My Bookshelf
I enjoy reading. Check out the list - mostly English lang.
Product / Design
Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products
Currently reading.
Growth Levers and How o Find Them
Currently reading.
Sales Pitch
April nails it as always.
Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
Essential reading for all product builders.
The Messy Middle
Common-sense approaches to management with engaging examples. A reminder that resilience is often the key to success.
Obviously Awesome
Likely the best read on tech product positioning.
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
A bit outdated.
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
One long sales pitch... Unclear why this was a bestseller.
The Jobs To Be Done Playbook
Well-structured and practical JTBD resource.
The End of Competitive Advantage
Insights on embracing agility, innovation, and adaptability.
Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice
Fresh perspectives on customer-focused innovation.
Voice Content and Usability
Practical advice for designing and delivering compelling voice experiences.
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
Marty articulates product-related constructs very well. This book is a classic.
Continuous Discovery Habits
A collection of widely applicable concepts.
UX Methods - A Quick Guide to User Experience Research Methods
Works well as a reference for quick decision-making.
Escaping the Build Trap
Practical advice thru engaging storytelling. By far the most actionable write up on product management I’ve read.
Gamestorming
Rich reference of patterns in the age of discovery. Highly recommended.
The Product Mindset
A healthy perspective on product development.
Beyond the prototype
A bit too shallow. Never goes beyond the theoretical.
Measure What Matters
Nothing to write home about, although still worth reading. Collection of case studies; some better articulated than others.
Product Roadmaps Relaunched
Concise and structured. Emphasis on outcome-focused roadmaps.
Information Graphics
Well-printed inspirational collection of infographics w/ stories in three languages.
Product Leadership
Time not well spent. Authors tend to overstate the obvious.
The Art of Design Thinking
Subject matter is covered in an easy to read and practical manner. Short and sweet - 67p.
The Big Book of Dashboards
A must-read for data visualization practitioners.
The Design of Everyday Things
Excellent book. Much to explore in human behaviors, although the writing style may not connect well w/ all audiences.
Software Engineering
Decoupled Drupal in Practice
Well laid out and comprehensive material w/ quality examples.
Fullstack D3 and Data Visualization
Excellent D3 and data viz resource. One of the best technical books I've read.
The Road to GraphQL
Good writing w/ practical demonstrations.
Relevant Search
Not as in-depth technically as I had hoped. A good refresher nonetheless.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
Hot and cold throughout this book. Authors fell short in following their own principles while assembling.
PHP: The 'Right' Way
A must-read for any PHP engineer.
Don’t Make Me Think
Practical, entertaining. Read the 2nd revision some time ago. The 3rd is likely more relevant to the times.
Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
Well written. Comprehensive. Gets you thinking.
The Unwritten Laws of Engineering
Time-tested advice to follow no matter the stage of your career. Not Engineering-specific.
The Pragmatic Programmer
A popular classic. Well worth the time to read.
PHP 5 Unleashed
A valued resource from my college days.
Business / Leadership / Psychology
Scaling People
If you care about your team - read this!
The 6 Types of Working Genius
A simple model for articulating complex human psychology.
Startup Patterns
Good balance of theory and real-life stories. Engaging read.
Trillion Dollar Coach
Reads more like a biography, than a playbook. Does have some useful snippets.
The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures
Thought-provoking and practical.
A More Beautiful Question
Meaningful outcomes stem from creative inquiry. Stimulate your collaborative spirit with this good read.
Liminal Thinking
Light intro into the area of rationality and bias.
I Hear You
Such a simple concept, yet often goes unmet. Enjoyed this easy read.
Turn the Ship Around!
Achieve excellence. Empower those around you. Communicate early and often. Focus on outcomes rather than process. Incredibly engaging and insightful read.
The Culture Code
Inspiring! And came at the perfect moment in my life.
Growth IQ
Not the most entertaining style, but full of case studies. Insightful and well conceptualized.
Radical Candor
Candor prevents miscommunications. Lots of takeaways from this book. Podcast is also great.
The Long Distance Leader
Common sense reminders. Good advice throughout.
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
Wicked smart. A provocative journey to say the least.
Manage Your Day-to-Day
Rather shallow. Those who have their act together, at least partially, won’t get much out of this book.
The Laws of Human Nature
Offers rationale for why people do what they do.
The 48 Laws of Power
Adversarial and suddenly overpopular. The basis for immoral behavior in the 21st century.
Lead with a Story
Full of examples and memorable stories that can be easily borrowed for your own inspirational message.
Start With Why
True: Success hinges upon a clearly articulated vision. Simon’s TED talk makes the book to be of less value, however.
Why We Sleep
An easy read formulated on decades of research. I sleep well.
The Coaching Habit
Easy to digest. Provides a good framework for asking meaningful questions.
Crucial Conversations
Good concepts, but a bit watered down.
Fiction / Non-Fiction / Other
Algorithms to Live By
It was difficult to stay engaged.
Metaphors be with you
An extensive catalogue of quotations w/ a bit too much academic theory upfront. Informative, but dry.
Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down
An entertaining read about the art of science.
A Treasury of American Folklore
An incredible collection of short stories for fireside reading.
Code Girls
A fascinating story about women code breakers during WWII.
The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories
Easy to read stories. Good to pick up when I need a brain reset.
Some Remarks
Highly stimulating, astute and humorous read for a geeky mind.
The Survival Medicine Handbook
Easy to reference manual for various illness and injuries. Rather entertaining.
Viva la Repartee
I found the wit in this book rather outdated and unamusing.
A Theory of Justice
A theory of an egalitarian society. I enjoyed it.
Profiles of the American West
Huffaker's writing style is good for painting vibrant pictures in the mind's eye.
Anarchy, State and Utopia
Interesting formulations of political philosophies although framed within strict parameters of thinking.
The Cowboy and The Cossack
Cowboys, Cossacks. I've lived alongside both. This story put my imagination into hyperactivity.
The House of the Seven Gables
The writing style is too heavy and varied. Couldn’t finish this one.
Outlander
An engaging multi-genre novel from an amazing writer.
Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Anthoninus
Simple but profound wisdom.
Advanced Home Gardening
Ultra-efficient reference w/ outstanding illustrations.
Hydroponic Food Production
An extremely thorough guide, mostly for commercial scale production.
The Communist Manifesto
A fascinating framework of ideas best suited for microprocessors.
The Gulag Archipelago
Antithetical and courageous. Best to avoid the Gulag.
Fahrenheit 451
A thrilling and captivating adventure. Meaningful book w/ messages relevant for even today.
War and Peace
History. Philosophy. Classic.
Taras Bulba
Tribes divide. Tribes unite. War, peace and love on the ancient borderlands.
The Master And Margarita
True masterpiece! Wondering how translations would differ from the original.
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