Honest Business Book Reviews (Part 6)

More honest thoughts on work-related reads

Author

Kara Detwiller
March 06, 2025

Hello! If you’re new here, I like to do a quarterly-ish roundup of the business-y books I’ve read recently. A LOT of business books are full of bullshit, but some are pretty good. This newsletter will contain 5 mini-reviews of books that are somehow related to the world of work. If you’re curious, check out previous posts in this series.

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

Let’s do it!

By Sahil Lavinga

I actually read this book twice last year, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed it. It’s a smart and concise guide to starting a business that is profitable and SUSTAINABLE from the start. I was concerned it wouldn’t be entirely applicable to me as a freelancer because it’s geared toward entrepreneurs and start-up founders, but I actually got a lot out of it and plan to revisit it again in the future! 4 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

By Noah Kagan

I was intrigued by this clickbait-y title and grand promises, and I did enjoy reading this. However, the author is like "You don't need an audience or industry connections to successfully launch a 7-figure business!" and then proceeds to rely heavily on his audience and industry connections in all of his anecdotes. Cue eye roll. 

Not as practical as it appears to be, but it was a quick read with some good tidbits. 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

By Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

A few years ago, I read the authors’ other book, Designing Your Life, a two-star read. This one was a little better, probably because the "life design" concepts feel much better suited to a career context than a general life context. There are some helpful ideas in here, but overall it's aimed at a very narrow group of wealthy, senior-level white collar corporate workers. 

Skimmable if the topic sounds interesting to you, but not a must-buy. 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

By Will Guidara

I picked this one up because my friend Brandy mentioned enjoying it. As a total outsider who has never worked in the hospitality industry, I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at running a fine dining establishment. This reads as more of a memoir than a management/business type of book, which is fine by me. 

Still, a good read with some good ideas about leadership and going above and beyond to provide a good customer experience. 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

By Cal Newport

Okay, this feels like a hot take: I didn’t love this book. I had high hopes, as the premise is totally aligned with my anti-hustle culture proclivities, but it fell short. Basically, I agree with a lot of what the author says and suggests in this book, but there's something off about the presentation. Namely, there's little acknowledgement of the privilege and autonomy required to implement these ideas. 

It's just not practical for the majority of people, and it's clear that the target audience is entrepreneurs, founders, and folks with a lot of freedom already. Disappointing. 2 stars. ⭐⭐

As always, please send any book recs you have or let me know your thoughts if you’ve read any of these!

See you next week,

Kara

Kara Detwiller is a writer based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn or Bluesky. To support her work on Wishful Working, share this email with someone or buy her a “coffee.”

Why Wishful Working? I write this newsletter because I want to see more people enjoy a life not centered around work. For some, the path to freedom and flexibility is through self-employment, but we also need to challenge cultural norms and champion healthier working conditions and work/life balance for all types of workers.