If you’re at all like me, you already have all the most well-known books for software testers on your shelf. You’ve read books like the Agile Testing series, Lessons Learned in Software Testing, and Explore It!, And after seeing the same quality assurance books and tangentially related books on software development, programming, and aspects of testing in “best software testing books” roundups, you’re looking for resources that are equally valuable and less well-known. Well fear not fellow testers, I’ve got you covered! Just in time for some quality winter reading, here are my 10 favorite unexpected and lesser-known books for testers and quality assurance professionals.

Let’s talk books!

This list was compiled from my own bookshelf and suggestions from fellow software testing experts. Some are from lesser-known and up and coming authors. Others are books that made an impact on me and my testing and come from other disciplines or outside of tech all together. I’m terrible at ranking things so, in no particular order, here are my 10 recommendations. 

Lesser-known software testing books

Would Heu-Risk It?

Read this book if you're looking for new ideas to integrate into your testing process.

We all need a refresher on heuristics occasionally and Lena Pejgan Nyström delivers in her book “Would Heu-Risk It” and accompanying card deck. Pejgan Nyström takes a different approach in her book using storytelling instead of teaching or lecturing. Using 30 short and impactful stories that draw from her experiences as a tester, Pejgan Nyström helps us develop a deeper understanding of heuristics and how to put them to use in our own testing. 

PS: You can learn more about Lena Pejgan Nyström through her Testing Mixtape interview!

How Can I Test This?

Read this book if you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by theory without real world examples in other testing books.

The team behind “How Can I Test This?” set out to write a guide book for testers that utilizes real-life scenarios and examples instead of theory. The writers share background about the scenario, the details that went into their thought process, and then walk through each scenario. 

Systems thinking books

Thinking in Systems

Read this book if you’re new to systems thinking or looking for a refresher.

Donella Meadows was an environmental scientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on systems analysis. Using examples ranging from environmental science to geo-politics, Meadows breaks down how both hard and soft systems develop and function. As testers, we work with and in systems and are uniquely positioned to improve the systems that surround us. Much like “An Introduction to General Systems Thinking” by Jerry Wienberg, this book will leave you with new ideas and new questions about the work we do and the way we work. 

Thinking Fast & Slow

Read this book if you want to identify which of your brain’s systems is leading the decision making and learn how you can make your brain systems work better for you. 

Have you ever considered that your brain and your thinking are a series of systems? Like “Thinking in Systems,” this book is ultimately about how systems work and interact, but  “Thinking Fast & Slow” will show you how to use your brain’s systems to improve and understand decision making and change the way you respond to challenges. 

Team culture and leadership books

Crucial Conversations

Read this book if you’re looking to develop the skills you need to redirect conversations when they’re getting off track, someone shuts down, or blows up. 

“Crucial Conversations” is like the elder statesperson of business books and is a must read for anyone in leadership. The authors use examples and storytelling to model many of the challenging situations we find ourselves in when having high stakes and difficult conversations. One of the biggest challenges testers encounter isn’t the testing we do, but rather the conversations we have. This book will help you establish the fundamentals of more productive communication (which you can implement to get more effective testing). 

The Outward Mindset

Read this book if you’re interested in shifting culture. I highly recommend reading this with your team. 

If you’ve ever asked me at a conference or in a Q&A about how to change the culture in your organization, you’ve likely heard me talk about this book. Of all the books I’ve read and the methodologies and theories I’ve learned over the years, “The Outward Mindset” has had the most lasting impact on how I think about culture. This book helps you transform an organization's or team’s culture from inward looking to being of service. How much different would your team’s testing strategy be if you viewed it from this perspective? 

Experience design books

The Power of Moments

Read this book if you’d like to improve the experience in your application or the impact of your talks and workshops.

Think about some of the most memorable moments in your life. What was it that made those moments memorable? Can you identify the characteristics of these experiences that made them memorable? “The Power of Moments” is a deep dive into the power of experience and lays out how we can use experience to create meaningful experiences in our own lives. This book will give you insight into aspects of user experience design that you may not have considered and help you develop digital and interpersonal experiences that make a deeper impact on their audience. 

Things That Keep Us Busy

Read this book if you want to learn more about the cognitive science behind interaction and how the early days of interaction design have shaped how we develop interactive experiences today.

As testers, we are uniquely positioned to experience the interaction in our applications before a user ever touches them. This makes us the perfect people to advocate for our users along with their needs and requirements. “Things That Keep Us Busy” delves into the nuts and bolts of interaction and how we as humans relate to and experience these interactions.

Books that challenge your way of thinking

Demystifying Disability

Read this book if you want to learn more about how to foster an inclusive culture for your disabled users and the disabled people in your own life.

Accessibility testing has begun to move from specialization to a part of our day to day work. Unlike other forms of testing, there are very real human and legal implications associated with meeting accessibility standards. “Demystifying Disability” fills a gap that many have in their knowledge of accessibility testing — understanding what it means to live with a disability. Unlike disability simulations that ask you to wear a disability like a costume, “Demystifying Disability” shares insight into the disabled community’s language, etiquette, history, and more. 

CliftonStrengths

Read this book if you’re feeling stuck professionally or want to craft a new set of goals for yourself.

This is more of an activity than a book, but with the new year rapidly approaching, it feels like a good time to dive into goals for next year. Gallup, the developers of the CliftonStrengths model, believes developing our strengths as opposed to our weaknesses will pay better dividends. However, most of us are unaware of what our true strengths are. CliftonStrengths will lead you through a series of questions and evaluation models to help identify your strengths and the kind of cognitive work that excites you most. 

Books for software testers don’t have to focus only on software quality assurance and testing practices

While the “best software testing books” roundups offer some great recommendations — often shouting out some of my favorites like “Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams” by friends and colleagues Lisa Crispin and Janet Gregory — looking beyond the most popular books can help you open your mind to new ideas, change the way you think, and ultimately help you approach software testing techniques in different ways.