Dan Heath didn’t know he was literally writing a book for our time. Here’s the first sentence I highlighted in the book: “Downstream actions react to problems once they’ve occurred. Upstream efforts aim to prevent those problems from happening.”
How many ways can we apply that prescient piece of advice during the Covid-19 pandemic?
In his informative and captivating book, Dan Heath explores the tendency people have in life and in business to get stuck in a cycle of response. We put out … [Read more...] about Upstream

Lydia Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. Lydia unknowingly befriends the jefe of the newest drug cartel when he begins to frequent her bookstore. They discover that they share a love of many of the same books and develop an intense friendship. But after her husband publishes an article about this man’s drug cartel, catastrophe and horror strike, forcing Lydia and her … [Read more...] about American Dirt

Weingarten is a long-form story writer for the Washington Post. I fell in love with his writing in this collection of his best work. I was enthralled by the final chapter where Weingarten enlists the help of Joshua Bell, one of the finest violinists in the world, to pose as a street musician in a busy subway station in D.C.

Weingarten wonders if people can recognize genius out of context and if people will make time for beauty.

Loved this book! … [Read more...] about The Fiddler in the Subway

A Washington Post reporter and his wife spend hours each day traveling to and from their jobs in D.C. With young twins, they feel the pangs of lost time with their children because of their commutes.

When Christopher does a story on the worst and best counties to live in America, he unknowingly sets in motion a new twist to his family's story. After publishing the worst place to live, that community invites him to come and visit.

Christopher is charmed, and when he returns home, he … [Read more...] about If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now

Gobbled this book down in two days. Gave me such insight into other people. She's a remarkable writer who with wit and wisdom captures her journey from lonely, bulimic twenty-six year old (also at the top of her law school class) to confident adult, wife and mother. Relatable, insightful, and funny. … [Read more...] about Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life

I've always been a fan of this man. Watching his heroic battle with Parkinson's disease over the years, I knew I wanted to read his book.

From the jacket cover: Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, again, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Thoughtful and moving, but with Fox's trademark sense of humor, his book provides a vehicle for reflection about our lives, our loves, and our … [Read more...] about No Time Like The Future

Obama's A Promised Land sold almost 890,000 copies on its first day, beating out his wife's opening day sales. But will it last? I'm just starting to read it. What a man!

From the jacket cover: Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grass-roots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African … [Read more...] about A Promised Land

One of my absolute favorite poets. Poignant, relatable, and makes you laugh. Check out the poem "Cremation." … [Read more...] about Whale Day