I was fortunate to spend two days last week with some very smart people as my company hosted a completely non-company-specific, non-tool-specific, non-technology-speicfic peer conference; twelve people in a room discussing the craft and profession of software testing, what changes we see happening and would like to see, and how we might be able to influence them.
On day two the question was raised: “what are you reading or do you recommend?” The following is the list that was produced. This is completely non-edited, everyone was welcome to post their recommendations and talk a bit about them. I am not endorsing all of these; many I’ve not read and a few I’d not even heard of before. Heck, there wasn’t agreement among all the participants on every book, some resulted in quite a discussion.
Note to the participants – I went from our hand-written notes on the wall; if I’ve mis-read something or found the wrong book, please let me know and I’ll update this.
disclosure: all these links are tagged with my Amazon Affiliate code — if you purchase through these links I’ll get a small percentage (which will undoubtedly go toward more book purchases), and I’ll be able to see what books were purchased (but not by whom; Amazon respects your privacy at least that much).
- Explore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing
- The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series, No. 17)
- Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know About How Artists Work
- Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace
- The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
- The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
- Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Shambhala Library)
- Self-Compassion
- What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
- Negotiate This!: By Caring, But Not T-H-A-T Much
- The Trusted Advisor
- The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert
- House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
- The Monkey Wrench Gang (P.S.)
- The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully
- Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty
- Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
- Read This Before Our Next Meeting
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
- Zen in the Art of Archery
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
- Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Vintage Departures)
- The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development (Pragmatic Life)
- Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware (Pragmatic Programmers)
- God & the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony Between Science and Spirituality
- Impact Mapping: Making a big impact with software products and projects
- The Agile Samurai: How Agile Masters Deliver Great Software (Pragmatic Programmers)
- Speaking of India: Bridging the Communication Gap When Working With Indians
- D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches
- Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
- Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency
- Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
- Where Good Ideas Come From – UTPA
- The Magic of Recluce (Saga of Recluce)
- The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
- Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation
- No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World’s 14 Highest Peaks
- K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain
Enjoy!