Non-Fiction Recommendations
212 Degrees: The Extra Degree, by Parker and Anderson, is a short book printed by www.simpletruths.com. It talks about how at 211 degrees, water is hot; at 212 degrees, it turns to steam, which can power a locomotive. The book, and the accompanying DVD, encourages us to consider what we can accomplish with just one more degree of effort. This book and the DVD are excellent resources for teams and for organizational development activities.
Blink, Malcolm Gladwell. The author has a wonderful way of organizing thoughts and drawing conclusions about people and how they make decisions in the “blink of an eye.”
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne is a must-have on the business book shelf. It's a dense book to read, but a fascinating approach to how to break free from the "red ocean" competition and move your business to open "blue ocean" waters. It includes many practical worksheets and strategy models.
Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni, is a leadership fable about how meetings can drive away innovation, enthusiasm, and productivity. At the back of the book, the author also outlines several good ideas for effective meetings.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff, Richard Carlson, Ph.D. One of those books you can set on your nightstand and read a page or two each evening. It has 100 suggestions for how to live your life with less stress and more balance.
The Dream Manager, by Matthew Kelly, is a small but compelling book about how you can help your employees get what they want – which will then drive your organization’s profitability and effectiveness.
Eat That Frog, Brian Tracy. Short but very practical book about how to get things done, stop procrastinating, and have a dramatic impact on your To Do list.
The Four Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris. The chapters on managing email and meetings and about learning how to take “mini-retirements” alone were worth the read. Plus, the book is full of useful web links and other great resources.
Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. Not only is Randy an inspiring storyteller and author, but his words may give you focus and a sense of purpose in your own life. You can view the lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon University, or visit his website to download the video and the transcript.
Leadership and Self-Deception, by The Arbinger Institute, uses stories to illustrate our choices about how we think about and interact with other people in our lives, and how that affects our relationships and ability to lead them.
The Myth of Multitasking, by Dave Crenshaw, introduces a new word – “switchtasking” – as a way to frame what we all think we are doing when we do several things at once. The book offers several practical suggestions for how to reduce interruptions and manage your time more effectively in this era of multitasking.
Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi. The author talks about how he has leveraged the power of personal connections throughout his life. This book contains tons of tips on how to meet people and extend your relationships.
Outliers is Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, and as usual, he finds extraordinary
explanations for things we take for granted. In this book, he explores some
interesting arguments for why extremely successful people are that way - and it may
not be what you think. All Gladwell's books are easy reads, and worth the time.
A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean, by Tori Murden McClure, is the true story of the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic. But the story is really about her search for herself and her confidence. If you have ever been afraid or have stretched yourself to accomplish something important, you’ll appreciate her amazing story and the stunning pictures she draws with her words.
Performance Breakthrough: The Four Secrets of Passionate Organizations, is written by my colleague Mike Goldman, and tells the fictional story of the owner of a consulting firm. The book provides tips to creating a passionate, productive, and profitable organization.
The Power of Nice, by Ronald Shapiro and Mark Jankowski, is a wonderful resource for sales negotiation techniques. Ron Shapiro made his career as a sports agent.
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, by John G. Miller. This book discusses the need to focus on personal accountability, and offers anecdotal stories and tips for how to promote personal accountability for yourself and others in your organization. It’s a quick read too – took less than an hour from cover to cover.
The Simple Truths of Service, Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz. The book is inspired by Johnny the Bagger, a 19-year old Downs syndrome young man who found a way to connect with his customers as they paid for their groceries.
A Tribe Apart, by Patricia Hersch, chronicles teenage life from the eyes of a journalist who spent most of a year actually attending high school and creating relationships with a select group of young people.
The Trusted Advisor, by David H. Maister. This excellent book discusses how to master the role of a trusted advisor for your clients, and the power of building a strong, personal relationship that allows you to be a “go to” resource for your clients.
The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion. A wonderful and heartfelt story of the author’s experience in the year following her husband’s death of a massive heart attack.
Your First Year with Diabetes, by Theresa Garnero, has been recommended by the American Diabetes Association, and is a great introduction to the disease for those who are new to it. It’s easy to read and includes worksheets and step-by-step tips.
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Fiction Recommendations
The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth. It’s an easy read but a complex story about modern day terrorism and Forsyth as usual weaves meticulous research into an entertaining (and scary) novel.
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England, by Brock Clarke, is a fascinating (but weird) book with a unique protagonist, and tells the story of a young man who accidentally burned down a famous author’s historical home. It has a great twist at the end!
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak was an amazing book. It tells the story of a young girl near Munich, Germany in the early 1940’s, and pulls you in from the first page. The narrator is Death – which sounds unusual, but is amazingly personified and downright human as the book goes on. Well worth reading.
Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke, is about a small town baker and her escapades with solving crimes. And, the books are full of recipes to try too. Definitely not literature, but good for a vacation or beach read.
Digging to America, Anne Tyler. A wonderful story about two inter-cultural families who each adopt a baby from Korea.
The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, by Ann Packer, tells the story of a young couple in Wisconsin, who encounter terrible tragedy – and how they each handle their emotions and actions following the tragedy.
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs. A great “chick book” about a group of women who gather in a New York City knitting shop to share their stories and problems.
The Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng, is a terrific story about a family in Malaysia just as World War II is breaking out. If you are a fan of historical fiction, or just want a dramatic story about family relationships and war-time decisions, this book is for you.
If you loved Little Bee, you will really enjoy Chris Cleave's newest work of
fiction, Incendiary. Wow - what a story! Told through the eyes of a working class
mother in London, it tells the story of a terrorist explosion in a soccer stadium
and her experiences both before and after that event. You won't be able to put
this one down until the end.
Jewel, by Bret Lott, is a powerful story about a family growing up in Mississippi throughout most of the 20th century.
The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry, is a complicated novel about the lives of several people all connected by the centuries-old lace making industries in Salem, Massachusetts.
Brad Thor’s The Lions of Lucerne is a non-stop thriller about what happens when the U.S. President is kidnapped on a ski slope. It’s a great “beach” or vacation read.
The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer is a young adult novel about a boy who leaves the foster care system when he moves in with his uncle. It’s a delightful story about how our relationships change and influence our lives, often in ways that we aren’t aware of at the time.
March, by Geraldine Brooks. It’s the fictional account of the father from the family in the Little Women book when he was a chaplain during the Civil War. What a great story about a time in history and our favorite childhood family! In the last third, you are introduced to the Little Women mom and her perspective on what happens in the book.
The Memory Keepers Daughter, Kim Edwards. A haunting story of a family. The physician father makes a flawed choice upon the birth of his less-than-perfect daughter that changes everyone’s life from that point on.
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver. The incredible story of a family of missionaries in deep Africa, it really makes you ponder the power of families, strong-willed personalities, and fate versus choice.
The Shack, by William P. Young. This allegorical story (is it true or fiction?) about one man’s encounter with God is quite interesting.
Pat Conroy’s new book, South of Broad, tells the story of a group of friends over 4 decades and made me laugh and cry throughout. The story is centered around the magical city of Charleston, and has so many visual images that I felt like I was really there.
The Spellman Files, by Lisa Lutz. If you like the TV show Get Smart and detective novels, you’ll love this book! This is the first of a series about a whacky family-run detective agency. An easy read too.
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston. A modern classic, it tells the story of an African American woman living in the South, trying to find her authentic self. |
