Business Books to Watch in December

The month of December always provides a little lull in the publishing calendar, but it doesn't a complete halt. The focus does tend to shift this close to the end of the year tend toward the personal development side of the business book spectrum. Only three books on this list really stray from that, and I pulled the first one in from November to round out the list. Looking toward the new year and the resolutions we'll be making in it, these books help us "kick more ass" and "fuel [our] badassery every day," or conversely teach how to chill the funk out, stop trying so hard, and accept our imperfections. Some even suggest a third way, a middle path, through it all. So, without further ado, here are ten books (by order of their release date), hitting the shelves of bookstores this month.

The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition by Jonathan Tepper & Denise Hearn | Wiley

The Myth of Capitalism tells the story of how America has gone from an open, competitive marketplace to an economy where a few very powerful companies dominate key industries that affect our daily lives.

Digital monopolies like Google, Facebook and Amazon act as gatekeepers to the digital world. Amazon is capturing almost all online shopping dollars. We have the illusion of choice, but for most critical decisions, we have only one or two companies, when it comes to high speed Internet, health insurance, medical care, mortgage title insurance, social networks, Internet searches, or even consumer goods like toothpaste. Every day, the average American transfers a little of their pay check to monopolists and oligopolists. The solution is vigorous anti-trust enforcement to return America to a period where competition created higher economic growth, more jobs, higher wages and a level playing field for all. The Myth of Capitalism is the story of industrial concentration, but it matters to everyone, because the stakes could not be higher. It tackles the big questions of: why is the US becoming a more unequal society, why is economic growth anemic despite trillions of dollars of federal debt and money printing, why the number of start-ups has declined, and why are workers losing out.

The Secret Ingredient: Recipes for Success in Business and Life by Gigi Butler, with Bud Schaetzle | Howard Books

Gigi Butler of Gigi’s Cupcakes shares her personal success story, her hard-won business acumen, and the life-changing inspiration that she’s gained from a challenging life. Each chapter includes a delicious dessert recipe for cupcakes and more!

As a young child, Gigi knew that if she wanted to succeed, she had to work hard and offer a service that people wanted to buy. At age seven, she sold eggs out of her little red wagon to neighbors. At age fifteen, she bought cleaning supplies and started a cleaning service out of her rural California home.

When she moved to Nashville at nineteen, she had her heart set on becoming a country music star. She cleaned houses by day and took every singing opportunity she could find by night. But when she found herself still doing the same thing at age thirty, she realized that God had better plans for her. If she wouldn’t be a successful singer, she decided she would grow a business that she could be proud of.

An extraordinary baker throughout her life, she decided to open a cupcake shop with all the money she could pull together. With the help and support of her family, she was able to open her first store in a prime Nashville location. The news of her cupcakes spread quickly, and the franchise became a huge success.

In The Secret Ingredient, Gigi shares how her failure led her to explore her passion for baking and how she became a successful businesswoman. For anyone with big dreams, Gigi’s message is simple: believe in yourself, walk with integrity, work hard, and trust in God. Your life may not turn out exactly how you expected or hoped, but it will be so much better than you could have ever imagined.

Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life by Dave Asprey | HarperWave

The bestselling author of Head Strong and The Bulletproof Diet answers the question “How do I kick more ass?”—providing proven techniques for becoming happier, healthier, and smarter, culled from the wisdom and insight of world-class thought leaders and mavericks of science and business.

When Dave Asprey started his Bulletproof Radio podcast more than five years ago, he sought out thought leaders and influencers in an array of disciplines, from biochemists to business titans to mediation masters. These folks were some of the top performing humans in the world, people who had changed their areas of study or even pioneered entirely new fields. Dave wanted to know: What did they have in common? What mattered most to them? What makes them so successful at what they do—and what makes them happiest? And so, at the end of each interview, Dave began asking the same question: “What are your top three recommendations for people who want to kick more ass?”

Combing through the recordings, looking for patterns and common threads, he found that the wisdom gleaned from these highly successful people can be distilled into three main categories: body, mind, and spirit. Game Changers is the culmination of Dave’s years-long statistical analysis of these conversations, offering thirty-six science-backed, high performance “laws” that are a virtual playbook for how to become not only more successful, but also happier and healthier.

Each chapter of Game Changers is structured around one of these laws. Dave combines anecdotes from game changers like Daniel Amen, David Perlmutter, Arianna Huffington, Dan Harris, and Tim Ferris with his own research and practical advice that readers can put into action immediately. From practicing gratitude and mindfulness to prioritizing social connections and sex, taming fear and anxiety to optimizing nutrition and movement, Dave brings together the wisdom of today’s game-changers to help everyone optimize their lives.

Everything Is Negotiable: The 5 Tactics to Get What You Want in Life, Love, and Work by Meg Myers Morgan | Seal Press

Surprising ways we limit ourselves and our happiness, and how to challenge the internalized wisdom and circular thinking that holds us back.

As women, many of us are stuck in feedback loops about how to be successful and happy: striving to "have it all" at work and at home, letting ourselves be pressured into giving every part of our lives 100% until we're completely burnt-out, imagining only a strictly linear life path (college, job, marriage, kids), and accepting limitations without question. Yet the truth is, this book argues, most of the conventional wisdom driving our life choices is total baloney.

In Everything Is Negotiable, Meg Myers Morgan deconstructs preconceived notions about adulthood, parenthood, and career paths that have us limiting ourselves. Instead of following that linear plan, for example, she urges readers to take action now for what we want—limitations be damned. With wit and verve, Morgan also tells us to forget trying to "have it all," as the cliche phrase goes—it'll never happen. And, Morgan argues, don't bother trying to give 100%—we simply can't give anything 100% attention, ever! Instead, this book teaches us to navigate life's necessary trade-offs free of the baggage of our own expectations.

Chock full of strategies for where and when to give our limited energy, what to demand from our careers, and how to make better choices, Everything Is Negotiable is for women ready to seize the lives they really want.

You Are a Badass Every Day: How to Keep Your Motivation Strong, Your Vibe High, and Your Quest for Transformation Unstoppable by Jen Sincero | Viking

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a book of mantras and meditations to fuel your badassery every day.

For anyone who has ever had trouble staying on track while trailblazing towards badassery, You Are a Badass Every Day is the companion to keep you fresh, grateful, scrappy, and driven. In this inspirational guide, bestselling author and world-travelling success coach Jen Sincero distills the big ideas behind her iconic books You Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money into bite-sized, daily exercises and reflections you need to stay sharp. Giving you permission to let go of missteps, the tools to keep yourself accountable, and the space and acceptance to celebrate like mad when you are kicking butt, You Are a Badass Every Day is organized to help you manuever through the challenges and maximize the advantages of our seasonal rhythms to power you past beliefs and behaviors that hold you back from greatness.

Speeches of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Orations Deserving of a Wider Audience by Shaun Usher | Ten Speed Press

From the author of the popular blog and international bestselling book Letters of Note comes an illustrated collection of 80 of history’s most interesting, profound, and sometimes unknown speeches from a range of scintillating personalities such as Queen Elizabeth II, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Harvey Milk, John Cleese, and Barbara Streisand.

A uniquely curated and artfully illustrated book designed to be read and displayed, Speeches of Note celebrates oratory old and new, highlighting the speeches we know and admire, including those of Frederick Douglass, Edward Murrow, and Robert F. Kennedy, while also shining a light on those speeches which, despite their brilliance, have until now been ignored or forgotten. From George Bernard Shaw’s warm and rousing toast to Albert Einstein in 1930 to the commencement address affectionately given to graduates at Long Island University by Kermit the Frog to the chilling public announcement (that was thankfully never made) by President Richard Nixon should Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become stranded on the moon, each speech is accompanied by a brief introduction to provide cultural context, as well as a photograph of the speaker or the speech being made, a gorgeous illustration, or a facsimile of the original speech itself.

Take the Leap: Change Your Career, Change Your Life by Sara Bliss | Touchstone

A road map for landing your dream job.

Take the Leap features inspiration and advice from more than sixty-five people who transformed their lives—and with this guide, so can you. These are game changers, rule breakers, and side hustlers who once stood where you are now, wondering if they should take a risk. They went from production assistant to million-dollar screenplay writer; attorney to surf instructor; mom to DJ; hairdresser to firefighter; real estate agent to award-winning chef.

Do you want to go for that career you’ve always dreamed about? Launch a new company? Become a tech mogul? Live a life of adventure? Save the world? You’ll find wisdom from successful mentors like creative visionary and writer Simon Doonan, entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran, NFL player turned artist/activist Aaron Maybin, and wellness and beauty guru Bobbi Brown.

This is a career guide for today’s ever-changing job market. Thinking about your own next chapter? Take the leap.

Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation by Gary Shapiro | William Morrow

Building on the message of his New York Times bestselling Ninja Innovation, Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, casts his eye toward the future, charting how the innovative technologies of today will transform not only the way business is done but society itself—and how we can use them to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving world.

In Ninja Future, Gary Shapiro explains how to understand the evolving technological landscape, both breakthroughs currently happening and those that are coming. Longtime economic mainstays from cash to traditional cars are on the way out, he makes clear. They will be eclipsed by a diversity of “new” products consumers actually want.

Shapiro uses case studies to identify companies and countries that are addressing today’s challenges particularly well—and draws lessons from those who have stumbled. Drawing on the insights he has gleaned as a martial arts black belt, he shows how businesses can only thrive in today’s turbulent environment by adopting the mindset of “ninjas”—they must be able to adapt to change—to capitalize on positive opportunities or overcoming challenging obstacles—at lightning speed.

#Chill: Turn Off Your Job and Turn On Your Life by Bryan E. Robinson, PhD | William Morrow

Stop stressing and learn to chill with this mindfulness and meditation guidebook that can help workaholics and others let go of anxiety and achieve and maintain the healthy work/life balance they need.

We all know good health and happiness depends on having proper balance between our professional and private lives. But in today’s hectic work environment, in which we must do more in less time with fewer resources, that goal can feel impossible to attain. We stay late at the office rather than being home with our families. We work into the night and on weekends to perfect that presentation or just catch up, rather than relaxing with a hobby or spending time with our friends. Under constant pressure to over-perform, work easily becomes the dominant force in our lives.

Licensed psychotherapist and professor Bryan Robinson understands the demands we face. He also knows that it’s difficult to stop the cycle of over-work. But there is a solution. In #Chill, Robinson explains how ending the cycle of work addiction can be achieved by reframing priorities and cultivating mindfulness in our daily lives. He provides daily meditations that help center and soothe us, allowing us to step back, close our eyes, take a long breath, and focus on the moment.

Filled with wise advice, inspiring quotes, and gentle guidance, #Chill gives us the tools we need to quiet our anxiety, break our addiction to work, and bring compassion, calm, confidence, and creativity into our daily existence—and at last, have the peaceful, balanced life we all deserve.

Love for Imperfect Things: How to Accept Yourself in a World Striving for Perfection by Haemin Sunim | Penguin Books

Hearing the words “be good to yourself first, then to others” was like being struck by lightning.

Many of us respond to the pressures of life by turning inward and ignoring problems, sometimes resulting in anxiety or depression. Others react by working harder at the office, at school, or at home, hoping that this will make ourselves and the people we love happier. But what if being yourself is enough? Just as we are advised on airplanes to take our own oxygen first before helping others, we must first be at peace with ourselves before we can be at peace with the world around us.

In this beautiful follow-up to his international bestseller The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, Zen Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim turns his trademark wisdom to the art of self-care, arguing that only by accepting yourself—and the flaws that make you who you are—can you have compassionate and fulfilling relationships with your partner, your family, and your friends. With more than thirty-five full-color illustrations, Love for Imperfect Things will appeal to both your eyes and your heart, and help you learn to love yourself, your life, and everyone in it.

When you care for yourself first, the world begins to find you worthy of care.