Here are five totally different books for you to read this summer. They span from Big data and social media to gin and productivity.
The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns*
This book takes you behind the scenes of Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign. It’s not the usual behind the scenes book written by a campaign staffer. This is the story of the statistics geeks who managed to make use of “Big Data” in a way that no one had done before.
This year, an updated version was published, including coverage of the 2016 US Presidential election.
If you are interested in learning more about the power of Big Data, the use of targeted advertisement or how voters are being manipulated, this is the book to bring to the beach this summer.
Gin – The Manual*
If you are going to buy one book about gin, it should be this. The book starts with the history of gin and how gin is produced.
It continues with a description of 120 different gins that the author has tested with lemonade and with tonic, as well as in Negroni and Dry Martini.
It’s the perfect book to read in the evening, close to your bar cabinet – so that you can test some of the combinations described in the book.
The Circle*
Every day we are sharing information about our self online. Google knows what you are searching for, Facebook knows who you went to the cinema with. SnapChat and Instagram have all your pictures. Foursquare knows where you eat the last time you were out with friends.
I’m sure you have heard the phrase “sharing is caring.” This book is set in something that feels like near future. Here, not sharing is seen as suspicious.
There is a movie currently being made based on this book, something that goes to show how good the author captures the contemporary issue that is at the core of this book.
After you have read this book, you should think long and hard about where you want to set your own limits to what you do online.
Smarter Faster Better*
I have often said about David Allens Getting Things Done* that it is a book full of things we mostly already know but haven’t connected the dots about. The same thing can be said about Smarter Faster Better.
The book is full of real-life stories and useful information. On top of that, everything is backed by science. In other words: The book is a true Kinder egg.
Charles Duhigg has previously written the international bestseller The Power of Habit*. In Smarter Faster Better, he is using the findings from his first book to explain how we can get more done.
If you want to return from vacation with the knowledge of how to work smarter, faster, and better – as well as a better understanding of the human mind – then this is the book for you.
Digital Photography*
Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography books are among the best introductory photo books ever written. Scott takes you from being totally blank to confident in three books. I know – because that’s how I felt.
If you think it’s too much with all three books, you can get them separate.
Everything is easily described and illustrated with pictures. Scott Kelby is a man with a sense of humor, something that shines thru in his writing.
If you want to learn some basic photography skills this summer, this is the place to start.
[stextbox id=”custom” bgcolor=”E8E8E8″ bgcolorto=”FFFFFF” image=”null”] Want even more book recommendations? Try 7 books you really need to read [/stextbox]
Disclosure: Links marked with * are affiliate links. This means that if you buy a product using this link, I may get a small commission. Book Depository has free worldwide shipping. I would never recommend a product without trying it and liking it myself.