Starting a new chapter

REVIEWS BY STEPHANIE SWILLEY

After more than two years of monthly columns, I am signing off as business editor of BookPage. Reading the best in business books each month has been an incredible privilege, and I've enjoyed recommending books on topics from women in business to personal finance. Now that I've received my MBA degree from Vanderbilt's Owen School of Management, my book collection is making the move to Kentucky as I begin married life and a career in marketing. From the hundreds of books I have read and reviewed over the last two years, here are the must-haves for anyone starting a new chapter in life.

Needs for newlyweds

Feeling optimistic when I started my business studies back in 2001, I saved a copy of Smart Couples Finish Rich, and after getting engaged in April, I dusted off the book and dived in again. Money is the number one cause of divorce, but David Bach, author of the best-selling Smart Women Finish Rich, makes the taboo topic approachable. He debunks common money myths like this whopper—if we love each other, we won't fight about money—and reveals the Ten Biggest Financial Mistakes couples make.

Another financial must-have is Paul B. Farrell's The Lazy Person's Guide to Investing. I love this super-simple ode to the index fund and have recommended it to my financially lazy family and friends. Now that I have an income again, I can't wait to start saving for retirement with a keep-it-simple portfolio of index funds.


Being your own coach

If you can afford a private career coach, get one. If not, do what I do: keep a few books on the bedside table for counseling any time (at a bargain price). Hoping for a simple spell to move me up the career ladder, I couldn't pass up Marjorie Brody's Career Magic: A Woman's Guide to Reward and Recognition. While no potion exists, Brody has created a formula (Manners, Advocates, Growth, Involvement and Commentary) to help women stop whining and start winning. For a female ready to make her mark, the advice and the wonderful profiles of women who have paved the way are a perfect guide for overcoming self-defeating actions and attitudes.

Mary Mitchell's Class Acts is an encyclopedia of good manners. Mitchell covers more than just cube-land etiquette with advice on making small talk, conquering public speaking fears and understanding cyberspace rules. Her tips on dining are a godsend (she helps rubes like me order wine), and she handles tough subjects like condolences with compassion and grace. A bookshelf favorite for avoiding social blunders at work or at play.


Marketing must-haves

Most marketing books make grand boasts, but get vague when it comes to the details of recreating their plans in the real world. Not so for these two gems. How to Become a Marketing Superstar by Jeffrey J. Fox is a short but snappy book filled with tips on innovation and creativity. His contrarian's proclamations ("Loss leaders are for losers," and "Make a big splash instead of a lot of little ripples") speed readers through his mini-chapters. Marketers will love Fox's straightforward advice.

One of the best ways to learn is by example, and Winslow "Bud" Johnson's Powerhouse Marketing Plans teaches readers how to write a marketing plan by examining and critiquing great marketing strategies in action. As president of the Stamford Marketing Group, Johnson has worked with brand leaders at AT&T, Gillette and Sara Lee, and he gives the scoop on what worked and what didn't in their product launches. The details included in the successful marketing plans, which share a number of common traits (no big surprise), are perfect for businesses small or large, entrepreneurs and MBA grads like me.


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