Confession: I am a total book nerd! There are always a ton of book recommendations given while attending a conference, and this year at OSCON was no different. Instead of spreading my book recommendations out and including them in my OSCON event reports, I collected them all in here in one list. Enjoy and let me know if you have read and liked (or didn’t) any of these! Or, feel free to leave a comment suggesting a great book for us to read.

The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane

Many of us in technology, myself included, are introverts and as such can benefit from guides like this one on better and improved communication. This is high on my priority list of books to read this summer.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I read this book last year and it had a huge impact on me and the way I interact with my colleagues. I think that every manager in tech needs to read this book to learn how to work with introverts effectively. 

Idea Flow: How to Measure the PAIN in Software Development by Janelle Klein

Janelle Klein gave a very interesting and fast paced talk at OSCON about wow to build a learning organization, and while I couldn’t keep up with her enough to report from the session, we could all learn a lot about how to use the pain measurement to decide what areas we need to focus on improving in our organizations from this book and interesting person.

The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of Learning Organization‎ by Peter M Senge

Janelle Klein also recommended reading this book because it influenced her theories about building a learning organization. I’m curious to see how I might be able apply this to my practice as a technology educator.

The Art of Community by Jono Bacon

I recommend this book often, and so do others, because community is key to open source. Jono Bacon’s book is a great guide for community managers and community members alike.

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

I’m a huge fan of business books, but I can’t tell just by browsing bookshelves which books are best. As someone who has worked for a startup for the last several years, this recommendation from the Cultivate pre-conference is a must-read.