The 23 best business books to read this summer

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Summer's officially begun, and that probably means you're going to need something to read on your next trip to the beach or for the long flight to your vacation destination.

You'll be kicking back, but might as well bring something educational to accompany that magazine you picked up at the airport.

To help you out, we've selected our favorite business memoirs, career guides, and the most exciting research on the future of work.

You're sure to find something to like that will also leave you with some ideas to take back to the office.

Ever wonder how you could bring some of Google's magic into your office without installing a quirky slide between floors or investing in an on-site chef? "Sprint" can help you out.

It's a guide from Google's venture capital arm GV. Its design partners Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz explain how to implement their signature five-day "sprint" session.

They'll show you how they've used this method to launch game-changing products with companies like Blue Bottle Coffee, Slack, and Nest.

Nike is not only the world's biggest athletic company, with a market cap of about $88 billion. It's also, remarkably, been able to be a worldwide leader of "cool" since the 1970s.

It all started with a new college grad named Phil Knight who sold running shoes out of his parents' garage.

Knight is retiring as the chairman of Nike this month, and he's using his book "Shoe Dog" as the definitive story of how he built an empire. It's a well-written and emotionally engaging story about an entrepreneur growing as a human being alongside the company in which he completely invested himself.

Adam Grant is a star in his field. He's the highest-rated professor at Wharton and the youngest to ever reach "full professor." His success is built on some of the most exciting and practical work in behavioral science.

In his latest book, Grant takes a look at some of the most innovative and daring thinkers of the past 100 years, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to the founders of Google, breaking down what goes on inside the mind of an "original."

When David Novak retired as the chairman of Yum Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) in May, he left behind a legacy of 41,000 restaurants across 125 countries and a market capitalization of about $34 billion.

His book "O Great One!" is a parable based on his own career that communicates the No. 1 leadership lesson he learned: The greatest thing a leader can do is show appreciation for great work.

Caroline Webb is the CEO of consulting firm Sevenshift and a senior adviser to McKinsey, where she was formerly a partner. Her book is a collection of career best practices she's learned in her 16 years as a consultant.

"How to Have a Good Day" may sound like a book full of self-affirmations, but it's densely packed with field-tested career advice, from how to have productive meetings to how to deal with an annoying coworker.

See Also:

• How Starbucks' Howard Schultz turned rags into riches and maintained the moral compass of the largest coffee chain on earth
• I asked 7 top psychologists to tell me what blows their mind — here are their answers
• 40 quotes from business visionaries who are changing the world

SEE ALSO: 7 timeless lessons from Bill Gates' favorite business book