Adult

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.”).

Too many people – myself included – talk about their faith without representing it in their constant daily actions. The Shooks provide a great wake-up call for all of use seeking to “live-out” the gospel with our simple, daily actions.

At the insistence of my teaching credential students at the university, I have begun reading more African-American literature. It may seem silly for a white guy to be reading a book about a divorced black woman trying to start a new life for her talented daughter, but I could identify with this story based on my teaching experiences in Compton. Darnella Ford is a gifted writer, and you do not have to be black to appreciate this moving tale of the lengths a mother will go to ensure a brighter future for her daughter. Touching and powerful. Click here to read this month’s blog, a monologue I wrote inspired by one of my past second graders.

Part of the enjoyable Staying Sane series, this easy-to-read collection of helpful essays seems to be an appropriate release for all those dealing with the horrible mortgage crisis. Practical advice and words of wisdom.

I have decided to stop including subtitles to books, as too many books nowadays seem to include overly long subtitles like this one, “James E. Webb, NASA, and the Secret History of Project Apollo.” For goodness sake, folks: read the book, as it chronicles how James Webb ran NASA in the 1960s, for better or worse, by brokering all sorts of backroom, good ole boy deals. Bizony’s book is fascinating, as it reveals the realistic side of inspirational programs like our country’s space program. I loved the book and commend the author for presenting the facts without shattering the dream. If you have not guessed, I am a space nut who admires the one program that seems to rally the world around America (in a positive way, that is): NASA.

Bet you did not know that the host of Newshour on PBS and the moderator of several Presidential debates is also a novelist. This is actually Lehrer’s 15th book, but it is quite different from his previous works. Too many people get their history from the mass media, and I got a kick out of this mystery/thriller that examines the fine lines of plagiarism with great comic effect. It made me want to become a Benjamin Franklin groupie.

I was dismayed to read a recent article in USA Today about UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun’s battle with cancer. I just happened to recently read this wonderful book (written shortly after UConn’s first national championship), and I recommend it because it shows how hard work, a sense of humor and personal beliefs and convictions can pay off. Yes, nice guys sometimes do finish first. One of the elements I really like about this book are the reprints of fan letters that left an impact on this often gruff but tireless Hall of Fame coach.

Doyle is a wonderful author (check-out his The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, which is also under 250 pages), and I had to include this book as it was made into a magnificent film that won several British Oscars but was largely ignored in America. The story of the formation, rise and fall of a fictional white “soul” band in Dublin, The Commitments is just as great to read as it is to watch on the big screen.

Two things I am interested in: language and humor. Here the authors of The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said present their favorite misuses of English from around the world, with gems like this one on a Japanese medical form: “do you run after your own nose?” A fun book for all ages.

If you have not read any of Sedaris's essays before, you are in for a treat. He is hysterical, and this book is broken up into very entertaining short stories. Great bathroom reading.

Just because this book is a little over 250 pages does not mean it does not read quickly. On the contrary, Koterba’s moving autobiography is a collection of highly personal observations and insights, along with intriguing sketches. I grabbed a copy because I love reading political cartoons (Koterba’s day job), but Koterba treated me to a look at his battles with Tourette’s Syndrome and using his art to escape his abusive father.

I try not to include too many titles over 200 pages, but this book is as easy to read as chocolate milk (or tequila, depending on your day) is to drink. It amazes me how the book, movie and TV show are all fairly different from one another yet so uniquely hilarious and touching.

I hate to admit this, but I read this book after seeing an excerpt in Parade magazine (yes, I read Parade; I am also addicted to Property Brothers on HGTV). Jennings, as you may recall, won 74 consecutive episodes of Jeopardy!, and I get a kick out of his random knowledge on EVERYTHING! He’s the real-life version of one of my heroes, Cliff Clavin, from Cheers. This is perfect bathroom reading, as Jennings debunks a number of old wives’ tales in very entertaining fashion.