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Summer Reading That Can Change Your Life
By Joyce Lain Kennedy

After cramming 32 hours into a 24-hour day, if you do have an afternoon or evening to catch up on your reading, here are good candidates from the new crop of books that can -- in one way or another -- improve your life. Ordering information is available at local or online bookstores.

William Morin's "Total Career Fitness: A Complete Checkup and Workout Guide'' (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer). The third name in the lauded Drake Beam Morin transition consulting firm shares pathways known by higher-ups you can learn. Read and grow strong.

WetFeet.com's "Industry Insider Guide: The Inside Scoop on the Job You Want'' (Jossey-Bass). Attention, young professionals who aren't too sure how the work-world goes around: You'll find meaty tips from thousands of job holders in various fields from advertising to enterprise resource planning to venture capital. WetFeeters take you from vagueness to specificity.

Robin Leonard's "Take Control of Your Student Loan Debt'' second edition (Nolo.com). The title says it all when you need to defer payments or survive default. A solid lifeboat for choppy financial seas faced by many college borrowers.

Gary Scott Goodman's "Six-Figure Consulting: How to Have a Great Second Career'' (Amacom Books). What's not to love in a topic like this from a respected business publisher?

Plunkett's E-Commerce and Internet Business Almanac (www.plunkettresearch.com) is a library reference detailing 300 online companies, trends, statistics and helpful resources for readers who would like to "get into the e-game'' but feel they're lagging too far behind in knowledge to get a toehold.

Hendrie Weisinger's "Emotional Intelligence at Work''(Jossey-Bass) continues a favorite topic -- how to realize personal ambitions through the masterful management of emotions, which many believe is the make-or-break factor of success in the workplace.

Katharine Hansen's "A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way Into the Hidden Job Market'' (Ten Speed Press) updates the informational interviewing way to get hired -- and build a contact database to support long-term career management. Includes 200 thoughtful questions to ask at informational interviews and sample phone scripts for the shy job seeker.

Harry Mills' "Artful Persuasion: How to Command Attention, Change Minds, and Influence People'' (Amacom Books) offers twists on the psychology of influence not widely known. This is basic research you can apply to advantage in every aspect of life. The author, who lives in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, has had plenty of time to think through how you get people to say "yes.'' A top summertime investment.

Barbara Moses' "The Good News About Careers: How You'll Be Working in the Next Decade'' (Jossey-Bass) is an eclectic collection of career-management insights from a popular Canadian career guru -- who always gives good advice.

Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman's "Act On It!: Solving 101 of the Toughest Management Challenges'' (Perseus Books) is the equivalent of a money belt for managers traveling in mysterious and insecure territory. Like "When should I referee a conflict between two employees? How should I respond when an employee treats me disrespectfully? How can I reduce my workload?'' Sparsely written with a format style -- analyze, choose, track -- each challenge and its answers can be read in about one minute. Great!

Ron and Caryl Krannich's "Jobs for People Who Love to Travel: Opportunities at Home and Abroad'' (Impact Publications) hits the right notes for people whose mental music-maker won't let go of "On the Road Again.'' The authors walk the talk, splitting their editorial efforts between careers and travel, wearing out 14 laptops along the way in their global ventures. Wonderful guidance from true experts.