Honest Business Book Reviews (Part 2)

More honest thoughts on work-related reads

Today’s edition of Wishful Working is a 3 minute read.

A few weeks ago, I published the first edition of Honest Business Book Reviews. Today, I would like to share my reviews of five more business-y books I read in 2023. 

As a reminder, and for my new subscribers (Hi!), here are some of my favorite subtopics to read about in the broader “business book” genre:

  • Future of work

  • History

  • Productivity tips

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Global economics

  • Creativity

Links below will take you to Bookshop.org, but I would encourage you to find these books at your local library or local independent bookstore.

This was a short, interesting, and practical book about rethinking our professional lives. Although you can’t tell from the cover/title, this book is mostly geared toward women and I appreciated that the author discussed things like the burden of domestic labor and the idea of flexing work to fit your body's natural rhythms. 

It was a bit surface-level, though, and I found it odd that it was published in 2021 and yet includes almost no mention of Covid. It felt quite dated for that reason — work has changed a lot in the last few years. Overall, a good, quick read (or listen, in my case) that covered a lot of topics I'm interested in in the work/life balance space. 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

I’ve had my eye on this book for a few years, and I was happy to finally read it. It’s a sort of creative manifesto filled with inspiration, art, and encouragement to honor our authentic selves with how we spend our time. Yeah, it’s a bit corny and not filled with super practical advice, but I enjoyed it! 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

I believe I first heard of this book from friend and fellow freelancer Matthew Fenton of Winning Solo. Author Greg McKeown offers an extremely practical, no-fluff explanation of a transformative mindset centered around setting boundaries, saying no, and prioritizing what actually matters in life. I listened to the audiobook, but I absolutely must get my own hard copy because this book was stellar. 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’ll admit, I did not know who Grammy-winning record producer Rick Rubin was before I read this. Sorry to Rick. Overall, this was just not the book for me. Aside from a few good one-liners, I thought this book was pretty boring. Just a lot of tedious rambling from a guy who obviously sees himself as some sort of creative master. Meh. 2 stars. ⭐⭐

After reading Essentialism, I immediately placed Greg McKeown’s second book on hold on Libby. Effortless is about improving your productivity not through hustling and grinding but through making important tasks both easier and more enjoyable. Consider me a Greg McKeown fan — I look forward to reading whatever he puts out next. 4 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have some more book recs to share, but I’m trying to space them out a bit. I love reading books in this genre, so please reply to this email with your recommendations!

See you next week,

Kara