Hurry Up and Wait

Yesterday I traveled from Boston down to New Orleans, and normally I'd be midway through my fourth or fifth trashy tabloid magazine. But in an effort to save a little cash on this trip, I decided to use my Audible.com monthly subscription to keep me entertained well beyond my layover in Atlanta. Yes, it's kind of cheating when you listen to someone read a book to you, but think of the benefits: no chance of motion sickness, a lower chance of nodding off, saving space (these end up being mp4's on your iPhone or iPod), and it's just plain easier.


Here are some of the audio books I've truly enjoyed:

1. I mentioned Tony Hseih's 'Delivering Happiness' earlier this week, but it's worth a second promotion. This book changed the way I looked at how companies run their business. Plus Tony's story of making it twice makes for an entertaining 'read.'

2. I can't wait to listen to Herb Cohen's famous book 'You Can Negotiate Anything' - I had some practice negotiating in the Chinese Silk Markets last year (and will never bring another knock off home - more about that later) but stories about how two parties find creative win-win solutions are always great.

3. Neil Strauss's 'The Game' was particularly entertaining and helpful: I now know every scam a pickup artist can use.

4. Tina Fey's 'Bossypants' was beyond funny. The self-depreciating Fey walks you through all the hilarious moments that got her to present day. She even talks about how the whole Sarah Palin collide on SNL came to be (Here are the infamous SNL skits: Joe Six Pack, I can see Russia from my house, and global warming is just God hugging us closer.).

5. How does Israel turn out so many entrepreneurs? And why did Intel choose Israel as one of its main R&D centers? 'Start Up Nation' explains it all and more.

6. You think your childhood was rough? Try reading 'Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother,' then you'll know crazy (obsessive). But the author's oldest is going to Harvard this fall - maybe it's worth it.

7. Understanding the financial crisis is difficult, but 'The Big Short' breaks it down step by step. The end is even more stunning - it explains the shortcomings of the clean up, and how things aren't truly fixed yet.

8. 'Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap....and Others Don't' shows the difference between just a good company and one that made it big. Bethlehem Steel was used as an example of a 'good' company run down by an obsession with corporate hierarchy. The reason the old Martin building (once home to Corporate HQ of Bethlehem Steel) on the North Side of Bethlehem is cross shaped: to have as many corner offices as possible.

9. 'Born to Run' will make you question if your Nike's are helping or hurting you once you learn about tribes in North America and Africa that run barefoot marathons every day without injury.