Lessonist

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What to Do If... ? by Anne-maartje Oud 35 Questions You'll Need to Answer at Work

- May 25, 2026

What's it about? What to Do If…? (2026) is a hands-on playbook for the messy, human side of modern work. It shows you how to read behaviour in real time, communicate without confusion, give feedback people can actually use, and hire in a way that doesn’t come back to bite you. Through simple tools and recognisable scenarios, it equips managers, HR professionals, and team members to handle tricky moments with clarity instead of guesswork. Work would be simple if it were just tasks. But it’s not – it’s people. A colleague starts crying mid-feedback. A “perfect” hire turns into a team bully. A quick deadline check spirals into tension. These moments happen everywhere and most people are left to improvise. So they do. The manager goes with their gut. The HR partner hopes for the best. The team lead smooths things over instead of addressing the issue. Sometimes it works. But often it creates confusion, erodes trust, or plants problems that resurface later when they’re bigger and har...

Football by Chuck Klosterman An all-American ritual

- May 23, 2026

What's it about? Football (2026) asks how a sport that looks slow, brutal, and occasionally baffling became America’s most irresistible obsession. Unpacking the strange magic behind the pauses, the hits, and the rituals, it shows us how football shapes a nation’s identity, attention, and the stories it tells itself about winning, losing, and belonging. Every Sunday, millions of Americans fall into a familiar routine. The TV comes on, the day rearranges itself around kickoff, and suddenly a third down matters more than anything else was on the to-do list. Text threads light up. Plans get postponed. Hours vanish. The ordinariness of the ritual hides its extraordinary scale. In 2023, 93 of the 100 most watched programs in the United States were NFL games. That’s more than popularity. That’s cultural infrastructure. Football is entertainment, habit, and social glue all at once. It shapes weekends, drives advertising, fuels fantasy leagues and betting apps, and gives cow...

I Need a Job! by Gary Burnison Be Noticed. Land the Interview. Get Hired.

- May 21, 2026

What's it about? I Need a Job! (2025) addresses the reality of modern job searching, where simply updating and distributing your resume no longer works. It outlines a comprehensive strategy for success in today’s competitive hiring environment, balancing practical tools with timeless principles centered on authenticity, targeted networking, and genuine human connection. It equips you with actionable guidance – from understanding yourself to mastering interviews – so you can stand out and land the opportunity you want. Gary Burnison was lying in a hospital gown, still groggy from anesthesia, when an anesthesiologist wheeled him toward recovery. To his surprise, in that captive moment, the doctor held up a two-page resume right in front of his face. Burnison had mentioned Korn Ferry, the executive search and recruitment firm, during the pre-op procedure, and now, the anesthesiologist seized his chance to network. It’s a funny story, but it points to something serious: many profess...

Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant A groundbreaking and influential philosophy classic about the limits of human reason

- May 19, 2026

What's it about? The Critique of Pure Reason (1781) is one of the most groundbreaking, revolutionary, and influential books in the history of Western philosophy. Pointing out the limits of human reason, it argues that we can have knowledge about the world as we experience it, but we can never know anything about the ultimate nature of reality. What is the nature of space and time? Is the world governed by the law of cause and effect – and if so, why? These are just two of the fascinating questions that Kant raises in the Critique of Pure Reason. His answers are thought-provoking, revolutionary, and even downright mind-blowing. Unfortunately, they’re also buried in 856 pages of some of the most impenetrable prose ever written. Kant himself described it as “dry, obscure, opposed to all ordinary notions, and moreover long-winded. ” Even Kant scholars are unsure of how to understand the Critique’s incredibly complicated arguments, and they’ve put forward many competing interpretation...

It's Complicated by danah boyd The Social Lives of Networked Teens

- May 18, 2026

What's it about? It’s Complicated (2014) reveals that teenage social media use is far more sophisticated than adults assume, with young people developing complex strategies to manage identity, privacy, and social relationships in networked spaces where all their audiences collapse together. The real dangers aren't the ones dominating headlines – predators, addiction, cyberbullying – but rather how adult panic and protectionism prevent teenagers from developing the skills they need to navigate digital life thoughtfully and safely. For many parents and carers, their teen’s social media habits are equal parts mysterious and frustrating. What are they looking at online all day? What effect is it having on their brain? And why can’t they just log off? The answers to those questions may be surprising. While teens certainly need to be supported in healthy social media habits, their online lives are actually pretty fascinating. See, teenagers have figured out something adults still ...