With Memorial Day behind us, we are all preparing our summer reading list. I was looking for a good business book to read (on a break from John Grisham and James Patterson) and asked a few fellow hospitality industry entrepreneurs what they are reading right now. I am sharing the top six with you:

1. “The Magic of Thinking Big” – David Schwartz:This book gives you useful methods, not empty promises. Dr. Schwartz presents a carefully designed program for getting the most out of your job, your marriage and family life, and your community. He proves that you don’t need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction, but you do need to learn and understand the habit of thinking and behaving in ways that will get you there.

2. “Steve Jobs” – Walter Isaacson:Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years–as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues–Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and the intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

3. “Get Clients Now!”- C.J. Hayden:This book empowers readers with its 28-day plan for energizing their marketing efforts and dramatically increasing their client base. With over 100 tactics, tools, and foolproof recipes customizable for any professional service business, this new edition is powered up with road-tested strategies for relationship-based marketing in the Internet age, plus proven techniques for overcoming the fear, resistance, and procrastination that block effective action.

4. “Book Yourself Solid”- Michael Port:A complete instructional guide for starting and growing a successful service business. It gives you simple, yet effective techniques for creating relentless demand and endless leads. It includes more than 200 proven marketing strategies for attracting new clients, earning more referrals, and building profitable, long-lasting professional relationships.

5. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”- Stephen R. Covey:The title speaks for itself. The author presents a holistic, integrated and principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems.

6. “Rich Dad Poor Dad” – Robert T. Kiyosaki:The #1 personal finance book of all time. The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to be rich explains the difference between working for money and having your money work for you.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like “Hospitality Industry Professionals Need to Unplug to Recharge”.

What are you going to read this month to help you grow professionally?