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Historian Yuval Noah Harari's bestselling books on the past and the future (such as Sapiens) have been gained popularity in recent years. These are intellectually stimulating, contextual, and far-reaching books that move away from known research and certain theories and towards the end of the series turn into predictions. I have loved every page of Harari's books, but I have no idea whether his predictions will work. I was therefore particularly surprised when I picked up The Sovereign Individual, a book closely related to the style and theme of Harari's books, and also peppered with fortune-telling. ...

All interesting questions, often with dry and boring answers. But not in Tim Harford's book. Imagine being promoted to the head of an economy. What would you want to achieve with that kind of power? What do you think is important? By what means do you want to achieve your goals? Whatever your answers to these questions, sooner or later your decisions will have economic consequences. While investment and finance books that top the bestseller lists benefit from personal experience, when it comes to macroeconomic issues, our experience as ordinary people adds little to our understanding of how an economy works. ...

From many directions, the suggestion comes: commit yourself, specialize, deepen your knowledge in a narrow field as soon as possible or you'll be at a disadvantage. The stories of elite athletes are testimony to the effectiveness of early specialization. Tiger Woods first picked up a golf club when he was six months old. By the age of two, he was touring national TV. He was just 16 when he made his adult debut at the highest level, at the Los Angeles Open. ...

What is a Perennial Seller?In every industry, we can find products and services which can sell over a long period. Some of them were popular during their launch, some of them weren’t but all of them took the test of time, found their audience, and since then have continued success. We are still watching The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, reading Meditations from Marcus Aurelius, listening to Nirvana songs, and going to restaurants that are 300 years old. ...

When you hear the word storytelling, the first thing that comes to mind is TED talks optimized to elicit emotions. Soon afterward, the call words of countless "storytelling workshops" and the worn-out mottos of trainers ring in my ears. Storytelling can be approached from many directions, with countless preconceptions. There is also a pejorative overtone to professional storytelling. This is how you tell your story, to make an impact,to make your business presentation a success,to manipulate others.But a good story is much more than manipulation. In fact, a good story requires honesty and vulnerability. ...

Reading is useful. Almost everyone agrees with this, albeit for different reasons. Some people have experienced first-hand the positive effects of books on their lives and others simply don't want to confront people who use sophisticated words. However, thinking about the benefits of reading simply does not important enough for most people to talk about it. But let's take a step back and think: is reading always beneficial? If we put it in competition with other activities, are you sure that reading is always the most rewarding activity? ...

Reading biography books is great. After a long-read, I feel like I've mastered all the tips and tricks that can be gleaned from the life of the subject. However, this is false confidence. You can only connect the dots backward. That's why any article in which the author formulates the universal rules of success from the half-sentences of the current icon is misleading. To contradict me, I will also cite an accidental discovery, popularised by the business tabloid, of success achieved by connecting two radically different dots: ...

Productivity consultant David Allen developed the GTD methodology, which stands for Getting Things Done. Going beyond time management tips, the tool focuses on "getting things done". While the fundamentals of the research-based, fine-tuned GTD method have not changed, the updated version of the GTD book also provides answers to issues that have arisen since the first edition in 2001 (the rise of knowledge work, self-management, home office, online tools...). David Allen's GTD is the bible of the Getting Things Done method. ...

The only statesman to have signed all three of the United States' most historic documents - the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution of the United States. A world sensation in his own time, his name still rings a bell 200 years on. His portrait of the $100 bill winks back at us. Benjamin Franklin was a real big shot. You'd think that everything he touched turned to gold. The story of the famous American icon has been told from many different perspectives and many books on Benjamin Franklin's daily routine and habits have managed to top the bestseller lists. ...

This is my list of best biographies and autobiographies. I have read all of them and recommend only the best. Walter Isaacson: Benjamin FranklinAn American Life Reading biographies for me is a kind of transition between reality and imagination. When I can't decide whether I'm in the mood for a novel or a non-fiction book, I usually pick one from the biography section of my reading list. Turning the pages of a biography, we read the script of a film where we know the end of the story in vain but the anecdotes in between are compelling. For that, you need an interesting life and a good writer. ...