Our favourite books of 2021 – the books that grabbed our attention and got us thinking
17 December 2021
By: Nic Thomas
Just because we work in digital doesn’t mean we don’t love books. So for the record, here’s our top ten recommendations (and wishlist) of books for this Christmas – the books that grabbed our attention and got us thinking over the last 12 months.
A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload by Cal Newport
We’ve always been interested in discovering more productive ways to work. And, shock, horror that might mean reducing your interaction with email! Bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and also features in our next blog (of our top ten podcasts – stay tuned folks). (We do answer our emails, just in case you were wondering). It’s the start of a theme you might see emerging.
Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis
Being successful doesn’t necessarily mean scaling up… staying small is ok too, and Paul Jarvis outlines exactly why. As a small business working with small businesses, we love this.
Theroux the Keyhole by Louis Theroux
Louis’ Grounded podcasts pretty much kept Nic sane during that first lockdown, and in this book Theroux describes what was going on during that weird time and how he launched his podcast. Nic loves Louis, but Monika’s got a signed copy of this – which she’s not parting with.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
McConaughey’s book is ostensibly a biography but it is also a highly entertaining adventure story, a comedy, a self-help guide and a candid tale of spiritual and personal discovery. Ryan Holiday called it “an inspiring memoir and how-to from one of the great outlaw philosophers and artists of our time” – which is good enough for us.
Making Websites Win: Apply the Customer-Centric Methodology That Has Doubled the Sales of Many Leading Websites by Karl Blanks, Ben Jesson
Karl Blanks and Ben Jesson’s book turns a traditional approach to design, content and optimisation on its head and had a big impact on how we approached our work this year. Once you read it, it becomes obvious: websites need to work for their audience. To find out how, just ask and test!
The Do Series
Small in size but big in clout, these pocket-sized manifestos cover a host of subjects from life skills such as baking and bee-keeping to work life including design and building a team. Our favourites? Do Present: How to Give a Talk and Be Heard by Mark Shayler and Do Walk: Navigate the Earth, Mind and bBody. Step by Step. Pick a subject, any subject, and be inspired.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
In his bestselling book, McKeown makes a compelling argument for achieving more by doing less. By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential (the ability to say ‘no’), the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our choices so we can focus on the things that really matter. We all know less is more, in this book McKeown reminds us of that.
Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy By Joana Macy and Chris Johnstone
Joanna Macy is an author and activist for peace and ecology; Chris Johnstone trains and writes on resilience and positive change. Recognising that we are living in hard and perilous times they offer strategies for coping. The reality is it’s a s***show right now and we need all the help we can get. This is a start.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday
Ancient Stoic wisdom for every day of the year with modern day interpretations? Yes please. Ryan Holiday has been credited for popularising Stoicism in Silicon Valley and if you have a five minutes spare you could do worse than dip into this book. Be careful hough, it’s as addictive as that morning coffee.
Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
James Clear does a brilliant job describing much of the neuroscience in habit formation so you can accomplish more by focusing on less. He outlines how just a 1% change in daily habits builds towards success and if you focus on that 1%, the results fall into place. We referenced this book in an earlier blog, and we still think it has so much to offer.
If you’d like to share your best reads this year, please let us know in the comments below. We love to hear about the books that have inspired you.
Happy Christmas – and happy reading!
Posted By Nic Thomas
Starting her career building websites in notepad back in the late 1990s, Nic's worked on a wide range of small and large-scale web projects. Nic can take your web project from website design brief, to website development completion and support you with your digital marketing.
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Just because we work in digital doesn’t mean we don’t love books. So for the record, here’s our top ten recommendations (and wishlist) of books for this Christmas – the books that grabbed our attention and got us thinking over the last 12 months.
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If you’d like to share your best reads this year, please let us know in the comments below. We'd love to hear about the books that have inspired you this year.