Opinions will vary as to how good or important certain books are and I don’t like recommending books because what clicks with me won’t necessarily click with someone else. This list is therefore made up of books I consider the ones I found to be most influential on me.
In a number of cases, the context has changed and you might argue they are no longer current because they are older books. I would say they are still applicable and very much so because the ideas at the core of them still hold true. Here’s my list:
Web – usability, language, design:
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Steve Krug
Defining the Wind: The Beaufort Scale, and How a 19th-Century Admiral Turned Science into Poetry
Scott Huler
(see my post: Language, usability and the 19th century)
Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become
Peter Morville
(See my post: Ambient findability … Huh?)
Social media:
Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
Seth Godin
Slapstick or Lonesome No More!: A Novel
Kurt Vonnegut
(see my post: How Kurt Vonnegut defined social media)
Fiction:
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
John Gardner

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