Book Summaries – What and Why
I don’t know about you, but I constantly struggle to be able to read as much as I would want to. Having read something in the order of one hundred business books, I have also been frequently disappointed. Thoughts like “Did this book really have only three main ideas?”, or “Could this not have been told more shortly?”, have frequently crossed my mind.
Most business books only contain a few REAL fresh ideas. Nevertheless, on the basis of Amazon.com reviews, or by just reading the book cover in a book store, it can be hard to tell beforehand.
My question: How could I save time?
So, with this background, a book summary service made sense to me, and hence, I recently decided to try one. After some searching work, and a careful selection process using proprietary metrics, I decided to try the service of Business Book Summaries.
The promise
Book summaries for executives and business people on the go and have no time to read a business book every week. Summaries of the latest best-sellers are accessed in seven formats: PDF, online, PDA, Powerpoint, audio, mindmaps and video
Having used the service for a few weeks now, I really have to say that it is quite ok. As it gives a possibility for you, dear reader, to save some time too, I decided to share this idea.
What do you get?
- Instant access 500+ business book summaries (e.g. Winning by Jack Welch, or Built to Last by Jim Collins)
- The possibility to browse books as per titles, authors, or categories
- A free trial period of 2 days (full access to all reviews)
- Two new book summary pdf:s emailed every week
What do you not get?
- The summaries do not contain the key graphics of the books
The Anatomy of a Book Summary
There are different formats to choose from. The flagship format is the 8-12 page PDF business book summary. It has an author box, giving some information about the author, and it looks very nice when you print it out (good for short air flights and the likes). If you choose to read directly from your computer, you can read the HTML format with your browser.
My own favorites are the PowerPoint and the online video formats. The latter format is a combination of the Powerpoint (however, even simpler slides) and someone reading out loud the more comprehensive PDF format. It really feels like a mini lecture!
My Own Summary
Business Books Summaries is a handy service that enables you to save time reading unnecessary books, as you can preview a book before you dedicate numerous hours to read it. At best it may also convey all the crucial ideas of a low content business book, rendering the purchase of the book obsolete.
As it is offered for the annual price of only a few good books, I will myself most likely be a happy subscriber for the foreseeable future.
Link: Business Book Summaries