Of the books I have read, I only keep the books I like. Below is some of the books that has taught and inspired me most, all kept neatly in alphabetic order in my small library. Books has followed me all my life. They have given me life, or more eloquent formulated by Richard Dawkins, books do furnish a life. And the books in my library have travelled. They have followed me everywhere. Some of them started out in Aalborg, Denmark in 1980, then travelled with me to Copenhagen where more was added, then we all moved around the world to Kota Kinabalu on Borneo, and from there to Bangkok, Thailand. Then they moved with me back to Copenhagen, for finally now having ended up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Some of them looks a bit tired and maybe, just maybe, this is where they will end up.
I have 748 books in my little library, half of them fiction, the other half non-fiction. I recon I keep every second book I read, which means that I have read something like 1496 books, or 37,4 books per year or 3,1 books per month for 40 years. Useless statistics for nobody but myself, but sometimes it is fun to play with numbers. And another useless fact would show that the non-fiction books I like are anchored in biology, physics, organizations, strategy, economy, evolution and history, and the fiction books are grouped in three types, books with a good storyline; Boyd, Torday and Towles all tells straightforward and very readable stories, slightly surreal books; Pinol, Yanagihara, Buzatti and Martel all blow my mind, and books located in a for me exotic setting; Hansen, Stangerup, Conrad, Butler, Roberts and Mistry all takes me to places where my mind can wander. The list in www.xxx.xxx is chosen amongst the books in my library. I pulled a book out and asked myself if this was a good book. For most I could not remember the story or the specific content, but something in my meta memory always said no or yes, this was a particular good inspiring book.
The best non-fiction books in my private library
Bakke, Jorgen F.; Organisational Theory (in Danish), 1986
Baldwin, Richard; The Great Convergence, 2016
Barnes, S.; Ten Million Aliens, 2014
Borum, F..; Strategies for Organizational change, 1995
Borum, F.; Organizational Safari (in Danish), 1986
Borum, F.; Conflicts in Organizations (in Danish), 1981
Bregman, Rutger; Utopia for Realists, 2017
Brockman, J. (ed); What changed your mind about, 2009
Brockman, J. (ed); This will change everything, 2010
Brockman, J. (ed); This will make you smarter, 2012
Brockman, J. (ed); Life, 2016
Brockman, J. (ed); Know This, 2017
Brockman, J. (ed); This idea is brilliant, 2018
Buchanan, D./Badham, R.; Power, politics&change, 1999
Buchanan, D./Boddy, D; Expertise of change agent, 1992
Brunsson, N./Olson, J. P.; Reforming organisation, 1993
Brunsson, N./Olson, J. P.; Organizing organizations, 1998
Chang, Jung; Wild Swans, 1991
Chang, Jung; Big sister, Little sister, Red sister, 2019
Cannadine, David; The Undivided Past, 2013
Christian, David; Origin Story, 2018
Clegg, S. R.; Modern Organizations, 1990
Colding-Jorgensen, M.; Chaos and non-elephants, 1998
Darwin, Charles; On natural selection, 1859
Dawkins, Richard; The Selfish Gene, 1986
Dawkins, Richard; The Blind Matchmaker, 1986
Dawkins, Richard; The Ancestors Tale, 2005
Dawkins, Richard; The God Delusion, 2007
Dawkins, Richard; The Greatest Show on Earth, 2009
Dawkins, Richard; The Magic of Reality, 2012
Dawkins, Richard; Brief Candle in the Dark, 2015
Dawkins, Richard; Science in the Soul, 2017
Dawkins, Richard; Books do furnish a life, 2021
Deutsch, David; The Beginning of Infinity, 2011
Dennet, Daniel C.; Intuition Pumps, 2013
Diamond, Jared; Guns, Germs and Steel, 1997
Digmann, A./Voetmann, K.; Organizational learning, 1998
Dowden, Richard; Africa, 2008
Dreyfus, H & Dreyfus, S.: Mind Over Machine, 1986
Easterly, William; The White Man’s Burden, 2006
Farson, Richard; Management of the Absurd, 1997
Ferguson, Niall; The great degeneration, 2013
Ferry, Luc.; The new ecological order, 1992
Flyvberg, Bent.; Rationality and power, part 1 and 2, 1996
Flyvberg, Bent.; Megaprojects and Risk, 2003
Flyvberg, Bent (ed.); Real Social Science, 2012
Fromm, Eric; The Healthy Society, 1964
Fromm, Eric; The Art of Loving, 1982
Gehl, Jan; Cities for Humans (in Danish), 2010
Gladwell, Malcom; The Tipping Point, 2000
Gladwell, Malcom; Blink, 2005
Gladwell, Malcom; Outliers, 2008
Goldstein, J.; The unshackled organisation, 1994
Gorz, Andre; The roads of Paradise (in Danish), 1984
Gustafsson J./Seeman. J.; Small org. in big systems, 1985
Hammer, Arnold; Hammer, 1987
Hatch, Mary J.; Organisation Theory, 1997
Harari Yuval N.; Sapiens, 2014
Harari Yuval N.; 21 lessons for the 21st Century, 2018
Harman, Soren; The price of Altruism, 2010
Haste, G.; Modernity and organization (in Danish), 1997
Hawkins, Jeff; A thousand brains, 2021
Hoffmeyer, Jesper; Natural History of Society, 1982
Hoffmeyer, Jesper; A snail on the road, 1995
Holldobler, b. & Wilson. E. O.: The superorganism, 2009
Holldobler, b. & Wilson. E. O.: The leafcutter ants, 2011
Huch, Kurt J.; Indoctrination and Class Society, 1973
Huxley, Aldous; The eternal philosophy, 1945
Immelt, Jeff; Hot Seat, 2021
Jasanoff, Maya; The Dawn Watch, Joseph Conrad, 2017
Jensen, Esben K.; The revolutionary Sartre, 1979
Jespersen, Peter K.; Bureaucracy (in Danish), 1996
Johnson, G.; Fire in the mind, 1995
Jones, G./Hill, W.; Theory of Strategic Management, 2010
Junck R./Mullert, N. R.; Future Management, 1981
Jorgensen, Kjeld A.; Strategic Development, 1983
Kanter/Stein/Jick; Challenge of Org Change, 1992
Kennedy, Paul; The rise and fall of Great Powers, 1989
Koch, Richard; Beyond the 80/20 principle, 2020
Kneebone, Roger; Expert, 2020
Knudsen, Herman; Discipline and salaried work, 1980
Laugesen, C. H., et.al.; A Decade of Development, 2009
Laugesen, C. H., et.al; Wastewater in Dev Countries, 2009
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Clean water Nong Han lake, 2005
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Clean beach, Patong, 2006
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Water, Land, Cities, Sabah, 2003
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Environmental Indicators, 2003
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Managers in Dialogue, 1994
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Management by Objectives, 1993
Laugesen, C. H.; Health Sector Quality Assurance, 1992
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; Health Sector Continuity, 1992
Laugesen, C. H. et.al.; QA in Health Adm., 1992
Laugesen, C. H.; Political and Org. Power Theories, 1988
Laugesen, C. H.; Network Perspective UN Refugee Operations in Thailand,1988
Law J. & Mol, A.; Complexities, 2006
Lee, K. N.; Compass and gyroscope, 1993
Lewis, Michael; The Undoing Project, 2017
Loon, Hendrik W. V.; Tolerance, 1998
Luhman, Niklas; Social Systems, 1984
Lonhold, Jens; Wastewater management in tropics, 2005
Maanen, John. v.; Tales of the field, 1988
Maanen, John v.; Qualitative studies of org., 1998
Marx, Karl; Complete Works, pre-century
March, James G.; Reason and change (in Danish), 1995
March, James G.; The Ambiguities of Experience, 2010
Melander, Preben; Tools for project management, 1990
Meredith, Martin; The State of Africa, 2005
Meredith, Martin; The Fortunes of Africa, 2014
Mlodinow, Leonard; The Upright Thinkers, 2015
Mintzberg, Henry; Rise & fall of strategic planning, 1994
Mintzberg/Ahlstrand/Lampel, J. Strategy safari, 1998
Mintzberg, Henry; Managing, 2009
Morgan, Gareth.; Imagin-i-zation, 1993
Morgan, Gareth.; Images of Organisations, 1998
Montefiore, Simon S.; Stalin, 2003
Morsing, M.; Change to paradise? (in Danish), 1995
Morris, Ian; Why the West rule for now, 2010
Morris, Ian; War, 2014
Morland, Paul; The Human Tide, 2019
Mukherjee, Siddhartha; The Gene, 2016
Mørch, Søren; The European House (in Danish), 1991
Mørch, S. & Buk-Swienty, T.; History of retailers. 2007
Mørch, Søren; Great Things (in Danish), 2009
Mørch, Søren; Great Changes (in Danish), 2009
Mørch, Søren; 24 Prime ministers (in Danish) , 2000
Mørch, Søren; Unforeseen incidents (in Danish), 2019
Nielsen, J. C. Ry; Life in organizations (in Danish), 1993
Norman, Jesse; Adam Smith, 2018
Nørretranders, Tor; Feel the World, 1991
Nørretranders, Tor; Into the Future, 2000
Nørretranders, Tor; To believe in believing, 2003
Nørretranders, Tor; The Generous Human, 2003
Nørretranders, Tor; Human Food (in Danish), 2005
Nørretranders, Tor; Einstein, Einstein (in Danish), 2006
Nørretranders, Tor; Civilization 2.0 (in Danish), 2007
Nørretranders, Tor; Be near (in Danish), 2013
Nørretranders, Tor; Look Forward (in Danish), 2017
Olson/Eoyang: Facilitating org. change, 2001
Osnos, Evan; Age of Ambition, 2014
Pakenham, Thomas; The scramble for Africa, 1991
Patten, Chris; East and West, 1998
Patten, Chris; Not quite the diplomat, 2005
Pfeffer, J & Salancik, G. R.; External control of org., 1978
Phillips, Tom; Humans, 2018
Pinker, Steven; The Blank Slate, 2002
Pinker, Steven; The better angels of our nature, 2011
Pinker, Steven; Enlightment now, 2018
Rhinehart, Luke; The book of the dice, 2000
Ridley, Matt; The rational optimist, 2010
Ridley, Matt; The evolution of everything, 2015
Ridley, Matt; How innovation works, 2020
Rorty, Richard; Contingency, Irony and Solidarity, 1989
Rorty, Richard; Truth and progress, 1998
Rorty, Richard; Philosophy and social hope, 1999
Rorty, Richard; Take care of Freedom, 2006
Rubinstein/Firstenberg; The minding organisation, 1999
Rutherford, Adam; A brief history of everything, 2016
Sartre, Jean P.; The artist and his consciousness, 1964
Sartre, Jean P.; Ethics, 1983
Sartre, Jean P.; Existentialism and Marxism, 1960
Sartre, Jean P.; Self-portrait, 1976
Sartre, Jean P.; Fenomology and feelings, 1965
Sartre, Jean P.; Dialectique critique, 1972
Saunders, Doug; Arrival City, 2010
Savanter, Fernando; Courage to raise, 1997
Shawcross, William; The quality of mercy, 1984
Schein, Edgar H.; Process Consultation, 1987
Schein, Edgar H.; Humble Inquiry, 2013
Scott, W. R. & Meyer, J. W.; Org. environments, 1983
Scott, W. & Meyer, J.; Institutional environments, 1994
Sennet, Richard; The craftsman, 2008
Seidentop, Larry; Democracy in Europe, 2000
Shubin, Neill; The Universe Within, 2013
Stacey, R. D.; Strategic Mgmt and Org. Dynamics, 1993
Stacey, R D.; Complexity and creativity in org., 1996
Stacey, R. D. et. al; Complexity and management, 2000
Stacey, R. D.; Complex responsive processes in org., 2001
Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth; everybody lies, 2017
Streatfield, Phillip J.; The paradox of control in org., 2001
Strydom, T. J.; Koos Bekker’s billions, 2022
Toulmin, S.; Cosmopolis, 1990
Vickery, Michael; Cambodia, 1984
Vogel, Ezra F.; Deng Xiaopeng, 2011
Waldrop, M.; Complexity, 1992
Ward, P. & Kirschvink, J.; A new history of life, 2015
Watts, Duncan J.; Everything is obvious, 2011
Weick, Karl E.; Sensemaking in Organisations, 1995
Weick, K. & Sutcliffe, K.; Managing the unexpected, 2001
Weick, Karl E.; Making sense of the Organisation, 2001
Weinberg, Steven; To explain the world, 2015
Wilczek, Frank; Fundamentals, 2021
Wilson, Edward O.; The Social Conquest of Earth, 2012
Wilson, Edward O.; Genesis, 2019
Wood, Michael; The story of China, 2020
Zhiyuan, Xu; Paper Tiger, 2015
The best fiction books in my private library
Adiga, Aravind; The white tiger, 2008
Adiga, Aravind; Between the assassinations, 2008
Adiga, Aravind; Selection day, 2016
Anderson, Lars; Snelys, 1979
Barnes, Julian; Flaubert’s parrot, 1985
Barnes, Julian; History of world in 10 ½ chapters, 1989
Barnes, Julian; England England, 1999
Barnes, Julian; Arthur & George, 2005
Barnes, Julian; Nothing to be frightenend of, 2009
Barnes, Julian; The sense of an ending, 2011
Barnes, Julian; Pulse, 2011
Barnes, Julian; Levels of life, 2013
Barnes, Julian; The noise of time, 2016
Barnes, Julian; The only story, 2018
Beatty, Paul; The sellout, 2016
Bolano, Roberto; The savage detectives, 1998
Bolano, Roberto; 2666, 2004
Ballard, J. G. The day of creation, 1987
Bonnevie, Lars; En grav i vinden, 1970
Bonnevie, Lars; Dommeren (the judge), 1998
Born, Nicolas; The deception, 1979
Boyd, William; A good man in Africa, 1981
Boyd, William; An ice-cream war, 1982
Boyd, William; Brazzaville beach, 1990
Boyd, William; The blue afternoon, 1993
Boyd, William; Armadillo, 1998
Boyd, William; Fascination, 2004
Boyd, William; Bamboo, 2005
Boyd, William; Restless, 2006
Boyd, William; Waiting for sunrise, 2012
Boyd, William; Ordinary thunderstorms, 2009
Boyd, William; The dreams of Bethany Mellmoth, 2017
Boyd, William; Love is blind, 2018
Boyd, William; Trio, 2020
Butler, Robert O.; Countrymen of bones, 1983
Butler, Robert O.; The deuce, 1989
Butler, R. O.; A good scent from a strange mountain, 1993
Butler, Robert O.; The alleys of eden, 1995
Butler, Robert O.; The deep green sea, 1997
Butler, Robert O.; Tabloid dreams, 1997
Buzatti, Dino; The tartar steppe, 1945
Buzatti, Dino; Possession, 1963
Camus, Albert; The stranfer, 1942
Camus, Albert; Summer, 1950
Camus, Albert; Ungdommens land, 1954
Camus, Albert; Eksil og kongedommet, 1956
Camus, Albert; Faldet, 1956
Camus, Albert; The plague, 1965
Coe, Jonathan; The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim, 2010
Coetzee, J. M.; Foe, 1986
Coetzee, J. M.; While we wait for the barbarians, 1994
Coetzee, J. M.; Age of iron, 1998
Coetzee, J. M.; Disgrace, 1999
Coetzee, J. M.; Youth, 2002
Coetzee, J. M.; Diary of a bad year, 2003
Coetzee, J. M.; Slow man, 2005
Coetzee, J. M.; Summertime, 2009
Conrad, Joseph; Almeyers folly, 1895
Conrad, Joseph; Tales of land and sea, 1897
Conrad, Joseph; The nigger of the Narcissus, 1897
Conrad, Joseph; Tales of unrest, 1898
Conrad, Joseph; Lord Jim, 1899
Conrad, Joseph; Heart of darkness, 1902
Conrad, Joseph; Nostromo, 1904
Conrad, Joseph; The secret agent, 1907
Conrad, Joseph; Victory, 1915
Conrad, Joseph; The rescue, 1920
Enquist, Per O.: Livslaegens besog, 2000
Greene, Graham; Lord of the flies, 1954
Greene, Graham; The end of the affair, 1962
Grossman, David; Horse walks into a bar, 2016
Gunesekera, Romesh; Reef, 1994
Gurnah, Abdulrazak; Paradise, 1994
Gurnah, Abdulrazak; By the sea, 2001
Gurnah, Abdulrazak; The last gift, 2011
Hagerfors, Lennart; Hvalerne i Tanganyika soen, 1985
Hansen, Thorkild; Arabia Felix, 1962
Hansen, Thorkild; Jens Munk, 1965
Hessler, Peter; River town, 2001
Hemon, Aleksandar; The Lazarus project, 2008
Hoeg, P; Forestilling om det tyvende aarhundrede, 1988
Jersild, P. C.; Geniernes genkomst, 1987
Kneale, Matthew; English passengers, 2000
Kosinski, Jerzy; Welcome Mr Chance, 1970
Kundera, Milan; Laughable loves, 1969
Kundera, Milan; Latter og glemsel, 1978
Kundera, Milan; Immortality, 1991
Kundera, Milan; Langsomheden, 1995
Kundera, Milan; Identity, 1998
Kundera, Milan; Ignorance, 2002
Naipaul, V. S.; A bend at the river, 1979
Mistry, Rohinton, Such a long journey, 1991
Mistry, Rohinton, A fine balance, 1996
Martel, Yann; Life of Pi, 2001
Lermontov, M. J.; A hero of our time, 1959
Lenz, Siegfried; The light tower, 1960
Lagercrantz, Olof; Fard mod morkets hjarta, 1987
Patchett, Ann; State of wonder, 2011
Pavesi, Alex; Eight detectives, 2020
Pinol, Albert S.; Cold skin, 2002
Pinol, Albert S.; Pandora in the Congo, 2005
Pirsig, R M.; Zen and art to maintain a motorcycle, 1977
Rhinehart, Luke; Dice Man, 1971
Roberts, Gregory D.; Santaram, 2004
Rutherfurd, Edward; China, 2021
Sarte, Jean Paul; Kvalme, 1938
Sarte, Jean Paul; The wall, 1939
Sarte, Jean Paul; Ordene, 1964
Sarte, Jean Paul; Galgenfrist, 1964
Sarte, Jean Paul; Ensom blandt mennesker, 1967
Sarte, Jean Paul; Med doden in hjertet, 1967
Stangerup, Henrik; Lagoa Santa, 1981
Stangerup, Henrik; Seducer, 1985
Torday, Paul; Salmon fishing in the Yemen, 2007
Torday, P; Irresistible inheritance of Wilberforce, 2008
Torday, Paul; The hopeless life of Charlie Summers, 2010
Torday, Paul; More than you can say, 2011
Torday, Paul; Light shining in the forest, 2012
Torday, Paul; The legacy of Hartlepool Hall, 2012
Torday, Paul; The death of an owl, 2016
Towles, Amor; Rules of Civility, 2011
Towles, Amor; A gentleman in Moscow, 2016
Towles, Amor; The Lincoln Highway, 2022
Tygesen, Peter; Congo, I presume, 2001
Yanagihara, Hanya; The people in the trees, 2014
Yanagihara, Hanya; A little life, 2015