Every year, there are too many great books published to keep up with (or too many to read while doing those other pesky things like working, sleeping, eating, etc.). One of the great perks of my job is reading the excellent summaries that are produced by our dedicated book club members—I get to experience what they read vicariously and benefit from the big takeaways they have from their books. However, sometimes I get a bit of FOMO, and want to be able to read everything myself (#booknerdproblems). Here are four of the books I’m itching to get my hands on in the next few months.
The Future of Happiness: Five Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being In the Digital Era by Amy Blankson (April 2017)
I’ve been thinking about happiness a lot over the past few weeks—we recently published summaries of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb. These summaries highlight the value of designing our days to create optimal conditions for happiness. I’m excited to read Blankson’s forthcoming book to learn more about how technology affects happiness, and what we can do about it.
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott (March 2017)
As the description of Scott’s upcoming book claims, the key to establishing relationships that allow for radical candor is to show that you care personally, even as you challenge directly. We’re great at this at Actionable—candor and transparency over appearances is one of our core values, and I think we do an excellent job of providing honest (sometimes challenging) feedback. There’s always room for improvement though, and I can’t wait to dig into Scott’s book for further insights.
Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future by Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert, and Mark W. Johnson (April 2017)
I love books that pull together a wide number of voices and stories—and it sounds like Dual Transformation will be right up my alley. The description of the book says that the authors have blended case studies, first person stories, and first-hand insights from their expansive combined experiences. Not only do these kinds of books make fascinating reading, they also spark ideas for innovation that I can apply to my own work.
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Atler (March 2017)
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to unlock the secrets of what sticks? On the Content team at Actionable, we talk a lot about how we can create irresistible content, and get readers hooked. On a personal level, I would love to be hooked on the right things—running instead of pizza, water instead of coffee, etc. I’m excited to explore what Atler has to say about the rise of behavioral addiction—specifically how we can harness that power and use it to our advantage.
In preparation for this post, I also reached out to my colleagues at Actionable to see what books they are itching to get their hands on—and they did not disappoint. A few of these titles are out already (so I’m cheating a little bit here), but I couldn’t resist the urge to include them:
Every season, there are simply too many great reads coming out to highlight them all. My to-read pile is out of control (but I wouldn’t have it any other way). These are just a few of the excellent titles that I can’t wait to dive into in the next few months.
What are you most excited to read this season?
