Books

In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraling out of control. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back no track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.

To John's surprise, the monk leading the seminar is a former business executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under his wing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yet profound: The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service and sacrifice.

Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this book are neither new nor complex. They don't demand special talents; they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring with the people around you. Perhaps this is why The Servant has touched readers from all walks of life--because its message can be applied by anyone, anywhere--at home or work.

If you are tired of books that lecture instead of teach; if you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills; if you want to understand the timeless virtues that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then this book is one you cannot afford to miss.

This was now the second time I have read this book. In terms of a simple reading that helps to keep things in perspective, this is a fine book. The impact from the first time around was lessened, but the message is still potent.

My first read was powerful. I finished the book with an extremely positive outlook. I really felt good about myself. Sure it was a time when I needed a pick me up as I was unemployed and looking for some strength to help me start my post-college life, but I felt good just the same.

After time the second, my situation, now different, affected my response to the book. The result was still a positive one, but I am now working so the leadership suggestions had new meaning.

As unemployed, I focused on the lessons toward improving my interpersonal relationships with family, friends and those around me.

As employed, I focused on the lessons toward improving my interpersonal relationships with coworkers and gaining efficiency at work. It was then a refresher course for me on improving interpersonal relationships with family, friends and others.

I still recommend this book to anyone who finds themself in a leadership role. This can be management at work, mother or father, coach of a team, or even as just a friend. We always have influence with other people and this book serves as a guide as to how to maximize return on it. There is no attempt at personal gain, there is only a collection of stories to help you gain or increase the happiness in your life through a servant-style leadership.

You've all heard the statement, 'I will change when...' and you can fill in the blank. Perhaps the statement should be turned into a question: 'I will change...when?'

This is just one of many conversations had by fictitious participants in a leadership retreat. Whether the events in the book happened as stated or not is irrelevant. The message is important.

But where do I begin?
You begin with a choice.

Buy The Servant $13.60

| Forum |

Gideon by Russell Andrews

Writer Carl Granville -- down on his luck personally and professionally -- is approached one day by a hotshot publisher who says she'll pay him a startling amount of money to turn a top-secret diary into a novel. Gift from God or devlish trap? ... The conspiracy he gets tangled in plays on some seriously topical fears.

Buy Gideon $6.29

| Forum |

When Lt. Joe Leaphorn of The Navajo Tribal Police discovers a corpse with a mouth full of sand at a crime scene seemingly without tracks or clues, he is ready to suspect a supernatural killer. Blood on the rocks...A body on the high mesa....Leaphorn must stalk the Wolf-Witch along a chilling trail between mysticism and murder.

This one was given to me by a coworker who suggested that I try out the author. She told me that given the books that I like, Hillerman would be up my alley. No offense to her, I disagree. The book was not bad, do not get me wrong, but I will not rush out and read his entire catalogue.

Tony Hillerman writes about a Native American detective. This idea in itself is completely new to me. None of the fiction I enjoy has ever approached this subject before. I will give him credit, his stories are extremely unique. As an experience I can now say that I have had, this book was positive. The reason the Native American perspective was difficult for me was that there were too many metaphors early in the book. The author refers to people and places not by names I would recognize, but by how the Navajo would. This was enlightening to get a glimpse, allbeit a small one, into a new culture, but it was hard to follow. As the action began, the story was easier to keep up with.

A short book, at only 284 pages, The Blessing Way had but 18 chapters (which is fine normally) but Hillerman maybe should have used more. Understand that I do not claim to be an expert in proofreading, nor do I claim to be without fault myself. Maybe it is the writing I am most familiar with, maybe it is something else; I am unsure. The author chooses to switch scenes and time of day by simply starting a new paragraph at times. The story could be in the desert in the middle of the morning in one paragraph and then have a different character asleep in the middle of the night in the next. Some authors will use a chapter break, some may just add an extra return between paragraphs, some will use **** to announce a change. These are all signs that the story will move on and is then often easier to follow.

I do not mean to be too critical of Tony Hillerman. He is a widely celebrated author who has received much praise for his Joe Leaphorn novels. All I am aiming to do is explain what did not sit right with me as I read The Blessing Way. I did not dislike the book, I simply did not like it.

Buy The Blessing Way $6.29

| Forums |

When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car pulled up to their street. One boy got into the car, two did not, and something terrible happened--something that ended their friendship and changed all three boys forever.

Now, years later, murder has tied their lives together again...

Good book. I am glad I finally read it, I had heard such good things about it before and after the movie became so popular. I am yet to see the movie, but I am actually looking forward to it more now that I've read the book. That is not usually the case with me, I tend to avoid movies for books that I have read. What is different this time is that I feel that Lehane put too much into this one. I think there was just too much going on; too many characters to keep track of from start to finish. I think truncating the story a bit, in movie form, could really make this story shine.

This being the first Lehane book that I have read, I am unfamiliar with whether or not he continues characters Sean Devine and/or Jimmy Marcus in later novels, but he certainly set himself up to do so. Sure you could call it a nice unsettling finish to end his novel, but I think there is more he could do with it.

I might like to see a first person follow up from the perspective of Jimmy Marcus more so than Devine. Do that with Devine breathing down his neck, but as a support character.

Mystic River was a good enough book, however, to keep me interested in Lehane's writing. I will be sure to check out some of his other work. Just what I need, another author to track...

Buy Mystic River $7.19

| Forum |