I brought a pile of books with me on vacation. Here my beach reading list and why they ended up in my bag.

The first is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. I learned about the book via a Fred Wilson blog post. Chabon was in the Buckhead Barnes & Noble when I strolled in to buy a copy. About 60 pages in, very entertaining adventure about two guys creating a comic book empire.

The second is The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The title saws it all. I first learned of the concept via a blog post by Alan Taetle. When he told me that I needed to read it because I have big thoughts I had no choice but to buy the book. As I type this I am not sure if he said that to encourage or discourage my entrepreneurism.

The third is Brand Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand by Kirsten Dixon. I virtually met Kirsten a few years back when I decided to do some work on the brand of Lance. Love working with her. FoG and my personal web site are featured in the book as examples of how to build and manage your online identity.

Finally there is The Dip. Fact is I have already read it. I had to. It’s a book about quitting. One of my b school lessons was that “exit is always an option”. Regardless of if you are in a job, creating a business, or in a bar late at night, sometimes it is wiser to quit then stay on the same path. This book does a great job of explaining why. It is the perfect size and has the perfect pace to carry around and read while you are waiting for people.