Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

Bock is a director of human resource at Google, though the company itself uses the term people operations. His delivery of his new book is consistently pleasant, engaging, and conversational, as he details the ways in which Google’s sometimes quirky culture—including such novelties as free gourmet meals for pet dogs in the cafeteria—contributes to both employee fulfillment and a profitable bottom line. Bock’s style does not embody the intense passion and persuasion of the more motivational offerings of the business genre; instead his reading is focused and straightforward. Listeners hoping for an experience to pump them up into a frenzy of inspiration should probably look elsewhere. One very minor oddity of the recording is that extra voices are provided to quote a few women in the narrative, though the practice is inconsistent and seems at odds with the overall presentation. A Hachette/Twelve hardcover. (Apr.)