A couple years back, I read an astonishing statistic on website marketingspot.com that said “the average adult reads four books a year, most of them religion and fiction.” Let’s face it, these statistics probably haven’t improved much, since life hasn’t exactly slowed down.

But as British politician James Bryce once said, “the worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it” and in fact, reading is a key component in keeping current on business trends and methodologies.

Following are reading recommendations, some new releases and other tried and true books to hone your business knowledge:

What Color is Your Parachute? 2013: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard N. Bolles. This book has been going for years and is revised annually to effectively change with the evolving job marketplace and business landscape.

The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Hansen and Les Hewitt was originally published in 2001, but these authors released a revised 10th anniversary edition, offering a simple plan to counteract the No. 1 reason that stops people from getting what they want — a lack of focus.

Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John Kind and Halee Fischer-Wright grabs hold of the ‘tribe’ concept and encourages the reader to leverage natural groups to build a thriving organization. Tony Hsieh of Zappos fame wrote this book’s introduction, sharing that his company teaches classes on Tribal Leadership principles to its employees.

The oldie Who’s Got Your Back by Keith Ferrazzi always makes my list because of my mandate of mentorship and support networks. Ferrazzi shares a breakthrough concept on how to build trusting relationships that will create success for you.

If you read only one book on personal finance this year, I’d recommend Moolala by Bruce Sellery. The subtitle is “Why smart people do dumb things with their money and what you can do about it”. Sellery’s mission is to inspire you to get a handle on your money so you can live the life you want. This easy-to-follow book includes interactive exercises and practical advice to help you gain clarity in thinking about your money and develop a simple plan for successful financial strategies.

Last, but not least, coach Danielle LaPorte delivers “kick-ass spirituality” with her website and also sends it out in her pragmatic book, The Fire Starter Sessions. Initially, I felt it might be too trendy and ‘self-helpish’ to engage me, but I was dead wrong. LaPorte asks questions that will push you to rethink your assumptions about what makes you happy and provides a road map to make it happen.

If the above books don’t suit, visit www.bookseer.com. Just type in the title and author of a book you liked and you’ll receive suggestions for other titles that should appeal.

Happy reading!

As Principal of Lighthouse Visionary Strategies (www.lighthousevisionary.com), Cathy Goddard offers small business consulting, learning workshops and engaging Open Forums. She is the founder of Lighthouse’s Mentor Network, providing multiple mentor groups to local professionals. Cathy can be reached at cathy@lighthousevisionary.com