I normally wrap up the year with a list of industry books that I enjoyed reading. However, this year I didn’t read any technology books (minus The Augmented Workforce). I spent my time indulging in guilt-free beach reads on Lake Michigan. I enjoyed Elin Hilderbrand’s stories on Nantucket so much that I bought the cookbook that inspired the meals for her characters. Beware, the Nantucket Open-House Cookbook recipes are for a crowd! But they are delicious.
I continued into Fall with The Spymaster of Baghdad. That book has been the only thing I’ve read that helped me understand the complexities of Iraq. It was surreal to read about places in the past that would be part of my husband’s deployment a decade later. It was interesting to read about Baghdad from an Iraqi’s point of view and how the American military and political machines came across.
After that, I felt like it was time to dive back into technology, culture, and the people and companies who are building the future. Without further adieu, here are my top reads to start off the new year!
Lilyotron’s New Year Reads for 2022
Console Wars
I started Console Wars and not even halfway through I can tell you it’s another knockout by Blake Harris. Those who do not study history and doomed to repeat it and that applies to video games as well! The future of the internet is the metaverse, a 3D interactive interface that connects physical to virtual. What we learn about the video game industry in the 1980s are companies who create a game when they don’t understand it. We see creators who feel jipped when they’re not allowed to add their names to the credits (even though without them the game would never have been the hit it was). All these lessons apply to the future. A world of creators-first. Companies need to understand the metaverse community more than ever, lest they end up in the dust.
The Big Nine
How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity
I enjoy Amy Webb’s articles, LinkedIn posts, and now I’m sure to love her book. This is Webb’s third book (she has another one available for preorder). The Big Nine fits into my interests in how tech companies and their leaders shape our lives.
The Robot and Automation Almanac – 2022
My mentor, Mike Walton, has a paper published as part of this Almanac. Mike was my boss’s boss during my consulting days. Since then he has worked at Google and now Microsoft. So when he told me a paper was published in The Robot and Automation Almanac, I knew I had to buy it.
Plus, I think it’s important to understand robots and machines in a world of virtual goods and commerce.
The Future Starts Now
Expert Insights into the Future of Business, Technology and Society
I follow Theo Priestley on LinkedIn, a metaverse NFT guy and CEO of Carbon Based Lifeforms. He co-authored The Future Starts Now with Bronwyn Williams. If you’re interested in what futurists do, then this should be a good book to read! The description of the book is described as “a comprehensive history of tomorrow.” I look forward to seeing what Priestly and Williams have to say.
What are you reading this January? Let me know in the comments!
Lily Snyder 
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