The pandemic has given some of us time to catch up on our reading, and with the holidays just around the corner, we compiled a list of what some of our members have enjoyed.

The list includes books that share lessons learned from successful entrepreneurs, creative thinking, essential skills, and messaging and cultural impacts. 

We have linked the books to our affiliate site with Bookshop.org - which gives back to AIIP and to independent bookstores with each purchase.

Since AIIP members are located all over the globe, we would like to suggest the following sites to help you find an independent bookstore outside of the United States for your purchases. 

• In Canada, here is a list of independent bookstores
• In UK, check out the UK Bookshop
• Biblio - offers used books and has a good global reach

SHARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS

We want to hear from you. What are your reading recommendations from the past year? Share your suggestions in this form and we'll add them to our list. 

Nonfiction

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World

Vivek H. Murthy ISBN: 9780062913296. From the publisher: “Dr. Murthy shares years of extensive research into how loneliness can affect our mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.”

Says AIIP member Cindy Romaine: “Murthy M.D. Murthy was the 19th Surgeon General of the United States and has just been appointed to President-Elect Biden's Pandemic Taskforce.”

 

How I Built This

Guy Raz ISBN: 0358216761. From the publisher: “This book offers priceless insights and inspiration from the world's top entrepreneurs on how to start, launch, and build a successful venture.”

Says AIIP member Brandy King: “The host of the podcast of the same name, where he interviews the founders of famous companies about how they got started. Great for entrepreneurs of all types!” 

Seeing What Comes Next

Clayton M. Christensen ISBN: 1591391857. From the publisher: “Offers a practical, three-part model that helps decision-makers spot the signals of industry change, determine the outcome of competitive battles, and assess whether a firm's actions will ensure or threaten future success.”

Recommended by AIIP member Yvonne Davis

Why We Can't Sleep. Women's New Midlife Crisis

Ada Calhoun ISBN: 0802147852. From the publisher: “Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X's predicament and offers solutions for how to pull oneself out of the abyss—and keep the next generation of women from falling in.”

Says AIIP member Kirsten Smith: “The target audience is GenX women and those that live with them. As an old GenXer it was quite illuminating and validating. Two thumbs up from me.” 

The Latte Factor

David Bach ISBN: 1982120231.  From the publisher: “The Latte Factor, a fast, easy read reveals how anyone—from millennials to baby boomers—can still make their dreams come true.”

Recommended by AIIP member Betty Nordeng

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... And Others Don't 

Jim Collins ISBN: 9780066620992. From the publisher: “Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great.”

Says AIIP member Betty Nordeng: “IMHO it was interesting to read about what worked at the time of the study, to think about what continues to work today and consider where those same companies are today. Perhaps someone that followed those companies could share what happened/changed between then and now.”

Everything is Figureoutable

Marie Forleo ISBN: 0525534997. From the publisher: “Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks.”

Recommended by AIIP member Jim Miller

Creative Calling

Chase Jarvis ISBN: 0062879960  From the publisher: “Chase Jarvis reminds us that creativity isn't a skill—it's a habit available to everyone:  beginners and lifelong creators, entrepreneurs to executives, astronauts to zookeepers, and everyone in between. Through small, daily actions we can supercharge our innate creativity and rediscover our personal power in life.”

Recommended by AIIP member Jim Miller

Building A Story Brand

Donald Miller ISBN: 0718033329.  From the publisher: "Building a StoryBrand teaches listeners the seven universal story points all humans respond to, the real reason customers make purchases, how to simplify a brand message so people understand it, and how to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media.”

Recommended by AIIP member Jim Miller

Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronso ISBN: 1491514132.  From the publisher: “Offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception—how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it. Be advised: You will never be able to shun blame quite so casually again.”

Says AIIP member Susan Baerwald: “This isn’t, strictly speaking, a business book but it offers much toconsider as we navigate challenging times.”

The Librarian's Skillbook: 51 Essential Skills for Information Professionals

Deborah Hunt and David Grossman. ISBN: 0989513319. From the publisher: “Regardless of your current level of experience and expertise, The Librarian’s Skillbook, which reveals the 51 hottest, most sought after library/information skills in today’s workplace, is your personal ticket to a new or enhanced career.”

Recommended by AIIP member Deborah Hunt

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know

Malcolm Gladwell ISBN: 0316478520.  From the publisher: “Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world.”

Says AIIP member Deborah Hunt: “Be sure to listen to the audiobook as you will hear the voices of people he interviewed--scientists, criminologists, military psychologists and more. We are a divided nation right now and this will lead to better understanding and change the way we perceive others before we know them.”

The Business of Expertise - How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight into Impact + Wealth

David C. Blake ISBN: 1605440604. From the publisher: “This passionate expertise manifesto is intended to elevate the impact of advisors who sell insight as entrepreneurs.”

Recommended by AIIP member Heather Carine

The Start-Up Owners Manual

Steve Blank ISBN: 1119690684. From the publisher: “More than 100,000 entrepreneurs rely on this book for detailed, step-by-step instructions on building successful, scalable, profitable startups.”

Recommended by AIIP member Heather Carine

Understanding How the Future Unfolds 

Tse & Esposito ISBN: 1619615541. From the publisher: “By observing today through the lens of DRIVE (Demographic and social changes, Resource scarcity, Inequalities, Volatility, complexity, and scale, Enterprising dynamics) and understanding how megatrends influence one another, business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, policy makers and individuals can prepare for tomorrow.”

Recommended by AIIP member Heather Carine

Pleasure

Girl Decoded

Rana El Kaliouby ISBN: 1984824767. From the publisher: “Girl Decoded chronicles el Kaliouby’s journey from being a “nice Egyptian girl” to becoming a woman, carving her own path as she revolutionizes technology.”

Recommended by AIIP member Janel Kinlaw

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho ISBN: 9780061122415. From the publisher: “What starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within.

Says AIIP member Richard Halpern: “The back cover gives you an idea of its message: “to realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation”.  Awe inspiring.”

Discworld novels

Terry Pratchett (Complete list of titles) From the publisher: “The Discworld is the fictional setting of Terry Pratchett’s most iconic fantasy novel series. Although this world may appear completely different to our own, the Discworld novels explore a multitude of very human issues.”

Says AIIP member Angela Thor: “When you need some laugh-out-loud time, pick up one of the Discworld series. What I love about them is not only the humor, but the insight into many social issues.”

page updated 12/10/2020