Want to know what books Jane Mcgonigal recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Jane Mcgonigal's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to... more When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever. less 
Soman ChainaniThe greatest work of fiction I’ve ever read, with the simplest theme: All of us come with baggage and wounds and pain; all of us. (Source)
Jane Mcgonigal@rhondakap @kellymcgonigal If you haven't read this only read it if you want to be emotionally brutalized. Virtuoso portrayal of compassion but Jesus you could not make worse things happen to your characters. Almost sadistic. Amazing book but traumatic read (Source)
Ella BottingThis may be the best book I’ve ever read. It’s a long old book and I bloody love a long book. I don’t possess the vocabulary to describe this book - it was so good, but I’d say it was an intricate analysis of the character’s daily lives and their daily lives are hella intense at times. This booked reminded me that while success in the workplace is very important to me, so is the time spent with... (Source)
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2
How are market-leading products born?Successful innovations may end up reaching a mainstream audience, but they never start off that way. That's the paradox of innovation most entrepreneurs fail to embrace-the typical people in your market are not the ones you need to woo when bringing your idea to life.
Instead, find the "superfans" hidden in your audience: Those willing to take risk and put up with a messy or incomplete prototype in order to start solving the problem your product will eliminate. Show your idea to these people. What do they love about it? Where does it... more How are market-leading products born?Successful innovations may end up reaching a mainstream audience, but they never start off that way. That's the paradox of innovation most entrepreneurs fail to embrace-the typical people in your market are not the ones you need to woo when bringing your idea to life.
Instead, find the "superfans" hidden in your audience: Those willing to take risk and put up with a messy or incomplete prototype in order to start solving the problem your product will eliminate. Show your idea to these people. What do they love about it? Where does it seem to go in the wrong direction? Allowing these early fans to "play" with your idea gives you fast, accurate answers to your most pressing questions long before your product is built.
Game Thinking supercharges your progressThat's where Game Thinking comes in. In this groundbreaking book, Amy Jo Kim lays out a step-by-step system for crafting products that people love...and keep loving. The secret? Develop "impossible to put down" products by using techniques that the fast-moving games industry employs when making games that glue millions of players to their screens.
During her time working on genre-defining games like The Sims, Rock Band, and Ultima Online, Amy Jo learned that customers stick with products that help them get better at something they care about, like playing an instrument or leading a team. Amy Jo has used her insights from gaming to help hundreds of companies like Netflix, Disney, The New York Times, Ubisoft and Happify innovate faster and smarter, and drive long-term engagement.
Build successful products like a (game) masterBuilding on the principles of lean/agile design and design thinking, Game Thinking covers five powerful strategies you can use to create your next hit product:
Accelerate innovation by testing your highest risk assumptions first
Use insights from superfans to build a product that fits how people really behave
Keep customers engaged with a coherent and compelling customer journey
Improve your product concept by rapidly testing and tuning the core experience
Plot your development path with the Game Thinking roadmap
Get your hands on Game Thinking, and start innovating smarter today. less See more recommendations for this book...
3
In his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in his third book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crises while adopting selective changes -- a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises.
Diamond compares how six countries have survived recent upheavals -- ranging from the forced opening of Japan by U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet, to the Soviet Union's attack on Finland,... more In his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in his third book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crises while adopting selective changes -- a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises.
Diamond compares how six countries have survived recent upheavals -- ranging from the forced opening of Japan by U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet, to the Soviet Union's attack on Finland, to a murderous coup or countercoup in Chile and Indonesia, to the transformations of Germany and Australia after World War Two. Because Diamond has lived and spoken the language in five of these six countries, he can present gut-wrenching histories experienced firsthand. These nations coped, to varying degrees, through mechanisms such as acknowledgment of responsibility, painfully honest self-appraisal, and learning from models of other nations. Looking to the future, Diamond examines whether the United States, Japan, and the whole world are successfully coping with the grave crises they currently face. Can we learn from lessons of the past?
Adding a psychological dimension to the in-depth history, geography, biology, and anthropology that mark all of Diamond's books, Upheaval reveals factors influencing how both whole nations and individual people can respond to big challenges. The result is a book epic in scope, but also his most personal book yet. less 
Bill GatesI’m a big fan of everything Jared has written, and his latest is no exception. The book explores how societies react during moments of crisis. He uses a series of fascinating case studies to show how nations managed existential challenges like civil war, foreign threats, and general malaise. It sounds a bit depressing, but I finished the book even more optimistic about our ability to solve... (Source)
Steven PinkerJared Diamond does it again: another rich, original, and fascinating chapter in the human saga, this one on how societies have extricated themselves from wicked crises-with vital lessons for our difficult times. (Source)
Yuval Noah HarariA riveting and illuminating tour of how nations deal with crises -- which might hopefully help humanity as a whole deal with our present global crisis. (Source)
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4
The bestselling author of
The Willpower Instinct
introduces a surprising science-based book that doesn't tell us why we
should
exercise but instead shows us how to fall in love with movement.
Exercise is health-enhancing and life-extending, yet many of us feel it's a chore. But as Kelly McGonigal reveals, it doesn't have to be. Movement can and should be a source of joy.
Through her trademark blend of science and storytelling, McGonigal draws on insights from neuroscience, psychology,... more
The bestselling author of
The Willpower Instinct
introduces a surprising science-based book that doesn't tell us why we
should
exercise but instead shows us how to fall in love with movement.
Exercise is health-enhancing and life-extending, yet many of us feel it's a chore. But as Kelly McGonigal reveals, it doesn't have to be. Movement can and should be a source of joy.
Through her trademark blend of science and storytelling, McGonigal draws on insights from neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology, as well as memoirs, ethnographies, and philosophers. She shows how movement is intertwined with some of the most basic human joys, including self-expression, social connection, and mastery--and why it is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
McGonigal tells the stories of people who have found fulfillment and belonging through running, walking, dancing, swimming, weightlifting, and more, with examples that span the globe, from Tanzania, where one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet live, to a dance class at Juilliard for people with Parkinson's disease, to the streets of London, where volunteers combine fitness and community service, to races in the remote wilderness, where athletes push the limits of what a human can endure. Along the way, McGonigal paints a portrait of human nature that highlights our capacity for hope, cooperation, and self-transcendence.
The result is a revolutionary narrative that goes beyond familiar arguments in favor of exercise, to illustrate why movement is integral to both our happiness and our humanity. Readers will learn what they can do in their own lives and communities to harness the power of movement to create happiness, meaning, and connection. less 
Kevin RoseHad a great time sitting down with @kellymcgonigal to talk about her new book, The Joy of Movement, full podcast here: https://t.co/TcAYlMJBFA (Source)
Jane McgonigalMy twin sis is Oprah's first ever visionary I'm so proud!!! Her new book is amazing the Joy of Movement you will love it 🤸 https://t.co/MmwP7Fz1IB (Source)
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5
A deluxe hardcover edition of the best-selling science-fiction book of all time—part of Penguin Galaxy, a collectible series of six sci-fi/fantasy classics, featuring a series introduction by Neil Gaiman.
Science fiction’s supreme masterpiece, "Dune" will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, it is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who will become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. Paul’s noble family is named stewards of Arrakis, whose sands are the only source of a powerful drug called “the spice.” After his family is brought... more A deluxe hardcover edition of the best-selling science-fiction book of all time—part of Penguin Galaxy, a collectible series of six sci-fi/fantasy classics, featuring a series introduction by Neil Gaiman.
Science fiction’s supreme masterpiece, "Dune" will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, it is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who will become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. Paul’s noble family is named stewards of Arrakis, whose sands are the only source of a powerful drug called “the spice.” After his family is brought down in a traitorous plot, Paul must go undercover to seek revenge, and to bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. less 
Elon MuskBrilliant. [The author] advocates placing limits on machine intelligence. (Source)
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