Adult

Who could resist picking up a copy of a book with such a great title and cover art? You won’t be disappointed by this collection of funny and insightful essays that got me thinking maybe I’ve misunderstood Baltimore all these years. Wonderful examination of what to do when “the journey” winds in unexpected directions.

Told from the perspective of a schoolteacher of Arabic for whom even daily errands become life-threatening tasks, this harrowing story illuminates the pointlessness of war, as it shows the wide-scale destruction wrought upon the monumental Syrian metropolis as it became the stage for a vicious struggle between warring powers.

An Indian American daughter articulates how the dangerous model minority myth fractured her family in this deeply-moving, heartfelt memoir.

Nishikawa, a Tokyo college student, discovers a dead body with a gun beside it. From the moment he decides to take the gun, the world around him blurs. As he spirals into obsession, his focus is consumed by one idea: that possessing the gun is no longer enough – he must fire it.

In March 1943, a team of expatriate Norwegian commandos sailed from northern England for Nazi-occupied arctic Norway to organize and supply the Norwegian resistance. But they were betrayed, and the Nazis ambushed them. This is the incredible and gripping story of the only man to escape and survive – Jan Baalsrud. Fascinating!

While the Dilbert cartoonist Adams has fallen from grace for some controversial views and ill-advised statements, he continues to make me laugh with his contrarian advice. I’d argue that anyone interested in succeeding should read this book, as it’s a fun, easy read – filled with gems.

The true story that inspired the wonderful film Invictus. After being released from prison and winning South Africa's first free election, Nelson Mandela presided over a country still deeply divided by 50 years of apartheid. His plan was ambitious if not far-fetched: use the national rugby team, the Springboks – long an embodiment of white-supremacist rule – to embody and engage a new South Africa as they prepared to host the 1995 World Cup. The string of wins that followed not only defied the odds, but capped Mandela's miraculous effort to bring South Africans together again in a hard-won, enduring bond.

Part of the New Deal, President Roosevelt’s Federal Art Project created thousands of posters celebrating our nation’s landscapes with the hope to motivate citizens to get out and see what this country’s treasures. This book is a result of a campaign to re-imagine those posters. With any luck it will prompt you to take your loved ones to visit some of our nation’s glorious National Parks.

Halbreich has spent nearly forty years as the legendary personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works with socialites, stars and ordinary women off the street find their true selves through fashion, frank advice and her own brand of wisdom. But her personal transformation from cosseted young girl to fearless truth teller is the greatest makeover of her career. Fascinating read.

I intend to take some great trips and eat outstanding food this summer, and I had to grab a copy of this travelogue for foodies. Bourdain was such a gifted writer, and it pains me that we lost such a remarkable human being. RIP, Tony.

A beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the Midwest finds his once-promising writing career is in the doldrums. Told in a series of hilarious letters of recommendation the professor is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce. Each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits and passive-aggressive strategies.

Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't know much about timing itself. Drawing on a rich trove of research from psychology, biology and economics, Pink reveals how best to live, work and succeed. Very readable narrative packed with irresistible stories and practical takeaways that give readers compelling insights into how we can live richer, more engaged lives. I’ve already implemented several of the ideas – beginning with prioritizing lunch and siestas!

So, what do you think? What else? What else? This dynamic duo will help any leader learn to ask questions and shut up. Profound, simple truths.

The story of one woman's journey to discover the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.  

Excuse the pun – a “thought-provoking” examination of how the brain deals with change and how anyone can improve their ability to solve problems and generate new ideas.