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Big News! I just finished writing my new book that will, hopefully, be published soon. (WOO HOO!)

Because I've been thinking about books 24/7, it reminded me that I haven't asked my friend what they're reading lately.

Therefore, we're revisiting a popular Expert Briefs topic this week …

What are you reading?

Here are their replies. You can click on any cover to check out that book.

(Also, be sure to check out more about each of my friends. That's how I get them to come back.) 

Rachel Rofe of How To Get Every Book You Write Onto The First Page Of Kindle says:

I'm always in the middle of a few books. Right now I'm reading through three books which are all EXTREMELY great.

#1 is The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive by Brendon Burchard. This is a phenomenal book that fills me with energy every time I read it.

#2 is Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success by Napoleon Hill. I'm re-reading it as it's one of my Top 3 books and just amazing.

#3 is The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. One of my subscribers insisted I read this and I'm so glad he did. I started reading it in Hawaii and couldn't put it down! I love it.

Lain Ehmann of Business Love Potion says:

I'm reading a ton of stuff!

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

Just finished

No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent: The No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Guide to Getting Really Rich by Dan Kennedy. He's always thought-provoking.

And the kids and I are reading “Paddington Goes Abroad” at bedtime.

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts says:

I am reading The Power of Story: Change Your Story, Change Your Destiny in Business and in Life by Jim Loehr.

A couple years back I got a lot out of another book from Jim, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. I pre-ordered The Power of Story as soon as I heard about it. It's not a business book but it has a lot to do with helping you be more successful in business as well as life.

It's about the story we tell ourselves and others about us. Most of us are telling a terrible story that isn't even based in truth. It's not a light read, he's asking me to truly evaluate what I have to say about myself. I'm convinced though that it will be worth it – I've already noticed how I'm not so quick to make reference to some ‘reasons' for this or that.

Imagine dropping all of your story crutches and standing on your own two feet instead of your own two feet plus the 50 or so good reasons that you haven't been able to succeed so far. Life gives us a lot of reasons to fail but it doesn't have to be part of my story – especially when I'm the one who gets to tell it from now on.

David Perdew of NAMS says:

Oh, I’m reading so much always. I usually have 4-6 books going at once in different genres…and since I have them all on my Kindle Fire, I can read as my mood suits me.

Self-Help –

Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza. I LOVE this book. It makes so much sense to me. If you’re like me, you do things over and over that may cause a feeling of unease or physical pain in your stomach some times. It can be something as small as sneaking a candy bar when I’m trying to improve my blood sugar count. I have a visceral reaction to the things I no longer want to do, but have become rooted habits in my daily life. This book is really helping me see how to change those things by describing the exact process that goes on in your brain and body.

Make A Killing On Kindle (Without Blogging, Facebook Or Twitter). The Guerilla Marketer's Guide To Selling Ebooks On Amazon by Michael Alvear. The author is a successful Kindle publisher and publishing coach. He provides a lot of examples for great Kindle publishing strategies as well as some specific techniques. Many of them are basic, but I need those too.

Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising: How to Access 600 Million Customers in 10 Minutes by Perry Marshall and Thomas Meloche. Perry was THE leading expert in Google advertising techniques with his previous book 10 years ago. And now, he’s focusing on Facebook. Just starting this, but can’t wait to learn what Perry’s teaching.

Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott and Tim Brown. If you’re a baseball fan, you know who Jim Abbott is. He was a pitcher in the 80’s and 90’s who happened to be one-handed. Not only did he play in the major leagues with a very respectable career, but despite all odds, he was a gold medal Olympian who pitched a no-hitter in the majors.

And because I’m at the beach in Florida while writing this, I’m reading Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen. He’s one of my favorite trash novelists who can turn murder and mayhem into some of the strangest and funniest situations you’ll ever read, and it’s all set in the pink flamingo world of corrupt land developers, crooked cops, crazy ex-governors, and strippers with hearts of gold.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Secrets Explained says:

I'm reading The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative by Stephen Denning. I have used storytelling to build up my business in a very short period of time, and it's my goal to learn more about this topic as I strive to become a leader in my field. This book presents the idea of using your stories to build a powerful business in a clear and concise way.

Shannon Cherry of Get Free Business Help (ie. How to Get Interns) says:

I'm in the midst of rebranding my business, so a lot of what I'm reading has to do with it. Here are my selections on my Kindle right now:

1)The Story Factor (2nd Revised Edition): Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of Storytelling – I like telling stories to make certain points, but have never actively done so. This book is pretty good so far at explaining the why of storytelling… I am hoping to get to how it works from a marketing standpoint soon!

2)The secret weapon of a master direct response online copywriter: How to position your brand for success, based on the research of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung – I just did some archetype work with my pal Danielle Miller, to help me with my brand. Now I want to take it one step closer to how to write based on my own archetypes (Hero, Ruler and Creator). It should be fun, especially when I incorporate it with my story telling.

I'm currently reading the Steve Jobs biography (again) – mainly for insight into their software development process since we run our own software company

Besides that, I'm reading Evernote For Dummies off and on a bit each day. To me, Evernote is going to be one of the next big communication channels, so I'm trying to wrap my head around it now.

Daniel Hall of Procrastinators Guide To Authorship Complete Training says:

I'm currently reading

The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

and

Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

ooh. I'm definitely going to have to check out several of those books.

Here's what I'm reading.

1. The 10X Rule.

I just dug the 10x Rule out again. The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure I didn't finish reading it before, because every time I started a chapter, I got so motivated that I would put the book down and go WORK. That's not a bad thing.

I'm also reading this book by my friend, Aileen Bennett. It's full of doodles. She's a girl after my own heart. Even if you  have no intention of learning more about your presentation skills, still go check this out at Amazon and do the “Look inside” feature -> Notes on Shining: Tips to improve your presentation skills It's pretty darned clever.

It's Your Turn to Shine.

Please let me know what are you currently reading. Would you recommend it?

I appreciate you much.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Recommended.

Here are some of the books that my friends recommended the last time I asked this question, which was last year.