Over the course of our discussion board's existence, one of the boards that has remained the most popular is our "What Are You Reading" feed (which you should definitely check out if you have never seen it before).

Before the holidays, we thought it might be appropriate to peruse through this list again to pull out some good book choices for gifts—maybe it's something for you, for a work colleague, or a loved one interested in design. 

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For Futurists

"Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut

"I just finished "Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut. It was a pretty interesting story about a dystopian future where pretty much all jobs have been automated and the New World is being run by engineers. The fact that it was written in 1952 blows my mind.

Highly recommend it to all you ID-ers/manufacturers out there" - amunta

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For the Conceptual Designer

"Thinking in Systems" by Donella H Meadows

After reading "Breaking In: Product Design" (another great read) it seemed that everyone agreed that designers are asked to think in systems, at which I nodded my head enthusiastically (gotta think in those systems), but later realized I am not even sure about the correct definition of a system, so I got what I was expecting to be a boring dry inscrutable book, instead it is one of those few books that grab an extremely complex subject and make it interesting and easy to read. - KenoLeon

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For the Design Newcomer

"Design is a Job" by Mike Montiero

"Recently read 'Design is a Job' by Mike Montiero (he's the guy who published that web lecture 'F*ck You, Pay Me')

Its a good overview of working as an independent or as a small design business, and he has an entertaining style"

- Travisimo

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For the Designer Thinking Outside of the Box

"Out of Poverty" by Paul Polak

"Essential reading for every designer. Filled with very thought provoking ideas... - jon_winebrenner

For the Procrastinating Designer 

"The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg

"[A book that shows] how to break bad habits and start good ones"- RAVE12

What are your favorite design related books to read or share with others? Let us know in the comment feed below or on the original discussion board!