Now Boarding: Summer Reads
Aug 10, 2026, 8:00 AM
South Sound Business
Originally published on South Sound Business.
Beach reads, airplane books, reading on the go: These are expressions we all know well because many of us are never more ambitious and accomplished bibliophiles than when we’re traveling. That’s why Hudson News sells thousands of mass-market paperbacks a year and why Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a popular volunteer-led Little Free Library program. As you navigate the globe this summer for business or leisure, consider packing one of these business and personal-development books in your carry-on for in-flight entertainment.
‘Life at the Speed of Play: Launch Products People Love’ by Mark Pincus
He’s the digital pioneer that created Zynga — known for online social network games like FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and Words with Friends that combined reached more than a billion users in four years — and now he’s written a book to help other entrepreneurs increase their odds of success. In “Life at the Speed of Play,” Silicon Valley veteran Mark Pincus infuses each chapter of his memoir-slash-guide with his “Mark-isms,” which often seem to run contrary to traditional business advice — such as the titular fast pace of innovation — but are essential to outpacing encroaching AI technology, according to Pincus.
‘The Corporate Translator: A Guide to Nonsense Words in the Office’ by Mike Mancusi
The workplace is rife with buzzwords, jargon, and nonsensical corporate euphemisms, which are made even more perplexing when they fail to cross generational, cultural, or gender divides. Known by his online persona, The Corporate Translator, author Mike Mancusi works to demystify corporatespeak and provide readers the translations they need to increase their office-talk fluency. Mancusi also tackles language barriers that can make or break a job interview, garner a raise or promotion, break the ice with a client, avoid landing the speaker in hot water with HR, and more.
Andrews McMeel Publishing | $19
‘The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Nonfiction Book’ by Marisa Solis and Elizabeth Dougherty
These days, it feels like everyone is publishing a book. For the rest of us aspiring authors carrying around an entire prospective project in our heads who just can’t seem to put pen to paper, just the act of starting can seem like a monumental task. Cue this new release from editors Marisa Solis and Elizabeth Dougherty. Unlike similar books on writing nonfiction that just instruct readers on making time to write, “Expert to Author” really dives into what makes an effective book and gives writers practical homework and incremental methodology to tackle their passion project.
