The books that shaped how I think – Raniz
I’ve always been a reader. One of the first things I recall reading was a Swedish-English travel dictionary. I used to lie in our sofa and read it, running out to the kitchen to tell my parents poorly pronounced translations of Swedish words.
Reading is still my preferred way of ingesting information, and while I mostly read fiction, I do read the occasional work-related book. Some I have probably forgotten about, some overstayed their welcome, and some I return to for rereading a chapter or two now and then.
The following four have stayed with me.
Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations – Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble and Gene Kim
Accelerate is the book I return to the most. It is not your typical inspirational book since it is very low on hows. Instead, it focuses on conclusions drawn from four years of DevOps Research and Assessment reports. It explains the science behind the reports as well as the findings.
Reading it was like hearing someone else confirm all my beliefs about how software should be developed, but better formulated and with scientific evidence backing them up. How could I not love a book like that!
Read more about Accelerate on Goodreads.
Extreme Programming Explained – Kent Beck
My first contact with XP was during my first year at Lund University. We had a course called “Extreme Programming” where we developed software (mostly) according to how the book says you should.
I didn’t read the book until much later, but I’m glad I did. Even if I’ve picked up on all the practices through working in the industry, it’s always a good idea to go back and read the source. Kent is also good with words, so the book is worth reading just for his narrative around it.
Read more about Extreme Programming Explained on Goodreads.
The Goal – Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Contrary to what you’d expect from a book about a management paradigm (Theory of Constraints), The Goal is a novel. Goldratt conjures up a story about a production plant manager, Alex Rogo, faced with turning his unprofitable plant around in three months’ time, which he does by discovering the Theory of Constraints.
Goldratt does a good job of teaching the Theory of Constraints with examples that heavily use the Socratic method. This allows the reader to reflect on the issues in the plant before the solutions are presented.
Read more about The Goal on Goodreads.
Fem gånger mer kärlek: Forskning och praktiska råd för ett fungerande familjeliv – Martin Forster
Five Times More Love: Research and Practical Advice for a Functioning Family Life
Kids are (often) stubborn, demanding, irrational, and selfish. I bought this book to better understand my kids and learn how to deal with the various situations that arise at home. It references several scientific studies on children’s behaviours and contains many examples gathered from following and interviewing real families.
Reading this book – and others like it – has made me a better parent. By becoming better at responding to my kids’ emotions, desires, and frustrations, I have gained a toolbox for better interactions with adults as well.
(This book is unfortunately not available in English.)
Read more about Fem gånger mer kärlek on Natur & Kultur.
I will likely never stop reading
Books are easy to skim, put down and pick up again, and non-intrusive to everyone around you. And when it comes to fiction, it allows you to fantasise about everything that’s happening instead of watching someone else’s idea of what everything described in the book looks like.
My wife and I read to our kids every day, and I hope they will turn out to be readers as well – it looks promising!