If you've got a Kindle full of half-read business books, you're not alone. I've abandoned more than I've finished. And it's not that they were bad books. Some had five-star reviews. It's just that the people leaving those reviews think completely differently to me.
What works for them doesn't work for me. I got sick of reading an hour or two of a book, waiting for it to get better, only to find it was either boring or stuff I already knew. So I started using AI to figure out how to choose business books that actually suit the way I think. It's saved me so much wasted time.
Ask ChatGPT for Personalised Book Recommendations
Instead of scrolling through Amazon reviews written by strangers, I tell ChatGPT exactly what I'm looking for. Not just the topic. I mean the feel of it.
Something like:
"I'm interested in books on modern marketing with a really creative angle. I like books that inspire me and get me brainstorming rather than something dry. I'm a creative thinker and I love ideas that give me that aha moment. Can you suggest a few that might suit me?"
What comes back is far more personalised than any bestseller list. Even more so if you've been using ChatGPT for a while and it already knows a fair bit about you.
If one catches your eye, you can ask for a deeper overview of the key topics. I also like to ask ChatGPT if there are any good YouTube videos or podcasts where the author talks about the book. Business authors do a lot of interviews, and those interviews are where you get all the real substance without the padding.
After 25 years as a freelance graphic designer, I spent a lot of money on books that promised to help me grow my business. Some were brilliant. A lot of them sat there making me feel guilty. I wish I'd had something like this back then, honestly. Even just being able to say "I need something practical, not theoretical" would have saved me a small fortune.
Use NotebookLM to Preview Books Before You Buy
This is where it gets really good. Once ChatGPT has suggested a few relevant videos or podcast episodes, I take those links into Google's NotebookLM.
You create a new notebook, paste in the YouTube links as your sources, and then you can ask it questions directly. Things like: What's the central idea? Is it more practical or more inspirational? What would it be most useful for?
You can even ask NotebookLM to generate an audio overview. It's basically a short podcast pulling the best bits from everything you've added. So instead of watching three separate hour-long interviews, you get the highlights in one go.
If you're trying to choose between a couple of books, you can add resources for all of them and ask it to compare them.
How Do You Choose the Right Business Book for You?
To find a business book that suits your thinking style, skip generic "best of" lists and try this instead:
- Tell ChatGPT what you want, including the topic, the style you prefer, and how you like to learn (practical vs inspirational, for example).
- Ask for author interviews on YouTube or podcasts so you can preview the ideas before committing.
- Paste those links into NotebookLM and ask it to summarise the key ideas, or generate an audio overview.
- Compare books side by side by adding sources for multiple books into the same notebook.
This whole process takes maybe 15 to 20 minutes. Compare that to reading two chapters of something and realising it's not for you. Ugh.
FAQ
Can ChatGPT recommend books as well as a human would?
It depends on how much detail you give it. If you just say "recommend a marketing book," you'll get generic suggestions. But if you describe how you think and what kind of writing you enjoy, the results are surprisingly good. I've found books through ChatGPT that I never would have come across on my own.
Is NotebookLM free to use?
Yes. Google's NotebookLM is free at the time of writing. You just need a Google account. You can paste in YouTube links, documents, or web pages as sources and ask it questions about them.
Does this work for books outside of business?
Absolutely. I've used the same approach for books on creativity and personal development. If the author has done interviews or talks, NotebookLM can work with those just as well.
I hope this helps you stop wasting time on books that aren't right for you. If you'd like more practical AI tips like this, I send out weekly AI emails with ideas for using tools like ChatGPT and NotebookLM, especially if you're over 50 and figuring this stuff out as you go. I am too.