Adult

I know, this sounds like an “academic” book, and I will admit that Maxwell sometimes delves into graphs.  However, the majority of the book includes inspirational anecdotes about people from Harriet Tubman to Jaime Escalante.  I read this book in three hours, and I now have a better clue as to who deserves my vote for President.

Don’t let the page count frighten you, as there are a ton of appendices highlighting UCLA stats, etc.  Even though I am a Trojan for a life, John Wooden is simply one of the most amazing and good people in the world.  If we all live our lives half as well as this fine man, there is nothing to fear.  I love Coach Wooden’s anecdotes and philosophies, and you have to give credit to a coach who finds the time to teach players how to put on their socks.  One of the ten people alive that I would like to meet.

Will you stop worrying about the page count?  This book includes 103 two to three-page, real-life mysteries that are crafted with Paul Harvey’s marvelous touch.  Any collection of Paul Harvey’s stories, gathered by his son – Paul Aurandt, is worth reading.  How else would you learn about the dead jockey that won the Belmont Stakes or the hypochondriac who would be immortalized as the world’s most beloved nurse?

I just realized that I had not yet recommended this semi-memoir of the Nobel Prize winner’s experiences as a 15-year-old concentration camp survivor.  If this book is not being recommended to high school students, there truly is something wrong with our school system.

I have been listening to “The Dilbert Principle” on CD to and from work, and I think Scott Adams might be just about the funniest writer in America.  His observations rival Douglas Adams , author of the wonderful "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

I really enjoy Trillin’s manner of complaining in this series of short essays about family life.  As curmudgeonly as he may appear, you can see his heart and his humor in every story.

Say what you want about the French – they sure can cook!  My wife has gotten me to start watching the Food Network, which is torturous as I enter the third week of my diet (I’ve been on the Atkins Diet for two weeks and lost 14 days).  I enjoyed this book for providing motivation, inspiration and some really good recipes (which I will proceed to ruin in my kitchen).  This is part cook book, part self-help book.

I am looking at my list for this month, and it is more eclectic than the Munsters.  This wonderful play reminds me a lot of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” because it deals with all sorts of major issues:  race, class, modern society’s morals.  More than anything, I appreciate the play’s twists, which I could not see coming (for a change).

Between this book and Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, I think it is safe to say that I will not attempt to climb any high peaks anytime soon.  Fascinating account of Simpson’s harrowing experiences in the Andes.

Just out in paperback, this book is quite enjoyable.  Truss is fed up with miserable punctuation, and this book not only makes fun of various mistakes but also teaches the reader how to avoid errors.  Trust me – it is worth reading just to understand the title.

If you have not read any of the books in this series, why not start with the fourth installment?  After all, the others stretch to about 240 pages each.  Precious Ramotswe, a female private detective in Botswana, is one of the more interesting characters to have been created in recent literature.  A perfect book for those who have to deal with bureaucracy daily.

Finally, a book without a colon (punctuation-wise, that is).  This is largely considered to be Cather’s first masterpiece.  I enjoy it because it reminds me a lot of the much longer Little House on the Prairie.  

It took me too long to include Dave Barry on one of my lists.  His writing is among the funniest, and he has written enough books to warrant his own list.  This is one of the shorter ones, but none are too long (and all are very funny).

Ellen Degeneres has about as much exposure nowadays as Jessica Simpson, only she has talent and warrants every kudo.  Read this on the beach with a margarita and enjoy life.  Ellen is plain funny.

The title is a lot like the writing:  too long (my dissertation had a shorter title).  However, grab a copy and snag some very useful advice on how to retire by the time you turn 47 (like Kiyosaki did).