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We all want to be smarter, and we want the people around us to be smarter as well. Here are some books you can give them that will develop their thinking in very entertaining ways.
The Deduction Guide by Louise Blackwood
One little detail can tell you a lot about a person. This book will teach you what to look for and how to interpret it just so you can get anyone figured out.
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova
Speaking of deduction, who wouldn’t want to think like Sherlock? This book will teach you how.
Logic, Deductive and Inductive by Carveth Read.
Want to know how to make good arguments? Want to know if what everyone else is saying actually makes sense? This is the book for you.
Logically Fallacious: The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies by Bo Bennett, PhD.
One of the best ways of learning how to think properly is to learn what kinds of arguments don’t really make any sense. This book lets us see these kinds of flawed arguments and why they don’t work.
Introduction to Logic and the Methodology of Deductive Sciences by Alfred Tarski
All these deal about deduction and the like does have a scientific background. If you have a loved one who’s especially savvy to math, they might enjoy this book. Complete with exercises!
How to Solve It: A new aspect of Mathematical Method by G. Polya
People are always going on about how they will never use math in their lives. But guess what? It can be particular useful, this book will tell you how to apply it to scenarios you didn’t think possible.
My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles by Martin Gardner.
Nothing better than get someone to think than some good old math and logic puzzles. All of them great, smart fun.
The MENSA Genius Quiz-A-Day Book by Dr. Abbie F. Salny
Want to see if you’re as smart as the people of MENSA? Now you can with this book with different puzzles and games, and see how far you can go.
The Total Brain Workout: 450 Puzzles to Sharpen your Mind, Improve Your Memory and Keep Your Brain Fit by Marcel Danesi, Ph.D.
A good compliment to the MENSA book, especially if you want to work your way up to it.
The Senior Moments: Memory Workout by Tom Friedman
As we get older, our memory starts to go. If you or a loved one has started to have memory issues with age, this book will help them evade the memory loss that comes with age. And even if you are far too young to have that kind of problem now, this book can still be a fun and useful read to improve your memory.
All About the States Search-a-Word Puzzles by Frank J. D’Agostino
Want to do puzzles while improving on your Geography knowledge? This is the book for you. Different puzzles all relating to each of the United States of America.
The Gödelian Puzzle Book: Puzzles, Paradoxes and Proofs by Raymond M. Smullyan
If you want some challenges straight out of a Math genius’ head, get this book. Aside from puzzles, there are some paradoxes and proofs that will surely twist your brain around.
Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Cipers and Secret Writing
Want to figure out the message the supervillain left on the newspaper? This book will teach you how. Definitely worthy if you are going to solve the mystery of the pyramid below your basement.
Lewis Carroll’s Games and Puzzles by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll wasn’t only a great writer, but a fascinating mathematician. If you’ve read Alice in Wonderland, you surely have seen the sort of brain-twisters he could come up with. If his Alice stories left you wanting more, here’s a full book of them.
Logic Made Easy: How to Know When Language Deceives You by Deborah J. Bennett
We all talk and write, so language seems to come simple to us. We forget that it’s not easy to learn and that sometimes it’s hard to understand. This book means to tell you how to understand it better through clearer thinking.
Nonsense: Red Herrings, Straw Men and Sacred Cows: How we Abuse Logic in Our Everyday Language by Robert J. Gula
Yes, unfortunately, for every person that doesn’t use logic too much, there is one who abuses it. This book will teach you how to actually use it properly in colloquial speaking.
A Beginner’s Guide to Mathematical Logic by Raymond M. Smullyan
If you like knowing a few facts while solving problems and puzzles, this book will fulfill both your curiosity and your appetite for challenging your brain.
An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi.
Fun with funny art, this book serves as a good example for all ages of how and why certain arguments fail and can teach everyone just how not to make the same mistakes.
Critical Thinking: 21 Powerful Strategies to Thinking Smart and Clear, Improving your Decision Making Skills, and Sharpening Your Logical Thinking! By Katelyn Williams.
Thinking properly leads to making decisions properly. This book will lead you into doing both wisely.
The Philosophy of Space and Time by Hans Reichenbach
This one is for those of you that ant to think about life, the universe and everything. You may need a little background on Math to understand it properly, but that will give you enough for your head to chew on.
Thinking: The New Science of Decision-Making, Problem- Solving, and Prediction. Edited by John Brockman.
We’ve mentioned books throughout that can help you be a better thinker and problem-solver, but this book also takes into account teaching how to make better predictions with those newly-gained abilities.
How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb
We’ve explored how to think like Sherlock Holmes, but how about like a real genius? From problem-solving to creative thinking, and even harmonizing body and mind, this book will give you steps into thinking like one of the greatest men in human history.
