I tackled the topic of negotiation for this month’s best books to read while traveling. Some of the books were recommended in previous books that I read and others came from Amazon research.
At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read 4 books per month. I didn’t reach my goal for the second month in a row so I’ve got my work cut out for me.
All in all, it was a subpar reading month. None of the books on this list were a homerun. As you’ll see in my reviews, I don’t recommend every book that I read this month.
Top 3 Best books to Read While Traveling
Leaders Eat Last
Leaders Eat Last was the second Simon Sinek book I read this year. The first book I read was Start With Why. I covered that book in last month’s reading list if you’re in need of additional book recommendations.
Sinek uses a number of examples of leadership in the book. One example is how he contrasts the leadership styles of the G.I. Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. Another example is how Richard Nixon’s lack of leadership impacted the U.S. economy. The last example is how GE’s Jack Welch used his employees as an expendable resource.
The downside with Leaders Eat Last is that the narrative jumped around too much. Sinek tries to connect the story lines noted above around the topic of leadership. The book was interesting but not interesting enough to recommend.
Recommend: No
Getting to Yes
Getting to Yes reminded me of Never Split the Difference. The amount of actionable takeaways is the reason why I love this book.
In Getting to Yes, Fisher and Ury teach you how to be a better negotiator. The book provides action steps that you can use in your next negotiation. I found the author’s negotiation tools as something that I can use today. If you’re looking to improve your negotiation skills, pick up this book.
The downside with Getting to Yes is that the book wasn’t long enough. I found myself wanting even more tools and resources to use when I go into another negotiation.
Recommend: Yes
Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations was another book that I picked up in search for how to improve my negotiation skills. The book has high reviews on Amazon, however, you should think twice before purchasing it.
The authors make the case that you need to have the right tool kit to deal with high stakes conversations. Crucial Conversations provides a few examples of how to respond when you are working through an important conversation.
Crucial Conversations has many drawbacks but the most obvious one to me is that the book isn’t helpful. It was one of the books that I highlighted the least, and for this reason, it’s hard for me to recommend that you spend money on it.
Recommend: No
What Books are in my Shopping Cart?
My goal for this year will be to dive deep into 12 subjects that I want to learn more about. This month was negotiation. With that said, below are books in various categories that I’m looking to jump into in April:
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
- Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines
- Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
- American Sniper by Chris Kyle
- Tribe by Sebastian Junger
- Killer of the Flower Moon by David Grann
- Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Best Credit Cards to Use to Purchase Books
I purchase all of my books on Amazon so I use credit cards that earn at least 1.5X points. Unfortunately, Amazon is not considered a bonus category with Amex or Chase so you’re capped at earning no more than 2X points from a credit card.
For personal credit cards, I use the Chase Freedom Unlimited or the World of Hyatt. The Unlimited earns 3X points per transaction in the first year. The Hyatt card helps me to earn elite status and free award nights. When you pair the Unlimited with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Prefered, the cash back that you earn can be converted into Chase points.
The Amex Blue Business Plus (Learn More Here) is my go-to business card for Amazon purchases because it earns 2X points. Another option is to use the Freedom Unlimited and pair it with the Chase Ink Business Preferred. The cash back earned from the Freedom Unlimited can be converted into Chase points if you have the Ink Business Preferred.
Conclusion
Reading is a skill that I’ve continued to work on by focusing on books that peak my interest at the time. Hopefully my best books to read while traveling list includes books that you’ll find interesting and enjoy too.
What books did you read this month? Do you have book recommendations? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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