I would second "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by R. Pirsig - its a must read though heavy in places.
Also Sun Tzu's The art of War. Which borrows heavily from the I Ching stuff already mentioned but this book is tiny and very readable. I tried the Tao Te Ching but could not make much out of it. If anyone thinks that it is not the best way to approach the I Ching stuff then do tell...
A book that I never got on well with but I realize why so many people call it a thought altering read is Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake.
The Dragonlance Chronicles was life changing to me since prior to that series I didn't read much and it was the book to change that.
Two completely off topic books are "Straight and Crooked thinking" by Robert Thouless about corrupt debating and how to spot it and deal with it. Also "Games people play" by Eric Bern which is a catalog of psychological games and pastimes that are played out subconsciously that once you know about them you cant help but spot them easily and again it lists the methods used to diffuse them. Both very useful - like equipping yourself with a full set of BS deflectors.
Another useful read is Bruce Schneier's "Beyond Fear" which is a little bit wordy but is another book that gives you a set of tools for looking at life's unpredictabilities and rational thinking about dealing with it. Its better than the title suggests and changes completely how you deal with uncertainty and security - a must read in the post 9/11 era.
"Surely your joking Mr Feynman" which is a sorta-auto biography of Richard Feynman. Very funny and thought provoking book at the same time - a bit specialist tho.
Also Sun Tzu's The art of War. Which borrows heavily from the I Ching stuff already mentioned but this book is tiny and very readable. I tried the Tao Te Ching but could not make much out of it. If anyone thinks that it is not the best way to approach the I Ching stuff then do tell...
A book that I never got on well with but I realize why so many people call it a thought altering read is Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake.
The Dragonlance Chronicles was life changing to me since prior to that series I didn't read much and it was the book to change that.
Two completely off topic books are "Straight and Crooked thinking" by Robert Thouless about corrupt debating and how to spot it and deal with it. Also "Games people play" by Eric Bern which is a catalog of psychological games and pastimes that are played out subconsciously that once you know about them you cant help but spot them easily and again it lists the methods used to diffuse them. Both very useful - like equipping yourself with a full set of BS deflectors.
Another useful read is Bruce Schneier's "Beyond Fear" which is a little bit wordy but is another book that gives you a set of tools for looking at life's unpredictabilities and rational thinking about dealing with it. Its better than the title suggests and changes completely how you deal with uncertainty and security - a must read in the post 9/11 era.
"Surely your joking Mr Feynman" which is a sorta-auto biography of Richard Feynman. Very funny and thought provoking book at the same time - a bit specialist tho.
