Take on the Street: What Wall Street and Corporate America Don't Want You to Know 
by Arthur Levitt
Pantheon Books
Former SEC chief Arthur Levitt is not known for befriending the accounting industry. In fact, he did a mighty fine job making enemies of the Big Five accounting firms and AICPA during his tenure. In this "tell all," Levitt targets small, individual investors, and explains a handful of Wall Street not-so-secret-anymore-secrets, including why Wall Street dislikes full disclosure, and how accountants are involved in the corruption of financial statements. Read our review.

 

Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It, How to Keep It, New and Revised Edition
by Jill Griffin
Wiley

Author Jill Griffin discusses the "newly empowered customer" in this revised edition of the bestselling guide on "the tried-and-true principles of loyalty" and making customers happy. The content of each chapter focuses on the various stages of customer service, from how to gain new customers and turn them into loyal clients, to how to prevent customer loss. Read an excerpt (PDF)

 

Catch Me If You Can 

by Frank Abagnale
Broadway
The Art of the Steal 
by Frank Abagnale 
Broadway
We're highlighting this dynamic duo because the major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks and directed by Stephen Spielberg is coming to theaters Christmas Day. (And while the movie sounds fascinating, isn't the book always better than the movie?) Catch Me If You Can is the bestselling true story of one of the world's most sought-after con men, Frank Abagnale. While we highly recommend this book for a good time, we suggest pairing it with The Art of the Steal, a useful guide by the former con man himself, Abagnale, on how businesses and consumers can deter fraud. Both books are in paperback, so you can stuff them into one stocking. See also: Former Fraudster Goes to Hollywood.

 

CNBC Guide to Money and Markets: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Investments
by CNBC
Wiley
Know anyone who might enjoy an investment guide? CNBC Guide to Money and Markets is filled with professional advice, proven investment tools, and colorful graphs and charts to assist investors in the process of building a successful portfolio. The book is divided into digestable chunks: General Planning, Stocks, Bonds, Funds, Other Investments, Getting Help, Commodities, Financial Basics, and Frequently Asked Questions. It's a comprehensive yet succinct 176-page resource.

 

Memoirs
by David Rockefeller

Random House

For the lover of autobiographies, this recently published memoir not only captures the incredible life of David Rockefeller -- the youngest child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. -- it also highlights financial and American history. Rockefeller writes candidly about his life as a banker and philanthropist. Born in 1915, he has packed plenty of activity in his 87 years, including travels to over 100 countries and encounters with great personalities such as Sigmund Freud and Pablo Picasso. His involvement with Rockefeller Center, the redevelopment of the Wall Street area, the building of the World Trade Center, and many other projects is revealed in these memoirs.

 

Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia 

by Christopher Byron

Wiley
Though written prior to the insider trading scandal, which has yet to be settled, this story takes a close look at how Stewart came to be one of the most powerful women in American business. Byron chronicles her success as "one of the most potent and effective brands in the history of American marketing." This account of her life appears to be enjoyed by both Stewart's fans and critics.

 

Leadership
by Rudolph Giuliani
Talk Miramax Books

The former mayor of New York City received high acclaim for his brave affront in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. But Giuliani contends his leadership skills did not begin on September 11, 2001. In fact, he began this memoir prior to the attacks. Throughout his career as a corporate lawyer, U.S. attorney, and NYC mayor he honed his leadership skills. This book not only recounts events in his life that have shaped who he is today, it strives to mentor and mold strong leaders. 

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
by Spencer Johnson, Kenneth H. Blanchard
Putnam Pub Group
With high unemployment rates many Americans will be out of work this holiday season. And many others will find themselves working overtime to prove their value and worth to the companies they work for. Such difficult periods in our careers have a profound, direct impact on our lives.  Enter Who Moved My Cheese, a very different way of telling how to resist the fear of change and instead embrace it. The brevity and story itself will probably surprise you -- it's only 94 pages and is a parable about mice in pursuit of cheese -- but it's not on the bestsellers list for nothing.

How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization
by Jeffrey J. Fox
Hyperion Press
This book provides 75 tips on how to rise to the top, such as Know Everybody by Their First Name, No Goals No Glory, Don't Take Work Home from the Office, Get and Keep Customers and Don't Have a Drink with the Gang. Whether a college student looking for common sense career advice or a professional looking for your next promotion, this book will prove enlightening.

The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations
by John P. Kotter, Dan S. Cohen
Harvard Business School Publishing
Organizations are forced to change faster and more radically than ever. In this powerful follow-up book, organized around the author's eight-step change process outlined in his previous book, Leading Change -- The Heart of Change reveals the results of the co-authors' research in over 100 organizations in the midst of large-scale change. Subjects covered include corporate strategy, leadership, organizational behavior and management and strategy implementation.

Honorable mentions:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  
  
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins
  
  
• Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? Inside IBM's Historic Turnaround by Louis V. Gerstner Jr.
  
  
• Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton
  

Have you read a great business book lately that you'd like to recommend? Let us know.