Given below are the books which I read in 2017:

• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Herd by Mark Earls
• Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
• Grit by Angela Duckworth
• Focus by Daniel Goleman
• The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
• Being Brilliant by Andrew Cope
• Learning with e’s by Steve Wheeler
• Culture Map by Erin Meyer
• The subtle art of not giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
• Bounce by Matthew Syed
• Moving Toward Global Compassion by Dr. Paul Ekman
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

From the above I think the Culture Map was one of my favourites due to having worked in the UAE and therefore having to experience the differences in relation to working practices across cultures first hand.   I just wish I had read the book ahead of going out to the UAE as it would most likely have allowed me to avoid some initial issues I experienced.   The Power of Habit and Predictably Irrational are two other favourites from my 2017 reading as they both focus on how we humans believe we are rational and considering of our decisions however in reality our decision making and actions are often the result of habit or the instincts of the human anaimal.

I have already started to put together a basic reading list for 2018 which includes:

• SUMO (Shut Up, Move on) by Paul McGee
• The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely
• The Marshmallow Test by Walter Mischel

I am also considering adding a couple of leadership related books along with some books on data science, which is something which currently interests me.

Reading continues to be something I believe to be an important part of life, in its ability to allow us to explore new viewpoints, thoughts and ideas.    I look forward to another year of reading.