Smart Thinking Books

Interview with Jo Owen, author of Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better

Interview with Jo Owen, author of Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better


Jo Owen, author of Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better recommends a brilliant bunch books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Jo's book:

Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better

Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better

Jo Owen

Description from Bookshop.org:
You are living proof that you are already a smart thinker – you’ve navigated life well enough to have survived so far. From the author of Smart Leadership, Smart Thinking gives you the tools to be an even smarter thinker so that you can thrive, not just survive, in a challenging world.

Smart Thinking focuses on common thinking challenges – both rational and emotional – and gives you an array of practical solutions, helping you deal with unexpected problems and difficult decisions simply and effectively.

From getting the best out of others, to thinking more creatively about financial struggles, Jo Owen tackles 42 of the most common 'thinking' challenges that can derail even the best-laid plans and intentions. Be more decisive in the face of uncertainty, make better decisions for you and your colleagues, and tackle any of the unexpected problems that our busy work lives can throw at us, with Smart Thinking. Packed with original research and cases, Smart Thinking might not only entertain you – it might just change your life.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £14.24 Bookshop.org US $20.46 Blackwells £14.99 Waterstones £14.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

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Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is rightly a classic. It is one of the few books which I have been able to use in practice. Understanding how people make decisions, the short cuts or heuristics we all use, is very useful. It protects me from making too many dumb decisions, but also helps me frame decisions for colleagues and friends in ways which will elicit a productive answer.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Description from Bookshop.org:
Discover the shocking gender bias that affects our everyday lives.

Imagine a world where...

· Your phone is too big for your hand
· Your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body
· In a car accident you are 47% more likely to be injured.

If any of that sounds familiar, chances are you're a woman.

From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, and the media. Invisible Women reveals how in a world built for and by men we are systematically ignoring half of the population, often with disastrous consequences. Caroline Criado Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are forgotten, and the profound impact this has on us all.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £14.24 Bookshop.org US $20.46 Blackwells £16.28 Waterstones £14.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?

Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain by Mark F. Bear, Barry W. Connors, Michael A. Paradiso.
I recently completed a Harvard neuroscience course. As part of that course I worked my way through Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain by Bear, Mark et al. I would rate it as about 2/10 for ease of reading but about 9/10 for insight and value. If you are going to write a book called Smart Thinking, it pays to understand some of the science behind how we think.

Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain

Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain

Mark F. Bear, Barry W. Connors, Michael A. Paradiso

Description from Blackwells:
Acclaimed for its clear, friendly style, excellent illustrations, leading author team, and compelling theme of exploration, Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, 4e takes a fresh, contemporary approach to the study of neuroscience, emphasizing the biological basis of behavior.

The authors' passion for the dynamic field of neuroscience is evident on every page, engaging students and helping them master the material. In just a few years, the field of neuroscience has been transformed by exciting new technologies and an explosion of knowledge about the brain. The human genome has been sequenced, sophisticated new methods have been developed for genetic engineering, and new methods have been introduced to enable visualization and stimulation of specific types of nerve cells and connections in the brain. The new Fourth Edition has been fully updated to reflect these and other rapid advances in the field, while honoring its commitment to be student-friendly with striking new illustrations, additional animations, and an unparalleled array of online resources.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org US $178.19 Blackwells £143.94 Waterstones £122.00

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.
The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of northern Britain - and they were never seen again.

Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It's a mystery that's never been solved, until now . . .

Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who led the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest so dangerous that nobody expects him to return. The Eagle of the Ninth is heralded as one of the most outstanding children's books of the twentieth century and has sold over a million copies worldwide. Rosemary Sutcliff writes with such passion and attention to detail that Roman Britain is instantly brought to life and stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.

The Eagle of the Ninth

The Eagle of the Ninth

Rosemary Sutcliff

Description from Bookshop.org:
The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of northern Britain - and they were never seen again.

Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It's a mystery that's never been solved, until now . . .

Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who led the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest so dangerous that nobody expects him to return. The Eagle of the Ninth is heralded as one of the most outstanding children's books of the twentieth century and has sold over a million copies worldwide. Rosemary Sutcliff writes with such passion and attention to detail that Roman Britain is instantly brought to life and stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £9.49 Bookshop.org US $11.15 Blackwells £9.99 Waterstones £9.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?

As an author, I am attached to books. They are the physical evidence of my work, and it gives me joy to see them on my bookshelf or in the bookshops. Also, I prefer reading on paper. I find it easier to control my pace on paper compared with audio, also I can flip between sections more easily to check back where necessary. Finally, I like to make notes on good books which means I will never be able to re-sell them on the second hand market. But why would I want to sell a really good book?


Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?

Waterstones
I am a sucker for all bookshops. There is joy in making unexpected discoveries of new ideas, new topics, new books. I love my local Waterstones, which is just the right size for a bookshop. A good bookshop needs to be big enough to stock what I like to read, and to surprise me with titles I would not normally consider. The bookshop also needs to be small enough that I can wander into sections I would not normally go to: that is where I may be surprised and find something new and original to read. In vast bookshops, I just go to the section I need and never really discover any new sections. Good bookshops will surprise and delight, and they need to be neither too big nor too small to achieve that


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Many thanks to Jo for recommending a brilliant bunch books! Please don't forget to check out Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better.
Daryl


Image Copyrights: (Smart Thinking: How to live, think and work even better), Penguin Books Ltd (Thinking, Fast and Slow), Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc (Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain), Oxford University Press (The Eagle of the Ninth).

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About Smart Thinking Books

Smart Thinking Books was born to shine a spotlight on books that can fuel your mind! Many smart thinking books have changed the way I look at the world for the better, so I started this site to help spread the word.
- Daryl Feehely

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