As an avid reader, I find books to be an essential part of my everyday life. I'm constantly bringing home new books and my library card is always in use. Books are such a valuable resource. They’re a great way to learn new things, help children grow developmentally, and are a way to travel to far off places from the comfort of your home (since we’re all unable to actually travel to far off places at the moment). If you’re stumped for what to read, have hit a reading rut, or just want to see what others are reading, here are a few recommendations from your fellow AC Family members.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief is about a young girl named Liesel, who is living in Germany during World War II. She comes across her first book, The Gravedigger’s Handbook, at her brother’s funeral, when one of the gravediggers accidentally drops it. After the funeral, she is sent to live with a foster family in Molching. Her foster father, Hans, discovers Liesel is unable to read so he begins teaching her the alphabet and they eventually read through the handbook. This fuels her continuing passion for books and she is soon stealing books from anywhere and everywhere, including a Nazi book burning and the mayor’s wife. In these times, this is a dangerous undertaking. Her life is further changed when her family takes in and hides Max, a Jewish man to whom Hans owes a life debt.
Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising series, #1) by Susan Cooper
The three Drew children, Simon, Jane, and Barney, discover an ancient map in the attic of their great uncle Merriman’s house while on holiday in Cornwall. They know the map is very special, and eventually discover it’s the key to finding The Grail of Legend, a powerful object that will help them battle the forces of evil. These forces are known as the Dark. With the help of their “Uncle Merry”, they must reach the grail before the Dark does, and help the Light prevail.
Delirium (The Delirium trilogy, #1) by Lauren Oliver
In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistake.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the "Wilds" who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni offers an enthralling and instructive leadership fable. He turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.
Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.
Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.
Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
You crave feedback. Your organization's culture is the key to its success. Strategic planning is essential. Your competencies should be measured and your weaknesses shored up. Leadership is a thing.
These may sound like basic truths of our work lives today. But actually, they're lies. As strengths guru and bestselling author Marcus Buckingham and Cisco Leadership and Team Intelligence head Ashley Goodall show in this provocative, inspiring book, there are some big lies--distortions, faulty assumptions, wrong thinking--that we encounter every time we show up for work. Nine lies, to be exact. They cause dysfunction and frustration, ultimately resulting in workplaces that are a pale shadow of what they could be.
But there are those who can get past the lies and discover what's real. These freethinking leaders recognize the power and beauty of our individual uniqueness. They know that emergent patterns are more valuable than received wisdom and that evidence is more powerful than dogma.
With engaging stories and incisive analysis, the authors reveal the essential truths that such freethinking leaders will recognize immediately.
This is the real world of work, as it is and as it should be. Nine Lies About Work reveals the few core truths that will help you show just how good you are to those who truly rely on you.
