6 New Business Books Worthy Of Your Time And Attention

There is a whole new stack of new business books that require your attention. Here are just 6 that I’m about to devour.

1. Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky. I only have about ten pages left in this book, and it’s just as good and thought-provoking as Shirky’s debut, Here Comes Everybody. It’s sharp, pointed and looks at the Internet (and yes, Social Media) in a highly intellectual and practical way.
2. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. It’s hard to believe that I get to have my book, Six Pixels of Separation, on the same publisher as Tony Hsieh. Tony is the person behind the super-success that is Zappos. Who would have thought that selling shoes online would lead to being bought by Amazon for close to one billion dollars? Who would have believed that it’s also their customer service philosophy that took them there? I can imagine this book being as valuable to the CEO as it is to the janitor in a company.
3. Drive by Dan Pink. From A Whole New Mind to Free Agent Nation, I have never not loved the writings of Dan Pink. In Drive, Pink takes on what motivates people and – by the looks of the summary – it’s not just the almighty dollar. Not by a long shot.
4. Power Friending by Amber MacArthur. I’d consider Amber MacArthur a power friend, so finding out that she was going to write her own take on what it takes to be successful online got me all excited. I’ve actually recorded an in-depth audio conversation with Amber that will show up as an upcoming episode of the Six Pixels of Separation – The Twist Image Podcast, so watch for that while reading her first business book.
5. The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. Carr takes a different look at what the Internet is doing to culture and our society. The embers of this book were lit In his highly-controversial article, Does Google Make Us Stupid (The Atlantic July/August 2008). I was a huge fan of The Big Switch, so I am super-curious to see where Carr goes in his latest book.
6. The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely. I love Dan Ariely. Not just because he made the intro to my literary agent for me, but because his first book, Predictably Irrational, really made me rethink marketing business models and how pricing can work once you understand human nature just a little bit better. You don’t have to be into behavioral economics to appreciate Ariely, and The Upside of Irrationality looks as exciting as his #1 best-selling debut.

What brand-new and thought-provoking book are you looking forward to diving into?