According to a Harris Interactive survey, 35 percent of Americans say reading is their favorite pastime. But let’s face it, for many of us it’s hard enough to find time to read a book review — let alone an entire book!

Fortunately, the slower pace of summer — with its long days and trips to the mountains or beach, offers more opportunities to crack open a book or two. Here are some recommendations for career-conscious individuals who are reading for both pleasure and profit.

Best books for JOB HUNTERS — Those looking for work will find comfort, humor, and practical advice from the following:

“What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles: Often called the gold-standard of job-hunting books, Bolles has done a masterful job of continually updating this career-planning bible.

“Knock ’em Dead 2006,” by Martin Yates: Learn how to prepare for and ace the job interview with this comprehensive, yet highly readable book. Yates takes you inside the mind of the interviewer and covers everything from phone screens to salary negotiations. He also includes fresh and thoughtful answers to the most common interview questions.

Best books to ENLIGHTEN (and IMPRESS) — Be prepared the next time your job interviewer or CEO asks if you’ve read any good books lately. The following titles will broaden your perspective and get the higher-ups thinking about you as “management material.”

“Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based Management,” by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton: These two authors, both Stanford men, suggest that corporate decision makers have been foolishly chasing industry best practices with little regard for what’s best for the individual organization. Pfeffer and Sutton show management how to make decisions based on hard facts and solid evidence. They slice and dice current business wisdom.

“Blink,” by Malcolm Gladwell: Gladwell is a columnist for The New Yorker magazine and is being hailed as one of the most important thought-leaders of the century. In this insightful, yet fun read, Gladwell explores decision-making and why snap-judgments and gut reactions can be more accurate than analysis.

Best books for PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS — Want to learn how to get more done, sell your ideas, or become rich? These page-turners will help you do all three, without making your eyes glaze over:

“Never Check Email in the Morning,” by Julie Morgenstern: Citing email and interruptions as the biggest time-suckers of the modern workday, Morgenstern offers effective strategies for gaining energy, getting more from your time and achieving work-life balance.

“The Little Red Book of Sales,” by Jeffrey Gitomer: To get ahead in life, you need to know how to sell your ideas and yourself. Whether you’re a professional sales rep or just want to increase your influence, this highly readable book explains “why people buy” and offers Gitomer’s philosophies and insights (which he charges his corporate clients thousands of dollars for) into how to make a sale.

Source: CareerBuilder.com