Interesting book about figuring out your personality and the impact our view of personality has on our relationships at home and at work. … [Read more...] about Reading People

Fantastic writing and a touching story--clever, witty, laugh-outloud funny. … [Read more...] about Calypso

Ooh.  This is just too good to put into words.  Her husband said: “I love it because it faithfully reflects the woman I have loved for so long.” Barack adds he may be a bit biased, but added, “She also happens to be brilliant, funny, wise—one of a kind.  This book tells her quintessentially American story.”  Here are some of the adjectives I wrote down as I read her remarkable memoir: transparent, accessible, real, vulnerable, inspiring, smart, incredibly well-written, and moving. I could go on, … [Read more...] about Becoming

Goodwin will capture your heart and mind with her poignant and fascinating exploration of these four remarkable leaders: Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson.  It’s captivating to see how the influences of their formative years played out as they grew into adults and politicians. Most striking, however, is at the core, each had a voracious appetite for learning, a willingness to change and grow, tremendous empathy for others, and a desire to truly make the world a … [Read more...] about Leadership In Turbulent Times

When Mary Byron first arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, she was only 29 and newly married to a U.S. special agent whose job it was to protect the entire American community in the Western Cape Province during South Africa’s transition to democracy under Mandela. What had this midwestern girl signed up for? Madly in love and eager to join her husband Patrick on his mission, this independent career girl would suddenly find herself thrust into uncharted territory as she learned to navigate a … [Read more...] about No Ordinary Life

Semicolon is one of the most surprising, enlightening, and inspiring books I’ve read recently. Only a dork would love a little book about the history of a punctuation mark, but this dork will gladly defend this book till the cows come home.  I’m not going to give all the juicy stuff away as I want you to enjoy every page. You simply MUST read it. And I will say that reading this book just might make you a better person. … [Read more...] about Semicolon

When I first read Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild, I knew that I had to add it to my repertoire of “in character” portrayals.  It was one of the most rewarding books I’ve ever brought to life. Her experience was so far from anything I could imagine doing—hiking the Pacific Crest Trail for months?  No. way. Then when I got turned on to Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things, I was absolutely stunned by her insights into people, her openness and willingness to be completely vulnerable in her stories, and her … [Read more...] about Lives of Girls and Women

My daughter calls me in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. It’s February and she’s away at college. A phone call from her at this time of day when I usually think of her in class is a little jarring. I pick up. Right away I can tell from her voice that something is off. It comes tumbling out. She’s just broken up with her boyfriend and is feeling REALLY sad. Plus, she laments, classes are REALLY tough and she’s feeling A LOT of stress. 

I immediately tell her I’m so sorry, although I’ve … [Read more...] about The Book of Delights

I did manage to squeeze in an hour of sightseeing while in D.C. this past July. Bill and I went to the National Archives Museum where the Constitution is housed.  There’s also a sobering and powerful exhibit in the museum that highlights how minorities and people of color have often been denied and barred from exercising the rights guaranteed by the very documents housed in the museum. I stood rapt in front of vintage video of African Americans marching side by side down the streets of D.C. as … [Read more...] about The Nickel Boys