Holiday Gift Guide 2010: My Business Books Wish List

Everyone knows the feeling – you get to an event and, not knowing who to talk to or where to turn, you start to freeze up. Several Tweeters, including @stephwalker1, an account manager in Berkley, Michigan, and @Jamie_adidas, an Adidas executive in Nuremberg, Germany, recommend reading this book by Sandy Jones-Kaminski to find the remedy for networking stage fright. It offers a compendium of stories, advice, and resources for how to network easily and effectively.
COST: $19.95

@willestell, vice President and co-owner of Oxford, Alabama-based 3G Media paints his unique and sometimes tumultuous entrepreneurial journey as the backdrop for this wry insight into what makes a successful business owner. This is a quick read that you may find yourself referring back to when issues begin to crop up in your early business experiences.
COST: $9.55

This time-honored tome remains a necessity for anyone who wants to excel as a leader. Sun Tzu's advises: "Invincibility is in oneself, vulnerability is in the opponent" and "Though effective, appear to be ineffective." His insights will leave you pondering and plotting your next business move.
COST: $20.00

Journalist Daniel Pink claims that the conventional assumptions about what motivates employees are wrong. Money is not the primary incentive to achieve, but rather leaders should give workers the latitude to take responsibility and truly innovate.
COST: $26.95

Looking for a great book about how to start a business on the fly? Unable to find one, Moisture Jamzz founder and CEO Sandy Abrams decided to write it herself. The 12-step guide covers everything from intellectual property and overseas manufacturing to Internet sales and work/life balance.
COST: $14.95

Almost 15 years after its initial release, Leading Minds remains an indispensable study into the minds of history's greatest leaders. Ultimately, Gardner concludes that communication – the ability to present a uniquely simple yet powerful narrative – represents the single most important weapon in a leader's arsenal.
COST: $22.00

One @IncMagazine follower, @natebagley, suggested this book in which renowned entrepreneur, author, and speaker Seth Godin pulls no punches with his 2010 advice for how to stand out in the business world. "If all you can do is the task and you're not in a league of your own at doing the task, you're not indispensable," Godin writes. @MelissaBillions, an aspiring business owner in Chicago, writes, "Last year I asked for ALL of Seth Godin's [books]!"
COST: $25.95

It goes without saying that happiness is the key to success. That's why Gretchen Rubin, a writer in New York City, spent a year documenting each and every step of her quest to become happier. Follow Rubin's quirky, often humorous attempts to go to sleep earlier, exercise better, and get organized – without the preachiness of your typical self-help book.
COST: $25.99

Does your company have HEROes? Josh Bernoff and Ted Schadler of Forrester Research show why you need these "highly empowered and resourceful operatives" in your 21st century business. These are the people armed with the innovative tools that are necessary to handle the overwhelming wave of technology data.
COST: $27.95

This time around, his goal is plain enough: Dennis wants to make you rich. The British poet bypasses his usual prose and aims to debunk classic myths surrounding the road to riches. Though it offers some conventional recipes, such as "The Five Most Common Start-up Errors," the menu is full of rich, bawdy anecdotes from Dennis' storied publishing career (including the founding of Maxim magazine).
COST: $16.00

Thanks to our followers on Twitter for sharing these great gift ideas. (Follow us!)

--Evan Klonsky