Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, July 27, in the “Business Life” section of the “Business and Investing”category.

1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel that you are both a person who gets things done and someone who offers penetrating analysis? Well, you can discover whether you are truly an “achiever” or an “analytical” by completing the online quiz. Then, the book will give you “ideas for action” and tips for how best you can work with others. More of a patiencetester than Strengthsfinder, the quiz/book is probably best for those who have lots of time on their hands.

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The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on July 20.

1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain products and ideas become fads.

2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. A new edition of the author’s principles for solving problems.

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Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot in the “Skills” section of the “Business and Investing”category.

1. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. A classic (originally published in the 30′s) and a must-have, this timeless piece of work can help just about anybody get along better with others and win them over to their way of thinking.The book is divided into short sections, each one devoted to a particular principle that is well illustrated with many practical examples.

2. Power Ambition Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today . . . and the Lessons You Can Learnby Steve Forbes, John Prevas, and Alan Sklar. Forbes magazine’s editor and CEO collaborates with classical scholar Prevas to examine the lives of the ancient world’s greatest leaders, including Julius Caesar, Hannibal and Alexander the Great, and the lessons they have for today’s business people.

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Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews Keith Ferrazzi’s book Who’s Got Your Back.

Author of the ubernetworking book Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time Keith Ferazzi’s latest book  Who’s Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success–and Won’t Let You Fail argues that the the value of life is in candor and honest relationships. But many people can’t get there, for reasons rooted both in our reptile brains and in corporate policies.

First, let’s look at the reptile brain. Ferrazzi says people maintain carefully constructed self-images and resist hearing or seeing anything that disrupts those images. Why? “Part of the reason we don’t want to hear the truth is that we have a fear that it will metastasize through our entire being . . . If I am wrong about this one thing, I could be wrong about everything!”

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BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books for July 2009 and  gives a short summary.

1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. As you’d expect with Gladwell, there are lots of surprises in his explanation of why some people succeed fantastically. Pluck and smarts get less play here than such matters as one’s birth month and access to the right resources at just the right time. There are many points worth pondering in this enjoyable volume.

2. Who’s Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success–and Won’t Let You Fail by Keith Ferrazzi. The author of the bestselling Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time is back with a program for achieving success based on the methods in various 12-step programs. The main message here has two parts: You can’t achieve greatness without getting a boost, and, luckily, you’re surrounded by people who want to lend a helping hand.

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