This time of year I get many requests for book recommendations for Christmas gifts. I spend a lot of time ignoring family and friends to read and I spend a lot of time reading book review journals for work and I'm naturally bossy about books, so I'm happy to oblige.
Yesterday I was reading a review journal, trying to convince myself to buy our library some more business books (Dilbert is the only thing related the business world I find interesting). This is one of the titles from the journal: The Seven Keys to Effective Business-to-Business Appointment Setting. (All business books have titles that start with something like The Seven Practices or Six Powerful Steps to. It's the law.) This is an excerpt from the book's annotation: A unique compilation of tactical appointment setting techniques, this resource discusses methods to prepare for scheduling qualified appointments, leveraging voicemail and e-mail as powerful appointment-setting tools . . .
Did anybody else just pass out from boredom there? Because, personally, I started thinking about squirrels. (I’ve always thought a good modern art installation would involve a glass structure and squirrels. Think ant farm for mammals.) I automatically hate this book because it uses the term leveraging in the annotation.
Possibly someone on your Christmas list would like this book for Christmas. Someone who needs instructions on appointment setting, doesn't mind terms like leveraging, and doesn't think Dilbert cartoons are funny. Give them this book and then go make new friends.
Books for friends who like short, contemporary nonfiction and/or friends who love the McSweeney's website: (These must also be friends who either have a moderate to high threshold for strong language or know when to skip a work in an anthology that they find offensive without writing letters to request that their local library burn the book and gouge out the eyes of anyone else who read and enjoyed the book.)
The New Kings of Nonfiction - edited by NPR's Ira Glass
The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup - great short pieces on ordinary people by the author of The Orchid Thief
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 - edited by Dave Eggers who's best known for A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Anything published by McSweeney's
Books for friends who liked The Da Vinci Code:
Conspiracy of Paper - my boss loves this one
Possession - probably has more appeal for women than men because of the romance; revolves around a literary mystery
Interred with Their Bones - also revolves around a literary mystery; the characters visit the Utah Shakespearean Festival and eat at the Pastry Pub, which is where I always eat in Cedar City (smart fictitious people), so the book might especially appeal to friends in Utah
I'll list more book recommendations at the bottom of my posts for a few more days, but feel free to ask for personalized recommendations.
3 comments:
Wow! I totally had Ira Glass's book in my Amazon wishlist as a reminder to read it and I LOVE McSweeney's Internet Tendency. This is clearly a sign that a) we are kindred spirits and b) I must read these books. Thanks! :)
P.S. I really enjoyed Possession in my undergrad days.
Yea! I love book recommendations from people who actually read! Keep them coming.
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