It’s a staff of readers here at the News Media Alliance. When not perusing papers or social media, we turn to books. Now it’s time for our second annual summer reading list. We’ve polled the staff for top business books and fun reads this summer.
Have a suggestion to add? Let us know by tweeting to us with the hashtag #AllianceBooks
Danielle Coffey, VP of Public Policy, wants to read…
The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads
From Tim Wu, who coined the term “net neutrality”—a revelatory, ambitious and urgent account of how the capture and re-sale of human attention became the defining industry of our time. From the pre-Madison Avenue birth of advertising to the explosion of the mobile web the basic business model of “attention merchants” has never changed: free diversion in exchange for a moment of your consideration, sold in turn to the highest-bidding advertiser.
John Murray, VP of Audience Development, is juggling…
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for personal improvement. He says it’s a good time to reread Zen because “in a world of multi-tasking and the subsequent false sense of productivity it can be a source of balance.”
Kevin Loker, Program Manager of API, is cracking open…
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It’s been on his list for a while. This book follows a murder in 1959 with virtually no clues and no apparent motive. For a deeper read, he recommends The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe is Tomorrow’s Mainstream. This book by Amy Webb reveals the way of evaluating new ideas for what is a real trend versus merely trendy.
David Chavern, President and CEO, has earmarked…
Content Trap: A Strategist’s Guide to Digital Change for his work read. This book argues for fostering connectivity over focusing exclusively on content. For his fun read, he has Falling Water Rising on the backburner, an autobiography of the most famous house in the 20th century.
Liz Worthington, API Content Strategy Program Manager, wants you to read…
Shining City by API Executive Director, Tom Rosenstiel. This gripping political thriller combines a Supreme Court nominee, two fixers and random killings. Worthington vouches that it will keep you on the edge of your seat. And her boss wrote it, so we’re all pretty big fans.
Jim Conaghan, VP of Research, is reading…
The Enemy Within by Robert Kennedy, which details the McClellan Committee’s Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa and Corrupt Labor Unions. For his work rec, Conaghan recommends America’s Constitution: A Biography which digs into what the Constitution says, and why. A very topical summer read.
Bo Inscho, Membership Database Coordinator just finished…
The Kept Woman, which is a mix of True Detective and Gone Girl. Murder, love and intrigue, this book will have you turning pages as fast as you can.
Lindsey Loving, Communication Manager, recommends…
“Whatever You Are, Be a Good One: 100 Inspirational Quotations” by Lisa Congdon. You’re sure to find a great new motto in these pages. For fun, Lindsey recommends “The 80 Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation” by Elizabeth Letts.
Kristina Zaumseil, Public Policy Manager, is laughing her way through…
Dear Committee Members, for fun. This book is a collection of hilarious letters of recommendation that a creative writing professor has been called upon to write. Each is a masterpiece of satire and passive-aggressiveness, sure to keep you laughing poolside.
Beth McNeill, Membership Manager, is devouring…
A Gentleman in Moscow, which is the ultimate stay-cation, about a Count in Russia ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel. The Skimm aptly described it as “Eloise” meets all the Bond villains.
Kirsten Ballard, social media and blog editor, is buried in…
Creativity, Inc. Written by the co-founder of Pixar, this book explores the art of efficiently running a creative office. Learn how to become truly innovative and take your work to new heights.
Contributing writer
