Hi,

I'm off on holiday this week, which entails mostly wrangling an excited toddler at a swimming pool for 5 hours a day. I am going to try and read a bit. Or rather listen, since I need to keep my eyes on the boy.

Below are the 5 books I’m taking with me.

An ambitious number? A little.

Hopelessly unlikely? Definitely.

Some I'm most of the way through already, so I'm happy to recommend them even on that partial basis. Maybe you'll see something that interests you too.

To Sell Is Human

Dan Pink's popular 2012 book explains how the majority of our interactions in life are about moving others to do something or, put simply, sell them on something.

As well as argue for this framing, Pink gives a revised framework for the infamous ABC (“Always Be Closing!”). Now it’s Attunement, Buoyancy and Clarity, and the book contains lots of strategies for using it to make all your relationships richer and fulfilling for all parties.

You can see a glimpse of some of Pink’s ideas and exercises here.

The Predictioneer's Game

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita's book on Game Theory opens with the compelling story of King Leopold II of Belgium. He was seen as a magnanimous progressive at home, with achievements like making schooling free, separating church and state, and empowering Belgian workers to unionise. But he was a total tyrant in central Africa, where the Congo is still reeling today from his monstrous and bloody reign.

Why did Leopold act so differently over his two kingdoms? The author argues he simply did what made sense depending on the context to stay in power.

I studied Game Theory at university, including the work of genius / madness John Von Neumann. Obviously I've mostly forgotten it all, so I'm looking forward to getting through this one.

Storyworthy

Halfway through this as well. Matthew Dicks is a public storytelling master champion, having won every grand slam going. Here he breaks down his methods for crafting stories, in between entertaining and moving anecdotes that all slyly prove what he's talking about.

Here’s a tip to get you started: every good story needs a moment of lasting transformation, otherwise it won’t connect with your audience.

Never Split the Difference

I mentioned this Chris Voss book in the last newsletter. It's all about negotiation, whether it's hostage taking or child bedtimes.

I still haven’t finished it, but I’m really enjoying it, especially since Voss' examples from his career are all high-adrenaline episodes.

Tales of Pirx the Pilot

The only fiction book on the list, just in case I decide to escape into something more fanciful.

It's a surreal sci-fi about a newbie astronaut on a series of adventures, filled with Stanisław Lem's trademark grim wit and social commentary.

Will I finish any of these books by the time we get back? I've no idea. But it's nice to be prepared.

Also, looking at this list now, I realise I must feel deep down like I have no idea how to talk to people. Cool 😬

That’s all for this week. Many thanks for reading.

Adam

p.s. I apologise for the baffling email subject line, but I think the AI-generated pic that came out of that Frankenstein’s monster is quite cool:

Adam Zulawski
Procrastilearning.com / More stuff

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