Adult

Let me just come out and confess: I love everything Nick Hornby has ever written and will probably ever write. I like books that make me smile, and while this book is a collection of his articles for Believer magazine, the entire book left me feeling like I had accomplished something by the end of only a couple of hours. In my mind Hornby is simply one of the most readable, funny and gifted authors around.

This one totally caught me off-guard with its wit and charm. When Alex dies with her dog in a car accident, she is thrilled to find out how great Seventh Heaven is but becomes distressed to discover she has to pass an entrance exam or risk being demoted to Fourth Heaven. Perfect beach reading.

With an extensive glossary and loads of pages for notes, this book reads more like a 180-page book, as I breezed through it on a flight from L.A. to New Orleans. The title sounds a bit negative, but Cardone is nothing but positive energy as he calls readers to action in selling themselves, no matter what their field.

If you are as rabid of an Olympics fan as I am, you probably delight more in the inspirational stories of overcoming adversity as much – if not more – than the victories and losses. This books tells the magnificent true story of Northern State University’s head male basketball coach, Don Meyer, and it will leave you teary-eyed and ready to take on the world.

This book is hilarious and touching at the same time, and I must confess I picked it up because it won the inaugural “To Hell with Prizes Award.” While you’ll laugh at Whitehouse’s clever one liners, there are many layers to this wonderful novel about the curious life of a morbidly obese young man who earns cult status as he remains in his bed for 20 years.

If you have not yet read O’Neill’s Netherland, go grab a copy. O’Neill exhibits wonderfully dark humor that one friend of mine says reminds him of the Coen Brothers if they wrote novels. I read this book cover to cover in a flash.

Not only is this a quick read filled with excellent tips – it is highly readable! I am astounded how much I enjoy reading this book. Some of the best business books I have read (most, in fact) clock-in at under 250 pages.

Subtitled “Notes on Startups, Or How to Build the Future,” this easy-to-read book offers Thiel’s blueprint for today’s entrepreneurs. The type of book that should be required in schools – but will probably never make the list.

I figured a book about an obsessive teacher is always a good way to start off the school year. Maggie Smith won an Oscar for her portrayal in the movie. I read this cover-to-cover while attending a meeting one day.

I have battled with my weight my entire life, and while my favorite diet program is Michael Thurmond’s Six-Week Body Makeover (which helped me lose 35 pounds in five weeks), the most inspirational program I watch on television is NBC’s The Biggest Loser. I have a lot of empathy for people who are trying to improve their lives – whether through weight loss or giving up smoking or creating some other positive lifestyle change – and this book is a handy reminder for anyone looking for motivation to improve themselves. Give the book (and the TV show) a chance.

I recently resigned my tenured position at a university where I had worked for 17 years, and this book was just what I needed to lift my spirits. Laugh-out loud funny. Perfect for academics caught in the bureaucracy of “higher” education.

I still do not know why Achebe never won the Nobel Prize for Literature, as he was one of Africa’s most gifted writers. This book is for all those interested in blood, violence and suffering (or you could pick up a copy of your local newspaper any day).

This collection of short, funny essays from a variety of authors brought a smile to my face. Sorry, ladies – I imagine guys will find this funnier, but I found myself agreeing with many of the lessons. Good to see that some of the authors appreciate the importance of past girlfriends in shaping the healthy relationships they have with their present wives.

I grabbed this book at Border’s the other day and read it from cover to cover before leaving the store. This is the way to get people interested in math. Stewart beautifully captivates the imagination with fictitious letters to his niece about why math matters. He gets you thinking about how math is in every basic item of our daily lives, even in the vegetables we eat. With a teacher like this, I may have pursued a degree in math, as Stewart does a superb job of showing math’s benefits (intellectually, professionally and financially).

Do not let the page length fool you, as there are lots of photos, graphs and blank pages. Perfect for lazy readers! I always like funny books, and I have my good friend Rob Schwartz to thank for loaning me this hilarious “compendium of complete world knowledge.” I found myself laughing throughout, and I especially enjoyed Hodgman’s sections on failed palindromes and hobo poetry. Demented and a riot.