- The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy (there is absolutely nothing quite like it, and it taught me to laugh - or at least giggle - at anything)
- Dune (the notion of mental discipline, at least as idealized by Frank Herbert, made an impression on me)
- Sherlock Holmes (focused awareness and logic)
- Godel, Escher, Bach - The Eternal Golden Braid (multiple takes on awareness, logic and creativity)
There are more, but I tend to avoid Malcom Gladwell style books (and Freakonomics uses a lot of the extrapolation-by-slingshot-logic approach) and the like because they play upon our biases and are often quickly disproved.
- The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy (there is absolutely nothing quite like it, and it taught me to laugh - or at least giggle - at anything)
- Dune (the notion of mental discipline, at least as idealized by Frank Herbert, made an impression on me)
- Sherlock Holmes (focused awareness and logic)
- Godel, Escher, Bach - The Eternal Golden Braid (multiple takes on awareness, logic and creativity)
There are more, but I tend to avoid Malcom Gladwell style books (and Freakonomics uses a lot of the extrapolation-by-slingshot-logic approach) and the like because they play upon our biases and are often quickly disproved.