Recommendations based on The Principles of Uncertaintyby Maira Kalman

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Elements of Style

    by William Strunk Jr.
    A practical guide to written English, providing guidance on grammar and style.

    This style manual offers practical advice on improving writing skills. Throughout, the emphasis is on promoting a plain English style. This little book can help you communicate more effectively by ... (Goodreads)

  2. Slouching Towards Bethlehem

    by Joan Didion
    Collection of essays exploring the cultural landscape of 1960s America.

    The first nonfiction work by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era, Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem remains, decades after its first publication, the essential portrait of ... (Goodreads)

  3. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

    by Michael Pollan
    A guide to mindful eating, exploring the connection between health, environment and culture.

    A DEFINITIVE COMPENDIUM OF FOOD WISDOM Eating doesn't have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings a welcome simplicity to our ... (Goodreads)

  4. Humans of New York

    by Brandon Stanton
    Collection of stories and photographs of people from all walks of life in New York City.

    A beautiful, heartfelt, funny and inspiring collection of photographs capturing the spirit of a city, In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton set out on an ambitious project: to ... (Goodreads)

  5. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

    by Susan Cain
    An exploration of the power of introversion, examining the implications of modern society's emphasis on extroversion.

    The book that started the Quiet Revolution, At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike ... (Goodreads)

  6. The White Album

    by Joan Didion
    Collection of essays exploring 1960s counterculture in America.

    First published in 1979, Joan Didion's The White Album records indelibly the upheavals and aftermaths of the 1960s. Examining key events, figures, and trends of the era—including Charles Manson, the ... (Goodreads)

  7. Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time

    by Rob Sheffield
    A memoir of music, love, and loss told through a collection of mix tapes.

    In this stunning memoir, Rob Sheffield, a veteran rock and pop culture critic and staff writer for Rolling Stone magazine, tells the story of his musical coming of age, and how rock music, the first ... (Goodreads)

  8. Assassination Vacation

    by Sarah Vowell
    A comedic travelogue exploring the history of presidential assassinations in the United States.

    Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no ... (Goodreads)

  9. A Man Without a Country

    by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
    A collection of essays and speeches by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. that reflect on his life, politics, and the state of the world.

    In a volume that is penetrating, introspective, incisive, and laugh-out-loud funny, one of the great men of letters of this era—or any era—holds forth on life, art, sex, politics, and the state of ... (Goodreads)

  10. Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

    by Roz Chast
    A graphic memoir about a daughter's relationship with her aging parents.

    The book's storyline, spanning an eight-year period from 2001 to 2009, concerns Roz Chast's parents living in Brooklyn . The book describes various interactions between Chast and her parents. Chast, ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

    by Steve Krug
    A guide to creating intuitive, user-friendly websites.

    Since Don’t Make Me Think was first published in 2000, over 400,000 Web designers and developers have relied on Steve Krug’s guide to help them understand the principles of intuitive navigation and ... (Goodreads)

  12. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

    by Steve Martin
    A memoir of the comedian's rise to fame, from the early days of stand-up comedy to the heights of success.

    In the midseventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the ... (Goodreads)

  13. We Should All Be Feminists

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A call to action for an inclusive, gender-equal society through an examination of feminism.

    What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists , a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by ... (Goodreads)

  14. Just Kids

    by Patti Smith
    Chronicles of two young artists in New York City, finding friendship and inspiration in each other.

    In Just Kids , Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal ... (Goodreads)

  15. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

    by Austin Kleon
    A guide to unlocking creativity by embracing influence, stealing ideas, and making something new.

    You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A ... (Goodreads)

  16. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

    by Sheryl Sandberg
    An exploration of gender dynamics in the workplace and solutions for women to achieve success.

    Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In is a massive cultural phenomenon and its title has become an instant catchphrase for empowering women. The book soared to the top of bestseller lists internationally, ... (Goodreads)

  17. When You Are Engulfed in Flames

    by David Sedaris
    Humorous reflections on everyday life, navigating the absurdities of the human condition.

    It's early autumn 1964. Two straight-A students head off to school, and when only one of them returns home Chesney Yelverton is coaxed from retirement and assigned to what proves to be the most ... (Goodreads)

  18. A Field Guide to Getting Lost

    by Rebecca Solnit
    Exploring being lost in the world, embracing the uncertainty of life, and finding new ways of being.

    Whether she is contemplating the history of walking as a cultural and political experience over the past two hundred years ( Wanderlust ), or using the life of photographer Eadweard Muybridge as a ... (Goodreads)

  19. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

    by Mason Currey
    Examining the daily lives of 161 famous artists, uncovering their creative rituals and habits.

    Franz Kafka, frustrated with his living quarters and day job, wrote in a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912, “time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if ... (Goodreads)

  20. Humans of New York: Stories

    by Brandon Stanton
    A collection of poignant and inspiring stories of individuals living in New York City.

    The #1, New York Times, Bestseller! With over 500 vibrant, full-color photos,, Humans of New York: Stories, is an insightful and inspiring collection of portraits of the lives of New Yorkers. Humans ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. Yes Please

    by Amy Poehler
    Humorous memoir of a celebrated comedian, exploring her life, career, and relationships.

    In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please , she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some ... (Goodreads)

  22. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

    by Daniel C. Dennett
    Examines the origins of religious belief, exploring how it has shaped society.

    An innovative thinker tackles the controversial question of why we believe in God and how religion shapes our lives and our future. For a growing number of people, there is nothing more important ... (Goodreads)

  23. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

    by Anne Lamott
    A witty and honest guide to writing and life, encouraging writers to embrace imperfection and find their own voice.

    A newer edition of this title can be found, here., "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to ... (Goodreads)

  24. Naked

    by David Sedaris
    Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.

    Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)

  25. Thinking in Systems: A Primer

    by Donella H. Meadows
    An exploration of how systems work, how they are managed and how they can be improved.

    Meadows’ Thinking in Systems , is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana ... (Goodreads)

  26. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule

    by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
    A collection of delicious vegan cupcake recipes to conquer the world with flavor.

    Vegan legends Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero offer vegan-friendly recipes for both classic and innovative cupcakes that dominate the baking world. The authors of Veganomicon take on the ... (Goodreads)

  27. Autobiography of a Face

    by Lucy Grealy
    A memoir about facing physical deformity and the psychological effects of being ostracized.

    The prologue introduces the reader to Lucy's struggle with self-image. She describes her work at the stable Diamond D, which was her first job after finishing chemotherapy. Through this first ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

    by Atul Gawande
    An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.

    In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)

  29. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman

    by Nora Ephron
    A humorous and poignant look at the struggles of aging and being a woman in modern society.

    With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are ... (Goodreads)

  30. Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic

    by Sam Quinones
    Exposé of the opioid crisis in America, from its origins to its devastating effects.

    In fascinating detail, Sam Quinones chronicles how, over the past 15 years, enterprising sugar cane farmers in a small county on the west coast of Mexico created a unique distribution system that ... (Goodreads)