Adult

John Christensen also co-authored this bestseller, which I include here because I have been consulting with plenty of schools and businesses that could use a “shot in the arm.” This simple parable can be read by everyone in your organization in less than two hours, and its lessons – while simple – are worth replicating.

For the ultimate lazy reader, here’s a 2-for-1 bonus, as Japanese master auteur Haruki Murakami shares two shorter coming of age stories that launched his career in the late 1970s.

I have an unwritten rule that I do not usually promote Oprah’s Book Club books, as these books need no help from me (if Oprah ever wants to talk about my books on her show, though, I’d gladly make an appearance). I do feel it is important from time to time to get people reading important authors. Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize winner, and this book affords lazy readers a glimpse at her genius in a lot fewer pages.

Laugh-out-loud funny. If you’re having a bad day, turn off your electronic devices and sit behind this book. I also found the book to be quite inspirational.

If you have not read Villasenor’s Rain of Gold, you have ignored one of the great books of the later half of the 20th century. Villasenor captures the Mexican-American experience better than perhaps any other author. This book describes the migrant worker experience in a way that has not been duplicated since Edward R. Murrow’s Harvest of Shame.

I spoke throughout Kentucky this past summer and fell in love with the Bluegrass State. My friends, the teachers of Hindman, presented me with this wonderful collection of poems about Kentucky. Still’s writing provides a lyrical Appalachian tongue with observations that leave the reader craving for more.

The Super Bowl is this month, so I had to include one book about football, right? This book may profile a football player’s career, but it is more of a story about the human spirit and giving back. Joe Ehrmann, a former star player in the 70s with the Baltimore Colts, is a hero because of the difference he has made off the field in the years following his football career. Great inspirational reading.

Poignant look at one woman’s efforts to overcome the personal childhood tragedy of losing her sister. I like stories about hope, and this one fits the bill. Just beware that you may shed a few tears on the way. Remarkable debut novel.

I have my sister to thank for this recommendation, as she loaned me her copy of this delightful and completely accurate guide that takes less than three hours to devour. The authors don’t need my help, as this book has maintained a solid position on the best-seller list the past couple of months. I have recommended this book to clueless men as well as women. It contains plenty of useful tips and hilarious side notes, most of which I agree with.

Too much found in history books focuses on wars and the people who participate in them. What I love about this uplifting book is that it exposes audiences to 20 significant examples of a better way to live. The chapters are brief enough to make ideal read alouds for teachers and parents of students of all ages. The best part of this book: its focus on the good on this planet.

Let me admit right now that this is not Chabon’s best work. Actually, I have an agenda here: I want readers to discover Chabon, who is one of the best novelists in America today. This book can take a while to get into, but I promise you will be impressed by the end. Hopefully, it will get you interested in picking up a copy of one of Chabon’s longer novels, like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Maybe it is because I am getting older and constantly seem to be busy with family or work-related issues or maybe it is my fond memories growing up in the mountains of the Four Corners area, but I immediately connected with this beautiful book by former journalist Connors talking about his experiences as a seasonal “fire watcher” in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico. His prose moved me like no book since Norman MacLean’s A River Runs Through It, and ever since reading it I have felt the need to go on a wilderness hike and soak in the air. Connors also provides excellent insights into forest preservation. Just a really enjoyable reading experience.

Maybe it is because I spent all of April home (I did not travel for business once) or maybe it is because I am on a diet, but I seem to have done a lot of soul-searching and reflecting recently. Cannon’s lovely novel about dealing with a loved one’s death is both heartbreaking and hilarious. It made me want to dig into the dirt and plant a Southern garden.

Director Sidney Lumet passed away in April, and he left behind a stunning legacy of celluloid achievements. My favorite, though, is the one that began his career: a movie version of Rose’s powerful play Twelve Angry Men. I encourage you to re-read this play (or enjoy it for the first time), and then watch the movie with one of the most amazing casts ever assembled on screen (I cannot think of one less than stellar performance in the ensemble, headed by the mighty Henry Fonda). This play is timeless.

Don’t let Amazon fool you (it lists the book as 400 pages): the final 150+ pages are notes and references. This book, subtitled “The Future Is Better Than You Think,” will dazzle you with its positive outlook on the world’s state of affairs. Diamandis and Kotler have done their research and compiled a wonderful examination of the future of health care, education, technology and a host of other fields. I found this book to be so fascinating that my friends have grown tired of all the tidbits I have offered from this marvelous text.