100 books like The Creativity Code

By Marcus du Sautoy,

Here are 100 books that The Creativity Code fans have personally recommended if you like The Creativity Code. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of In the Wild Light

Sarah Connell Sanders Author Of Small Teaching K-8: Igniting the Teaching Spark with the Science of Learning

From my list on looking inside an adolescent’s mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the co-author of Small Teaching K-8. I hold Massachusetts teacher licensure in English 5-12, Library k-12, and School Administration 5-8 as well as an M.Ed. from Boston College.

Sarah's book list on looking inside an adolescent’s mind

Sarah Connell Sanders Why did Sarah love this book?

Lovers of John Green’s Looking for Alaska and Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep will appreciate this YA-novel.

In the Wild Light is a coming-of-age story about two friends plucked from rural poverty to attend an elite boarding school. Addiction, class, and friendship are major themes in this excellent portrait of an adolescent’s mind. 

By Jeff Zentner,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked In the Wild Light as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal

I've always loved when the light finds the broken spots in the world and makes them beautiful . . .

Cash's life in his small Tennessee town is hard. He lost his mom to an opioid addiction and his grandfather's illness is getting worse. His smart but troubled best friend, Delaney, is his only salvation. But Delaney is meant for greater things, and she finds a way for Cash to leave with her. Will abandoning his old life be the thing that finally breaks Cash, or will it be the making of him?

From the…


Book cover of Such a Fun Age

Sarah Connell Sanders Author Of Small Teaching K-8: Igniting the Teaching Spark with the Science of Learning

From my list on looking inside an adolescent’s mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the co-author of Small Teaching K-8. I hold Massachusetts teacher licensure in English 5-12, Library k-12, and School Administration 5-8 as well as an M.Ed. from Boston College.

Sarah's book list on looking inside an adolescent’s mind

Sarah Connell Sanders Why did Sarah love this book?

I read this novel in one sitting because I was so taken by Reid’s portrayal of ‘parent vs. caretaker.’

As teachers, we navigate these challenging relationships every day. Such a Fun Age shows the rawness and imperfection of parenthood alongside the precariousness of taking responsibility for someone else’s child.

By Kiley Reid,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Such a Fun Age as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Best Book of the Year:
The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • NPR • Vogue • Elle • Real Simple • InStyle • Good Housekeeping • Parade • Slate • Vox • Kirkus Reviews • Library Journal • BookPage

Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

A Reese's Book Club Pick 

"The most provocative page-turner of the year." --Entertainment Weekly

"I urge you to read Such a Fun Age." --NPR

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and…


Book cover of Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn

Regan A.R. Gurung Author Of Study Like a Champ: The Psychology-Based Guide to "Grade A" Study Habits

From my list on teachers who care about students and learning.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to teach and to do research on teaching and learning. Little compares to seeing how students’ faces light up when they get it. I want more students to experience the experience of getting it. After teaching for 25 years, and taking a deep dive into the scientific literature on learning, I have accumulated some important insights that I share in my work as Executive Director of a teaching and learning center, with my students, and with faculty across the nation. Teaching is not an impromptu act. It is an art and a science and I revel in it. These books will light a fire in you.

Regan's book list on teachers who care about students and learning

Regan A.R. Gurung Why did Regan love this book?

Sure the brain is at the heart of all we do but how do we bridge the chasm between technical neuroscience and cognitive psychology, and what we do day to day in the classroom?

The book was packed with aha moments connecting specific practices such as why it is important to pause often in class to the science (it helps move information from working memory to long-term memory). With vivid examples, the authors make neuroscience palatable and pragmatic.

Also packed with activities you can directly use.

By Barbara Oakley, Beth Rogowsky, Terrence J. Sejnowski

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Uncommon Sense Teaching as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Top 10 Pick for Learning Ladders’ Best Books for Educators Summer 2021

A groundbreaking guide to improve teaching based on the latest research in neuroscience, from the bestselling author of A Mind for Numbers.

Neuroscientists and cognitive scientists have made enormous strides in understanding the brain and how we learn, but little of that insight has filtered down to the way teachers teach. Uncommon Sense Teaching applies this research to the classroom for teachers, parents, and anyone interested in improving education. Topics include:

  •  keeping students motivated and engaged, especially with online learning
  •  helping students remember information long-term, so…


Book cover of I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Sarah Connell Sanders Author Of Small Teaching K-8: Igniting the Teaching Spark with the Science of Learning

From my list on looking inside an adolescent’s mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the co-author of Small Teaching K-8. I hold Massachusetts teacher licensure in English 5-12, Library k-12, and School Administration 5-8 as well as an M.Ed. from Boston College.

Sarah's book list on looking inside an adolescent’s mind

Sarah Connell Sanders Why did Sarah love this book?

Sloane Crosley’s first collection of literary essays is a hilarious celebration of emerging adulthood.

Her vulnerability and clever wit are on display as she navigates the hijinx of making a life in New York City. Crosley’s distinct writer’s voice has stuck with me through my transition from teacher to author. 

By Sloane Crosley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Was Told There'd Be Cake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of 2018's much buzzed about Look Alive Out There...

Wry, hilarious, and profoundly genuine, Sloane Crosley's debut collection of literary essays is a celebration of fallibility and haplessness in all their glory.  The New York Times bestseller that both captured and influenced a generation.

From despoiling an exhibit at the Natural History Museum to provoking the ire of her first boss to siccing the cops on her mysterious neighbor, Crosley can do no right despite the best of intentions -- or perhaps because of them. Together, these essays create a startlingly funny and revealing portrait of a…


Book cover of Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI

Steve Finlay Author Of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Business: A No-Nonsense Guide to Data Driven Technologies

From my list on machine learning for managers and business leaders.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have worked in the field of machine learning and predictive analytics for many years. Having started out as a technical specialist, I have become increasingly interested in the legal, ethical, and social aspects of these subjects. This is because it is these “soft issues” that often determine how successful these technologies are in practice and if they are viewed as a force for good or evil in wider society. This has led me to write several books focusing on the practical and cultural aspects of these subjects and how best to apply them for the benefit of business, individuals, and wider society.

Steve's book list on machine learning for managers and business leaders

Steve Finlay Why did Steve love this book?

Many writers have discussed the dangers that artificial intelligence and machine learning represent to our livelihoods, and how clever computers and autonomous robots will supplant us all in the workplace. What I like about this book is that it provides an alternative, and very optimistic, view of how these new technologies are being deployed. The authors present a future based on a partnership, in which artificial intelligence-based tools work in tandem with human workers, enhancing what individuals can do in the workplace rather than replacing them.

By Paul R. Daugherty, H. James Wilson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Human + Machine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AI is radically transforming business. Are you ready?

Look around you. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic notion. It's here right now--in software that senses what we need, supply chains that "think" in real time, and robots that respond to changes in their environment. Twenty-first-century pioneer companies are already using AI to innovate and grow fast. The bottom line is this: Businesses that understand how to harness AI can surge ahead. Those that neglect it will fall behind. Which side are you on?

In Human + Machine, Accenture leaders Paul R. Daugherty and H. James (Jim) Wilson show…


Book cover of Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul

Melanie Deziel

From my list on how writers can avoid being replaced by AI.

Why am I passionate about this?

Professionally, I’ve been a journalist, author, speaker, marketer, adjunct professor, consultant, startup founder, and more; but at my core, I’m a storyteller and a lifelong student. I read voraciously about creativity, writing, media, marketing, psychology, and design, and I’m fascinated by drawing connections between these things. (I’m still allowed to say “read” when I mostly consume audiobooks, right?) I’m currently focused on helping other creators and storytellers master their craft, refine their big ideas, and figure out their unique differentiators, through The Creator Kitchen, the mastermind program I run with fellow creator Jay Acunzo.

Melanie's book list on how writers can avoid being replaced by AI

Melanie Deziel Why did Melanie love this book?

I’ve read a lot of books on creativity, and this one stands out for its more scientific and historical approach.

No surprise; it’s written by the NYT’s Science Reporter, and it comes with the sources, case studies, and expert insights you’d expect from someone who works for the country’s newspaper of record. It covered some of the biological and evolutionary support for creativity, which was something I haven’t seen much of elsewhere; and since biological writers are up against the mechanized ones, this will help you see your key advantages.

The audiobook was over 11 hours long, but it didn’t feel like it, and I found myself sitting in the car to continue listening after I’d arrived at my destination more than once. 

By Matt Richtel,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The New York Times's Pulitzer Prize-winning science reporter "unpacks the myths and mysteries of the creative process" (Salon)

How does creativity work? Where does inspiration come from? What are the secrets of our most revered creators? How can we maximize our creative potential?

Creativity defines the human experience. It sparks achievement and innovation in art, science, technology, business, sports, and virtually every activity. It has fueled human progress on a global level, but it equally is the source of profound personal satisfaction for individual creators. And yet the origins of creative inspiration and the methods by which great creators tap…


Book cover of The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms

Keith J. Holyoak Author Of The Spider's Thread: Metaphor in Mind, Brain, and Poetry

From my list on the creative mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a professor of cognitive psychology at UCLA, and also a poet. Growing up on a dairy farm in British Columbia, I immersed myself in the world of books. My mother showed me her well-worn copy of a poetry book written by her Scottish great-great-aunt, and I longed to create my own arrangements of words. Later, as a student at the University of British Columbia and then Stanford, my interest in creativity was channeled into research on how people think. I’ve studied how people use analogies and metaphors to create new ideas. In addition to books on the psychology of thinking and reasoning, I’ve written several volumes of poetry.

Keith's book list on the creative mind

Keith J. Holyoak Why did Keith love this book?

What is creativity, and what makes it possible? If a new idea came from nothing, would it be magic? If a new idea were generated by recombining old ones, would it really be “creative”? In this book, Margaret Boden, a distinguished philosopher of science, thinks through what creativity really is, whether it takes the form of a world-altering advance in science or a novel jazz improvisation. To help understand human creativity, the book compares it to the workings of computer programs—ones capable of generating art or music that at least appears creative. Readers who have followed more recent developments in artificial intelligence will be able to consider for themselves whether machine creativity is, or could be, a reality. The book helped me think about what it means to create an “authentic” poem.

By Margaret A. Boden,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

How is it possible to think new thoughts? What is creativity and can science explain it? And just how did Coleridge dream up the creatures of The Ancient Mariner?

When The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms was first published, Margaret A. Boden's bold and provocative exploration of creativity broke new ground. Boden uses examples such as jazz improvisation, chess, story writing, physics, and the music of Mozart, together with computing models from the field of artificial intelligence to uncover the nature of human creativity in the arts.

The second edition of The Creative Mind has been updated to include recent…


Book cover of Griffin & Sabine

Dan Saks Author Of We Share This School: A Community Book

From my list on proving humans are more creative than AI.

Why am I passionate about this?

I make music. I write books. I’m drawn to scenarios in which people make music or books or art collaboratively, often spontaneously. I enjoy making music with kids because of how they can be creative spontaneously. Sometimes adults pretend to be creative in a way that a child might relate to, but a child can generally sniff out a pretender. And a pretend pretender can be unpleasant company for children and adults alike. These books were written by adults who know their inner child. Wonder, play and a tangential regard for social norms are their baseline to share the stories they’ve chosen to share.

Dan's book list on proving humans are more creative than AI

Dan Saks Why did Dan love this book?

Human creativity is on full peacock feathers out display with this one.

The story is laid out as a series of postcards and letters written between two people. Many of them are letters, on separate pieces of paper tucked inside envelopes that are inside the book. This one will be over the head of younger kids but because of the interactive nature, the colorful pictures, and the solve-a-mystery vibe of the story it could be a fun one to read with slightly older kids. 

For me, I started it one night with my six-year-old and then continued to dig through the letters on the floor next to their bed long after they fell asleep. It feels voyeuristic reading through it. Who are these people? What’s inside this next envelope? Do they know I am reading their letters? It’s clever as hell and a lot of fun to read.

By Nick Bantock,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Griffin & Sabine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

unpaginated. Beautifully illustrated in Nick Bantock fashion. Signed by the author on title page


Book cover of The AI Factor: How to Apply Artificial Intelligence and Use Big Data to Grow Your Business Exponentially

Tim Vandehey Author Of Swipe: The Science Behind Why We Don't Finish What We Start

From my list on how technology is changing how we live.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a journalist and a tinkerer. I’m fascinated not only by how things work but by how small levers can move mountains. Growing up in the workshop of my grandfather, an old Boston boatwright, I was mesmerized by the idea that a small rudder could maneuver a huge vessel. In college, I fell in love with how a small idea or expression could redirect a course of research or a country. As a self-taught maker of things, I appreciate how technologies empower us. I’ve chosen these books because they’re examples of how small ideas become things, lines of research, or patterns of thinking that shift human progress in unknowable ways.

Tim's book list on how technology is changing how we live

Tim Vandehey Why did Tim love this book?

I love gutsy books by outsiders, and Ms. Saxena, as a woman of color working in the Ivy League and the worlds of artificial intelligence and Big Data, is very much an outsider.

That makes her deep knowledge and insights into how AI and Big Data are changing business even that much more interesting. Plus, this is one of the only books I’ve read that explains how artificial intelligence works in a clear, direct way that doesn’t assume the reader already knows about things like machine learning and neural nets. 

By Asha Saxena,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Have you heard about artificial intelligence (AI) and big data but felt they are technologies too big or too complicated for you or your business? Do you imagine AI as a Hollywood science fiction stereotype or something in the far and distant future?

Take heart. AI is none of those things. It's part of our everyday lives, and it has the power to transform your business.

This book will put AI, big data, the cloud, robotics, and smart devices in context. It will reveal how these technologies can dramatically multiply any businesses-including yours-by strategically using your data's latent, transformative potential.…


Book cover of The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future

Ethan Turer Author Of The Next Gold Rush: The Future of Investing in People

From my list on how past events will impact our future.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember I’ve been curious about history and how past events connect to our present; And how challenging it is to predict the future, even with all our advanced technologies. In the internet era, everything seems to be changing faster than ever before. I’m no expert, but I do know that if we don’t try to understand all the pieces of this complex puzzle, we’ll never be able to build the future we want. I don’t want to be left behind, so my book is an attempt at understanding the past and outlining a future of investing in people, the most undervalued asset class.

Ethan's book list on how past events will impact our future

Ethan Turer Why did Ethan love this book?

I love this book and try to reread it every couple of years.

This book doesn’t make any specific predictions about the future but instead identifies technological trends that are inevitable. 

Trends like accessing, tracking, and sharing, just to name a few. I like to think of the future as an ever-evolving entity that we get to shape. Kelly explains how technology changes in patterns that we can anticipate.  

If you feel like the increasing rate of technological change is getting too fast to keep up with, then I recommend reading—and rereading—The Inevitable.

By Kevin Kelly,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

“A quintessential work of technological futurism.” – James Surowiecki, strategy + business, “Best Business Books 2017 – Innovation”

From one of our leading technology thinkers and writers, a guide through the twelve technological imperatives that will shape the next thirty years and transform our lives

Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives—from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to…


Book cover of In the Wild Light
Book cover of Such a Fun Age
Book cover of Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,213

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in artificial intelligence, creativity, and innovation?

Creativity 144 books
Innovation 85 books