Happy World Book Day! What's your favourite book?

Each year World Book Day is celebrated by 100 countries globally and its aim to promote reading for pleasure and change lives through the love of reading.

The impact on a child’s life just by reading for pleasure is a huge indicator of their success, more so than the child’s background, educational background, or income. So, the importance of this day for each and every child is more important than ever.

So, to celebrate this important day we asked our associates about their favourite books.

Duncan Tincello - Getting to Yes by Fisher and Uri

"I was given this book as part of a Masters degree in 1989 and I found it a revelation. The four principles they describe are powerful tools in themselves, and I find they also lead my thinking and my learning into new areas, including assertiveness, team-building, and mentoring. I used Getting to Yes to negotiate my next job and those that followed. I have used it to coach my friends and former colleagues, I have used it to help me deal with a very challenging customer in the 90s, and I use it with my clients and my collaborators in my consulting work to this day."

Philip Blunt - The Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle

"This is three books in one: The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van is centred around the Rabbitte family in Barrytown, Dublin. Many will have seen the film The Commitments, about Jimmy Rabbitte, who decides he’s a music promoter and puts together an R&B band for a concert. The musicians are inexperienced, though as word spreads the fame brings its own pressures in the lead-up to their big show. The Snapper follows unmarried twenty-year-old Sharon Rabbitte's pregnancy, and the unexpected effects this has on her conservative, working-class Dublin family. The Van focuses on the elder Jimmy Rabbitte and his efforts at going into business with his best friend Bimbo, running a fish and chip van after both lose their jobs."

"I have never read a book which has made me laugh as much. The story in The Van where a nappy falls into the deep fat fryer had me crying with laughter. I have bought this book several times and given it to friends, and the reaction is always favourable, it really is so entertaining and funny. Recommended!"

Sam Miles - Five Minutes in the Morning

"Technically a journal, this book is a great way to start the morning.

Switching off and practicing mindfulness can be so hard in business, with so much to do and constantly on our minds, I definitely find it tricky to get those moments of mindful calm to set the day off right.

This journal has some fantastic prompts to help build the practice of mindfulness. 5 minutes seems easy to find but isn’t always so I find having that prompt to take 5 minutes for thinking, for mindfulness and most importantly for myself, each morning sets the day off in such a positive light, clearing my thoughts and helping me work out what I do well, what I want and the vision I’m working towards… in turn helping stay focused in business too!"

Sophie Jane McQuaid - The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

"We have always been big book worms in our family and I love nothing better that diving into a good book and getting lost!

One of my favourite reads is "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho". I was handed this book to read by a friend when I was in my early 20's (eeek a long time ago now!) and was at a time where I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or where I wanted to be.

This book helped guide me and support me in a new chapter in my life and kept me gripped throughout the book. Here is the taste of what the book is about:

The Alchemist tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different--and far more satisfying--than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

I have since read this book several times over the years and also passed copies onto friends and family that needed some guidance too!"

Victoria Tait - The ART of Exploration – Lessons in Curiosity, Leadership and Getting Things Done by Levison Wood

"Not your traditional business book.

I could have listed many on Spin Selling, Business Development (Financial Times) or What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School. However, behind every business, there is a personal journey of exploration that one undertakes and if you can develop a passion into a lifestyle that motivates and inspires you along the way then these are the lessons that can help you fulfil your potential for living a happy life, regardless of your circumstances.

Often as a consultant, you can become siloed and comfortable in your own specialised domain, but Levison encourages you to be curious and to have an open mindset to all walks of life. It is a reminder to step outside your bubble, try things out, keep pushing boundaries and have an acceptance that you can learn from failure.

I like the way he puts relationships and rapport before success. He focuses on character, self-awareness, empathy, and respect. Behind all these core values there is undoubtedly a military “Be prepared” theme. But this provides a dynamic of standards, organisation, leadership, and resilience to his personal PDCA cycle, SWOT analysis and mission statement. The Financial Times describes it as a book with a sense of unpolished authenticity.

I would describe it as a tool kit of knowledge and processes so we can all be explorers in our own right."