I just did that '15 authors that mean something to me' meme. Here are my 15 (+2) that I thought of later and a brief reason why I chose them.
Stephen Covey
7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of the most influential books that I've ever read.
Three of his habits guide me through life.
1. - Seek First to Understand.
2. - Begin with the end in mind
3. - Think Win Win
Stephen King
I read many of his books. What intrigued me was his detailed descriptions of real life and locations. The Stand is one of my favorite books ever.
Dr. Wayne Dyer
Very inspirational to read, Your Erroneous Zones, in High School. One thing I took away from him was to do what you love. The other, "Worry is a worthless emotion.
Isaac Asimov
Loved his books as a kid.
Daniel Pink
One book of Dan's that I can relate to is The Adventures of Johnny Bunko.
Richard Nelson Bolles
What Color Is Your Parachute?
Richard Saul Wurman
His travel guides got me through Hawaii, Paris and London.
George S. Odiorne
My professor in college. He invented Management By Objectives. I loved the class so much, I became a TA for him. One thing he taught me was how to teach. Invaluable.
L. Ron Hubbard
Love Battlefield Earth.
Then I got into the Misson Earth series. Still haven't finished it. ;-)
Joanne Chang
One of the best cookbooks ever to teach you how to bake.
Mark Bittman
How to Cook Everything, a great cookbook. I met Mark when I was working at WFNX and he was a guest on the show.
Nina Simonds
I worked with Nina to film, edit and produce her videoblog series, Spices of Life. I learned a lot about Asian cooking from Nina.
Scott Berkun
The Myths of Innovation is a great book.
Michael Wohl
When I started editing in Final Cut Pro, Michael's book taught me a lot.
Walter Murch
I learned a lot about video editing from this book.
Plus Bonus Authors:
Douglas Adams
Loved Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
The game too.
Tom Clancy
I used to carry his huge books to my health club to read while riding a stationary bike.
