Nick's Recommended Reading Picks |
| 1. |
Now, Discover your Strenghts by Buckingham & Clifton |
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The author believes that a person can excel most by focusing on their strengths and not trying to become "well rounded." Each person has unique strengths, but the Gallop Group strengths into 34 themes. By taking an online questionnaire, you can determine your top five strengths. Nick's top 5 are (in order): Strategic, Achiever, Futuristic, Focus, and Activator. People who know me, even those who have little interaction with me, agree that this is a very accurate way to describe me. |
| 2. |
Rocking the Roles by Lewis & Hendricks |
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Takes a simple and powerful view of the role of man and woman in marriage. We subscribe to this philosophy in our marriage and this book helped us put vocabulary to the roles we already play. Husband's role: provide and protect. Wife's role: help and nurture. |
| 3. |
The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis |
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Set of speeches written and delivered by C. S. Lewis to Cambridge College. The most impactful speech to me was the first one, called The Weight of Glory. The last paragraph, C. S. Lewis' punchline was especially meaningful. |
| 4. |
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rawling |
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Fantastic story of Harry Potter his friends who attend Hogwarts School of Magic. There are 7 books in the series, but only 5 have been released. Though the story reads like young adult literature, it is not a series just for kids. I believe this literature teaches deep (and sometimes difficult) religious truths through a story. I especially found the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to be most personal as this book takes a look at how Harry Potter grapples with how his he is like his father. This book investigates how we are made in our Father's image and can call upon Him for help in times of difficulty and temptation. These books progressively deal with more complex (and sometimes difficult) religious themes such as death, love, and sacrifice. |
| 5. |
The Hidden Key to Harry Potter by John Granger |
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A simple literary analysis of the first four Harry Potter books (plot, characters, conflict, symbols). The author's thesis is that J. K. Rawling books are popular because they are a type of literature called Inkling. This style of story presents religious truth hidden in a story. Inklings are immensely popular because we naturally yearn for this truth and these stories ring a chord with readers. Though Harry Potter is widely believed to be young adult literature, this analysis explains that Harry Potter is also for adults. |
| 6. |
The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki |
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Decisions made by crowds can be more efficient and more accurate than the best member of the crowd. For this to happen, four criteria must be met: opinions must be diverse, members must come independant opinions, members must have access to different information, and the results must be aggregated. Crowds can solve three types of problems well: cognitive (what is right), coordination (accomplishnig a complex task that involves many people), and cooperation (working together and trusting other members of the crowd). |
| 7. |
Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis |
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Approach to the problem of how to raise a boy to be a man in today's USA society. |
| 8. |
First, Break all the Rules by Buckingham & Clifton |
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Management approach that treating people fairly is not equivalent to treating them the same. I subscribe to this philosophy in my personal approach to management at work. |
| 9. |
Parenting with Love and Logic by Cline & Fay |
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Parenting approach that teaches children to be healthy, responsible individuals by allowing them to make choices early on while consequences of mistakes are small. We were raised this way and follow this philosophy in our home. |
| 10. |
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis |
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A professional devil writes letters to a junior devil, his nephew Wormwood, to help him learn to corrupt the soul of his assigned human case. His letters humorously reveal much about how we humans are wired. |
| 11. |
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien |
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Fun reading that triggered an entire cultural movement and Dungeons and Dragons. Also an Inkling piece of literature. Has excellant strong symbols of good and evil. |
| 12. |
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis |
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An allegory of heaven, hell, and purgatory. |
| 13. |
Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis |
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Three allegories that explain complex religious issues through child-like stories: a society on another planet where there never was an Original Sin, Jesus and Satan interacting before the world was created, and a man who stops Adam and Eve from the Original Sin on another planet. |
| 14. |
Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dodson |
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A look at boyhood (for women) and notes on how raising boys is different than raising girls. |
| 15. |
Built to Last by Collins & Porras |
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Business book which takes a look at a few 100 year-old companies and their #2 competitors to see why one company succeeded and one failed. This book eloquently describes the philosophy of where Nick works. |
| 16. |
Selling the Wheel Jeff Cox & Howard Stevens |
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Funny and clever story about Max, the inventor of the wheel, and how he learned to sell his invention. Great perspective on sales and a fun read to boot. |
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