Good reads
On creativity, innovation, critical thinking, leadership, and more . . .
The below booklist is an ever-growing mix of books that have been on my main bookshelf (both as inspiration and resources) during the past decade of exploring and writing about the power of questioning.
If you’re an indie bookstore supporter, a lot of the below books are in my bookstore on Bookshop.org, where part of each book sale goes directly to support local bookstores.
S E C T I O N S
QUESTIONING & CURIOSITY • CREATIVITY & INNOVATION • CRITICAL THINKING & DECISION-MAKING • LEADERSHIP & COACHING • LIFE & HAPPINESS • BUSINESS STORIES & BIOS
QUESTIONING & CURIOSITY
A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger
The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead by Warren Berger
Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana
Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life by Hal Gregersen
Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It by Ian Leslie
Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions by James E. Ryan
Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change by Frank Sesno
Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life by Todd Kashdan
A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer with Charles Fishman
The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock
Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling by Edgar H. Schein
Leading with Questions: How Leaders Discover Powerful Answers by Knowing How and What to Ask by Michael J. Marquardt and Bob Tiede
Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life by Jeff Wetzler
12 Questions for Love: A Guide to Intimate Conversations & Deeper Relationships by Topaz Adizes
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative by Kathryn Haydon
Flight to Creativity: How to Dramatically Improve Your Creative Performance by Min Basadur
The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, Clayton M. Christensen
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace
Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business by Luke Williams
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work by Natalie Nixon
Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs by Reid Hoffman, June Cohen, Deron Triff
CRITICAL THINKING & DECISION-MAKING
[See also Top 10 Critical Thinking Books]
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
Good Thinking: Why Flawed Logic Puts Us All at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World by David Robert Grimes
Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age by Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig
Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Why Simple Wins: Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters by Lisa Bodell
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling
Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students by Colin Seale
Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era by Daniel J. Levitin
Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking by M Neil Browne & Stuart M. Keeley
Think Wrong: How to Conquer the Status Quo and Do Work That Matters by John Bielenberg
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion by Jay Heinrichs
Outsmart Your Instincts: How the Behavioral Innovation Approach Drives Your Company Forward by Adam Hansen
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, by Steven Pinker
How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion and Persuasion by David McRaney
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish
A Healthy Democracy’s Best Hope: Building the Critical Thinking Habit by M Neil Browne and Chelsea Kulhanek
LEADERSHIP, COACHING, CONNECTING
Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone by Mark Goulston
How to Listen: Discover the Hidden Key to Better Communication by Oscar Trimboli
The Blueprint: 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights, by Douglas Conant
Socrates’ Way: Seven Keys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost by Ronald Gross
Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
LIFE & HAPPINESS
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Small Move, Big Change: Using Microresolutions to Transform Your Life Permanently by Caroline Arnold
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu Suzuki
The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do It So Well by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin Seligman
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
The Monk and the Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Living by Randy Komisar with Kent Lineback
BUSINESS STORIES & BIOS
The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google by Scott Galloway
Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanas
Last Words: A Memoir by George Carlin
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
