5 best books I read in 2018
Book

5 best books I read in 2018

A list that surprised even me…
Bartosz Mikulski
Bartosz Mikulski – 2 min read

"Soft Skills: The software developer’s life manual" by John Sonmez

All John Sonmez ideas about creating your own remarkable career. The book contains his opinions and hints about personal marketing for developers and building your own brand. John teaches about his effective 10-step learning process and simple, but powerful productivity techniques. If that is not enough for you, he also included chapters about personal finances, investing, fitness, and relationships.

Table of Contents

  1. "Soft Skills: The software developer’s life manual" by John Sonmez
  2. "Extreme ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
  3. "Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions" by Kari Byron
  4. "The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don’t" by Nate Silver
  5. "The 7 Stages of Creativity: Developing Your Creative Self" by James Whittaker

"Extreme ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Jocko Willink has a straightforward message. You are responsible for everything that happens to you. Everything. His book will make you feel uncomfortable, that is his goal.

I wrote three blog posts about his books:

"Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions" by Kari Byron

I was a fan of Mythbusters since… always. That is why I had to read this book. It is not exactly what I expected. Kari Byron shows the dark side of the show. The part that was not visible on TV. She also writes about her life before Mythbusters and the problems she faced.

Does this book teach anything? It shows the importance of seizing opportunities and how one decision can change everything in a person’s life.

"The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don’t" by Nate Silver

A book about predictions and biases in everyday life. I liked it because it shows how to tell a gripping story about the data. If you are in any way interested in data storytelling, this book can be used as a great example.

"The 7 Stages of Creativity: Developing Your Creative Self" by James Whittaker

According to James Whittaker, creativity is the one thing you need to achieve job satisfaction and fulfilling life. In this book, he shares his career stories about events which led him to become a distinguished engineer and technical evangelist at Microsoft.

If you don’t want to read this book, watch his talk on YouTube.

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