Saint Augustine of Hippo is quoted as saying that “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” I’ve often felt travel and reading go hand in hand, and have found that reading about far-off places can seem like a whirlwind tour without the jetlag.

This sentiment was underscored for me this week when I was lucky enough to sit in on a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) course. I didn’t even have to leave my home city of Chicago to get a taste of the exotic side of real estate. I’ll have more from the class up on the Speaking of Real Estate blog soon. But for now, I wanted to share with Book Scan readers the top books recommended to me by CIPS instructor David Wyant:

• Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, by Terri Morrison
• The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us, by Robyn Meredith
• The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, by Hernando De Soto

If you think you might be ready to jump into global real estate, you’ll get a head start in Wyant’s class if you pick up one or more of these books. And stay tuned for more CIPS and international coverage to come.

Do you have a book that helped you understand how to launch an international career? Or perhaps you can recommend a tome that helped you understand how to interact with members of different cultures. Leave a comment for your fellow readers below!

Meg White

Meg White is the multimedia web producer for REALTOR® Magazine and administrator of the magazine's Weekly Book Scan blog. Contact her at mwhite[at]realtors.org.

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