Team Mindpool loves to read and we love to share our book recommendations with inspiring reads that have taught us something new. Check out our first blog post with three book recommendations. 

That’s why we wanted to do a second round of book recommendations. Reading is good for your brain, your health and your soul. What are you waiting for? 

Here are three books that team Mindpool has read and loved recently (perfect timing to add to your reading list to wind down for the summer by bringing the books to the beach, the park, the plane…) 
 

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

This month's book is an absolute favorite among many of us on the Mindpool team. A true must read. Therefore, we want to make sure that all of you who haven't yet had the pleasure of reading it are reminded to add it to your summer reading list. 

Factfulness written by Hans Rosling is a book about the world we live in and how often we get the state of the world wrong. The book outlines the discrepancies between the actual state of the world and what we think is going on. Hans Rosling is using data to show that many of our common beliefs about the world do not hold true. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the outline of the ten human instincts that distort our perspective on the world, and what we can do to avoid these misconceptions in the future. 

It's an essential read that will change the way you see and speak about the world. 
 

Range - Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

Being an expert within an area has tremendous value. On the other hand, as the book highlights, the value of accumulating a breadth of different experiences is often underappreciated. In the book, David Epstein builds the case for why we also need generalists who embrace and accumulate broader experiences and perspectives. This is especially important in innovation, where the job is not to repeat complex procedures, but rather to achieve something that hasn't been done before, which requires an ability to connect information from many different domains. 

Epstein also underlines other good reasons for seeking more range. In the chapter "Fooled by Expertise", Epstein dives into a study where top experts were asked to predict future events within their area of expertise. The average expert was a horrific forecaster, but one subgroup stood out and produced much more accurate predictions. They had not been vested in a single approach and had chosen to look at a much broader set of evidence, whether or not it was within their current beliefs or expertise. This underlines how important it is to embrace diversity when crowdsourcing predictions about future events. That is something we emphasize at Mindpool. 
 

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

We all need it, we all do it. Sleep. Why is sleep crucial? In "Why We Sleep", Matthew Walker illuminates the concept of sleep and why it is so important for us. It dissects the concept of the circadian rhythm that determines when we feel sleepy and our chronotype, which determines why some people are early risers and some are night owls. It also highlights the consequences of inadequate sleep. 

It's an interesting read for... well, everyone who sleeps and is looking to improve your health and knowledge about why sleep is so important. 

More book recommendations? 

Make sure you follow along on our Instagram where we share more book recommendations every month. What’s your favorite book? We’d love to hear from you if you have any good reads to recommend.

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