If you can afford a private career coach, get one. If not, do what I do: keep a few books on the bedside table for counseling any time (at a bargain price). Hoping for a simple spell to move me up the career ladder, I couldn’t pass up Marjorie Brody’s Career Magic: A Woman’s Guide to Reward and Recognition. While no potion exists, Brody has created a formula (Manners, Advocates, Growth, Involvement and Commentary) to help women stop whining and start winning. For a female ready to make her mark, the advice and the wonderful profiles of women who have paved the way are a perfect guide for overcoming self-defeating actions and attitudes.

A financial must-have is Paul B. Farrell’s The Lazy Person’s Guide to Investing. I love this super-simple ode to the index fund and have recommended it to my financially lazy family and friends. Now that I have an income again, I can’t wait to start saving for retirement with a keep-it-simple portfolio of index funds.

Feeling optimistic when I started my business studies back in 2001, I saved a copy of Smart Couples Finish Rich, and after getting engaged in April, I dusted off the book and dived in again. Money is the number one cause of divorce, but David Bach, author of the best-selling Smart Women Finish Rich, makes the taboo topic approachable. He debunks common money myths like this whopper if we love each other, we won’t fight about money and reveals the Ten Biggest Financial Mistakes couples make.

Author Joel Kurtzman has good connections. The former editor of Harvard Business Review has compiled a storehouse of great management thinking by rounding up contributors like junk bond king Michael Milken, Segway inventor Dean Kamen and Harvard’s strategy star Michael Porter. The result is MBA in a Box: Practical Ideas from the Best Brains in Business. With short, thought-provoking chapters on innovation, human resources, strategy and leadership, the book covers every topic a business person needs. MBA in a Box strives to balance fun and practicality. It succeeds most of the time, but some of the famous contributors will leave readers wanting. For instance, Porter’s look at the power of location and Milken’s take on capital structure feel like school lectures. However, Kamen starts the book off right with a compelling comparison of invention versus innovation. The finance and accounting section (one of Kurtzman’s favorites) includes Les Livingstone’s deft explanation of the pros and cons of the recent Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Robert Metcalf’s powerful defense of stock options. Kurtzman is proud that he “thought inside the box” to create a toolkit for professionals, but his book will still shake up readers’ thinking and stretch minds.

Stephanie Swilley will receive her MBA this month from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Excellent, good, fair, poor what’s your level of satisfaction at work? If something, or a lot of things, about your career could use a change, four new books can help you get where you want to be. If you’re just starting out in a career, these books can launch you on the right path and teach you what to watch for along the way.

Monstrously helpful "We dream, worry, fantasize, agonize about out careers, and yetÉit’s amazing how many people let their careers just…sort of…happen to them," says Jeff Taylor, founder of the Monster job-search website. In Monster Careers: How to Land the Job of Your Life (Penguin, $18, 416 pages, ISBN 0142004367), Taylor, with Doug Hardy, general manager of Monster Careers, challenges readers to steer clear of boredom, resignation or despair about a job. This comprehensive book offers wise, upbeat information and exercises to get readers thinking and acting. Topics include current hiring practices, having the right attitude, defining what you want to do, creating rŽsumŽs and cover letters that market your talents effectively, researching and applying for a job, interviewing, negotiating and transitioning into a new job.

The book has an interactive companion at monstercareers.com with resources such as rŽsumŽ templates, self-assessment tools, networking information, relocation resources and alternative work arrangements.

Finding fulfillment Be real. Get real. We hear that a lot these days. When your work life seems removed from who you really are, it’s time for some serious soul-searching. Two thought-provoking books can help guide you through the process. Each useful on its own, together they offer a tremendous array of techniques for finding answers to that nagging question: what job would make me truly fulfilled? The Authentic Career: Following the Path of Self-Discovery to Professional Fulfillment (New World Library, $14.95, 209 pages, ISBN 1577314387) offers an in-depth process to achieve integration of who you are and what you should be doing. Author Maggie Craddock, career coach and former award-winning Wall Street fund manager, has developed a therapeutic, four-stage process that identifies the demands and expectations others have put on you and helps you decide what you really want and need to be fulfilled. Arguing that working from your authentic self allows you to function at your best, Craddock offers insightful questions and exercises and uses real-life examples of how clients came to better understand themselves and realize more job and personal satisfaction.

If you don’t want to be doing the same old thing three months from now, check out the advice offered in Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction (Tarcher, $19.95, 240 pages, ISBN 1585423211) by life coach and author Laura Bergman Fortgang (Living Your Best Life and Take Yourself to the Top). To find the truth about who you really are, what you really want and what you’re really capable of, Fortgang has developed a high-energy, 12-week, chapter-per-week program based on the process that has successfully enabled hundreds of her clients to make important life changes. The first 45 days help you find a new direction, the remaining 45 days help you set the course toward reaching it. Fortgang’s empowering exercises, client stories and tools enable you tap into your own "life blueprint" and the work that will make you happiest and most fulfilled.

From no job to the right job If a career crash is imminent or you’ve recently experienced one, you’ll find calming, caring advice in Bradley G. Richardson’s Career Comeback: 8 Steps to Getting Back on Your Feet When You’re Fired, Laid Off or Your Business Venture Has Failed and Finding More Job Satisfaction Than Ever Before. A job expert and national manager of CareerJournal.com, the recruitment website of The Wall Street Journal, Richardson presents a clear strategy for recognizing whether your career is in trouble. Then he presents the basics on how to react: evaluating and negotiating a severance package, reviewing what went wrong so you’ll learn from the past, relating to family and friends, establishing a support system, coping with stress and finding a new job that’s better than the old one. Addressing both the practical and emotional elements of a major career setback, Richardson’s book is a valuable aid for those who need to dust themselves off and jump back into the fray.

Excellent, good, fair, poor what’s your level of satisfaction at work? If something, or a lot of things, about your career could use a change, four new books can help you get where you want to be. If you’re just starting out in a career, these books can launch you on the right path and teach you what to watch for along the way.

Monstrously helpful "We dream, worry, fantasize, agonize about out careers, and yetÉit’s amazing how many people let their careers just…sort of…happen to them," says Jeff Taylor, founder of the Monster job-search website. In Monster Careers: How to Land the Job of Your Life (Penguin, $18, 416 pages, ISBN 0142004367), Taylor, with Doug Hardy, general manager of Monster Careers, challenges readers to steer clear of boredom, resignation or despair about a job. This comprehensive book offers wise, upbeat information and exercises to get readers thinking and acting. Topics include current hiring practices, having the right attitude, defining what you want to do, creating rŽsumŽs and cover letters that market your talents effectively, researching and applying for a job, interviewing, negotiating and transitioning into a new job.

The book has an interactive companion at monstercareers.com with resources such as rŽsumŽ templates, self-assessment tools, networking information, relocation resources and alternative work arrangements.

Finding fulfillment Be real. Get real. We hear that a lot these days. When your work life seems removed from who you really are, it’s time for some serious soul-searching. Two thought-provoking books can help guide you through the process. Each useful on its own, together they offer a tremendous array of techniques for finding answers to that nagging question: what job would make me truly fulfilled? The Authentic Career: Following the Path of Self-Discovery to Professional Fulfillment (New World Library, $14.95, 209 pages, ISBN 1577314387) offers an in-depth process to achieve integration of who you are and what you should be doing. Author Maggie Craddock, career coach and former award-winning Wall Street fund manager, has developed a therapeutic, four-stage process that identifies the demands and expectations others have put on you and helps you decide what you really want and need to be fulfilled. Arguing that working from your authentic self allows you to function at your best, Craddock offers insightful questions and exercises and uses real-life examples of how clients came to better understand themselves and realize more job and personal satisfaction.

If you don’t want to be doing the same old thing three months from now, check out the advice offered in Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by life coach and author Laura Bergman Fortgang (Living Your Best Life and Take Yourself to the Top). To find the truth about who you really are, what you really want and what you’re really capable of, Fortgang has developed a high-energy, 12-week, chapter-per-week program based on the process that has successfully enabled hundreds of her clients to make important life changes. The first 45 days help you find a new direction, the remaining 45 days help you set the course toward reaching it. Fortgang’s empowering exercises, client stories and tools enable you tap into your own "life blueprint" and the work that will make you happiest and most fulfilled.

From no job to the right job If a career crash is imminent or you’ve recently experienced one, you’ll find calming, caring advice in Bradley G. Richardson’s Career Comeback: 8 Steps to Getting Back on Your Feet When You’re Fired, Laid Off or Your Business Venture Has Failed and Finding More Job Satisfaction Than Ever Before (Broadway, $14.95, 336 pages, ISBN 0767915577). A job expert and national manager of CareerJournal.com, the recruitment website of The Wall Street Journal, Richardson presents a clear strategy for recognizing whether your career is in trouble. Then he presents the basics on how to react: evaluating and negotiating a severance package, reviewing what went wrong so you’ll learn from the past, relating to family and friends, establishing a support system, coping with stress and finding a new job that’s better than the old one. Addressing both the practical and emotional elements of a major career setback, Richardson’s book is a valuable aid for those who need to dust themselves off and jump back into the fray.

Excellent, good, fair, poor what’s your level of satisfaction at work? If something, or a lot of things, about your career could use a change, four new books can help you get where you want to be. If you’re just starting out in a career, these books can launch you on the right path and teach you what to watch for along the way.

Monstrously helpful "We dream, worry, fantasize, agonize about out careers, and yet…it’s amazing how many people let their careers just

Excellent, good, fair, poor what’s your level of satisfaction at work? If something, or a lot of things, about your career could use a change, four new books can help you get where you want to be. If you’re just starting out in a career, these books can launch you on the right path and teach you what to watch for along the way.

Monstrously helpful "We dream, worry, fantasize, agonize about out careers, and yetÉit’s amazing how many people let their careers just…sort ofÉhappen to them," says Jeff Taylor, founder of the Monster job-search website. In Monster Careers: How to Land the Job of Your Life, Taylor, with Doug Hardy, general manager of Monster Careers, challenges readers to steer clear of boredom, resignation or despair about a job. This comprehensive book offers wise, upbeat information and exercises to get readers thinking and acting. Topics include current hiring practices, having the right attitude, defining what you want to do, creating rŽsumŽs and cover letters that market your talents effectively, researching and applying for a job, interviewing, negotiating and transitioning into a new job.

The book has an interactive companion at monstercareers.com with resources such as rŽsumŽ templates, self-assessment tools, networking information, relocation resources and alternative work arrangements.

Finding fulfillment Be real. Get real. We hear that a lot these days. When your work life seems removed from who you really are, it’s time for some serious soul-searching. Two thought-provoking books can help guide you through the process. Each useful on its own, together they offer a tremendous array of techniques for finding answers to that nagging question: what job would make me truly fulfilled? The Authentic Career: Following the Path of Self-Discovery to Professional Fulfillment (New World Library, $14.95, 209 pages, ISBN 1577314387) offers an in-depth process to achieve integration of who you are and what you should be doing. Author Maggie Craddock, career coach and former award-winning Wall Street fund manager, has developed a therapeutic, four-stage process that identifies the demands and expectations others have put on you and helps you decide what you really want and need to be fulfilled. Arguing that working from your authentic self allows you to function at your best, Craddock offers insightful questions and exercises and uses real-life examples of how clients came to better understand themselves and realize more job and personal satisfaction.

If you don’t want to be doing the same old thing three months from now, check out the advice offered in Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction (Tarcher, $19.95, 240 pages, ISBN 1585423211) by life coach and author Laura Bergman Fortgang (Living Your Best Life and Take Yourself to the Top). To find the truth about who you really are, what you really want and what you’re really capable of, Fortgang has developed a high-energy, 12-week, chapter-per-week program based on the process that has successfully enabled hundreds of her clients to make important life changes. The first 45 days help you find a new direction, the remaining 45 days help you set the course toward reaching it. Fortgang’s empowering exercises, client stories and tools enable you tap into your own "life blueprint" and the work that will make you happiest and most fulfilled.

From no job to the right job If a career crash is imminent or you’ve recently experienced one, you’ll find calming, caring advice in Bradley G. Richardson’s Career Comeback: 8 Steps to Getting Back on Your Feet When You’re Fired, Laid Off or Your Business Venture Has Failed and Finding More Job Satisfaction Than Ever Before (Broadway, $14.95, 336 pages, ISBN 0767915577). A job expert and national manager of CareerJournal.com, the recruitment website of The Wall Street Journal, Richardson presents a clear strategy for recognizing whether your career is in trouble. Then he presents the basics on how to react: evaluating and negotiating a severance package, reviewing what went wrong so you’ll learn from the past, relating to family and friends, establishing a support system, coping with stress and finding a new job that’s better than the old one. Addressing both the practical and emotional elements of a major career setback, Richardson’s book is a valuable aid for those who need to dust themselves off and jump back into the fray.

Hard-hitting advice from The Donald Donald Trump. The name carries its own exclamation point. To the man who wears it, though, it’s more than a name it’s also a “brand” that signifies excellence, decisiveness, risk-taking, flamboyance and an ego the size of Gibraltar (one of the few choice properties, by the way, that The Donald doesn’t yet own). In his new book, Trump: How To Get Rich, the brash bon vivant and wily real estate mogul lays out a roadmap to success via a tour of his own vast holdings, which range from skyscrapers to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants.

While the book was reportedly well underway before Trump took the lead role in The Apprentice, it was clearly hurried into print to capitalize on the show’s popularity. The NBC-TV series focused on 16 young, business-savvy contestants in a ruthless competition to win a lucrative post at The Trump Organization and the benign gaze of its chief, as well. A second season of the show, which garnered unexpectedly high ratings, is set to air on NBC in the fall. Trump devotes the final section of the book to explaining how he became involved with the project and describing who the contestants are.

Readers shouldn’t be fooled by the book’s title. It’s really less about “how to get rich” than it is “how I got richer.” In bite-size one- and two-page chapters, the 57-year-old Trump offers such business verities as “Get a great assistant,” “Keep your door open,” “Pay attention to the details,” “Trust your instincts” and no surprise here “Brand yourself and toot your horn.” He offers 53 such “commandments” in all. Trump plucks most of his tips to would-be millionaires from his own experiences, some of which seem narrowly applicable to others, if at all. For instance, he advises against shaking hands, not because it has anything to do with accumulating wealth but because he finds the practice unhygienic. Among his other quirky tenets for getting ahead are “Play golf” (he owns four spiffy courses) and “Get a prenuptial agreement.” Still, Trump spins his exemplary tales with such relish that it really doesn’t matter if a few of them are off-theme; they’re always entertaining. Trump even devotes a segment to discussing his much-maligned hair, which he insists is real but admits is badly colored. When not giving business advice or marveling about his diverse joys and toys, Trump uses the book as a platform to strike back at people who have crossed him. These unfortunates include former New York governor Mario Cuomo and newsman Dan Rather. Noting that he was once a big backer of Cuomo’s political campaigns, Trump adds, “For my generous support, he regularly thanked me and other major contributors with a tax on real estate so onerous it drove many investors away from [New York City].” But the breaking point came, he says, when Cuomo refused to pass on to his son, Andrew, then head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Trump’s request for a “perfectly legal and appropriate favor.” He dismisses Cuomo as “a total stiff [and] a lousy governor.” Rather fell from grace after presenting an unflattering profile of the developer on 60 Minutes. “He’s got absolutely no talent or charisma or personality,” Trump huffs. “I could take the average guy on the street and have him read the news…and that guy would draw bigger ratings.” In fairness, though, Trump has more good things to say about the people he encounters than bad. But, as one of his tips says, sometimes you have to hold a grudge.

To demonstrate what’s involved in being Donald Trump, the author opens up his calendar to a week in the fall of 2003. During this period, he not only attended to daily business matters but also met with or talked to Oscar de la Renta, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, Regis Philbin (one of his favorites), Hugh Grant, New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, Rudy Giuliani, Mohamed Al Fayed (whose son was killed with Princess Diana), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Melanie Griffith, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Beverly Sills, Robin Leach, Larry King, Barbara Walters, Meredith Viera, Sandra Bullock, Reggie Jackson, Tina Brown, New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer and Bill Clinton. And this was a five-day week, mind you. The joy of reading this book or any other of Trump’s utterances is witnessing his great lust for life. While he may prattle on about his private jet and his helicopter or drop the names of famous friends, it’s evident that his real wealth lies in never having a dull moment. Edward Morris spends his riches in Nashville.

Already dreading having to send a check to Uncle Sam? BookPage has the perfect book to inspire you to get started on those tax returns. Explore the weird world of the IRS in Richard Yancey’s Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man’s Tour of Duty Inside the IRS and we promise you’ll never miss a tax deadline again.

Yancey, an English major who took seven years to graduate from college, tells the bizarre story of how he went from actor wannabe to Revenue Officer (don’t call them tax collectors) after answering a newspaper ad on a whim. A sarcastic, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy, Yancey fit right in with his first boss (a suspected Wiccan priestess) and training officer (a certifiable body building fanatic).

Not surprisingly, the IRS has a rule for everything, but the most important are these: #1 document everything and #2 shred everything. What is surprising is how workers get sucked into the system, learning to speak the IRS language of acronyms and numbers while losing the ability to think independently. As Yancey writes, the “system was designed in such a way as to completely remove our judgment from the process.” Instead, Revenue Officers follow the four protocols: “Find where they are. Track what they do. Learn what they have. Execute what they fear.” The book is funny in a “thank God that’s not me!” way, while at the same time being down right frightening. In the first case Yancey handled, he was faced with seizing the home of a down-on-her-luck daycare owner, and the cases only get more bizarre and pitiful as he uncovers child abuse and the mob. These guys are bullies, and you’ll want to avoid a run-in with any of the slightly deranged, power-tripping tax hounds profiled here.

Today’s modern woman has come a long way she no longer has to sound or act like a man to get ahead in the workplace but females still occupy only eight percent of the top-level jobs in major companies, according to Fortune magazine. Unconscious behaviors are keeping women from breaking the glass ceiling, says Lois Frankel, a corporate coach for hundreds of women and men. Her new book, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office (Warner, $19.95, 288 pages, ISBN 0446531324), is a must-have for all women with CEO aspirations. Frankel shows women how to "quit bein’ a girl" by exposing 101 mistakes that sabotage their careers. She breaks down the behaviors into seven categories, including How You Sound, How You Look and How You Play the Game. Some of the mistakes are not revolutionary (speaking softly, needing to be liked, having the wrong hairstyle, etc.) but each one is illustrated with real-world examples and coaching tips that have worked for Frankel’s clients. Women are urged to start with a quick self-assessment test, then focus on the two areas that need the most improvement. Frankel is direct and honest yet supportive as she zeroes in on the unconscious girl behaviors that keep women from reaching the top.

Girls just starting out on their quest for success should pick up Wildly Sophisticated (Perigee, $15.95, 272 pages, ISBN 0399529470), by Nicole Williams. The hip author who created the "Drinks After Work" networking phenomenon recommends that gals pinpoint their passion, choose a great boss and learn to deal with relationships of all kinds (she even covers how to date at work). The funny "Career Confessions" from real women are a special treat in a book best enjoyed while wearing Manolos and sipping a Cosmo.

Being your own boss Entrepreneurs Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio have written the insightful book they wished they could have read when starting their own PR agency in 2000. The Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business (HarperResource, $21.95, 256 pages, ISBN 0060521570) will hold your hand through every stage of starting a successful business.

The authors address the unique challenges that women face (finding female role models, balancing family and work, being a boss without being a bitch), and the "scary stuff" like insurance, incorporation and technology. Fortunately these savvy business owners don’t advise doing it all on your own, and their tips on hiring a lawyer, accountant and bookkeeper are essential.

The authors’ enthusiasm is infectious and they give a list of chick flicks (Baby Boom, Sliding Doors) and CDs (Aretha Franklin, Madonna) to provide more inspiration. The Q&As with other female entrepreneurs offer another been-there-learn-from-me perspective.

For more seasoned advice, turn to four business pros who founded Eight Wings Enterprises LLC, an angel investment company. After watching ambitious women suffer start-up pitfalls time and again, they decided to put their knowledge on paper. The result is The Old Girls’ Network (Basic, $24.95, 224 pages, ISBN 073820806X), a wise book that shows women how to create an elevator pitch and warns against the five things never to say to an investor. The real gold mine is the appendix "tool kit" which is full of detailed templates, quizzes and references.

Good Business Eschewing rambling preliminaries, Roger Lowenstein jumps right into the spellbinding story of the bubble that burst in Origins of the Crash. The author of Buffett and When Genius Failed vividly explains the rise and fall of the 1990s stock market in plain, easy to understand language (finally, someone explains why stock options are evil!). But Lowenstein delivers more than just a history recitation. He delves into the culture that helped shape these events to explain how the myriad attempts at corporate governance failed so spectacularly. Looking ahead, Lowenstein predicts more bubbles and crashes, saying that "Wall Street may be incapable of reform." This fascinating analysis may reveal more about the future than Wall Street would like to admit.

Today’s modern woman has come a long way she no longer has to sound or act like a man to get ahead in the workplace but females still occupy only eight percent of the top-level jobs in major companies, according to Fortune magazine. Unconscious behaviors are keeping women from breaking the glass ceiling, says Lois Frankel, a corporate coach for hundreds of women and men. Her new book, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office (Warner, $19.95, 288 pages, ISBN 0446531324), is a must-have for all women with CEO aspirations. Frankel shows women how to “quit bein’ a girl” by exposing 101 mistakes that sabotage their careers. She breaks down the behaviors into seven categories, including How You Sound, How You Look and How You Play the Game. Some of the mistakes are not revolutionary (speaking softly, needing to be liked, having the wrong hairstyle, etc.) but each one is illustrated with real-world examples and coaching tips that have worked for Frankel’s clients. Women are urged to start with a quick self-assessment test, then focus on the two areas that need the most improvement. Frankel is direct and honest yet supportive as she zeroes in on the unconscious girl behaviors that keep women from reaching the top.

Girls just starting out on their quest for success should pick up Wildly Sophisticated (Perigee, $15.95, 272 pages, ISBN 0399529470), by Nicole Williams. The hip author who created the “Drinks After Work” networking phenomenon recommends that gals pinpoint their passion, choose a great boss and learn to deal with relationships of all kinds (she even covers how to date at work). The funny “Career Confessions” from real women are a special treat in a book best enjoyed while wearing Manolos and sipping a Cosmo.

Being your own boss Entrepreneurs Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio have written the insightful book they wished they could have read when starting their own PR agency in 2000. The Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business (HarperResource, $21.95, 256 pages, ISBN 0060521570) will hold your hand through every stage of starting a successful business.

The authors address the unique challenges that women face (finding female role models, balancing family and work, being a boss without being a bitch), and the “scary stuff” like insurance, incorporation and technology. Fortunately these savvy business owners don’t advise doing it all on your own, and their tips on hiring a lawyer, accountant and bookkeeper are essential.

The authors’ enthusiasm is infectious and they give a list of chick flicks (Baby Boom, Sliding Doors) and CDs (Aretha Franklin, Madonna) to provide more inspiration. The Q&andAs with other female entrepreneurs offer another been-there-learn-from-me perspective.

For more seasoned advice, turn to four business pros who founded Eight Wings Enterprises LLC, an angel investment company. After watching ambitious women suffer start-up pitfalls time and again, they decided to put their knowledge on paper. The result is The Old Girls’ Network, a wise book that shows women how to create an elevator pitch and warns against the five things never to say to an investor. The real gold mine is the appendix “tool kit” which is full of detailed templates, quizzes and references.

Good Business Eschewing rambling preliminaries, Roger Lowenstein jumps right into the spellbinding story of the bubble that burst in Origins of the Crash (The Penguin Press, $24.95, 259 pages, ISBN 1594200033). The author of Buffett and When Genius Failed vividly explains the rise and fall of the 1990s stock market in plain, easy to understand language (finally, someone explains why stock options are evil!). But Lowenstein delivers more than just a history recitation. He delves into the culture that helped shape these events to explain how the myriad attempts at corporate governance failed so spectacularly. Looking ahead, Lowenstein predicts more bubbles and crashes, saying that “Wall Street may be incapable of reform.” This fascinating analysis may reveal more about the future than Wall Street would like to admit.