As part of working here at the Next Big Idea Club, we staff members get to read a lot of books. But we listen to even more “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of new nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Hundreds of them are available right now in the Next Big Idea App, and to help you decide where to start, we’ve compiled our ten favorite Book Bites of the year. Happy listening!
Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides
By Geoffrey Cohen
“Each of Geoffrey Cohen’s insights includes a summary of a research study—making them memorable and easy to recall. Some lessons in life we don’t learn because we aren’t ready to hear them. Other times, it’s a matter of simply hearing it put another way. Cohen’s writing here—and I’m sure this applies to the book as well—has a way of getting you ready and putting it simply.” – Eric Ramirez, Senior Director of Audience Development. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Geoffrey Cohen, in the Next Big Idea App
The Gift of Influence: Creating Life-Changing and Lasting Impact in Your Everyday Interactions
By Tommy Spaulding
“This Book Bite made me cry not once but twice, much to my surprise! It contains unforgettable tips on the opportunity we all have to make lasting positive impacts on some small portion of the tens of thousands of individuals we interact with throughout our lives.” – Rufus Griscom, CEO & Next Big Idea Podcast Host. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Tommy Spaulding, in the Next Big Idea App
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
By Becky Kennedy
“Some great ideas to add to my parenting toolbox!” – Chris Chaput, VP of Product
“Dr. Becky’s clear-eyed and compassionate suggestions for connecting with your children really resonate with me. In fact, I find myself applying the ideas to other challenging relationships in my life.” – Michael Kovnat, VP of Audio. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Becky Kennedy, in the Next Big Idea App
Grief Is Love: Living with Loss
By Marisa Renee Lee
“This compassionate, thoughtful book debunks many common myths about dealing with loss—such as that there’s a timeline for grief, or that there are sequential stages of grief. The truth is that grief is both messier and more unpredictable than we are often led to believe. Ultimately, I was moved by her suggestion to ‘reconceptualize grief as part of the experience of loving people.’” – Panio Gianopoulos, Editorial Director. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Marisa Renee Lee, in the Next Big Idea App
High-Velocity Digital Marketing: Silicon Valley Secrets to Create Breakthrough Revenue in Record Time
By Steven Mark Kahan
“This Book Bite made me rethink my cold outreach strategy. In the past, I’ve always tried to get people on the phone for a call; I thought that by listening to people, I could provide the best service and find the right solution. But this Book Bite helped me realize that we have moved even closer to digital-only interactions, and that I need to find ways to close sales without a phone call.” – Marquina Iliev, Business Development Director. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Steven Mark Kahan, in the Next Big Idea App
Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood
By Chelsea Conaboy
“As a new mother myself, I was fascinated and comforted by these insights. This is an essential Book Bite for any new or future parents and caregivers!” – Emily Pinto, Director of Member Happiness. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Chelsea Conaboy, in the Next Big Idea App
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends
By Marisa G. Franco
“If you’ve ever needed help nurturing new friendships, this Book Bite is for you.” – Caleb Bissinger, Senior Director of Audio. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Marisa Franco, in the Next Big Idea App
This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You
By Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
“Music has been the single most predictive factor as to who enters my inner circle. The closest friendships and deepest romances of my life developed their intimacy in large part from bonding over songs and communicating through them. Nothing comes closer to stepping in someone’s shoes or feeling understood than being in the presence of sounds that transport the both of you to the same headspace. This Book Bite opened my eyes to the real neuroscience behind my hunch about music’s role in connection, and offered a scientific map of where music takes the listener’s mind, helping me understand myself through my favorite auditory destinations.” – Ania Szczesniewski, Assistant Editor. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Susan Rogers, in the Next Big Idea App
Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence
By James Bridle
“The Book Bite for Ways of Being was one mind-blowing fact after another—plants can hear and remember? Slime mold can be smarter than human engineers? Those five insights made me totally rethink what it means to be intelligent.” – Jeremy Price, Editor-at-Large. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author James Bridle, in the Next Big Idea App
What We Owe the Future
By William MacAskill
“It’s imperative that we start more conversations about how our current behavior is actively affecting the lives of our descendants. We need to think more about the future, and we need to learn ways to make this world enjoyable and livable for those who come after us.” – Melissa Ballarin, Happiness Engineer. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author William MacAskill, in the Next Big Idea App
To enjoy Book Bites from anywhere, download the Next Big Idea app today:
