1. Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - What the study of economics really is, and how we can all think like economists (that’s a good thing!).
2. The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy - Effective faith-based leadership, easy to follow stories and advise. A great guide to leading with simple faith-based approaches in a complex world.
3. Cracking the Code by Paul Azinger - A unique approach to team building to recapture the Ryder Cup.
4. Tipping Point and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - Sociological studies of behaviors, trends, people, and actions in our work today. Observations and insights through a different lens.
5. Open by Andre Agassi - Revelations about a professional tennis star from his youth to now. Surprising, but not shocking, given the stresses of public life on today’s celebrities, including family ambitions.
6. Q School by John Feinstein - A look into the grid that qualifies one to play professional golf at the highest level.
7. The Match by Mark Frost - A high-stakes golf match in the late 1950’s prior to the Crosby. Involves big names and big money. Also included is a historical view of the Monterey Peninsula in California history and lots of golf lore.
8. Are You Kidding Me? by Rocco Mediate - The improbable Everyman tackles Tiger at the US Open and walks into everyone’s heart along the way.
9. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - A story of opportunity, fear, and tragedy in a violent time and place.
10. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nyster - John Nash is revealed in depth—his brilliance something that we have yet to fully understand. His fight with both the real and imagined worlds is disturbing.
11. Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn - Good escapist spy vs. spy novel involving terrorism.
12. Moment of Glory by John Feinstein - A story about a special year in professional sports, when none of the superstars won major titles. How a group of journeyman professionals rode their game to the top level in their sports, and how this special year affected their lives ever after.
13. Patton, Montgomery and Rommel, Masters of War by Terry Brighton - The book is interesting historically researched account during the Second World War about the three key generals during that time. Their thoughts, lives and approaches to their duty is revealed in this historical biography.
1. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel - A great book on how staying positive can turn adverse situations into positive ones, and how struggle is what really makes us strong.
2. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - I liked it because of the mystique of moonstones, which are unusual gems that shimmer when moved. It’s historic, because it’s considered the first English language detective novel.
1. Catch-22 by Heller, Joseph - A satire on military life and the necessity of war during World War II.
2. The Loved One by Waugh, Evelyn - Waugh’s satire on death in America and how we treat our loved ones.
3. The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, F. Scott - A beautiful look at life in Prohibition’s East Egg and West Egg. What’s the ‘20s without a little bootlegging?
4. A Doll’s House by Ibsen, Heinrich - What are the constraints of being a woman? This play gives a look into the not-so-perfect world of upper-class 19th Century Europe.
5. Twelfth Night by Shakespeare, William - Falling in love, mistaken identity and cross-dressing—what could possibly go wrong?
6. Macbeth by Shakespeare, William - How far will you let greed and desire take you?
7. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bryson, Bill - Bryson’s hilarious memoirs of growing up in middle America in the 1950s and 1960s.
8. The Nanny Diaries by McLaughlin, Emma and Nicole Krause - Upscale New York nannies are more than just the babysitters. Where are the moms, by the way?
