Fans pick 33 books like The Reluctant Networker

By Neil Munz-Jones,

Here are 33 books that The Reluctant Networker fans have personally recommended if you like The Reluctant Networker. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful

Ed Evarts Author Of The Bravery Trick: Four Easy Ways to Say Hard Things

From my list on building your unique leadership style.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been interested in leadership style since my teenage years. My father was a leader in a retailing organization, and I was entranced by behaviors that seemed to connect with others and those that did not. As I grew older, I started to think about leadership style behaviors and models that might capture the most effective ones. While I recognize that leadership needs vary based on industry, scope, and tenure, I do believe that we all should know the leadership styles that are important to us to the extent that we can describe them if we are asked to do so.

Ed's book list on building your unique leadership style

Ed Evarts Why did Ed love this book?

We often times spend all of our energy on the ways we should behave as a leader and do not put any energy into recognizing behaviors that are not helping us. Also, as your career unfolds, what might have worked for you previously may no longer be effective, yet we continue doing this behavior as it worked in the past.

I needed insight into my overall leadership behaviors and greater insight into behaviors I needed to evolve or move away from. Behaviors like “Failure to give proper recognition,” “Passing judgment,” and “an excessive need to be me” are all behaviors from which I needed to grow away and evolve. This is stuff we don’t hear enough of—often, we focus too much on where we need to go and not what we are doing now.

By Marshall Goldsmith, Mark Reiter,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked What Got You Here Won't Get You There as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Your hard work is paying off. You are doing well in your field. But there is something standing between you and the next level of achievement. That something may just be one of your own annoying habits.Perhaps one small flaw - a behaviour you barely even recognise - is the only thing that's keeping you from where you want to be. It may be that the very characteristic that you believe got you where you are - like the drive to win at all costs - is what's holding you back. As this book explains, people often do well in…


Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

Tammy Gooler Loeb Author Of Work from the Inside Out: Break Through Nine Common Obstacles and Design a Career That Fulfills You

From my list on BE your best YOU in work and life.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a career and executive coach for the past 25+ years, I have been on a mission to help people develop more satisfying and meaningful connections to their careers. I am passionate about this because most people spend the better part of their adult lives at work, more time than they do with their families, sleeping, and other priorities. Yet many become unhappy in their work, losing themselves over decades, and get blinded by their financial and career success. It can seem unimaginable to find a way to a more fulfilling career. I am determined to show them the pathways of possibilities, no matter where they are in their lives.

Tammy's book list on BE your best YOU in work and life

Tammy Gooler Loeb Why did Tammy love this book?

This book is one of my favorite books for work and life. I believe it is more important to ask good questions rather than to know a lot of stuff. I love this book because of the seven questions that form the foundation for it and how useful they can be in so many parts of our lives.

I think it has made me a better listener and communicator. I also appreciate the no-nonsense simplicity with which the concepts and questions are introduced in each section, along with prompts and exercises that support putting it all into practice. This book has helped me be a better me all around!

By Michael Bungay Stanier,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Coaching Habit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Look for Michael's new book, The Advice Trap, which focuses on taming your Advice Monster so you can stay curious a little longer and change the way you lead forever.

In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.

Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how-by saying less and…


Book cover of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Results

Jude Sclater Author Of Think Like a Coach: Empower your team through everyday conversations

From my list on managers who want to empower their teams.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a practical, straight-talking New Zealander who has lived in the UK since 2007. I’ve coached managers for over a decade, and one thing they all have in common is that they want to develop and empower their teams. What I love the most about my work is seeing the ‘aha’ moments unfold when they work out a path that is right for them. I’ve chosen these books for the ‘aha’ moments they sparked in me, and I hope they do the same for you.

Jude's book list on managers who want to empower their teams

Jude Sclater Why did Jude love this book?

I love the big message in this book, which is to focus more on finding the right question instead of the right answer.

I read the intro before going into a coaching session and used the idea of question-thinking with the person I was coaching. We looked at the questions she was asking herself as she went into a meeting with her maternity cover and together we turned those into positive and curious ones. She later came back and told me it worked, and the meeting went much better than she thought it would. Personally, I’ve gotten a lot of benefits from noticing when I’m asking myself judger questions and turning those into learner ones instead. Read the book to find out what I mean.

By Marilee Adams,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Change Your Questions, Change Your Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discover how the questions we ask ourselves and others can either expand our mindsets and open us up to exciting new possibilities or constrict our mindsets and limit our choices for successful change.

Change Your Questions, Change Your Life is an international bestseller that has sold over 400,000 copies in twenty-two languages. People have discovered that, when we’re looking for answers, we often forget to take the time to ask the right questions. But, as Dr. Marilee Adams shows, intentionally using questions helps us make wiser choices, find solutions, and transform our personal and professional lives.

Dr. Adams uses a…


Book cover of The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness

Jude Sclater Author Of Think Like a Coach: Empower your team through everyday conversations

From my list on managers who want to empower their teams.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a practical, straight-talking New Zealander who has lived in the UK since 2007. I’ve coached managers for over a decade, and one thing they all have in common is that they want to develop and empower their teams. What I love the most about my work is seeing the ‘aha’ moments unfold when they work out a path that is right for them. I’ve chosen these books for the ‘aha’ moments they sparked in me, and I hope they do the same for you.

Jude's book list on managers who want to empower their teams

Jude Sclater Why did Jude love this book?

I love this book because it taught me emotional self-control. One of the things I really disliked about myself was how stressed I’d get and then take it out on my team. I’d always apologize, but I think they were often afraid of me and not sure which Jude they’d get. Peters’ Chimp model helped me to understand why this was happening and what to do about it.

I learned to nurture my ‘chimp’ brain more, notice when I was talking to other ‘chimps,’ know how to calm them, and most of all, manage my stress better. I often explain this model to the managers I coach to help them embrace their emotions as a way of managing them.

By Steve Peters,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Chimp Paradox as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do you sometimes behave irrationally or impulsively? Do you face some situations with fear and trepidation? Do feelings of self-doubt consume everyday activities?

Leading Consultant Psychiatrist, Prof Steve Peters, knows more than anyone how impulsive behaviour or nagging self-doubt can impact negatively on our professional and personal lives.

In this, his first book, Steve shares his phenomenally successful mind management programme that has been used to help elite athletes and senior managers alike to conquer their fears and operate with greater control, focus and confidence.

Seemingly complex concepts are made simple with the use of memorable analogies -- such as…


Book cover of The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business

Yoeri Slegers Author Of Crocodile's Crossing: A Search for Home

From my list on travelling in different or strange circumstances.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a Belgian illustrator and author of children's books. My mother works in a library so I was constantly in contact with books, especially children's books. Stories with beautiful pictures were always a big fascination of mine. Drawing keeps me looking for stories and stories keep me drawing. Everything is an inspiration: a funny moment, a good conversation, or just life. In my university, I renewed my passion for children's books thanks to my teacher Kris, also a children's book illustrator. In my final school years I got the chance to work with one of the best publishers in Belgium: De Eenhoorn (the unicorn) they gave me the chance to grow and...tell stories. 

Yoeri's book list on travelling in different or strange circumstances

Yoeri Slegers Why did Yoeri love this book?

I always write a humour story next to my more adult or serious topics. If people ask me what's a funny one it's my top pic. One day a mole wakes up, sticks his head out of the ground and get a pile of poo on it's head. The journey to find the culprit is hilarious and makes me laugh every single time.

By Werner Holzwarth, Wolf Erlbruch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The outrageous bestseller is back - now in a hilarious pop-up edition! Who did their business on the mole's head? Join the intrepid mole as he sets out to find the culprit and exact his revenge in his own little way. "The Story of the Little Mole" is a favourite story loved by children and their parents all around the world with over a million copies sold! And now, you play along with compelling pop-ups, tabs to pull and flaps to lift!


Book cover of Everyone Poops

Geoff Waring Author Of Oscar and the Bat: A Book about Sound

From my list on science for kids and adults.

Why am I passionate about this?

Science is truth and always evolving as we discover new things. Like a child, scientists are always asking "Why this? Why that?" Great scientists like great artists are childlike or at least manage to harness the wonder of their childhood self. If a child is interested in the world around them they will never be bored. It will set them up for life and that's a truly precious thing.

Geoff's book list on science for kids and adults

Geoff Waring Why did Geoff love this book?

...And every child will LOVE this book! Taro Gomi is one of Japan's most prolific children's book creators.

His beautifully simple, childlike paintings of animals and their poos are funny yet informative, and especially for younger readers, they will help them start to develop an enquiring mind.

By Taro Gomi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Everyone Poops as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

The beloved, bestselling potty-training classic, now re-released for a new generation!

An elephant makes a big poop. A mouse makes a tiny poop. Everyone eats, so of course: everyone poops!

Taro Gomi's classic, go-to picture book for straight-talk on all things "number 2" is back, as fresh and funny as ever.

• Both a matter-of-fact, educational guide and a hilarious romp through poop territory
• Filled with timeless OMG moments for both kids and adults
• Colorful and content-rich picture book

The concept of going to the bathroom is made concrete through this illustrated narrative that is both verbally and…


Book cover of The Poop Song

Jennifer Daniels Author Of The Locke Box

From my list on stories that come with music.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never wrote anything longer than a 5-minute song before I was forty-five years old! My life has been spent on the road as a performing songwriter, dancing and playing, and (after our own twins were born) teaching kids to do the same. But one night I woke up from a dream I couldn’t wrangle into song length, and by the end of the day, I had written four chapters of The Locke Box. I naturally wrote songs as I wrote the book. I got curious about who else was doing that. So here’s a short list…

Jennifer's book list on stories that come with music

Jennifer Daniels Why did Jennifer love this book?

The Poop Song is a picture book with downloadable music. Eric Litwin is the master of preschool story structure (think Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes, also a musical book). After Eric married his lovely wife, a pediatric gastroenterologist, she convinced him of the need for a good poop song. So there you go. Super, playful illustrations by Claudia Boldt.

By Eric Litwin, Claudia Boldt (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Poop Song as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A satisfyingly silly picture book sing-along about pooping-a topic kids find hilarious and parents find necessary!

Discover how cats, pelicans, space aliens, and even dinosaurs poop in this rollicking, rhyming verse that's sure to elicit giggles. With plenty of hilarious pictures and a catchy chorus that encourages young children to use the toilet, this laugh-out-loud story is the go-to potty training book that every family needs.

* A playful approach to potty training
* Full of humor that is silly, not disgusting
* From the bestselling author of Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes

Everybody's pooping all day…


Book cover of How to Shit in the Woods

Michelle Waitzman Author Of Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple's Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature

From my list on real-life stories to inspire your camping adventure.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was not a born camper. I was afraid of bugs, allergic to exercise, and rather attached to my bed. In fact, it was not until my late twenties that I began to see the appeal of heading into the woods and sleeping below a starry sky. Past boyfriends tried to convince me that a camping trip would be fun, but a fear of the unknown and a general idea that it would be difficult kept me from giving it a try. Once I discovered camping, there was no turning back. Sex in a Tent is my way of inspiring others who need a little nudge to get out the door.

Michelle's book list on real-life stories to inspire your camping adventure

Michelle Waitzman Why did Michelle love this book?

This book isn’t like the others on my list (it’s a how-to rather than a memoir), but I want to include it for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you want to have camping adventures you need to know some essentials about how things work in the wilderness, and Meyer broke the taboo around bodily functions and told campers, in plain and straightforward terms, how to do their business. The millions of newbie campers who bought the book, including me, are eternally grateful! Also, I have a personal soft spot for Meyer because I interviewed her for my book. I consider her something of a role model for being your true self, even when it’s not what others expect. And without the runaway success of her book, I’m not sure a publisher would have taken a chance on mine.

By Kathleen Meyer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Shit in the Woods as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The definitive guide to eco-friendly outdoor defecation--fully revised with a new introduction by renowned author and environmental activist Bill McKibben.

More than thirty years since its first publication, Kathleen Meyer delivers an update to the beloved guide to relieving yourself responsibly. Meyer's delightfully shameless discussion of a once-secretive activity examines the environmental impact of too much crap (organic and otherwise) on our ever-shrinking wild outdoors.

With the rising popularity of hiking and off-the-grid backpacking as well as the current climate crisis, How to Shit in the Woods provides timely techniques for keeping trails, bushes, and wild waters clean and protected…


Book cover of Brief Thief

Nancy Vo Author Of Boobies

From my list on with sideways humor and irony.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born where the sun rose in the prairies and set behind the Rockies. Now I live on the West Coast of Canada. I am a picture bookmaker, and from my recommendations, you might think that I also have a thing for thieves: cupcake thieves, underwear thieves, hat thieves, chicken thieves, pie thieves. But I’m really here for the element of surprise and well-earned laughs in children’s picture books. They say comedy is hard, but comedy in picture books is even harder. These five picks are a great place to start if you like smartly silly picture books with a bit of off-kilter humor and a sense of irony. Bonus points for puns.

Nancy's book list on with sideways humor and irony

Nancy Vo Why did Nancy love this book?

This book has so many things going for it, including the inimitable pairing of Escoffier and Di Giacomo (see their other book collaborations). Brief Thief is full of wit, charmingly illustrated, and deliciously fun to read aloud using the voices of a lizard and his conscience. Yes, there is potty humor, but it is arguably more about problem-solving and doing the right thing. Even the title is clever – the lizard was a thief briefly, and it was briefs that he stole. The last two wordless spreads are priceless.

By Michaël Escoffier, Kris Di Giacomo (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Brief Thief as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Witty, humorous illustrations of great charm tell this story of conscience and mistaken identity as thoroughly as the book's delightful text. Here a lizard takes the liberty of using what seem to be some old underpants when he runs out of toilet paper. What he doesn't count on is that his own conscience and an outraged rabbit will be watching.


Book cover of The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts

Steven Clark Cunningham Author Of Your Body Sick and Well: How Do You Know?

From my list on the body for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a doctor, perhaps because there were no doctors in my family, and I did not even realize that I wanted to (or could) go to medical school until I was almost done with college. Once I did realize this, however, it became immediately obvious to me that being a physician (a surgeon) was what I wanted to dedicate my life’s work to, and I have been passionate about it ever since. Probably the topics I am most passionate about after surgery are education, books, reading, poetry, etc., so this book lets both these passions dovetail beautifully!

Steven's book list on the body for children

Steven Clark Cunningham Why did Steven love this book?

I have read this book scores, if not hundreds, of times to my four kids when they were younger. Just like another favorite in this series, Everyone Poops, both the title and the contents remind and reassure us that we are not alone in our digestive functions of passing gas and pooping! Even though these are normal, they can cause anxiety, embarrassment, etc., but this book does a great job of making learning about digestion fun!

By Shinta Cho, Amanda Mayer Stinchecum (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Gas We Pass as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A reassuring and humorous title presents curious readers with a straightforward, relatable look at a natural body function, explaining how and why gas is produced and eliminated. Reprint.


Book cover of What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
Book cover of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Results

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,593

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Queen Elizabeth II, presidential biography, and World War 1?

World War 1 937 books