80 ratings | 21 reviews | avg rating:4.42

Paul’s Year In Books

Paul’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Paul’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Paul’s 2025 Year in Books

Paul Sloane’s Followers (47)

Paul’s Bookshelves

to-read (1)
currently-reading (1)
read (78)

Paul’s Friends (76)

Frank Calberg

242 books | 28 friends

Hannah Sloane-Arenson

558 books | 61 friends

Kürşat

198 books | 70 friends

Abhay Prasanna

28 books | 149 friends

Peter

4,477 books | 143 friends

Andy Lopata

742 books | 453 friends

karen

15,652 books | 4,903 friends

Kes

3,044 books | 85 friends

More friends…

Paul Sloane

Goodreads Author

Born

in Johnstone, Scotland, The United Kingdom

Website

http://destination-innovation.com

Genre

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Business & Investing

Influences

Noel Chavasse

Member Since

October 2008

edit data

Paul Sloane read Engineering at Trinity Hall Cambridge. He came top of Sales School at IBM, became MD of Ashton-Tate UK, VP International for MathSoft and CEO of Monactive. He now writes, speaks and gives workshops on lateral thinking in business, creativity, innovation and leadership. He is married and lives in Camberley in Surrey. He has three grown-up daughters. He is a keen chess and tennis player and he plays keyboards in a rock band, the Fat Cats. He has written a series of lateral thinking puzzle books, many co-authored with Des MacHale, published by Sterling Publishing. They have sold over 2 million copies and been translated into many languages. He has also written two management books, published by Kogan Page, and many articles fo ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Paul Sloane questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Paul Sloane’s books

Average rating: 3.76 · 1,133 ratings · 131 reviews · 78 distinct works • Similar authors

	How to be a Brilliant Thinker: Exercise Your Mind and Find Creative Solutions 3.83 avg rating — 178 ratings — published 2010 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author), Myron Miller (Illustrator) 3.94 avg rating — 158 ratings — published 1991 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills: Unlocking the Creativity and Innovation in You and Your Team 3.77 avg rating — 100 ratings — published 2003 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Great Lateral Thinking Puzzles by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author), Des MacHale 3.76 avg rating — 75 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author), Des MacHale, Myron Miller (Illustrations) 3.55 avg rating — 62 ratings — published 1993	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Intriguing Lateral Thinking Puzzles by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author), Des MacHale, Myron Miller (Illustrator) 3.73 avg rating — 45 ratings — published 1996 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing: Advice from Leading Experts in the Field 3.95 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2011 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Improve Your Lateral Thinking: Puzzles To Challenge Your Mind by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author), Des MacHale 3.74 avg rating — 42 ratings — published 1995	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lateral Thinking for Every Day: Extraordinary Solutions to Ordinary Problems 3.76 avg rating — 33 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Outstanding Lateral Thinking Puzzles by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author), Des MacHale 3.61 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2005 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Paul Sloane…

66 posts
Paul Sloane's Blog

Accept Productive Boredom

In today’s busy world, we have developed a strong aversion to boredom. The moment our minds begin to wander, we reach for our phones, check email, or find some other distraction. Yet in doing so, we are systematically destroying one of the most powerful stimuli for unexpected solutions: unstructured mental downtime.

The neuroscience is clear. When we’re not actively focused on a task, our brains do

Paul is Currently Reading

Paul Sloane rated a book it was amazing

The Art of Unexpected Solutions: Using Lateral Thinking to Find Breakthroughs

by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in January 2026

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Paul Sloane said: " How many times has something unexpected shaped your life? The world is unpredictable and we need to adapt to welcome the unexpected and to foster the conditions where serendipity will favour you. This book shows you how. It is packed with stories, ex ...more "

Jan 01, 2026 02:10AM · see review

rss
Paul’s Recent Updates

Paul Sloane wrote a new blog post Accept Productive Boredom In today’s busy world, we have developed a strong aversion to boredom. The moment our minds begin to wander, we reach for our phones, check email, or Read more of this blog post »
Jan 23, 2026 11:19PM · like
Paul Sloane rated a book really liked it The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A very clever book that starts slowly as a political discourse then transforms into a whodunnit and then has a book within a book. It mixes narrators and styles. I enjoyed it but did not find it totally convincing
Jan 15, 2026 08:43AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Sloane recommended The Proof of My Innocence to Mindy Gibbins-Klein The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 15, 2026 08:43AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Sloane rated a book really liked it The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A very clever book that starts slowly as a political discourse then transforms into a whodunnit and then has a book within a book. It mixes narrators and styles. I enjoyed it but did not find it totally convincing
Jan 15, 2026 08:41AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Sloane is now following Emily May's reviews
Jan 15, 2026 06:58AM · like
Paul Sloane rated a book it was amazing The Art of Unexpected Solutions: Using Lateral Thinking to Find Breakthroughs by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
How many times has something unexpected shaped your life? The world is unpredictable and we need to adapt to welcome the unexpected and to foster the conditions where serendipity will favour you. This book shows you how. It is packed with stories, ex ...more
Jan 01, 2026 02:05AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Art of Unexpected Solutions by Paul Sloane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Art of Unexpected Solutions by Paul Sloane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Sloane rated a book it was amazing The Burning Shore (Courtney publication, #4; Courtney chronological, #15) by Wilbur Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A rattling good tale of a woman's adventures. It ranges from the first World War to the bushlands of Namibia and South Africa. Preposterous at times but a great story nonetheless. ...more
Nov 13, 2025 07:36AM · like · see review
Paul Sloane rated a book it was amazing The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A remarkably detailed and engaging account of a shipwreck, murder, mutiny and journey of deliverance. Highly recommended.
Nov 13, 2025 07:30AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Wager by David Grann. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Wager by David Grann <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul Sloane rated a book it was amazing The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A very readable book on how we think about money and how we make decisions. Very instructive with many good examples.
Jun 10, 2024 02:26PM · 1 like · like · see review
Paul Sloane wants to read 1001 Pieces of Absolutely Useless Advice: Humorous hints and goofy guidance. by Paul Sloane (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 10, 2024 02:25PM · like