Partly because I've been reading some great books lately and partly because I want a break from writing about essays, I am starting something new - offering "recommended reading" to MBA applicants.

Now, please understand that I know you are busy.  You are working, applying, and trying to live your life - possibly even still wrestling the GMAT to the ground.  It's probably not the ideal time to be picking up books, right?  On the contrary!  You are at a unique point in your life right now - shifting between what was previous and what is next.  You are probably still fully engaged with work (as you should be, as the typical upcoming Round 1 applicant still has a full year of work to go), but there is part of you that is stepping outside the day-to-day rat race and thinking about the big picture.  "Now" is one big incubation period.  If you are taking your apps seriously and working with a great consultant/coach, you are going to be thinking stuff in a way that might start to become pretty illuminating.  I've long felt that applying to graduate school *should* be an arduous process - not just in terms of nuts and bolts, but in terms of personal introspection.  It's a golden opportunity to learn something about yourself and to improve as a person.