The best books to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a chess Grandmaster and former British and European gold medal winner. I have won tournaments in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Holland, Germany, and Cuba, where I met Fidel Castro. I have always been fascinated by the potential power of the human mind and how to activate it. Memory, Speed Reading, Mind Mapping, and Critical Thinking, all form a part of this intriguing matrix. 


I wrote...

Fifty Shades of Ray

By Raymond Keene,

Book cover of Fifty Shades of Ray

What is my book about?

A tour through my chess career, covering my victories as a Grandmaster in international chess tournaments, meeting Bobby Fischer and chess fan Fidel Castro and organising world championships with Garry Kasparov. How chess improves memory and creativity plus connections between chess, politics, art, and culture. 

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Mind Map Book: Unlock Your Creativity, Boost Your Memory, Change Your Life

Raymond Keene Why did I love this book?

A revolutionary book by my friend Tony Buzan, who sadly passed in 2019. Tony left a huge educational legacy based on his invention of the Mind Map, an amazing tool to expand your memory, creativity, and critical thinking. Anyone who wants to pass exams or protect against Alzheimer’s must read this book! 

By Tony Buzan, Barry Buzan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Mind Map Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tony Buzan is the inventor of Mind Maps and The Mind Map Book is the original and best book on how to use them effectively in your own life.



Often referred to as 'the Swiss army knife for the brain', Mind Maps are a ground-breaking, note-taking technique that have already revolutionised the lives of many millions of people around the world and taken the educational and business world by storm.



This practical full-colour book will transform the way you plan and organise your life. At school they're perfect for taking notes, revising for exams and planning essays; at work they're…


Book cover of How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week: 50 Proven Ways to Enhance Your Memory Skills

Raymond Keene Why did I love this book?

Dominic O'Brien won the inaugural World Memory Championship in 1991, which I organised jointly with Tony Buzan. Everyone needs memory power, from the youngest school kid to the most ancient of veterans. Without memory, you cannot come up with anything creative. Dominic has the ability to remember thousands of binary digits in half an hour or remember an entire park of cards in mere seconds. There is no one better than eight-times World Memory Champion Dominic O'Brien to guide you on the right path. 

By Dominic O'Brien,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Written by eight times World Memory Champion, Dominic O'Brien this book is a complete course in memory enhancement. Dominic takes you step-by-step through an ingenious programme of skills, introducing all his tried and tested techniques on which he has built his triumphant championship performances. Pacing the course in line with his expert understanding of how the brain responds to basic memory training, Dominic offers strategies and tips that will expand your mental capacities at a realistic but impressive rate.


Book cover of Use Your Head: How to Unleash the Power of Your Mind

Raymond Keene Why did I love this book?

Tony Buzan was a genius who discovered the secret of bringing out the innate genius in others. This all-round manual illustrates all aspects of Tony’s teachings which can transform your mental power in every aspect of your life. At university Tony realised that there was no handbook or operations manual for the human brain, so he decided to write it himself. This is it. 

By Tony Buzan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Use Your Head as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The chances are that we are only using about 1% of the power of our brain. Just imagine the amazing results if we could unlock just a fraction of the power of the remaining 99%. With this definitive, classic operations manual for the brain, you can discover how to revolutionise the way you think and learn, wake up your senses and unleash the hidden power of your mind.

With this book, you will learn how to:



Improve your problem-solving capabilities.
Become more creative in your approach to work and life.
Understand, retain and more readily recall information.
Improve your memory…


Book cover of How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

Raymond Keene Why did I love this book?

Leonardo da Vinci is widely perceived as the most versatile genius of all time. Artist, sculptor, scientist, military engineer, bridge builder, and anatomical pioneer, no other person throughout history has shown Leonardo’s breadth of interest. In this book Michael Gelb distills the principles which permit the readers to learn and deploy Leonardo’s secrets in their own lives. 

By Michael J. Gelb,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This inspiring and inventive guide teaches readers how to develop their full potential by following the example of the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci.

Acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, who has helped thousands of people expand their minds to accomplish more than they ever thought possible, shows you how. Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Gelb introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius—from curiosità, the insatiably curious approach to life to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as your inspiration, you will discover an…


Book cover of How To Be A Speedy Reader

Raymond Keene Why did I love this book?

Anne Jones has won the World Speed Reading Championship on no fewer than six occasions. The championships were all organised by myself and my late friend Tony Buzan. In an increasingly complicated world the ability to cut through the mounds of verbiage to get to the nub of the matter is of vital significance. Anne Jones, the most dominant speed reader of all time, shows us how. 

By Anne Jones,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How To Be A Speedy Reader as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You too can be a speedy reader! Would you like to save time and get the most from the reading you do? Discover how to increase your reading speed and boost your comprehension and recall.


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Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

By Sima Dimitrijev, PhD, Maryann Karinch,

Book cover of Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

Sima Dimitrijev, PhD Author Of Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

My core value is realistic education—learning from each other’s errors and successes, but with full awareness of the difference between the determined past and the uncertain future. We can benefit from uncertainty, which I’ve been doing for a living as an engineer, academic researcher, and inventor. I make use of knowledge and science as much as possible, but I also know that strategic decisions for the uncertain future require skepticism and thinking to deal with the differences in a new circumstance. With my core value, I am passionate about sharing insights and knowledge that our formal education does not provide.

Sima's book list on realistic knowledge and decision making

What is my book about?

Everything in nature evolves by trial, error, and success—from fundamental physics, through evolution in biology, to how people learn, think, and decide.

This book presents a way of thinking and realistic knowledge that our formal education shuns. Stepping beyond this ignorance, the book shows how to deal with and even benefit from uncertainty by skeptical thinking, strategic decisions, and teamwork based on enlightened self-interests.

This bottom-up thinking is thought-provoking for leaders who wish to build teams rather than herds. The insights in the book will help you to be better prepared for the unexpected, less likely to conform when you…

Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

By Sima Dimitrijev, PhD, Maryann Karinch,

What is this book about?

Everything in nature evolves by trial, error, and success. They didn't teach you this in school, even though you should know why the rigid laws of physics don't rule nature and don't inhibit your free-will decisions to try, fail, and succeed. As a guide to success, this book shows how skepticism, prudent use of science, and thinking lead to strategic decisions for the uncertain future.
 
Presenting real-life examples, the thinking in the book combines sharp analyses with broad analogies to show:
 
How to identify realistic knowledge and avoid harm due to overgeneralized concepts. How to create new knowledge and solve…


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