I work as a Data Scientist. Here is my list of recommended readings (is not complete and never will be).

Book recommendations for starters

• Introduction to Machine Learning by Ethem Alpaydin: To learn the theory.
• Python Data Science Handbook by Jake VanderPlas: To get your hands dirty with Data Science in practice (or as in my case, to make a smooth switch from R to Python)
• Head First Data Analysis by Michael Milton: The first book I have seen which grasps what I'd like to call the "Data Scientist's mindset"
• Cartoon Guide to Statistics by Larry Gonick and Woollcott Smith: You need some statistics knowledge when working with data, so why don't you start the journey with something funny and lightweight ?

General book recommendations

• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: A lifetime of research how people think and make decisions.
• The Most Human Human by Brian Christian: An explorative journey how to be perceived as human as possible during a Turing test.