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Simon Cocking's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Simon Cocking recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Simon Cocking's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
'It was 11pm when I checked my email for the last time and turned off my phone for what I hoped would be forever strong. No running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers: the internet, phone, washing machine, radio or light bulb. Just a wooden cabin, on a smallholding, by the edge of a stand of spruce.'

In this honest and lyrical account of a remarkable life without modern technology, Mark Boyle, author of THE MONEYLESS MAN, explores the hard won joys of building a home with his bare hands, learning to make fire, collecting water from the stream, foraging...
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Recommended by Simon Cocking, and 1 others.

Simon Cocking@briansolis hope all is well, currently reading this book that you might find interesting -> https://t.co/Hmo2sTf0Rc cheers @SimonCocking (Source)

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2

Whisky Burn

A unique travelogue/guide book to the distilleries of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Ben Birdsall takes us along on his 1,600 km, 3-week burn on his trusty 1979 Vespa 50, visiting c. 40 Scotch distilleries along the way from Glasgow to Arran, Campbeltown to Islay, Mull to Skye, the Eastern Highlands to Speyside, the Western Highlands to Orkney. Talking to distillery managers, tour guides, production staff and fellow whisky enthusiasts, Birdsall explores the myths and mysteries of the whisky world, taking samples away for tasting back at the camp site. Illustrated with twelve oil... more
Recommended by Simon Cocking, and 1 others.

Simon Cocking@WhiskyBurn @Belfast89FM @bnebirdsall How did it go? We just reviewed the last book https://t.co/135snohFKY and would be great to get a contact email for Ben also? Thanks @SimonCocking (Source)

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3

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

From online entertainment mogul, actress, and “queen of the geeks” Felicia Day, a funny, quirky, and inspiring memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to Internet-stardom, and embracing her individuality to find success in Hollywood.

The Internet isn’t all cat videos. There’s also Felicia Day—violinist, filmmaker, Internet entrepreneur, compulsive gamer, hoagie specialist, and former lonely homeschooled girl who overcame her isolated childhood to become the ruler of a new world... or at least semi-influential in the world of Internet Geeks and Goodreads book clubs.
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Recommended by Simon Cocking, and 1 others.

Simon CockingA great book for millennials and beyond. Review of You're Never Weird On The Internet by @feliciaday https://t.co/f8zMiInP0Z @SimonCocking @Irish_TechNews @joss https://t.co/OdLSGIlbjD (Source)

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4
The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers.

In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper,...
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Recommended by Bill Gates, Brad Feld, Andrew Chen, and 15 others.

Bill GatesA bunch of my friends recommended this one to me. Carreyrou gives you the definitive insider’s look at the rise and fall of Theranos. The story is even crazier than I expected, and I found myself unable to put it down once I started. This book has everything: elaborate scams, corporate intrigue, magazine cover stories, ruined family relationships, and the demise of a company once valued at nearly... (Source)

Brad FeldEvery entrepreneur and VC should read this book. John Carreyrou has done something important here. Maybe this book will finally put a nail in the phrase “fake it till you make it”, but I doubt it. The amount of lying, disingenuousness, blatant and unjustified self-promotion, and downright deceit that exists in entrepreneurship right now is at a local maximum. This always happens when... (Source)

Andrew ChenFinished “bad blood” on the Theranos scandal. Wow. Just wow. It’s a must read for everyone in tech and startups. Just 1-click buy it :) Amazing how far charisma and social proof got them. Here’s the NYT review of the book https://t.co/PyMGxfoG2R (Source)

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