Tired of generic gift guides? We’ll help you find the right book for every kind of person in your life.
For Mom
The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom
By Nancy Reddy
American motherhood is haunted by outdated research suggesting that moms should be independent powerhouses of parenting. Outside of the U.S., there is greater recognition and support of shared care. For the well-being of families, it is important for the parenting industry to acknowledge and address all caregivers. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nancy Reddy, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For Dad
Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile
By Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon & Aaron Naparstek
Cars influence nearly every aspect of our lives every day. Reimagining our relationship with automobiles can make individuals and society happier, healthier, and safer. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Pet Parent
The Science of Pets
By Jay Ingram
Humans adore their pets—but that love makes us lousy observers. Science is the best way to uncover the true stories of those animals that we eagerly welcome into our lives. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jay Ingram, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For Grandparents
Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half
By Kerry Burnight
There exist radical differences in how people experience their longevity. For some, it is a frustrating, degrading, painful trajectory of ever-increasing decline. For others, there is visible delight, spirituality, and joy in occupying their eighth, ninth, and tenth decades. Lifespan and healthspan don’t mean much without joyspan. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kerry Burnight, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For Siblings
The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success
By Susan Dominus
What explains those rare families that boast multiple children who achieve extraordinary success? An award-winning New York Times journalist weaves story with science to explore the circumstances that set those families apart. Listen to our podcast interview with author Susan Dominus in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For Recent Graduates
How to Be a Grown Up: The 14 Essential Skills You Didn’t Know You Needed (Until Just Now)
By Raffi Grinberg
When teens enroll in Driver’s Ed, instructors don’t hand the car keys over and say, “Go crash the car a few times; that’ll teach you to drive.” Instead, they teach driving rules and techniques before sitting students behind the wheel. So why does society fail to prepare adults for grown-up responsibilities in the same way? Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Raffi Grinberg, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Environmentalist
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away
By David Gelles
New York Times reporter David Gelles reveals how Patagonia became a global leader in doing well by doing good and how other companies are adopting its principles. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Gelles, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Debater
Deep Listening: Transform Your Relationships with Family, Friends, and Foes
By Emily Kasriel
Why do so many conversations leave us feeling unheard and disconnected? In Deep Listening, acclaimed BBC journalist, accredited executive coach, and mediator Emily Kasriel argues that it’s because we’ve forgotten how to truly listen. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Emily Kasriel, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the History Buff
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
By Walter Isaacson
The Declaration of Independence was shaped through collaboration, revision, and moral striving by the Founding Fathers, whose work shows that progress—whether in innovation, personal growth, or society—requires iterative improvement, purpose-driven effort, and unity to advance justice and equality. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Walter Isaacson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Scientist
Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World
By Anne-Laure Le Cunff
A transformative guide to rethinking our approach to goals, creativity, and life itself from a neuroscientist and entrepreneur, and the creator of the popular Ness Labs newsletter. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Anne-Laure Le Cunff, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Runner
The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports
By Nicholas Thompson
Running has the capacity to show us what we’re made of and help us grow beyond our limits—both as we race ahead on the track and in life. Struggle, aging, and even trauma can become engines of transformation if we learn how best to keep moving forward. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicholas Thompson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Power Lifter
LIFT: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives
By Anne Marie Chaker
A manifesto on how women can radically change their lives by tapping into their innate physical power. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Anne Marie Chaker, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Philosopher
What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living
By Diane Button
What Matters Most shares lessons from sacred conversations held at the end of life. Stories shared by the dying hold wisdom about how to live with purpose, courage, connection, and a deep understanding of what truly matters. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Diane Button, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Procrastinator
Move. Think. Rest.: Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship with Time
By Natalie Nixon
A creativity whisperer to the C-Suite keynote speaker teaches how to harness the power of everyday activities to stress less and be more productive. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Natalie Nixon, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Disorganized
No New Things: A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity
By Ashlee Piper
From an award-winning sustainability expert, a witty, no-nonsense guide to regaining control over your time, consumerist impulses, and financial and mental wellness. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ashlee Piper, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Ambitious
Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge
By Melody Wilding
A career coach’s indispensable guide to navigating power dynamics, building effective relationships with higher-ups, and earning more authority, freedom, and confidence at work. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Melody Wilding, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Romantic
How to Love Better: The Path to Deeper Connection Through Growth, Kindness, and Compassion
By Yung Pueblo
Until we attend to our inner baggage, our personal and relational well-being will suffer from the pressure of our repressed struggles. Through personal growth and healing, we can create new harmony in our most important bonds. In this way, caring for your own inner peace will result in a greater gift of love for the people you care about most. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Yung Pueblo, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Techie
The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World―and Shapes Our Future
By Samuel Arbesman
Computers, coding, programming—we have come to associate these terms with certain fields (like engineering) and not with others (like art). But computing is a thoroughly interdisciplinary practice that weaves every domain of life together. There is a magic to code, both within its engineering and well beyond. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Samuel Arbesman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Spiritual
Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World
By Ann Tashi Slater
A thoughtful guide to navigating change and transience rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of bardo. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ann Tashi Slater, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
For the Foodie
How the World Eats: A Global Food Philosophy
By Julian Baggini
An exploration of how we grow, make, buy and eat our food around the world—and a proposal for a global philosophy of food. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Julian Baggini, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
When you buy through our Amazon links, the Next Big Idea Club may earn an affiliate commission.
