Have you ever wanted to change your outlook on something? Or maybe you wanted some advice before launching your start-up. Consider reading a non-fiction book! Non-fiction books cover a wide range of topics such as self-development, personal finance, cooking, business advice, and much more.
Books are a great way to build a unique perspective of life and grow as an individual. With non-fiction books, you can expect to gain better returns on your knowledge and time as you explore a subject in depth. To get you started, here are 10 intriguing books we recommend reading at least once in your lifetime:
Need some convincing to start a healthy lifestyle? This is the book for you. One of the most in-depth books available on nutrition, the research behind The China Study is comprehensive. It explores the impact of our lifestyles on our short and long-term health and explores ways to live more healthy. The book provides thorough advice on reducing the risks of long-term diseases such as cancer and heart disease and will scare most of its readers into adopting a healthier way of life.
In his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, Oliver Sacks narrates the remarkable stories of patients who were afflicted with rare brain diseases. From extreme amnesia, to the inability to differentiate between objects and people, Sack's intriguing descriptions of his craziest patients makes this book a worthwhile read for the layman and the specialist alike.
Written in the 2nd century A.D though still applicable today, Meditations is a collection of philosophical writings by the great philosopher-king Marcus Aurelius. The book explores themes of human naivety, adversity, personal growth, and much more. A slightly tough read that’s worth the effort, the advice provided in this book will change the way you think about everyday life.
Blow your mind via this picturesque narration of our universe by Carl Sagan, one of the greatest astrophysicists known to man. In Cosmos, Professor Sagan retraces the story of the universe from the time of the big bang to the rise of humanity and space exploration. The book wonderfully makes us contemplate about the evolution of galaxies, our struggle for existence, and how insignificant we are in the face of it all.
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell takes on the question: what makes high-achievers different? Gladwell says that most of us are focused on the wrong aspects of success such wealth, personality, or even to what to eat for breakfast every morning. The author then goes on to explain the real reasons behind success (backed by scientific studies) and the steps we can take towards achieving it.
After completing his training as a neurosurgeon at age thirty six, the author is suddenly diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. With his future evaporating in front of his eyes, Paul realizes just how fleeting life really is and with confronts his own mortality. In a tear-jerking memoir, Kalanithi asks questions like “What makes life worth living in the face of death?”, “What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away?”, amongst others. The book forces us to look at death straight in the eye and view it not as an enemy, but as a motivator to strive for a life filled with meaning and virtue.
Revered by social psychologists and businessmen all over the world, Dale Carnegie presents us his tried and tested methods of positive social influence. With over 100 million copies in sales, Dale’s methods show us how social cues reveal a lot about other people. The book suggests simple changes in our everyday behavior that will help us in achieving enormous social strides.
A classic by the world-famous author Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People presents to us his timeless advice on how to become a well rounded individual. The book focuses on 7 habits that one must master in order to develop oneself emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. The book has captivated people from teachers to CEOs for well over 25 years since its first publication. It remains to be highly influential today and is a must-read for anyone who is looking to make a change in their life.
This is a thought-provoking story that traces our journey from beginnings to the modern era. It explains how our non physical ideas and myths helped pave the way for many of our developments and culture. Dr. Harari provides us with a detailed look into three revolutions (Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific). With these revolutions, author intends to make us realize how long humanity has progressed since its hunter-gatherer days and gives us a rare opportunity to truly appreciate ourselves as a species.
The winner of several book awards, Thinking Fast And Slow is an engaging work by nobel prize winner Dr. Daniel Kahneman on how we think. In his book, Kahneman reveals two systems of thinking namely, “fast” and “slow” modes. The author goes on to demonstrate that we cannot trust our “fast” intuitions and offers practical insights into how we can incorporate “slow” thinking into our personal and professional lives. Full of intellectual value, the book illuminates on how we unknowingly fool ourselves into believing what we think is rational. Kahneman illustrates the different strategies we can adopt to avoid falling into these traps and live more sensibly.