The Memorial Day Holiday has come and gone, signaling to those of us in the US that it’s now Summer, no matter what the meteorological calendar says. And if it’s summer, why then it’s time for a summer reading list post.

If you’re a business blogger, the rule is that you must publish a “summer reading list” post. Well I am definitely a rule-following son of a preacher man, so here’s mine.

Suggestions for What to Read

Read something you’ve always wanted to read. Summer is the perfect time for the book you’ve wanted to read but, just haven’t gotten around to.

Search out a great business book. Here are three books I think every manager should read.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao

You can browse The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You for more ideas.

Read a novel. Novels take you inside characters’ heads and hearts. They can even help you improve your emotional intelligence.

Read something different. Ideas and practices from outside your normal experience can stimulate your thinking engine.

For ideas on what those novels and “something different” books might be, check out David Brooks’ articles. “Really Good Books Part I” and “Really Good Books Part II.”

Suggestions for How to Improve the Experience

Read more than one book about a subject. I like to do this most with biographies.

Don’t waste your time on crappy books. No matter what your mother told you, you don’t have to finish every book you start. If the book is awful or poorly written and there’s no compelling reason to keep reading, shut the book for good and move on.

Use samples, online reviews, and “Look Inside the Book” as tools to improve your choices.

If you’ve got an e-reader like a Kindle, you’ve got some other options. Review highlights from other readers to get an idea of what they thought was important and memorable. When you’re done reading a book, use your own highlights to review what you’ve read.

Interesting Posts on Reading

From Hanneke Siebelink: Why Great Leaders Read Books
“While the book lover in me does not believe that reading should be mandatory, Mr. Wang’s action made me reflect on the possible leadership advantages of cultivating reading habits. Can reading – and not just expert articles and business books but also novels, narrative history and well written biographies for instance – make people better leaders?”

From Utpal Vaishnav: Reading Books Vs. Collecting Books
“I used to do it wrong. I was investing my energy in collecting books rather than in making something remarkable out of reading them.”

That’s plenty for now and plenty to keep you busy, but, tell me, what would you recommend?