Adult

Subtitled “Highlights from the Golden Age of Parenting Advice,” this hilarious book features wisdom from the “good ole days” that is guaranteed to draw smiles from any parents that feel like they are failing. Grab a copy of this book and read real ads that featured “delicious” baby laxatives or advice like this gem: “The nursing mother should cleanse her nipples before and after each feeding with boric acid solution.” This book is a perfect coffee table conversation piece.

Okay, so it’s a little over 200 pages. This book will make you laugh, make you cry and make you think. One of the most banned books in America because he uses the “f” word once.

Part travelogue, part beachcombers’ guide. Moody provides accounts of her run-ins with flotsam and jetsam that can be at times funny and fascinating. Where does the stuff that reaches our shores come from? This book sparked my curiosity about debris that litters our oceans. Any book that sparks a curiosity is worth the read.

His only book written based on a screenplay, Asimov almost inspired me to become a surgeon with this fascinating tale that takes place inside the human body.

Alright, so it’s a little over 250 pages. The print is big, and the reading is easy. A great airplane self-help read, as I enjoyed how Ciaramicoli, a clinical psychologist, provides clear steps for achieving greater balance in one’s life and not being obsessed with others’ approval. I think it is worth recommending to middle and high school students, too.

One reviewer called this book “absorbing,” and I would concur, as it devotes a chapter to each of the final 10 days of 1941 and New Year’s Day of 1942. Weintraub does a masterful job of giving the reader a human glimpse into the minds of Allied leaders in the early days of America’s entry into World War II. Not just a book for history junkies – a very compelling read.

So what if I included another book that is over 200pages? This book about a twentysomething’s search for enlightenment made me appreciate the world around me,and I enjoyed the writing even more than Krakauer’s excellent Into Thin Air.

One of the quickest mysteries I’ve ever read at the beach. I like books that I get through effortlessly, and this book ensured that I will read much more by Victoria Taylor Murray.

In the interest of living up to my reputation as an eclectic reader, I chose to dive into this look into the world of quantum mechanics, a topic I have about as much knowledge and interest in as Washington politicians have of compromise. Cox and Forshaw do a brilliant job of patiently explaining complicated concepts in a way that laypeople like me can somewhat comprehend. At least I’ll hold my own if I ever get invited to a cocktail reception at M.I.T.!

I am addicted to business parables, and Farber crafts easy-to-read books that provide lots of practical information people can use to improve their lives. I recommend all of his books.

The ultimate in bathroom literature. These fake headlines are hilarious. The Onion’s website is my favorite news source, as its insights are far more interesting than CNN or Fox News Channel. 

When people ask me how I teach math to students, I point them to books for kids like Norton Juster’s The Dot and the Line, Greg Tang’s The Grapes of Math and just about anything that Marilyn Burns has ever written. For adults frustrated by high school geometry, I offer this classic story of a square living in a two-dimensional world that discovers a third dimension. Trust me, this book makes geometry enticing.

Let me get you thinking about your New Year’s resolutions BEFORE you add ten pounds this holiday season. You’ll get a kick out of this funny book designed to inspire you to get off your butt and make some simple lifestyle changes that will have huge benefits. Include all the indices, and this book is over 300 pages long. Take out the acknowledgments and 21-day fitness plan, and we’re down to under 220 pages. Works for me!

Any books that follow John Wooden’s principles should be mandatory reading for all teachers and coaches. Former player Swen Nater’s personal story is amazing, and this wonderful guide (co-written by Gallimore, who is an amazing education researcher) provides insights into the teaching methods of “The Wizard of Westwood.”

I am always trying to include a diverse range of genres for this list, and I thought this Shirley Jackson classic would add great eclectic flair to this month’s list. Jackson offers wonderful female protagonists and one of my all-time favorite lines in a murder mystery (“Poor strangers…They have so much to be afraid of.”).