Books to Watch: August 2013

If you're like me, your summer reading list is infinite—wonderful-looking books in a towering protean stack which both promises blissful enrichment and threatens utter annihilation by way of procrastination and its associated guilt. And summer isn't even over yet. Don't get discouraged. In fact, here are a few books that are on our radar for August. Add them to your stack! Springboard by G. Richard Shell August 15th / Portfolio / ISBN-13 9781591845478 The Wharton School's creator of the "Success Course" asks two big questions: what is success? and how will you achieve it? Springboard then lays out detailed guides for finding the answers to these all-important questions. Written with expert cadence, this book manages to be an "easy read" without skimping on quality. Shell provides ample research findings, anecdotes, and the expert guidance he's gleaned from his work in the field. The Chaos Imperative by Ori Brafman August 13th / Crown Business / ISBN-13 9780307886675 The author of The Starfish and the Spider returns with an instantly appealing conjunction of subject matter: chaos and innovation. Brafman uses this new book to explore cases in which organizations foster innovation by way of chaos. Compelling People by John Neffinger & Matthew Kohut August 15th / Hudson Street Press / ISBN-13 9781594631016 Two seasoned lecturers tackle big ideas about how we influence others, and how understanding of this process can change how we behave with and around others. The authors provide a handy tool for applying the principles covered in the book. Compelling People is going to do to you exactly what the title states. And then you can do it to others. Do Cool Sh*t by Miki Agrawal August 6th / HarperBusiness / ISBN-13 9780062261533 From HarperBusiness: "With zero experience and no capital, Miki Agrawal opened WILD, a farm-to-table pizzeria in New York City and Las Vegas, partnered up in a children's multimedia company called Super Sprowtz, and launched a patented high-tech underwear business called THINX." As it happens, she has some advice for you on how to do cool sh*t just like the above. The book features both common-sense advice for navigating the entrepreneurial field and the kind of "yes you can" motivation that comes in handy when you're doing something you never thought you'd be able to do.