Litterature platform

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