What amazing books have you read?

Hi Giannina, I am reading two great books at the moment. Words That Work by Dr. Frank Luntz and Can We Do That by Peter Shankman.
Dr. Lutz is a self proclaimed word geek. A quote on the jacket of the book describes it best. " Language is like music. Unfortunatley, the Republicans have a Paul MCartney in the person of Frank Luntz, Somehow, we Democrats got stuck with Yoko Ono" quote by Al Franken. The book stresses it is not what you say but what your listeners hear. Luntz is responsible for the Republican phrase "Contract With America" This book is full of fun stories and will make you think twice about your own lexicon. I have had to keep a dictionary at hand while reading this book but it is still fun and exciting. "Can we Do That" highlights outrageous PR stunts. It is an easy read and full of great ideas. Best of luck. Caroline Strittmatter

"Book Yourself Solid" by Michael Port. I went to a lucheon that he spoke at. I loved Michael's talk. I bought the book and have so enjoyed it. It is an easy read and the to-do's are fun and challenging. The front of the books says, "The Fastest, Easiers, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If you Hate Marketing and Selling". I'm ready for his next book, "Beyond Book Yourself Solid".

Enjoy!

Mary Boisselle HeadConcierge

It wasn't exactly recent, but one of the business books I love is The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Laura Ries and Al Ries. I'm always inspired to take myself and my practice to new places after reading from that book.

Currently I'm actually reading an e-book by Sasha Xarrian called Outrageous Mastery. It's an incredible story of triumph and success. I highly recommend it for inspiration.

Three business books that really made an impact on me are:

Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It, by Peggy Klaus

Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good: The Madcap Business Adventure by the Truly Oddest Couple by Paul Newman, A.E. Hotchner

Footnotes : What You Stand For Is More Important Than What You Stand In, by Kenneth Cole

Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

"The Long Tail" by Chris Anderson. Great stuff. Especially for those who want to sell on the Internet.

"Blog Wild" by Andy Wibbels. This is an easy read for those of you who are thinking or wondering about doing a blog for your business.

~bob

Hey G! I think you would really dig A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future and Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win. I also really liked Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survice and Other Die.

Currently, I'm reading a book about human nature called Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire - Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do.

On a personal note, I read Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia last year and found that book very inspirational.

I think the common theme in my reading selections is really long titles! ;0)

Nancy

Hop to Signaroo

Yeah, "Made to Stick" was good. I would recommend that one. I also really enjoyed "Who's Your City" (Richard Florida). Short story: despite having the web, email, phones, etc., it really DOES matter where you live. Major metro areas help you to surround yourself with other bright, creative, energetic types.

Rick

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, which shows how little changes can make a big difference

Your Money or your Life By Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin which shows the value of frugality and how to make your money really work for you instead of working for it.

Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships by John Welwood...an excellent book for looking at the role of love in a person's life and how much that can effect our reactions and actions.

I recently finished an old favorite, The Purple Cow by Seth Godin, which is a great reminder on how being remarkable and doing something different will get you noticed more often than not-- and if done well, will get you noticed in a good way!

Now, I'm reading the Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz who also wrote another great and inspirational great read called The Four Agreements. He provides clear insight about what love really is and how we can truly learn to love.

I would suggest to watch Randy Rausch's lecture Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams It's very inspirng.

Gotta chime in with a second vote for Eat Pray Love. I've read that at least four times and find myself moved and inspired every time. No, it's not a business book, but personal growth is just as crucial for our success as biz owners.

And a third vote for Made to Stick. I've been rereading that one and it always jolts me with the simplicity and genius of the main principles of what makes an idea sticky: Simple Unexpected Credible Concrete Emotional Stories.

Hi

I've just reread the Tipping Point as well Taylor - good stuff. I loved Synchronicity The Inner Path to Leadership by Joseph Jaworski.

On a lighter note I've just finished The Ghost a novel by Robert Harris set in Martha's Vineyard- really excellent. Not about a spectre but a ghostwriter who gets in deeper than he wanted to...

Fiona

"The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ángel Ruiz.

Good to Great by Jim Collins is absolutely my favorite business book. Good to Great would be an excellent book for you to read Giannina since you are "gearing up to take my business to the next level". That is the whole point of the book: What makes a good company achieve and maintain a level of greatness instead of just remaining good.

I recently read the 35 page monograph that Collins published as a companion to the initial book. It is called Good to Great in the Social Sectors but I would highly recommend it for anyone regardless of the business they are in. Great!

Positioning by Ries and Trout really helped me understand my customer's mindset. I enjoyed The Field by Lynne McTaggart for its metaphysical cohesiveness (is that a real word?) and recently have been reminded of all things as One while reading Think and Grow Rich.

Creating True Prosperity by Shakti Gawain

Gawain shows how money can be used to teach people to identify where they need more balance in their lives, freeing them to pursue fulfilling relationships and personal satisfaction — the main ingredients of true prosperity.

It's an easy & fast read. Enjoy!

Choosing is what's hard! "And There was Light" by J. Luseyran is fabulous - a Frenchman that loses his sight and considers that to be the greatest gift he was ever given... "I am That" - metaphysically speaking it is pretty much the gold standard. "To Reach the Clouds" by Philippe Petit is one of the most astonishing accounts of setting an OUTRAGEOUS goal and accomplishing it by means of TOTAL commitment. i'll stop here, but the list is endless... Enjoy.

wolf

StrengthsFinder 2.0. It's a book that comes with a test that tells you your top 5 strengths. It has changed the way I think about myself. The message is "don't try to overcome your weaknesses - it's wasted energy. instead, focus on your strengths because that is where you will achieve excellence".

These aren't really business related, but life related:

My favorite book is "How to Be An Adult" by David Richo. Seriously helpful condensed guide to all the issues you encounter in therapy. Well, not a substitute for therapy. But still very helpful.

The Artist's Way was helpful in reframing how I think of creativity.

Hey, my problem is always choosing one to shout out about. Inspoirationally I actually would go with the controversial Richard Bandler. I got a lot from my NLP & Hypnotherapy training and it managed to infiltrate every facet of life.

I would also like to take this opportunity to plug my upcoming bookish event:

"Books, Business and Beyond - A book club for bizniks"

http://biznik.com/events/2008/8/28/books-business-and-beyond-a-book-club-for-bizniks

Hope to see some of you there!

Best, Eylon

"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. Although it mostly addresses the creative block, like writer's block, etc., she really goes into explaining how you can get rid of the negative influences within and around you and focus more on your work. It's hard to explain, but it combines inspiration with major reality checks and exercises to help you get focused. Although pointed at creatives, I see it hitting home to many Bizniks!

I read Michael Port's book Beyond Booked Solid. An amazing read and so eye-opening that I decided to go back and read his first book. I'm enjoying that immensely. So I'll second or third that one.

One of my favorites is One Small Step Can Change your Life, The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, Ph.D.

And I was just recommended this book The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris.

I'll also put my vote in for Eat, Pray and Love. What a wonderful story!

Thanks for all of the great recommendations. I've written several of them down for near future reads. And I'm planning on checking out the biznik book club!

Betsy Moore

Great one, Bridget! I found the "morning pages" exercise from "The Artist's Way" to be of immense value at certain periods.