50 Summer Reading Ideas for Project Management Books

Updated 7/11/2018: This article has been updated to include new project management books for summer 2018. Prices are either for hardback or paperback editions, depending on which is cheaper at the time. For pricing and availability information, check the listings.
Summer is a great time for reading, whether you’re on the beach with a paperback or sitting on your balcony with your e-reader. There are hundreds of thousands of books published each year so you don’t want your time wasted on mediocre thrillers or Game of Thrones knockoffs.
You may be a project manager and are keen to pack a few project management books in your suitcase for your summer vacation.
Not every project management book has to be a textbook. Books with valuable lessons in project management can be found in almost every genre, from biography to personal development.

We focused on career development and reviewed blogs and best-of lists to find the best project management books.
Below are the recommended books arranged alphabetically and a brief description of each. The following categories are used to organize all books. At the top is a list of new summer 2018 books. Enjoy!
Jump to:
New for summer 2018CollaborationCreativityManagement and leadershipProductivityProject management methodologiesPure project management
Summer 2018: New
1. “Alive at Work”
The Neuroscience of Making Your People Love What They Do
Price: $19.49
Rating:
It is no secret that people do better at work when they love what they do. Not everyone can be a Major League Baseball pitcher or a rock star. This book explains how project managers can revitalize their teams by letting go of routines and repetition and encouraging experimentation and exploration.

2. “The Culture Code”
The secrets of highly successful groups
Price: $17.20
Rating:
So, project management is people management. This book reveals the secrets to group dynamics and creating a positive, productive company culture.
3. “Great at Work”
How top performers do less, work better, and achieve more
Price: $19.96
Rating:
Hansen spent five years studying more than 5,000 employees and managers to discover why certain people are more productive at work than others. To help their teams maximize their time and performance, project managers can use the seven key principles outlined in this book.

4. “Measure what Matters”
How Google, Bono and the Gates Foundation Rock the World With OKRs
Price: $16.20
Rating:
A project without goals is bound to fail. This is the idea behind OKRs (objectives and key results), and this book explores how OKRs help any team, from Google to Microsoft, stay on track.
5. “The Myth of the Nice Girl.”
It’s possible to have a career you love without becoming a person you hate.
Price: $19.12
Rating:
When it comes to building a successful career as a project manager, women face different challenges than men. This book is an inspiring guide that will help women succeed in their workplace and not sacrifice their values.

6. “The Perfectionists”
How precision engineers created the modern world
Price: $17.99
Rating:
There is no perfect project. However, project managers share a lot with precision engineers who have to pay attention every detail. Winchester examines the chain of events that lead to the production of glass and microchips. He attempts to answer the fundamental question of why precision is important.
7. “The Power of Moments”
What makes certain experiences have extraordinary impact?