1. Bounce by Matthew Syed

On Amazon at: amazon.com

This is one of the best books about the mind and it was one of those books I just couldn't wait to pick up and read when I had a spare moment during the day. Drawing on many examples in history of people who have practiced for years and years to become their best, Bounce explores the idea that we can all be amazing. It just takes practice, perseverance and the ability to keep getting up after we have fallen down. It challenges the idea of talent and is an inspiring book.

2. Blink by MALCOLM Gladwell

On Amazon at: amazon.com

After reading Bounce, I read Blink, which is another one of those books that are hard to put down. It examines the idea of decision making and the ways in which we can develop the capacity to make decisions in an instant. These decisions can be more effective than the ones which we make over a few cups of tea. He gives examples of people having made decisions in an instant and attributes their ability to make these decisions in the 'blink of an eye' to years of experience in their chosen field.

3. You Are Not so Smart by David McRaney

On Amazon at: amazon.com

This is one of those books that should be compulsory reading. We all like to think we have the power over what we think and what we do but there are many things which are influencing us without us even realizing. Many of us spend our time procrastinating and putting things off until tomorrow, but the mind plays many tricks on us and this book explains why we're deluding ourselves. And the title is great, if not a little insulting!

4. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

On Amazon at: amazon.com

If you like psychology then you will like this book with a funny title. There was a man once who really did mistake his wife for a hat. An easy mistake to make, I suppose. But in all seriousness, this book is an intriguing and compelling look at the human mind and the ways in which various neurological disorders can skew perceptions of reality and have a profound effect on one's life.

5. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

On Amazon at: amazon.com

This is another great book about the mind and is written by a Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences. It's an interesting look at what really goes on inside our heads when we're thinking and making decisions. He looks at the rationale behind our choices, judgments, reactions and recognitions and the psychology behind things like intuition. It's fascinating and sometimes a little bit frightening, but if you're interested in knowing a little bit more about what you think you know then read this book.

6. Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf

On Amazon at: amazon.com

If you're interested in reading and literacy then you will love this book. Wolf is a professor of child development at Tufts University and in this fabulous book she fuses together her knowledge of linguistics, education, psychology, archaeology, linguistics and education with some history and neuroscience thrown in for good measure. It also has a very interesting section on dyslexia and is another one of the books which is incredibly informative but, at the same time, entertaining.

7. Flourish by Martin E. P. Seligman

On Amazon at: amazon.com

If you're sick of the self-help genre but want to know a little more about the mind and our potential for happiness then this book is for you. As the title suggests, it's about growth and development, but it takes a look at the psychology behind our happiness as well as giving us techniques that could benefit the relationships we have with family, friends and colleagues. Seligman is seen as the father of the positive psychology movement and has written other books which may be of interest, such as Authentic Happiness.

These are just a few of the best books I have read about the mind. Have you read any good books about the mind?