The Reading List for April / May 2018

Remember at the beginning of the year how I announced that one of my goals was to read more? I started strong back in January and I'm proud to say that I've kept it up the past few months!

Reading is something that I love doing and, for the most part, I have no problem powering through the latest thriller or mystery. Take a look at my March 2018 recap to see what I mean haha! I am a fiction junkie and once I find an author or series that I enjoy, there’s no stopping me.

Last year, however, I realized I wasn't putting aside as much time as I’d like to read non-fiction books that will help my business, mindset and continuing education. And that’s a damn shame because I enjoy those books too!

One of my favourite things about business/lifestyle books is that I basically get full access to someone’s brain and I can learn so much from them by reading their stories and implementing their advice. As I mentioned in a previous book recommendation post, “It would be nearly impossible to get a multi-hour meeting with some of these people but when you read their book, it's basically a masterclass in their teachings.”

I'm doing things a little differently this year and as such, I’m putting it out into the universe that over the next few weeks I will read the following four books. Accountability, is that you?

You'll notice that none of these books directly cover web design/development but rest assured that the lessons carry over to nearly every industry. I've linked to the books on Amazon (not affiliate links btw) but I'm positive you could find almost all of them at your local library/bookstore/garage sale as well.

If you're looking for books to read over the next few weeks that will positively impact your business, I hope these recommendations tickle your fancy!

Let's take a look.

Lucky Bitch Denise Duffield-Thomas Book Cover.jpg

Never Split The Difference Book Cover.jpg

The Year Of Less Cait Flanders Book Cover.jpg

1. Contagious : Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

Berger explains why certain things, products and ideas seem to spread like wild fire and what sets them apart. He talks about the power of word of mouth and how social influence shapes many of our decisions. According to the description on Amazon, "Contagious provides a set of specific actionable techniques for helping information spread for designing messages, advertisements and content that people will share" and that sounds pretty darn useful to me.

2. Lucky Bitch: A Guide for Exceptional Women to Create Outrageous Success by Denise Duffield-Thomas

Denise Duffield-Thomas is someone I have followed casually online for a while now and it's time that I actually sat down to read her book because so many of my online biz friends rave about her. She is all about the Laws of Attraction and Abundance and those are something I have seen play out in my own life so I'm excited to dig deeper into her money mindset ideas. When a book is recommended to you so many times, why fight it? Plus I've heard that she is super funny and I'm all about having lighthearted, REAL conversations about money and business!

3. Never Split The Difference : Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

This book was recommended on a podcast I listen to and once I looked it up online, I knew I had to get my hands on it! Chris Voss is a FBI negotiator and has a crazy amount of experience negotiating all sorts of situations. Negotiation is unavoidable in business (think : contracts, work agreements, deliverables, etc.) and I'm hoping to become more confident and secure in my own conversations after reading this book.

4. The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders

Ok so this one isn't necessarily a "business" book but I have a feeling it'll be an "apply it to your personal life and watch it improve your business by default" kind of book, which I'm totally cool with. I've followed Cait's blog for years and am super excited to learn more about her story, read her insights, and see what I can try out in my own life. Minimalism is all the rage but this story is about a whole lot more than that, TG.

Final Thoughts

These books should keep me busy over the next few weeks and I can’t wait to dive in, take notes, and implement changes. It goes without saying that there are so many incredible books out there and these four are just a small sample, but they should be great reads for the spring! I’m hoping they have a positive impact on my life AND my business, and that the takeaways stay with me for years to come.

Now it’s your turn to tell me, have you read any of these books? Did you like them? Do they live up to the hype? Are there any other books that you’re reading that I should add to my list? I’d love to know so leave me a note in the comments below!

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