Depending on how busy you are, you may or may not have noticed that Christmas is coming. It’s that time of year when multi-coloured jumpers become the must-have fashion item, Dr Jekyll turns into Mr Hyde at the office party, and retailers layer their ads with mountains of cheese to tempt us to part with our hard-earned cash.

It’s also a time of year when you get to stop work, in the middle of the week! So what are you going to do with yourself? Settle in front of the TV to watch Home Alone (spoiler alert- the kid beats the burglars), eat your own body weight in turkey and brussels sprouts and retire to the sofa, or spend hours driving to meet people you haven’t seen all year, only to realise why you haven’t been to see them?

There is an alternative. When the present opening, forced grins and hugging is over, why not go somewhere no-one can find you – a book. Last summer we wrote Readers are leaders about the benefits of reading. To read the blog click here. We’re not going to go over the benefits again, but what we will do is give you some suggestions for your Christmas list. These are books that members of the BGI team have read in 2019 and that we recommend for business owners to take a look at. The books are thought-provoking, insightful, well-researched, and well written. Christmas, what better time to get your nose off the grindstone, and into a good book.

Here are a selection of eleven great business books to give your brain a boost this year.

Here are a selection of eleven great business books to give your brain a boost this year.

	Atomic Habits. The International best-seller by James Clear. The book explains how small changes can grow into life-altering outcomes.
	Traction: Get a grip on your business. Gino Wickman gives great advice on how to unearth simple, yet powerful ways to run your business more successfully.
	Build a brand in 30 days. The author, Simon Middleton, shows how to build, manage and communicate your brand in just thirty days.
	When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Daniel H. Pink’s intriguing look at timing, providing practical tips on how we can live lives that are more efficient and fulfilled.
	Growth Hacker Marketing. Ryan Holiday’s small, but powerful book, that looks at how you can ignore traditional marketing tools, and use the power of the consumer and social media to grow your business.
	Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. By being more selective, Greg McKeown explains we can gain control of our choices, and our lives.
	Willpower Doesn’t Work. Benjamin Hardy explains how, by consciously shaping your surroundings, you can lead a happier, more productive life.
	Do Scale: A road map to growing a remarkable company. An excellent manual by Les McKeown, for anyone wishing to scale and sustain a successful business.
	The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey’s golden-oldie, but still worth reading. It reveals how to adapt to change, embrace it, and benefit from it.
	Built to Sell. A great book about how to create a business that is ready for sale, without the owner at the helm by John Warillow.
	BGI Strategy on a Page. Our founder, Deri Llewellyn-Davies, explains how you can put your entire business strategy on one page.

Of course, this is only dipping a toe into the water of all the business books out there, but hopefully, you’ll find something here to add to your Christmas list, giving you inspiration and insights for the New Year.

Happy Christmas.

Happy reading.