Books I have read recently:

"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch -- What would you choose to do if you were told that you had less than one year to live?  Randy Pausch was told just that and wrote a book about the decisions he had to make in his final year of life.

"Truman" by David McCullough -- A remarkable biography of President Harry S. Truman that explores the thoughts of the man who decided to end World War II with nuclear weapons.  Nobody thought he could follow in FDR's footsteps, not even Mr. Truman himself.  However, historians have realized that Mr. Truman was a better president than previously thought.

"Buffett - The making of an American Capitalist" by Roger Lowenstein --  a biography of Warren Buffett, whose sage advice is sought by the most successful companies.

"Don't Eat the Marshmallow.....Yet!"  by Joachim de Posada and Ellen Singer -- A delightful tome that discusses the rewards of Delayed Gratification, the importance of trust, the power of influence and lots and lots of marshmallows.  Also, the sequel book:

"Don't Gobble the Marshmallow.......Ever!"  follows up on the principle that success in life requires discipline and the willingness to make sacrifices to reach goals.

"Fierce Conversations - Achieving Success at Work & in Life One Conversation at a Time" by Susan Scott --  An insightful look at the quality of interpersonal communications in our modern technology-driven age.  Ms. Scott asserts that all relationships ARE conversations as opposed to just containing them.  One of my favorite suggestions offered: "Let the silence do the heavy lifting!"  The author is not afraid to approach subjects (therefore conversations) we all need to address.

"The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" by Andrew Tobias -- Simple and practical advice and explanations of investing options and how the business of investing works. This book is written with a great sense of humor and points out many of the pitfalls we encounter out there in the world of brokers, bankers, and businessmen.

"Stock Investing for Dummies" by Paul Mladjenovic -- The basics about investing in stocks.

"Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin -- An analysis of money, work and our relationships to them.  The book contains analysis techniques one can use to assess the roles of money and work in our lives.  Many people are addicted to spending and hoarding and use them to fight depression and other illness both individual and social in nature.

"The Idiot's Guide to Investing in Stocks" by Theresa Hamacher,  Randy Burgess, and Carl Baldasarre -- Great explanations of how the free market works for investors.

Philosophy - History and Problems" by Samuel Enoch Stumpf -- A survey of the major philosophers from ancient times to the modern era.  Part I deals with the philosophers themselves.  Part II introduces the reader to philosophical problems.

"A History of American Law" by Lawrence M. Friedman -- A study of the evolution of law in the United States from the colonial period through the 20th century.  It details the course of family law, property law, criminal law, and civil law.

"Myths to Live By - How We Re-create Ancient Legends in our Daily Lives to Release Human Potential" by Joseph Campbell -- This beloved professor from Sarah Lawrence College in New York does a masterful job of tying ancient myth and legends to the modern world.  It's deep!  But, it makes me think outside my little world.  Professor Campbell was featured on a PBS series with Bill Moyers in 1987.

"Bait and Switch - The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream" by Barbara Ehrenreich -- An effort to document the plight of displaced white-collar workers, the author poses as a job-seeker for nearly a year and writes of her experiences dealing with career fairs, career coaches, executive recruiters, and resume' mills. 

"Monday Morning Leadership -  8 Mentoring Sessions You Can't Afford to Miss" by David Cottrell -- This 112 page book describes the art of mentoring from both sides.  It leads by example.  It has lots of lines and lines to read in between!

"Great World Trials - The 100 Most Significant Courtroom Battles of All Time" edited by Edward W. Knappman -- This summary of the most influential court cases goes back to 415 B.C.  It concludes with the Yigal Amir Trial in 1996.  He was convicted of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

"Great American Trials - From Salem Witchcraft to Rodney King" edited by Edward W. Knappman -- An excellent reference book about the trials that shaped the American legal system.

"Introduction to the Study of Law - Cases and Materials" by John Makdisi  -- This is a course book designed for use by beginning law students.   The purpose of the book is to initiate the student into the methods of legal reasoning that are the basic tools of every lawyer.  The Chapters include:  The Goals of Legal Education, The Structure of the Legal System, A Historical Sketch, The Nature of Law, Legal Reasoning, and  The Case Method of Study.  The study of law has always interested me.

"The Consultant's Manual - A Complete Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice" by Thomas L. Greenbaum  -- An excellent array of suggestions to use if you want to launch your own business as a consultant.  I have always been intrigued with this type of worker.  They also have some interesting ideas about themselves that make them even more interesting.  This book is like an instruction manual.

"How to Succeed As an Independent Consultant" by Herman Holtz -- This book reads like a 'fireside chat' at times.  It has lots of advice and reports from the front lines.  The author worked as a consultant for over 35 years.  He points out things to prepare well for, things to avoid,  things you can't avoid, and obstacles to one's success as a consultant.  There is a lot of material about how to market yourself and your practice.  He also focuses on writing proposals.   In his opinion, it is the most important skill.

"World Masterpieces" Works such as 'The Divine Comedy' by Dante, Machiavelli,  Christopher Marlowe, Plato, Edmund Spenser and, of course, William Shakespeare.

"Classics of Western Philosophy" edited by Steven M. Cahn

"The Art of Making Decisions" by Errol Wirasinghe PhD  offers a 7-step technique to improve your ability to make decisions.  Dr. Wirasinghe presented his material at a recent meeting of the Houston Chapter of PMI.

"My Grandfather's Clock" by Dr. Jack Bacon,  a nonfiction book which traces the development of technology and society through 28 known generations of his family, dating from medieval times to today's permanent human presence in the cosmos with the building of the International Space Station.

"What Should I Do With My Life" by Po Bronson 

Here is the author's description:

Although all three of my previous books were bestsellers, I began work on What Should I Do With My Life? because I was asking myself that very question. For answers, I crossed the landscape of America to find people who have struggled to unearth their true calling - people of all ages, from all classes, of every profession, who have found fulfillment; those who fought with the seduction of money, intensity, and novelty, but overcame their allure; those who broke away from the chorus to learn the sound of their own voice.

"All I Really Ever Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten"

by  Robert Fulghum

I would recommend this book to anyone. The basic principle of the book is, everything you need to know about life, and how to live successfully stem from the basics that we all learned in kindergarten. Often, in many books there is a boring spot. Either the reader gets tired of waiting for the characters to interact with each other, or the plot isn't moving along, etc. With All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, this is never the problem. Since each story is very short, if you don't like the characters in a story, it will be over shortly. The stories in the beginning of the book were the most meaningful, while at the end, the stories were incredibly good. In the middle of the book, the stories weren't as good, and the theme of Christmas was in about ten different stories.

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Updated 21 April  2009