8 Books to Add to Your Reading List for 2020

If you're looking to dive into a good book to start the year, I've put together a list I've recently enjoyed reading. Last year, I shared a list of book recommendations for the first time, so this is becoming a sort of annual tradition. This year’s list includes a variety of non-fiction titles, covering productivity, human behavior, interpersonal relationships, and artificial intelligence. I’ve found each of these books thought provoking and I hope you enjoy them too.

If you’re looking for a good book to kick-off 2020, here are my favorites that I read last year:

1.)   Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcom Gladwell

I’ve read each of Malcom Gladwell’s six books and this one didn’t disappoint (and is currently sitting atop Amazon’s bestseller charts). Gladwell has a way of making me see the world differently and this time he tackles what can go wrong when we fail to understand each other. He offers a new perspective on notable events like the massive Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Bernie Madoff, the child-abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky from Penn State, and the Brock Turner rape case at Stanford. At a time when the world feels more and more divided, Gladwell’s book explores the negative consequences that can happen when we make assumptions about people we don’t know.

2.) Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott

This is without a doubt the best management book I’ve read. Kim Scott offers practical advice from her experience at Google, Apple, and coaching CEOs at several tech companies. She shares tips on how to deliver constructive feedback (and how to ask for it), establish trust with your team, avoid burnout and boredom, and even make meetings more productive (which might be a good New Year’s resolution for a lot of us). Work is ultimately about relationships and if you can build trust within a team, then feedback can be seen for what it is — honest, helpful guidance to improve, rather than the personal insult it sometimes feels like when trust doesn’t exist.

The book is broken into two sections — the first covers Scott’s management philosophy she calls “radical candor,” and the second is a how-to handbook, which I often find myself referencing and recommending to others.

3.) Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

In perhaps my favorite book of the year, Lori Gottlieb demystifies what it’s like to be a therapist. The author shares stories from sessions with her patients and provides a self-deprecating look at her own experience as a patient, following a break-up. Gottlieb reveals insightful commentary from a therapist’s view, as she tells the stories from her patients and the variety of situations they face (everything from a stressed-out Hollywood producer to a young lady dealing with terminal cancer). The author explores the deeper issues her patients uncover and removes the stigma of therapy by sharing their challenges, which readers may find relatable. The book is humorous, sad, and thought provoking all at the same time.

4.) AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Kai-Fu Lee

Kai-Fu Lee provides an intriguing perspective about artificial intelligence and how it will shape how we live and work in the future. Born in Taiwan, schooled in the United States, and living in China for the past two decades, he deeply understands both cultures and has a unique perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of each. I always find that I can learn a lot about my own culture by viewing it through the lens of other cultures. Lee does just this and more, because he has so much personal experience with Americans and Chinese.

Lee makes a compelling argument that China will outpace the U.S. in AI innovation, because of unique government policies. He also shares insights about the types of jobs that will be automated, which is sometimes simplistically seen as a split between white-collar and blue-collar work. However, AI will impact any repetitive job — some white-collar work, like accounting, as well as blue-collar work, like truck driving. However, he argues jobs will be safe from automation that require compassion, like psychiatry, and precise hand-eye coordination, like plumbing. It’s an insightful book about two very different cultures and what to expect in the future as AI continues to become more prevalent.

5.) Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, offers lots of practical tips for working more efficiently in a world with many distractions. For example, he cautions against being consumed by what he refers to as “shallow work,” like checking email, and recommends blocking out time on your calendar for long-term projects that need more concentration. While I was already familiar with a lot of these practices (some from reading Getting Things Done many years ago), Newport offers many good reminders and his tips are specific, so you can easily incorporate them. I think this book is especially good to read when you feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done (we’ve all been there!).

6.) Weapons of Math Destruction: Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neil

Cathy O'Neil is a data scientist and previously worked in academic research, finance, and start-ups, where she built statistical models to predict consumers’ purchase behavior. In this captivating book, O’Neil analyzes how algorithms are used everyday to make decisions like which job applicants receive interviews, the interest rate on a loan, and how much we pay for insurance. In theory, these algorithms should make decisions fairer, since the same criteria is used for everyone. However, many of these algorithms have unintended consequences. At the heart of any algorithm is a set of decisions programmed by human beings and the book explores how biases impact these decisions. It’s troubling that many models reinforce discrimination and without transparency and regulation, the public is left unaware of the downsides to data-driven decision making. It’s fascinating look at a topic that is more relevant than ever and made me reflect on how often we think automated decisions are objective, when they are often flawed.

7.) When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink

I became a fan of Daniel Pink’s after reading his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. In his latest book, Pink explores the timing of life events, like starting a new job and getting married, along with more practical topics like how to structure your day for peak productivity. The research he cites has made me think about everything from the best days to begin new habits to the most effective way to power nap (25 minutes is ideal). Along with Cal Newport’s advice, this book might encourage you to rethink your daily schedule and habits to make the most of your time and effectively manage your energy.

8.) Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates

My latest read was an inspiring book by well-known philanthropist, Melinda Gates. I was amazed by the empathy she has for people in developing countries and how she finds a way to focus on commonalities, rather than differences. Through her stories about people she’s met through her work in the world’s poorest communities, she opened my eyes to the challenges that exist for more than a billion people who live in extreme poverty. Gates has a strong conviction that all lives have equal value and I admire her dedication to solving the world’s biggest challenges and giving opportunities to the people most in need of help.

What book have you recently read that you'd recommend? I’m always looking for suggestions, so let me know what I should add to my reading list this year.