GOOD READS
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS, GAIN INSIGHT, AND GET INSPIRED WITH THESE TOP PICKS
The Good House
By Ann Leary
In Ann Leary's dark comedy
turned thriller, The Good House, the
reader goes on a journey with Hildy
Good, a successful real estate broker
living and working in the historic
community of Boston's North Shore.
Hildy has a prosperous and profitable
career but struggles from a drinking
problem—a secret she tries to hide
from everyone unsuccessfully. Her
daughters stage an intervention
and send her off to rehab, but when
she returns she meets a charming
newcomer to the city who, over many
drinks, leads her down a path that
Hildy never expected.
Leary provides an escape into
a life that may be familiar to some
and intriguing to others through
her audiobook. Her character's
compelling story draws the reader
into the complex circumstances
that make life what it is. The story
is narrated by Broadway and film
actress Mary Beth Hurt, who brings
the main character's quirky and
sometimes questionable personality
to life in the novel.
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The Emperor's
Handbook: A New
Translation of the
Meditations
By Marcus Aurelius
Every strong leader knows that
growth means checking in with
oneself on a consistent basis, which is
why Marcus Aurelius' The Emperor's
Handbook: A New Translation of
the Meditations is a must-have for
any leader looking to move to the
next level. Prior translations made
the text unapproachable for some
and intimidating for others. This
translation, edited by Scot and David
Hicks, expresses the famed emperor's
words to give a more personal feel
to the wisdom he imparted. Some
characterize the book as the ultimate
blueprint for the conduct of a
civilized mind and life, while others
claim it is a necessary guide on what
makes life abundant and worthwhile.
The Hickses managed to
transform the work that once
resembled the recitations of a
Sunday school teacher to a tome of
meditations from a thoughtful leader
who had the dual responsibility of
leading a country and fighting a war.
There are parallels in each aphorism
that any leader can apply to daily
occurrences in running a business.
Too Big to Fail: The
Inside Story of How
Wall Street and
Washington Fought
to Save the Financial
System—and
Themselves
By Andrew Ross Sorkin
The country is beginning to see
the slow recovery of the financial
meltdown that caused millions to
lose their jobs and their homes and
ushered in a slew of legislation.
All the news coverage, though,
targets what's being done with
little explanation given to why
it happened—at least not to the
layman. Enter Too Big to Fail: The
Inside Story of How Wall Street
and Washington Fought to Save the
Financial System—and Themselves by
Andrew Ross Sorkin.
In his expertly written narrative,
Sorkin weaves a sordid tale of greed,
politics, and panic where decisions
were made that affected the course
of the next five years. Sorkin stays
away from the details of how the
American banking system fell to its
knees; rather, he tells the story of
the players and the personalities that
ran the system to the brink of ruin.
The book is a must-read for anyone
still clueless as to how the country
got into the precarious situation of
having to save its economy.
The Big Short: Inside
the Doomsday
Machine
By Michael Lewis
The man who penned non-fiction
sports classics like The Blind Side
and Moneyball has written another
fast-paced page-turner sure to
keep any reader involved on a long
business trip. The Big Short: Inside the
Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
is another Wall Street exposé, but
this time instead of using the usual
big names as the characters, Lewis
goes the route of using unnamed
players as vehicles for the story—a
device that's become a part of his
trademark style.
The Big Short offers an interesting
take on the financial crisis by
tackling the question, "Who knew?"
about the impending financial crisis
before it happened. Readers will have
a hard time putting down the book
as Lewis parses through the crisis
bit by bit and provides evidence that
the biggest mistake the big banks
made was going public rather than
remaining closely held partnerships.
Lewis allows the characters to
explain the ridiculous financial
transactions instead of inserting
himself as a character and winds up
with an entertaining and informative
narrative.
