Two more business books (not too thrilled with them)

I finished a couple more books off the Personal MBA reading list this week -- only this time I'm sharing them with you not so much in recommendation, but to suggest that you flip through them before making the purchase.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High

It took determination to make it through this one. The lessons are good, but the book just seemed to drag on and wasn't holding my attention. This is the polar opposite of "Cut to the Chase" and even pretty far on the soft side of "How to Win Friends & Influence People." If your job routinely requires telling people bad news and you don't think you're very good it, perhaps this book is a place to start. The book walks through some good examples on defusing hostile situations and handling sensitive relationship topics, which are all valuable to know. It just wasn't a very engaging read for me.

The Unwritten Laws of Business

Not much to this book. Even it's aggressive line spacing can't hide it's lack of depth. Might be of value to someone just starting their career (meaning, first job, right out of school) but you'll definitely want to flip through it before purchasing. Even though it's on the Personal MBA reading list, I'd say skip it if you've been in business for more then five or ten years.