Here we are right in the midst of the holiday season.  Hanukkah has just ended and Christmas is right around the corner.  In amongst all the various and sundry decorating ideas that seem to be Dancering and Prancering around us was the idea of a Christmas Tree made of books.

The very idea delighted me.  It also inspired.  So with my Santa hat on please accept this present of list of books that I find intriguing and that I would certainly make my Holiday Book Tree out of.

They aren’t what you might expect from me.  They aren’t about money.  Most of my reading isn’t.  A bunch of my reading is fiction and they aren’t that either.  They are books that I found really helped me, and through me my clients, make new discoveries about how we as humans function.

See if any of these intrigue you, and whatever you do have a Holly Hippo-day!

The War of Art: Break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles

By Steven Pressfield

Pressfield calls it resistance.  In other places it’s been called the inner critic, the gremlin, and even the Monkey mind.  It’s that nagging thing that keeps you from achieving your dreams.  He’s created a smart, fun and feisty book.  It’s presented in short snippets – a perfect bathroom book!  I frankly think everyone should have a copy of this.

How We Decide

By Jonah Lehrer

This is a wonderful, very approachable book on neuroscience.  It has great stories and tools on how to understand and gain more effective use of your brain.  The why and how are presented in a fascinating way.

The Power of Habit: why we do what we do in life and business

By Charles Duhigg

Not only great knowledge on how habits work but viable ways to change them.  Again, a book with fascinating stories and examples plus quaint diagrams which tickled me.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

By Susan Cain

I’ve known for a long time that introversion meant that I needed time alone to recharge my batteries.  This book goes way beyond that.  I not only got much clearer about myself but finally really understood much more about how extroverts work as a bonus.

Ka’ching,

Shell Tain, The Untangler