59 books like Thoughtless Acts?

By Jane Fulton Suri,

Here are 59 books that Thoughtless Acts? fans have personally recommended if you like Thoughtless Acts?. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Book cover of Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Author Of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future from the Stanford d.school

From my list on help you design a better future.

Why are we passionate about this?

We are the academic and creative directors at the Stanford d.school. Our students study design, but they really hope to navigate a world of unknowns and make their way to a better future. We believe the best way to do that is not to limit yourself to a single domain or area but to find new possibilities in the overlaps, patterns, and discoveries that linger between ideas. We love books that stretch us beyond the design domain and into new places of inspiration and investigation. The ones on our list have all delighted us with their ability to reframe our thinking about design, even though none are squarely about the topic.

Carissa and Scott's book list on help you design a better future

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Why did Carissa and Scott love this book?

Kate Rayworth speaks our language. This book explains how to develop an economy that takes human and planetary flourishing into account and, most importantly, explains how we might think differently to get there.

This is a 300-plus-page book about economics—to be honest, even we haven't finished it cover to cover—but we feel a little bit wiser and more hopeful every time we crack it open!

By Kate Raworth,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Doughnut Economics as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Financial Times "Best Book of 2017: Economics"

800-CEO-Read "Best Business Book of 2017: Current Events & Public Affairs"

Economics is the mother tongue of public policy. It dominates our decision-making for the future, guides multi-billion-dollar investments, and shapes our responses to climate change, inequality, and other environmental and social challenges that define our times.

Pity then, or more like disaster, that its fundamental ideas are centuries out of date yet are still taught in college courses worldwide and still used to address critical issues in government and business alike.

That's why it is time, says renegade economist Kate Raworth,…


Book cover of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Author Of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future from the Stanford d.school

From my list on help you design a better future.

Why are we passionate about this?

We are the academic and creative directors at the Stanford d.school. Our students study design, but they really hope to navigate a world of unknowns and make their way to a better future. We believe the best way to do that is not to limit yourself to a single domain or area but to find new possibilities in the overlaps, patterns, and discoveries that linger between ideas. We love books that stretch us beyond the design domain and into new places of inspiration and investigation. The ones on our list have all delighted us with their ability to reframe our thinking about design, even though none are squarely about the topic.

Carissa and Scott's book list on help you design a better future

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Why did Carissa and Scott love this book?

This is foundational work for anyone building, creating, or designing on the planet today.

If you care about the Earth, about other humans, or about other species, you need to read it. This book is about Indigenous thinking. We love that it is grounded in story, connection, and symbiosis with the natural world.

By Tyson Yunkaporta,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Sand Talk as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner, Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year, Australian Book Industry Awards 2020


This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science and spirits to Schrödinger’s cat.


Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently?


Sand Talk provides a template for living. It’s about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It’s about how we learn and how we remember. It’s about…


Book cover of Trust

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Author Of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future from the Stanford d.school

From my list on help you design a better future.

Why are we passionate about this?

We are the academic and creative directors at the Stanford d.school. Our students study design, but they really hope to navigate a world of unknowns and make their way to a better future. We believe the best way to do that is not to limit yourself to a single domain or area but to find new possibilities in the overlaps, patterns, and discoveries that linger between ideas. We love books that stretch us beyond the design domain and into new places of inspiration and investigation. The ones on our list have all delighted us with their ability to reframe our thinking about design, even though none are squarely about the topic.

Carissa and Scott's book list on help you design a better future

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Why did Carissa and Scott love this book?

This book is a work of fiction, but it lulls and twists you until you’re dizzy with reality. We love it because it brilliantly puts you through the same series of events but from a different character's perspective each time.

This is design–never forgetting that your lens is but one of many on the events in the surrounding world. And if you think reading fiction isn’t a great way to learn to design, stop thinking and start reading. Fiction is the ultimate tool for imagination.

By Hernan Diaz,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Trust as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Longlisted for the Booker Prize
The Sunday Times Bestseller

Trust is a sweeping, unpredictable novel about power, wealth and truth, set against the backdrop of turbulent 1920s New York. Perfect for fans of Succession.

Can one person change the course of history?

A Wall Street tycoon takes a young woman as his wife. Together they rise to the top in an age of excess and speculation. But now a novelist is threatening to reveal the secrets behind their marriage, and this wealthy man's story - of greed, love and betrayal - is about to slip from his grasp.

Composed of…


Book cover of Unflattening

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Author Of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future from the Stanford d.school

From my list on help you design a better future.

Why are we passionate about this?

We are the academic and creative directors at the Stanford d.school. Our students study design, but they really hope to navigate a world of unknowns and make their way to a better future. We believe the best way to do that is not to limit yourself to a single domain or area but to find new possibilities in the overlaps, patterns, and discoveries that linger between ideas. We love books that stretch us beyond the design domain and into new places of inspiration and investigation. The ones on our list have all delighted us with their ability to reframe our thinking about design, even though none are squarely about the topic.

Carissa and Scott's book list on help you design a better future

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley Why did Carissa and Scott love this book?

This book is all about perspective. By perspective, we mean the ability to see concepts (and life) from a thousand different angles. And when you think Sousanis couldn’t possibly develop something more creative, he levels up.

This is a graphic novel, and we love when authors use pictures to augment words. We all learn and contextualize information differently, and with this book, we come back all the time to kickstart our thinking and make sense of the world around us. As designers, we can get lost in our heads, and Unflattening brings us into the clouds.

By Nick Sousanis,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The primacy of words over images has deep roots in Western culture. But what if the two are inextricably linked, equal partners in meaning-making? Written and drawn entirely as comics, Unflattening is an experiment in visual thinking. Nick Sousanis defies conventional forms of scholarly discourse to offer readers both a stunning work of graphic art and a serious inquiry into the ways humans construct knowledge.

Unflattening is an insurrection against the fixed viewpoint. Weaving together diverse ways of seeing drawn from science, philosophy, art, literature, and mythology, it uses the collage-like capacity of comics to show that perception is always…


Book cover of The Psychology Of Everyday Things

Marian Petre Author Of Software Design Decoded: 66 Ways Experts Think

From my list on foundational perspectives on design.

Why am I passionate about this?

I ‘pick the brains’ of expert software developers to understand what makes them expert. I’ve spent decades studying how professional software developers reason and communicate about design and problem solving. Informed by the seminal books I’ve highlighted (among many others), my research is grounded in empirical studies of professionals in industry and draws on cognitive and social theory. Observing, talking to, and working with hundreds of professional software developers in organisations ranging from start-ups to the world’s major software companies has exposed actionable insights into the thinking that distinguishes high-performing teams.  

Marian's book list on foundational perspectives on design

Marian Petre Why did Marian love this book?

This book is a delightful example of what happens when someone engages eyes and mind: it provides important insights into the cussedness of things people design, by looking thoughtfully at simple, ‘everyday things’. 

In doing so, Norman both illustrates the constructive application of cognitive science in understanding design, and provides a compelling argument for user-centred design.

By Don Norman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure our which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this fascinating, ingenious,even liberating,book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology.The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization. The book presents examples aplenty,among them, the VCR, computer, and office telephone, all…


Book cover of The Design of Everyday Things

Jamie Steane Author Of The Principles and Processes of Interactive Design

From my list on aspiring UX/UI designers in the digital age.

Why am I passionate about this?

I would like to consider myself an experienced and successful designer, researcher, and educator. I'm an Associate Professor in Communication Design and the Head of Education for the School of Design at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom, where I've taught and researched for the last twenty years so I'm super passionate about this subject and love explaining how design works. Before joining academia, I worked internationally as a designer and creative director for numerous prestigious design and media organizations, including Philips, Time-Warner, Windmill Lane Pictures, and WPP in the UK, Ireland, USA, and Southeast Asia. Working in these different businesses and locations gave me a broad perspective on the role and importance of design.

Jamie's book list on aspiring UX/UI designers in the digital age

Jamie Steane Why did Jamie love this book?

This essential book by Don Norman does not need any more plugging, but it would be impossible to leave it out.

The book forms a brilliant introduction to User Experience Design by explaining how the design of everyday objects relies on an intuitive understanding of how they work. Once we translate this thinking from the physical to the digital world, we are halfway there as UX/UI designers.

By Don Norman,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Design of Everyday Things as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious,even liberating,book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization. The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable design is possible. The…


Book cover of Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior

Abby Covert Author Of How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody

From my list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an information architect, writer, and community organizer on a mission to make information architecture education accessible to everybody. I started practicing IA in pure pursuit of stronger visual design, but in the two decades since have developed an insatiable appetite for understanding and teaching the practical skills that make people better sensemakers, regardless of their role or medium. The books I chose for this list are all foundational to me becoming the sensemaker that I am today. I offer them as suggestions because they are not the books you will find should you search for “Information Architecture” yet they have all become my go-to recommendations for helping others to strengthen their own sensemaking.

Abby's book list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker

Abby Covert Why did Abby love this book?

A mental model is our unique map of all our knowledge. Each person has their own, and we can’t see each other’s mental models or even see our own. Yet those maps dictate everything about how we show up and how we interpret the world around us. 

Mental Models by Indi Young is the best deep dive into this subject and stands as a must-read for anyone making things for other humans to make sense of. If you are going to succeed in practicing information architecture, you must become increasingly adept at understanding how other people think about the world. 

I recommend this book because it takes something theoretical and presents a solid methodological approach that anyone can grasp and adapt to their process as long as they are curious. This book also served as a major inspiration when writing How to Make Sense of Any Mess, as it…

By Indi Young,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

There is no single methodology for creating the perfect product—but you can increase your odds. One of the best ways is to understand users' reasons for doing things. Mental Models gives you the tools to help you grasp, and design for, those reasons. Adaptive Path co-founder Indi Young has written a roll-up-your-sleeves book for designers, managers, and anyone else interested in making design strategic, and successful.


Book cover of Life's Devices: The Physical World of Animals and Plants

Raghuveer Parthasarathy Author Of So Simple a Beginning: How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World

From my list on stretching your conception of biology.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by the quest to understand how nature works and to find patterns amid complexity. This drew me towards physics, which seemed unparalleled in its ability to uncover general rules. In contrast, biology seemed merely descriptive, and despite a fondness for wildlife, I stayed away from the subject in school. It turns out, however, that physics and biology are perfect companions; a whole field, biophysics, explores how physical principles are central to the workings of living things. I became a biophysicist, researching topics like the organization of gut microbes and teaching and writing about biophysics more broadly, at scales from DNA to ecosystems.

Raghuveer's book list on stretching your conception of biology

Raghuveer Parthasarathy Why did Raghuveer love this book?

I started out as a fairly standard physicist, working with magnets, nanocrystals, and other inert “stuff.” I ended up a biophysicist, studying living things through a physical lens. A bit like Dorothy in Oz, I found myself in a world with amazing vibrancy and variety but still with many echoes of familiar past experiences.

There wasn’t a single tornado that took me to the Oz of biophysics but several, one of which was this book. Vogel describes the challenges of living in the physical world and nature’s ingenious schemes for meeting these challenges. We learn how prairie dogs keep from suffocating in their burrows, the speed limit of ducks, and how trees struggle with air bubbles.

Vogel’s writing is warm and folksy, and though this book is the only book on this list with many equations, the style makes it a delight even for the reader who might like to…

By Steven Vogel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life's Devices as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This entertaining and informative book describes how living things bump up against non-biological reality. "My immodest aim," says the author, "is to change how you view your immediate surroundings." He asks us to wonder about the design of plants and animals around us: why a fish swims more rapidly than a duck can paddle, why healthy trees more commonly uproot than break, how a shark manages with such a flimsy skeleton, or how a mouse can easily survive a fall onto any surface from any height. The book will not only fascinate the general reader but will also serve as…


Book cover of Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era

Nicholas Maes Author Of Laughing Wolf

From my list on to understand (and survive) modernity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a classicist (Greek and Latin) and a serious student of history. Modernity has obsessed me for the last 10 years, how it unfolds, what its implications are, whether it generates more gains than losses, whether it’s changing us profoundly and whether we can dodge it or not. Because of this interest (which I lecture on often) I am fascinated to see modernity’s gleanings in earlier times and always curious to see what other critics make of it. Because its effects will only grow down the road, the task of understanding its mechanisms and outcomes is one of extreme urgency, as these books illustrate in different ways.

Nicholas' book list on to understand (and survive) modernity

Nicholas Maes Why did Nicholas love this book?

Just when I thought the future was bright and sunny (in part due to Kurzweil), I learn from James Barrat that ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence) might well mark the end of our species (and the start of an ever-expanding artificial replacement).

I was fascinated by the people Barrat introduces us to like an expert on the psychology of ASI, and his description of a perfect machine and its runaway implications. I realized this is modernity at its best and worst: we push forward to improve the world but are always at the risk of creating new, unseen problems.

The most troubling question of all (to my way of thinking) is that our idea of perfected humanity (both a modern and a pre-modern aim) ends in the vision of machines like Watson playing endless games of Jeopardy among themselves.

By James Barrat,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Our Final Invention as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Elon Musk named Our Final Invention one of 5 books everyone should read about the future

A Huffington Post Definitive Tech Book of 2013

Artificial Intelligence helps choose what books you buy, what movies you see, and even who you date. It puts the "smart" in your smartphone and soon it will drive your car. It makes most of the trades on Wall Street, and controls vital energy, water, and transportation infrastructure. But Artificial Intelligence can also threaten our existence.

In as little as a decade, AI could match and then surpass human intelligence. Corporations and government agencies are pouring…


Book cover of Where's Spot?

Tanya Preminger Author Of Luna is Missing

From my list on picture books about pets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved animals and felt a deep empathy for every living creature. But it wasn’t until the COVID lockdown that I truly connected with them. Locked up with a partner, a boy, two dogs, and three cats in a small house with a yard, I realized that it's not just us taking care of them—they're doing their best to take care of us, too. Trained in art since childhood by my mom, it was during the COVID lockdown that I began to draw our furry companions in earnest. I spent every waking hour capturing their funny and endearing moments, ultimately putting it all together in a picture book.

Tanya's book list on picture books about pets

Tanya Preminger Why did Tanya love this book?

This is a classic. The enchanting illustrations and delightful humor mesmerized my 3-year-old, who kept asking to read it over and over throughout his childhood and insisted on buying the rest of the books in the series.

The interactive lift-the-flap elements really capture young readers' attention, and the character, Spot, is simply irresistible.

By Eric Hill,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Where's Spot? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Eric Hill's classic Where's Spot? lift the flaps to find Spot!

In Spot's first adventure children can join in the search for the mischievous puppy by lifting the flaps on every page to see where he is hiding. The simple text and colourful pictures will engage a whole new generation of pre-readers as they lift the picture flaps in search of Spot. A No.1 bestseller since it was first published in 1980, this interactive favourite has stayed in the charts ever since.

This is a bigger, brighter paperback edition of Eric Hill's iconic first lift-the-flap book.

'Spot is one…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in industrial design, user interface design, and Japan?

Japan 516 books