even "Why do cities last so long?"

I learned how the square-cube law explains why you couldn't have a real-life Godzilla, that all mammals share roughly the same amount of heartbeats, and about branching patterns in our lungs, rivers, and trees. Fascinating.

By Geoffrey West ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Scale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This is science writing as wonder and as inspiration." —The Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal

From one of the most influential scientists of our time, a dazzling exploration of the hidden laws that govern the life cycle of everything from plants and animals to the cities we live in.

Visionary physicist Geoffrey West is a pioneer in the field of complexity science, the science of emergent systems and networks. The term “complexity” can be misleading, however, because what makes West’s discoveries so beautiful is that he has found an underlying simplicity that unites the seemingly complex and diverse phenomena…


Book cover of How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

Jono Hey Author Of Big Ideas, Little Pictures: Explaining the world one sketch at a time

From my list on changing how you look at the world and yourself.

Why am I passionate about this?

I draw and write the Sketchplanations newsletter, in which I'm slowly explaining the world, one sketch at a time. In it, I blend my training as a designer and entrepreneur, what I learned in my PhD at UC Berkeley, and my amateur love of sketching, and I try to share my personal lightbulb moments through simple sketches. I'm constantly looking for ideas that change how I look at the world and myself. The books here are some of those that have given me the most valuable ideas I want to share and entertained me along the way.

Jono's book list on changing how you look at the world and yourself

Jono Hey Why Jono loves this book

Randall Munroe brings a magic combination of impressive science and fun cartoons that make me laugh. I found this book great fun throughout.

As I read Randall's absurd methods of solving problems—for example, literally moving a house by lifting it with multiple helicopters —I also have a sense that I'm actually learning, if not helpful science exactly, at least intelligent ways of thinking about problems.

Munroe had a job building robots at NASA—reading the book, you can tell he's a brilliant guy—and his charming and disarming distinctive stick men picture style keeps things fun all the way through.

By Randall Munroe ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How To as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Randall Munroe is . . .'Nerd royalty' Ben Goldacre

'Totally brilliant' Tim Harford

'Laugh-out-loud funny' Bill Gates

'Wonderful' Neil Gaiman

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The world's most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the million-selling What If? and Thing Explainer

For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally bad that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything…


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Book cover of That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…

Book cover of Better Living Through Neurochemistry

Eldon Taylor Author Of Mind Training

From my list on using your mind power for health and success.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I often wondered why people behave as they do, think and believe in certain ways, and/or rationalize away their behavior, ranging from the criminal to the bizarre. I have researched and studied the mind for nearly fifty years now. I have written or co-authored more than twenty books on the subject.

My new book, Mind Training, co-authored with my wife and student of over thirty years, is the culmination of everything we’ve learned. In reality, it's a story that crosses over many disciplines, cites over 200 studies, offers multiple tools for empowerment in every chapter, and does so in the personable and friendly manner that my co-author is so very good at doing.

Eldon's book list on using your mind power for health and success

Eldon Taylor Why Eldon loves this book

James Lee provides a straightforward, simplified explanation of our neurochemicals—how they impact our moods, our relationships, our careers, and more.

This is a neurochemical introduction for dummies in its simplicity, and a user manual for those who are not neuroscientists. The emphasis on the dopamine connection is particularly useful in light of the revelation that expecting to fail may become addictive, since when we fail, we are rewarded by a dopamine drip for being correct with our expectation.

By James Lee ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Better Living Through Neurochemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brand new revised and updated version of Your Brain Electric for 2017! In brain science, there are two phenomena which are becoming increasing common in modern society. Firstly, rates of depression and anxiety disorders are increasing, with as many as one in five people either clinically depressed or anxious at any given time. Secondly, our aging population is revealing a range of cognitive problems associated with aging, including memory loss and other cognitive impairments. Each of these has a common thread - They are underpinned by clear deficits in neurochemical function. You have probably heard that "depression is caused by…


Book cover of Lemongrass Hope

Maggie Giles Author Of The Things We Lost

From my list on time travel to forget about New Year's resolutions.

Why am I passionate about this?

Several years ago when I first started writing The Things We Lost, I spent a lot of time wondering about my own “what if”s. I’d just moved away from the city and back to my parents. I got out of a six-year relationship that had defined by early twenties, and felt incredibly lost. I started to wonder what would have happened if I’d not made the choices I’d made all those years ago. Would I still be here? Would I be in a different job, country, or life entirely? It was easy to escape my grief and imagine I would be. This started my deep dive into the world of time travel and what ifs.

Maggie's book list on time travel to forget about New Year's resolutions

Maggie Giles Why Maggie loves this book

Lemongrass Hope is a sweet, emotional read that will have you wondering your own what ifs?

It explores the idea of the Bermuda Triangle and offers the main character, Kate, a glimpse at what life could have been if she’d made another choice. It is a raw and moving read about the choices we make, the people we leave behind, and the people we choose.

At a time of difficulty in my life, it made me grateful for the choices I had made and had me considering if I would make them again, given the chance.

By Amy Impellizzeri ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lemongrass Hope as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2014 INDIEFAB BOOK OF THE YEAR BRONZE WINNER (ROMANCE)2014 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALISTNAMED #1 REVIEWED BOOK IN 2014 BY THE LITERARY CONNOISSEURSet in the past, and present, LEMONGRASS HOPE is a captivating and unpredictable love story, with a dose of magical realism and time travel, that fans of authors such as Audrey Niffenegger, Alice Hoffman, and Toni Morrison will appreciate and embrace. Like Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret, Lemongrass Hope weaves together ordinary lives and events to tell an extraordinary tale of connection, loss, renewal, and of course, hope. As Kate Sutton's decade-long marriage to Rob erodes and unravels,…


Book cover of Wrong Place Wrong Time

Erin La Rosa Author Of The Backtrack

From my list on for anyone who still wonders, "What if...?".

Why am I passionate about this?

I wanted to write my book (below) because I often wonder, “What if?” about many things in my life. What if I’d stayed in-state for college? What if I’d never moved to California? What if I’d stayed together with my high school boyfriend? This book answered those questions for me, and I know that reading any of the books below will not only do that for you but also bring lots of reading joy.

Erin's book list on for anyone who still wonders, "What if...?"

Erin La Rosa Why Erin loves this book

Wow! Wowie! To be honest, I am not someone who ever knows the ending of a thriller. I guess whatever part of the brain decides if you'll be good at solving mysteries, I don't have it! And every time I thought I knew where Gillian was leading me, the reader, I was always very wrong.

I really loved the powerful message of the strength of mothers throughout this book. I liked that this was time travel, but not so complicated that I couldn't follow it. I loved how this book explored the idea of "what if" and second chances in a really unique and compelling way. It was absorbing and fast-paced, and it definitely went down easy for me.

By Gillian McAllister ,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked Wrong Place Wrong Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

CAN YOU STOP A MURDER WHEN IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED?

'Perfection, every word, every moment. One of the best books I've ever read' LISA JEWELL
'Ingenious. A book to blow your mind and break your heart' ERIN KELLY
'Extraordinary' HARRIET TYCE
'I am totally in awe. This is one story I will not forget' HEIDI PERKS
'Genre-bending and totally original. A tour de force!' CLAIRE DOUGLAS

PRE-ORDER THE BOOK EVERYONE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT
_________

It's every parent's nightmare.

Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger.

You don't know who. You don't know why. You…


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Book cover of My Book Boyfriend

My Book Boyfriend by Kathy Strobos,

Lily loves her community garden. Rupert wants to bulldoze it. When feelings grow, will they blossom or turn to rubble?

"It literally had everything! - Bookworm Characters - Humor - Banter - Swoon-worthy lines."  - Book Reviewer.

Book cover of Self Motivation

James Sale Author Of Mapping Motivation

From my list on understanding and activating motivation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the creator of Motivational Maps, a diagnostic tool that describes, measures, and monitors motivation, and which is used by over 1,400 coaches and consultants in 16 countries. The tool is available in 12 languages, including Mandarin.

Over 30 years, I have trained and coached thousands of people from well over two hundred organizations. As a result of this, I have written 5 books, the Mapping Motivation series, on motivation for one of the world’s top academic publishers, Routledge, and a sixth one is scheduled for 2026. I have a First-Class Honours degree and a postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies (with Distinction).

James' book list on understanding and activating motivation

James Sale Why James loves this book

Here is a book that strongly focuses on self-motivation, not team or organisational motivation. It’s highly practical and useful, giving 36 drivers of successful motivation with cautionary information to help you avoid falling into delusions.

For example, the first driver is “visionary thinking,’ but of course we can all imagine we are practising visionary thinking when in fact what we are indulging in is ‘idle dreaming.’

The book includes, along the way, loads of wonderful snippets of wisdom from profound thinkers: e.g., “You’ve got to think about ‘big things’ while you are doing small things, so that the small things go in the right direction.” – Alvin Toffler.

Excellent advice. 

By Gael Lindenfield ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Self Motivation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Self motivation does not come easily to many people, and it is often easier to put things off, choose the easy option, or indulge in self doubt.

With this audio adaptation of Gael Lindenfield's Self Motivation you will discover the secrets of motivating yourself including:

revelling in success without fear of failure
* thinking like a visionary without idle dreaming
* thirsting for challenge without scorning the easy options

Plus tips on encouraging and motivating other people such as employees and children.


Book cover of Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Book cover of Thinking, Fast and Slow
Book cover of Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, & Endorphin Levels

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