January 2014

I have spent a lot of time recently reading books about the importance of “purposeful practice.” Malcolm Gladwell touches upon it in Outliers, and Matthew Syed’s Bounce is also a good read on the subject. This is a great book for those who have resolved to apply the principles used by highly successful people from all fields.

More folks keep asking me to give them romance recommendations, and I found this story of a couple facing foreclosure, joblessness and the end of their marriage to be engaging and touching.

So the book is a little over my page limit? The pages are small and the font is big, so give me a break! I figured everyone could use a great reminder for the beginning of the year to stop taking themselves and everything around them so seriously. As Bobby McFerrin said: “don’t worry, be happy!”

A buddy just reminded me that I have never included any books about Sir Ernest Shackleton on the list, and I love the story of Shackleton and his men. This book can be read by all ages (in fact, it is written for adults, but teens just DEVOUR it), and it is a great companion with Alfred Lansing’s Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage. Incredible true story of courage, perseverance and overcoming adversity.

Maybe it’s the winter cold or my yearning to get motivated for the new year – I just cannot seem to get enough stories about grueling Antarctic adventures. This book (which contains wonderful photographs from the expedition) chronicles the 1910 saga of the crew of the Terra Nova. The crew finds itself confronted with dangers like frostbite, scurvy and killer whales as it tries to collect the eggs of Emperor penguins.

I love it when students bring me their own book recommendations, and I wind up loving their book picks. Your teenage boys, especially, will immerse themselves in this look into the Army’s elite counterterrorism unit, authored by a career Army man who retired as a command sergeant major. I flew through this book, and it reminded me how grateful I am for our armed services.

Got a teenage girl who enjoyed the Twilight series? Hand her a copy of this.

Nicely illustrated poem of gratitude that makes for great read alouds.

This is a Caldecott winner that I have been reading to my children in bed for years. It chronicles the story of courage, perseverance and redemption between a young Parisian girl and her mother’s boarder, “The Great Bellini.” A really nice story for all ages to hear.

Over the holidays my wife and I often reviewed with our own three children how to clean up their own messes and the value of working together. This book provides a great lesson for all children who need to learn a thing or two about efficiency and teamwork. Heck – I use it for my corporate presentations!