When a Book restores your Faith of Humanity

It is hard to believe 2013 is coming to an end and with that my 100 book challenge. They say it is good to saved the best for last and I think The World's Strongest Librarian is one of the best books I have read this year.  In Josh Hanagarne's memoir, he tells a story of battling Tourette's, finding his faith, and the importance of family. 

While memoirs tend to be good reads, Josh captivates the readers with his easy-following tone and quirky personal stories. His earliest childhood memories are retold and continued up until the book is published. I finished the book wanting to read more stories. These are my favorite books. When the author speaks to me like a friend, I am forever a fan.

If anyone needs a pick-me up or wants to remember the power of family or the good in an individual, I would highly recommend this book. (Thanks to numerous other book bloggers for finding this gem!) It is a great read!

Off to dive into a little philosophy before I end the year with Tolkien!

Happy Reading!

A little "light" reading to start the Holidays

Well, there are 9 days left of the year, and I have 4 books left. It is a true race to the finish in the mist of holiday season.  I have read two books since Friday and I am close to being back on track.

In graduate school, a professor told us that any of us in Student Affairs needed to take a closer look at Richard Arum's Academically Adrift. Well, a few years later, I finally got around to reading the book. In this extremely long study (and highly technical journal article,) a study analyzed the rising cost of tuition compared to the amount of actual learning that occurs in higher education.

While other studies have brought up some of these fears ( students are not increasing their critical thinking, students are not reading and writing enough,etc.,), I had trouble with this book as a whole because of the measurement used. I did find it interesting, yet expected, about the impact of socioeconomic factors have on success and learning in college. As a whole, I found this book to be okay, but not a earth-shattering as far as  news in the higher education world.

The best thing about this book was that it reminded me that I needed to keep reading scholarly articles in order to stay up to-date in to trends in higher education.

I just finished a Christmas Carol. 4 more books to go!

Happy Reading!

Transcendentalism Up Close- HDT

Henry David Thoreau (HDT) was one of the founding thought provokers behind the Transcendentalism movement along with his good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The idea that literature can be both a moral compass and a spiritual guide comes out of this moment. While this was a time of enlighten philosophical thought and new literary approaches in the 1830s, the writings of this era proved to be influential to various leaders for years to come.

That is enough of a history lesson this morning, I spent the last few days reading Walden (and re-skimming Civil Disobedience).  I forgot how much of a difference reading a deep thought provoking book in a classroom setting helps. While I was able to read the book, and I think glean through most of it, after taking a quick skim over Cliff notes I appreciate talking out deep/philosophical books out as you read them.

Walden is HDT sabbatical into Walden Pond. While the book is told in a seasonal cycle, he was there for a few years. During this time he emphasizes personal growth, spiritual development, and living the simple life. While there are plenty of literary analysis of Walden, I leave that for the experts. It was a hard read, but if you like philosophy read it. In other news, Civil Disobedience is something everyone should read at least once in their life.

Currently, I am reading Middlesex at the moment.

It is currently, 7 AM in my hometown. On this Thanksgiving morning, I needed to blog early before all the crazy wonderfulness of Thanksgiving starts. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Memory Palaces

It is has been a busy few weeks over on my end, and I am finally catching up on both reading and blogging.

This weekend, I finished a fascinating read: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Josh Foer. While I had heard great things about this book, I wasn't quite sure what it was about. Literally, Josh Foer recalls his personal journey into the world of competitive memory competitions and expanding memory power with simple tricks (see Memory Palaces). There are tangents throughout the book, but the story and concepts taught in the book are pretty fascinating. It confirmed for me that humans are far more capable of many things than we make our selves out to be. 

This is not a fictional account. Josh spends a year training for these elite memory competitions where competitors memorize decks of cards, poems, faces, random information, and much more. It is a pretty quick, non-typical read. It is a great read, but I could have used less tangents. 

I just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain and am deep into Walden and Civil Disobedience. 

Happy Reading!

A Closer Look at Racism

In graduate school,  I had the opportunity to read many books and scholarly articles on student development theory. I explored racism, sexism, and many other ideas that students (or adults) in general grapple with in this coming of age time of life. While I could go into detail about Astin, Erickson, Cross, Helms theories on student/ self/racial identity  development theories, I think it is more important to realize they are there.

This week I decided to read "Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverley Tatum. While it brought up many of the ideas that I study, it brought up real issues of racial tension and white privilege that start at a very young age. I am not sure that this book was  full of brand new information for me because of articles I have read in the past, but it is always good to be reminded. I liked that it presented research and action items without being to text-booky.

Tatum has made much progress for the community. However, much has changed since the 1990s. Racism is still part of the American culture. Students still have major discrepancies in the education system, but the more aware we are, the more change can be created.

If anyone works with people directly or wants more context in how they deal with people, I highly recommend this book!

November book list is about to come out!


Happy Reading!

A Look at Death

Morrie Schwartz is a truly amazing guy. Confronted with ALS he wanted to share with the world wisdom on Death and Life. While some people were introduced to him through his TV interviews, for me I met him through Mitch Albom's book Tuesday with Morrie (see blog post). I was so excited to learn he wrote down his own thoughts and words in a book called: Morrie: In His Own Words.

Morrie: In His Own Words is a great reflection on Life and Death. It is literally written on his death bed. With that being said, it was a little hard to read. It was a little dark and sad. The message is good, but I would read this in context with Tuesday with Morrie to understand his story. Good advice though!

Sorry this post is about a week late, I was distracted. I just finished up Beloved and I am about half-way done with The Shining. My goal is to finish The Shining and Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria. I will then have 18 books left for the last two months of the year. Exciting!

Happy Reading!

Do you need proof to believe?

Wednesday, I picked up Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. (Side note: Lynn Vincent from Same Kind of Difference as Me was a contributor.) I am not sure what I was expecting as the book has had much hype and media over the last two years since its release.

Heaven is for Real takes a look at a family's life after a little boy almost died from appendicitis. While near death experiences are powerful and are valid, everyone has their own understanding of faith, heaven, and beliefs.  People pray and their answers do not always come right away.

While it was a sweet book, it very much preached a one way to heaven mentality. While I am not saying I have all the answers, I am not sure I want to take this book as my view of heaven. It is an okay read,but not a book I would read again.


Currently finishing The Fellowship of the Rings. Excited for some upcoming books trying to finish this book this weekend!

Happy Reading!

Taking a look at the 7 habits

So I think it makes since to put everything in perspective: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has now been out for almost 25 years.

There are 3 habits that revolve around improving yourself and creating a private victory and three habits surrounding the public victory of working with others. The last habit is sharpening the saw and constantly improving yourself.n

All in all I had a hard time discerning if this book shaped much of the other leadership and communication literature I have  read before or if the other literature came first.

The basic principles of emphatic communication, synergy, and win-win are all ideas that I can support.

Additionally, planning out your day and putting first things first are all great things. The way the book was written is not my favorite. There were long anecdotes about personal all-american family stories or business deals. All in all it was okay, but not my favorite.


I'm ending my crazy beach vacation. Catch 22 was not great. I will finish Lovely Bones today and then ready on the plane tomorrow.

Next week I will catch up more on the blog!

Belief in the Power of Positive Thinking

...or as others would say The Secret. Like many of the books I have read this year, this was a book that had received press and media attention for years before I read it.  Now, I realize that much of my life I have lived part of the mantra of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.  Growing up you would be hard pressed to find me without a smile on my face or faith that good things happen. With life growing on me this was sometimes hard to keep, but I pressed on most of the time. And life is great. Well most of the time.
All in all, this has been one of my favorite books. The Secret reminds me of the power of the mind and how much it can do. I have always believed what you put out into the world you receive. This book truly shows all of this.
I'm wrapping up a great vacation and will add more to this post I believe,  but all in all in all.. great book.


Another book down! Happy Reading!

Leadership Books and Finding Your Stengths

So it is has been a few days since I have blogged. I work in higher education and the Spring semester is back in full swing. It turns out, my lunch break is as structure these days and it just has busy all around. Additionally, my home town has just won the Super Bowl (Ravens are ok but I love my Manning boys~ Go Broncos and Giants)

Hopefully, I'll be back in the swing of things. I haven't stopped reading. To start off the month, I finished Strength-Based Leadership. While I took the test before it was great to see the results and read through the book.

For those of you who are not familiar with Strengths Quest, I strongly encourage you all to take the assessment. The premise in much of the book is successful organization invest time and energy in developing and understanding the strengths of their teams. One person does not have to have all areas, but the team needs all areas to succeed.

Overall, although, the Strength-Based Leadership book was good, it is not the best Leadership book I have ever read or most thought provoking, but it does has some good material.

Happy Reading!- Almost done with Great Gatsby

(PS for those who know me well, many will find my own personal Strengths entertaining and a mirror of my life)
From Clifton StrengthsFinder

Achiever

People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Input

People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

Learner

People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

Arranger

People who are especially talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

Focus

People who are especially talented in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act

History Untold

It seems fitting that I finished the book surrounding President Lincoln's second inauguration and then tragic death as today we celebrate President Obama's second inauguration. While I only hope and pray for the President's safety today and in the future, it was powerful to read some of this book amid the capitol and inauguration craziness.  While a dreadful cold sent me home prematurely today has been a great celebration of how far our nation has come since the events of Killing Lincoln took place. Hope is in the air just like it was in 1864.

When I started Killing Lincoln, I was not quite sure what to expect. Well, it is not the political opinion of Bill O'Reilly on the events surrounding Lincolns death. In a great storytelling voice, I was taken back to the 1860s and those April days surrounding one of the greatest tragedies in American history. After a great appreciation for the Civil War period, hearing this fiction-like account of true events was great.

I cannot even imagine how much research went into this book to be able to account the multiple conspiracy theories, plotting, and events that surrounded the death of Lincoln. While the authors tell you when the facts become speculations, history is almost better than any story that could be written.

If you like history or even or just a good thriller, I encourage you to check out this great book on a sad American tragedy. (Warning: you may even learn a little more about Lincoln and the Civil War era)

And now, onto The Night Circus!

Happy Reading!

Presidential Weekend= Presidential Book

This week has flown by and the Presidential Inauguration is only a couple of days away. I am excited as I live close enough to DC to check out the excitement in the next few days. In preparation for the big event, I decided to learn more about another famous President and great orator, Abraham Lincoln. Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln is written as a thriller, but is a factual account of the end of the Civil War and the days leading up to and after the assassination of President Lincoln.

I am about half way done with the book and it is excellent. I cannot wait to complete the book. Reflecting on the book and reading parts of history, I haven't seen since Coach's AP US History class only brings a smile to my face. I learned to study and study hard in that class. Oh how far that has taken me!

I can't wait to tell you all more about this exciting book and reflect on it in the midst of the President's own inauguration!

In other news, after looking through The Purpose Driven Life, I have decided to post pone the book until Lent starts in mid- February. It is set-up to be read over 40 days, one chapter at a time. I think this will fit nicely in with that season.

I may add in another "Life Is Great Book" at the end of the Month.

Happy Reading!