9 books you can finish in a long weekend that will make you a more well-rounded person

reading

The holiday weekend is a perfect time to curl up with some short books.
We selected nine that are particularly informative, entertaining, and easy to read.
They include guides to building your dream career and being happier.

The first day back at work after a holiday weekend is a great time to brag to colleagues about all the awesome things you did.

Here's one idea: "I read an entire book and it changed my life!"

Below, Business Insider has listed nine books that will do just that. You can probably get through them in a long weekend — both because they're relatively short and because they're so compelling that you won't be able to put them down.

Grab one (or more) before you head out — we can guarantee you'll resurface as a more knowledgeable and interesting person.

SEE ALSO: The best business books of 2018

'Payoff' by Dan Ariely

This TED book is just over 100 pages and it's jam-packed with creative lessons about what motivates people to do their best work.

Ariely is a behavioral economist and professor at Duke University, and he's published of a number of popular books, including "Predictably Irrational." In "Payoff," Ariely argues that human motivation is a lot more complex than we might believe. Most importantly, money isn't everything.

In fact, getting pizza and compliments can be more motivating than getting a financial bonus. And letting people take ownership of a project and giving them credit for it makes them more inclined to do it well.

Buy it here »

'Designing Your Life' by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

"Design thinking" is a process that's typically used to improve on an object or experience, like a lightbulb or online dating. But in this book, two Stanford professors explain how you can apply the same process to your career, relationships, and life in general.

"Designing Your Life," which is an extension of Burnett and Evans' Stanford course by the same name, includes plenty of helpful brainstorming exercises. One such exercise is "mind-mapping," in which you play a game of word association to help generate ideas about different types of careers you could pursue — or create.

Another one is "Odyssey Planning," in which you map out different ways your life could potentially unfold. So in one life, for example, you could be a lounge singer; in another, you could be an investment banker. The goal is to realize that you could do a lot of things — and many of them could make you happy and unfulfilled.

Buy it here »

'It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work' by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

Basecamp is known for its unconventional people practices: Employees at the small web app company work from places all over the world and everyone gets a $5,000 annual vacation stipend.

"It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work" is essentially a polemic against the modern workplace, broken down into super short essays about Basecamp's unique culture. For example, every time someone quits or is fired, a detailed "goodbye announcement" email is sent around to the entire company. The idea is to be as honest and as transparent as possible. And salaries are largely non-negotiable, to avoid paying people for their haggling skills instead of their performance.

Overall, it's a super easy but super enlightening read that will make you rethink the way you work, lead, and live.