[benkarst]

1. "The Age of Spiritual Machines" (2000) by Ray Kurzweil. This futurist book sparked my imagination at a young age as to what was possible with technology. Several of its predictions that have come true today.

2. "Creativity Inc." (2014) by Ed Catmull. Fascinating stories and lessons from the man who ran Pixar, the animated film company with 11 straight number 1's at the box office.

3. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. Along with talent and hard work, being well-positioned is a big part of success. Put in 10,000 hours to be great at anything.