Top Data Analytics books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Data Analytics books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Data Analytics

Understanding the concepts of Data Analytics starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Data Analytics, Data Visualization & Communicating Data: 3 books in 1: Learn the Processes of Data Analytics and Data Science, Create Engaging Data Visualizations, and Present Data Effectively

Harvard Business Review called data science “the sexiest job of the 21st century,” so it's no surprise that data science jobs have grown up to 20x in the last 3 years. With demand outpacing supply, companies are willing to pay top dollar for talented data professionals. However…To stand out in one of these positions, having foundational knowledge of interpreting data is essential. You can be a…

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Data Analytics, Data Visualization & Communicating Data: 3 books in 1: Learn the Processes of Data Analytics and Data Science, Create Engaging Data ... Present Data Effectively (All Things Data)

Harvard Business Review called data science “the sexiest job of the 21st century,” so it's no surprise that the number of data science jobs has grown 20x in the last three years. With demand outpacing supply, companies are willing to pay top dollar for talented data professionals. However…
To truly excel, it's not enough to throw some data from a database into a spreadsheet—you must transfo…

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Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

Blending the informed analysis of The Signal and the Noise with the instructive iconoclasm of Think Like a Freak, a fascinating, illuminating, and witty look at what the vast amounts of information now instantly available to us reveals about ourselves and our world—provided we ask the right questions.

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Doing data science

Now that people are aware that data can make the difference in an election or a business model, data science as an occupation is gaining ground. But how can you get started working in a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary field that's so clouded in hype? This insightful book, based on Columbia University's Introduction to Data Science class, tells you what you need to know.
In many of these cha…

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SQL for Data Analytics - Third Edition: Harness the power of SQL to extract insights from data

Every day, businesses operate around the clock, and a huge amount of data is generated at a rapid pace. This book helps you analyze this data and identify key patterns and behaviors that can help you and your business understand your customers at a deep, fundamental level.
SQL for Data Analytics, Third Edition is a great way to get started with data analysis, showing how to effectively sort…

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Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking

Based on an MBA course Provost has taught at New York University over the past ten years, Data Science for Business provides examples of real-world business problems to illustrate these principles. You’ll not only learn how to improve communication between business stakeholders and data scientists, but also how participate intelligently in your company’s data science projects. You’ll also disc…

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Additional Data Analytics Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Data Analytics, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Data Engineering Cookbook

Five types of content are in this book: Articles the author wrote, links to his podcast episodes (video & audio), more than 200 links to helpful websites he like, data engineering interview questions and case studies.

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Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data

Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called "sexy." From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know whi…

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The Hundred-page Machine Learning Book

Peter Norvig, Research Director at Google, co-author of AIMA, the most popular AI textbook in the world: "Burkov has undertaken a very useful but impossibly hard task in reducing all of machine learning to 100 pages. He succeeds well in choosing the topics — both theory and practice — that will be useful to practitioners, and for the reader who understands that this is the first 100 (or actual…

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Python for Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with Pandas, NumPy, and Jupyter

Get complete instructions for manipulating, processing, cleaning, and crunching datasets in Python. Updated for Python 3.6, the second edition of this hands-on guide is packed with practical case studies that show you how to solve a broad set of data analysis problems effectively. You'll learn the latest versions of pandas, NumPy, IPython, and Jupyter in the process. Written by Wes McKinney, t…

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Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

Don't simply show your data—tell a story with it! Storytelling with Data teaches you the fundamentals of data visualization and how to communicate effectively with data. You'll discover the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story. The lessons in this illuminative text are grounded in theory, but made accessible through numerous real-world examples—ready for…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Python for Data Analysis

Get complete instructions for manipulating, processing, cleaning, and crunching datasets in Python. Updated for Python 3.6, the second edition of this hands-on guide is packed with practical case studies that show you how to solve a broad set of data analysis problems effectively. You'll learn the latest versions of pandas, NumPy, IPython, and Jupyter in the process.
Written by Wes McKinney…

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This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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In 2025 by far: I've helped 6 mentees received DA/DS offers! 🎉 In 2024: I've helped 16 mentees received DA/DS offers, 4 received multiple offers! 🎉🎉 Hello! 👋🙂 I'm a professional in Data Science, Machine Learning and Business Analytics for fortune 500 companies, including financial services and retail services. 💻🤖 …

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Supercharge your transition into data engineering with Gaurav, a passionate Senior Data Engineer at Amazon. With 10 years of experience, Gaurav excels in designing data platforms, implementing architectures like Data lake, Lakehouse, and Data mesh. Expertise in building cloud-based platforms, data pipelines, and ensuring governance and security. Benefit from Gaurav's …

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Sunny Zhu refers to herself as the bridge between people and data and as a “statistics geek”. She has been engaged in a broad range of analytical works across diversified industries to empower companies to turn data insights into solid business decisions. Working for a decade in data analytics, she …

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Expertise in enabling, developing and deploying robust end-to-end data pipelines and machine learning models that have real world impact on a regular basis. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best minds at prestigious organizations like Mercedes-Benz and General Motors. …

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I specialise in supporting early-stage startups to devise and implement scalable SEO growth strategies while avoiding common pitfalls that can hinder growth and become costly to fix later. With over ten years experience, including five at two of Australia's most successful startups — Canva and Car Next Door (now Uber …

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