Nine Books You Need to Read This Year

When I was a little girl, my sister and I used to read so often that my grandmother would shoo us out of the house just to get us to do anything other than read. As I got older and life got busier, my reading time was replaced with business errands, tasks, and chores. Eventually, I stopped reading all together and it became that thing I used to love…

Last year, a friend introduced me to audio books and it completely rocked my world. Suddenly all of those long hours spent driving or traveling could be used to effortlessly learn and feel inspired by the books I previously neglected to read. If there is one recommendation I can make to every single creative in the new year – it is to make reading a priority. It completely revolutionized my business and guided many of my strategies + choices last year.

If you are so busy running your business that you fail to take time to learn, innovate, and invigorate your mind… Listen up. This year things need to change. You need to set aside busy work to invest in yourself. You genuinely deserve to study areas that interest you, learn new techniques, and feel inspired to sprint forward towards success.

My Top Three Books from 2015

• Tribes by Seth Godin

Who Should Read This: Anyone building a business or creating a community. This book, hands down, was my favorite read last year. Seth Godin is a marketing genius who truly understands how to build a tribe, how to inspire them, and genuinely serve them well! 

• Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
  

Who Should Read This: Anyone interested in consumer behavior and runs a business. Dan Ariely is one of my favorite behavioral economists (his TED talk has been viewed millions of times) and I love how relatable this book is. You don’t need to have an MBA to fall in love with his stories and learn something!

• Brainfluence by Roger Dooley

Who Should Read This: Anyone who is a giant nerd, who loves understanding the brain, and is curious about the science behind persuasion in the marketplace. I genuinely think this book may be my all time favorite and I could read it a dozen times before I truly absorbed all of Dooley’s genius!

My Next Six Books in 2016

• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Art of Work by Jeff Goins
• Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work that Matters by Jon Acuff
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live by Brené Brown
• Contagious by Jonah Berger
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

If you’ve read any of the books above, let me know your thoughts! 

I’m currently halfway through The New New by Michael Lewis that Huey and I started yesterday on our drive to the Creative at Heart Birthday Bash in Richmond. I think next up is The Art of Work followed by Contagious.  And just a reminder that the links above are affiliate links that help to fund the free content that’s provided on Tech-Talk Tuesdays!

If you need a little encouragement and someone to hold you accountable, consider signing up for a book club or starting one of your own! I absolutely love Nancy Ray and she is starting up a Book Club this month. Be sure to check it out.