Book Review: Lucid (Kristy Fairlamb, 2019)

A unique take on the time travel genre. In this one, the protagonist (Lucy) is haunted by nightmares on the night immediately following when she hears of a tragedy on the radio or sees a news story on TV that involves the loss of life. On that night, she dreams of the tragedy as it …

Book Review: The Garden (Jon Gordon, 2020)

I've read a lot of great books, but I don't know that I've ever read a more timely book than this one. I might alternately title this, "A Handbook for Getting Through 2020."Set in a neighborhood backyard, this story follows the conversations of high school twins Jay and Kay as they meet with their friend …

August: To Be Read (TBR) List

A task I look forward to each month: putting together my reading list. As a book nerd, I keep a list on Goodreads of the books I'm looking forward to reading at some point in the future. To be a little more purposeful, I select titles off of that list at the beginning of each …

Book Review: 11/22/63 (Stephen King, 2011)

This book is not what you think. A lot of people see the name 'Stephen King' and automatically write it off and decide not to read his books because they 'don't like horror.' This book is not a horror book. When you see the title, the date, you know the book is about Kennedy. Yet, …

Book Review: The Cubs Way (Tom Verducci, 2017)

Not just a baseball book, this one doubles as a millennial management blueprint, with several insights into the philosophies of team president Theo Epstein and manager Joe Maddon. Baseball fans and personnel managers alike will enjoy this one. Built around the 2016 World Series, the chapters alternate chronologically between action within the seven game series …

Book Review: The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted (Robert Hillman, 2019)

Great title and cover. Depressing plot and sleepy characters. The story takes place in 1960s Australia and centers around Tom Hope, a farmer named appropriately for his optimism. Yet, that is all Tom really has. His first wife leaves him, comes back pregnant, delivers a child named Peter, leaves for good a couple of years …

Book Review: What If It’s True? (Charles Martin, 2019)

An old hymn by Rhea Miller comes to mind as I finish the final pages of this book. It's called "I'd Rather Have Jesus," and in the chorus she writes that she'd rather have Jesus... "than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway."And that's what this book …

Book Review: Head Ball Coach (Steve Spurrier, 2016)

"A winner always has time to do what's important." - Steve Spurrier This is a good book to read, especially if you think you know who Spurrier is and what he is all about. Seen by many as cocky and arrogant, he certainly doesn't come across that way in these pages. I found him to …

Book Review: The No Complaining Rule (Jon Gordon, 2008)

A quick read containing some practical examples of how to implement a more positive culture in your personal and professional life. I like that someone can pick up this book, read it in one sitting, and immediately implement the directives and see results. No extensive study is required. One of my favorite quotes that introduced …

Book Review: I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had (Tony Danza, 2012)

As a former high school teacher, I was a little skeptical about this one. However, I decided to read this book because I would consider myself to be a fan of Tony Danza, and this seemed like an interesting concept: a former TV star becomes a high school teacher and a reality TV show is …