Business Books at the Beach | 2026

"Business people who read at least seven business books a year
earn over 2.3 times more
than those who read only one per year."

Source: Business Book Sales Statistics

While I won't promise a doubling in your earning potential, I can help you identify the books that are most likely to add value to your career. These are not my opinions. Business professionals are buying and reading these books. And Goodreads, an Amazon company, encourages readers to rate these books and write reviews.

The New York Times

The New York Times publishes weekly and monthly Best Sellers lists in several categories. The Business Best Sellers for August, 2026 lists 10 books. I have read five of them and can offer personal ratings and reviews.

Personal Recommendations

Goodreads community rating is presented in parentheses (out of a maximum of 5.00). My rating is presented in stars (out of a maximum of five stars.)

• Atomic Habits (4.31) ★★★★★
• Unreasonable Hospitality (4.40) ★★★★
• Extreme Ownership (4.24) ★★★★
• Never Split the Difference (4.33) ★★★★
• Thinking, Fast and Slow (4.17) ★★★★

I have not read any of the following five books:

• The Let Them Theory (3.99)
• Cancel Me If You Can (4.27)
• The Risk Worth Taking (4.44)
• The Creative Act (4.33)
• Careless People (4.12)

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic growth. Despite many concerns in the news headlines, you can help enhance your personal economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 10 pictured above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2026. Of course, you can select all 10 books, read one a month for the next 10 months, and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

You can access reviews of more than 100 books I have read on Leadership and Strategy at Pinterest.

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Unreasonable Hospitality

Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Q: What is the difference between service and hospitality?

A: Service is black and white; hospitality is color.

Black and white means you're doing your job with competence and efficiency. Color means you make people feel great about the job you're doing for them.

Unreasonable Hospitality is the story of an 11-year quest to transform a middling Manhattan restaurant into the top-ranked restaurant in the world. The team accomplished this challenge by creating a hospitality-first culture, thus turning customers into raving fans.

Seven takeout side dishes to whet your appetite:

~ Run toward what you want, as opposed to away from what you don't want.
~ Receiving praise, especially in front of your peers, is addictive. You always want more.
~ If you can't find more compliments to deliver than criticism, that's a failure in leadership.
~ One of a manager's biggest responsibilities is to make sure people who are trying and working hard have what they need to succeed.
~ If you take care of your managers and give them what they need to be successful, you put them in a better position to take care of their teams.
~ A leader's responsibility is to identify the strengths of the people on their team, no matter how buried those strengths might be.
~ Practice The Rule of 95/5: Manage 95 percent of your business down to the penny; spend the last 5 percent "foolishly."

In conclusion ...

"It was our pursuit of excellence that bought us to the table, but it was our pursuit of Unreasonable Hospitality that took us to the top."

Unreasonable Hospitality is on the Short List of four Best Business Books of 2022.

This review was written entirely by a real human named Gene Babon. Access Gene Babon's reviews of books on Business Leadership and Business Strategy at Pinterest.

View all my business book reviews

Best Business Books | 2022

"Business people who read at least seven business books a year
earn over 2.3 times more
than those who read only one per year."

Source: Business Book Sales Statistics

While I won't promise a doubling in your earning potential, I can help you identify the books that are most likely to add value to your career. These are not my opinions. These are the recommendations of business experts and supported by passionate readers.

For the 14th year in a row Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. This year's search began by identifying 14 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. The final results are presented here.

A total of 228 unique books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Among the unique books, 189 were mentioned only once and 39 received multiple recommendations.

The Honorable Mention Shelf

Of the 39 multiple recommendations, 24 books were mentioned on two lists. These books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

The Must-Read Shelf

Of the 15 remaining book recommendations, 11 were mentioned on three lists. These books comprise the Must-Read list:

• Build
• CEO Excellence
• Direct
• How Minds Change
• How the Future Works
• Slouching Towards Utopia
• Smart Growth
• Stolen Focus
• The Crux
• The Voltage Effect
• Unreasonable Hospitality

The Top Shelf

Of the four remaining book recommendations, three were recognized on four lists:

• Chip War
• Dead in the Water
• Trust & Inspire

One stands out for being recognized on seven lists:

• The Power Law

Personal Recommendations

If 15 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The four highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 15 pictured here) are as follows:

• Chip War (4.48 rating out of 5.00)
• Unreasonable Hospitality (4.48)
• The Power Law (4.43)
• Build (4.35)

I have read one of the four Top Shelf books and one from the 11 on the Must-Read Shelf. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• Build  ★★★★★
• Chip War  ★★★★★

You can access reviews of more than 100 books I have read on Leadership and Strategy at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic growth. The economy continues to improve and job prospects remain strong in 2022. You can help enhance your personal economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 15 pictured above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2022. Of course, you can select all 15 books, read more than one per month, and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

NOTE: The 24 Honorable Mention Books of 2022—those recognized on two "Best of" lists—are being counted down on Twitter @genebabon. You can also follow Beantown Web on Facebook @beantownweb.

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Best Business Books | 2021

"The typical, or median, American adult read five books during 2021."

Forbes

Of the five books you may have read in 2021, it is likely that not all were career-oriented. Of the few that were, some offered more value than others. Let me help you decide which business books are most likely to add value to your career. These are not my opinions. These are the opinions of business experts. These are the opinions of readers who have read these books.

For the 14th year in a row Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. This year's search began by identifying 16 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. The final results are presented here.

A total of 222 unique books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Among the unique books, 175 were mentioned only once and 47 received multiple recommendations.

The Honorable Mention Shelf

Of the 47 multiple recommendations, 31 books were mentioned on two lists. These books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

The Must-Read Shelf

Of the 16 remaining book recommendations, nine books were mentioned on three lists. These books comprise the Must-Read list:

• A Shot to Save the World
• An Ugly Truth
• Four Thousand Weeks
• Impact Players
• Noise
• Remote Work Revolution
• This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends
• Unraveled
• Work Won't Love You Back

The Top Shelf

Of the seven remaining book recommendations, two books were recognized on four lists:

• The Key Man
• The World for Sale

Two books were recognized on five lists:

• My Life in Full
• The Cult of We

Two books were recognized on six lists:

• The Conversation
• Think Again

One book was recognized on seven lists:

• Empire of Pain

Personal Recommendations

If 16 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The four highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 16 listed here) are as follows:

• Empire of Pain (4.58 rating out of 5.00)
• The Conversation (4.42)
• The World for Sale (4.40)
• This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends (4.35)

I have read none of the seven Top Shelf books and one of the nine on the Must-Read Shelf. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads and share links here.

• This is How They Tell Me the Word Ends ★★★★★

You can access more than 100 Leadership and Strategy books I have read at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic growth. The economy continues to improve and job growth continues to look promising in 2022. You can help enhance your personal economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 16 mentioned above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2022. Of course, you can select all 16 books, read one every three weeks, and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

NOTE: The 31 Honorable Mention Books of 2021 — those recognized on two "Best of" lists — are being counted down on Twitter @genebabon. You can also follow Beantown Web on Facebook @beantownweb.

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Best Business Books | 2020

"Reading taught Elon Musk to build a rocket,
and showed Tony Robbins how to build a better life.
How reading makes you a better leader too."

Inc. Magazine

While I won't promise results on the level of Elon Musk or Tony Robbins, the books that follow are most likely to add value to your career. So say the business experts. So say the readers.

For the 13th year in a row Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. This year's search began by identifying 15 "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. The final results are presented here.

A total of 199 unique books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Among the unique books, 161 were mentioned only once and 38 received multiple recommendations.

The Honorable Mention Shelf

Of the 38 multiple recommendations, 28 books were mentioned on two lists. These books comprise the Honorable Mention list.

The Must-Read Shelf

Of the 10 remaining book recommendations, four were mentioned on three lists. These books comprise the Must-Read list:

• A World Without Work
• Competing in the Age of AI
• Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire
• The Future is Faster Than You Think

The Top Shelf

Of the six remaining book recommendations, two were recognized on four lists:

• Leadership is Language
• When More is Not Better

One was recognized on five lists:

• Uncharted

Two were recognized on six lists:

• If Then
• No Filter

One was recognized on eight lists:

• No Rules Rules

Personal Recommendations

If 10 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The four highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 10 pictured here) are as follows:

• No Rules Rules (4.34 rating out of 5.00)
• The Future Is Faster Than You Think (4.23)
• No Filter (4.13)
• Leadership Is Language (4.10)

I have read none of the six Top Shelf books and one from the four on the Must-Read Shelf. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• The Future Is Faster Than You Think ★★★★

You can access more than 100 Leadership and Strategy books I have read at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic growth. The economy continues to improve and job growth continues to look promising in 2021. You can help enhance your personal economic prospects by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 10 pictured above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2021. Of course, you can select all 10 books, read one per month, and receive a guaranteed seat in business class!

NOTE: The 28 Honorable Mention Books of 2020 -- those recognized on two "Best of" lists -- are being counted down on Twitter @genebabon. You can also follow Beantown Web on Facebook @beantownweb.

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Best Business Books | 2019

"What we really need is not more authors,
or better publishers.
What we most need is a vastly better system
to identify the books we will love."

TechCrunch

Beantown Web has developed such a system. For the 12th year running Beantown Web has conducted a quasi-scientific meta-search to identify the best business books published during the calendar year. These books are most likely to add value to your career.

This year's search began by identifying nine "Best of" lists. This resource list is available upon request. Presented here are the results.

A total of 157 books were mentioned on at least one "Best of" list. Of these recommendations, 127 were mentioned only once. The remaining 30 books found their way onto at least two of the nine "Best of" lists.

The Honorable Mention Shelf

Twenty of the 30 final candidates were mentioned on two "Best of" lists. These books have attained Honorable Mention status.

The Must-Read Shelf

Seven of the remaining 10 books were mentioned on three "Best of" lists and have attained Must-Read status.

• Invisible Women
• Kochland
• Talking to Strangers
• The Age of Surveillence Capitalism
• The Infinite Game
• The Man Who Solved the Market
• The Ride of a Lifetime

The Top Shelf

One book was mentioned on four "Best of" lists.

• Nine Lies About Work

One book was mentioned on five "Best of" lists.

• Range

One book was mentioned on six "Best of" lists.

• Loonshots

Here are the three Top Shelf business books published in 2019.

Personal Recommendations

If 10 books are too many to chose from, then check out the following Short List. The four highest rated books on Goodreads (of the 10 listed here) are as follows:

• The Ride of a Lifetime (4.46 rating out of 5.00)
• Invisible Women (4.42)
• Kochland (4.31)
• The Infinite Game (4.23)

These four books are now on my Short List.

I have read two of the four Short List books, plus three more from the Top Shelf. As I work through this reading list, I will post my reviews at Goodreads.com and share links here.

• Kochland  ★★★★★
• Loonshots  ★★★★
• Nine Lies About Work  ★★★★★
• Range  ★★★★
• The Ride of a Lifetime  ★★★★★

You can access more than 100 Leadership and Strategy books I have read at Pinterest.

Suggested Success Strategy

Regardless of your professional discipline, business is the engine that drives economic well-being. The economy is currently on life support. However, the winds of cautious optimism have begun as a cool summer breeze. You can help enhance your personal economic prospects -- and prepare for a new normal -- by learning more about the business of business.

Goal: Select one business book from the 10 pictured above, read it, practice its principles and shift your career into a higher gear in 2020. Of course, you can select all 10 books, read two per month, and enhance your business knowledge now that you have some extra time as a result of working from home

The 20 books on The Honorable Mention Shelf (those mentioned on two "Best of" lists) are being counted down over the next 20 days on Gene Babon's Twitter page @genebabon and Beantown Web's Facebook page @beantownweb.

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View ALL annual Best Business Books blog postings.