“We are wanting to give our clients a book for new years and I definitely wanted to get your opinion on what you would consider the top 3-4 business books right now?”

This is the question posed to me from the president of a locally based company.  Nothing like a softball question, right?  (This question is never a softball!).

“The top 3-4 business books right now.”

In terms of sales, it’s no contest.  Lean in:  Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg has to top the list.  Lean In has been #1 on the New York Times list since the premiere of Gone with the Wind.  (Ok – slight exaggeration – but only slight…).

And, I think this is a book worth reading because of the conversation it has generated.

With the arrival of David and Goliath:  Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell’s earlier books, Outliers and The Tipping Point – neither of which is new – have made their return to the best-seller list. And Blink is back on the Amazon list for this hour.  (David and Goliath would be on the list, but it is not classified as a “business book.”  Although, I think it is an excellent choice for business folks to read).

Another book that has “lingered” on the best seller list is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.   An important book, and might be ideal for the “thinking client.”

A couple of  biographical profiles (and business history) books are worth considering:  the new volume The Everything Store:  Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone, and Steve Jobs (now not so new) by Walter Isaacson.  These are both valuable, but Isaacson’s is more of a classic biography.

For the sports loving client who is into “leadership” thought, go with Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson.  A great sports book; and! a terrific leadership book.

And, To Sell is Human:  The Surprising Truth about Moving Others by Daniel Pink (Riverhead Hardcover; 2012) should probably be included in this list.

Though I have not yet read this book (it’s on my reading list), I suspect that the new offering from social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World will be worth a look.

Ok – she asked me for 3-4 books,  and if I count Gladwell as “one,” this makes eight.

And there are so many other good books from the last couple of years, or so:  How Children Succeed; The Power of Habit; Decisive; Give and Take; Contagious; Antifragile; The Signal and the Noise; The Advantage; What Matters Now; Quiet…

I hate these softball questions.