What we’re reading

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
-Harry Truman-

We hope you’ve had some time this summer to dive into a few great reads (or listens, for the screen-weary). Here are some highlights from our summer reading list from your friendly marketing team at Advantage:

Business books

• Jon – Slide:ology, Nancy Duarte
  Even before our wholesale switch to virtual communication and collaboration last year, we as professionals had become wholly dependent upon the use of visual presentation software to share our ideas with colleagues and customers. This large format, highly visual publication is a no-nonsense guide for anyone looking to hone their craft of utilizing various presentation platforms to communicate effectively, clearly, and with the highest integrity and impact.
• Bennett – How to Get a Meeting with Anyone, Stu Hienecke
  This book inspires the reader to create innovative ways to gain the interest and attention of their most highly sought-after potential clients, investors, or anyone else who might otherwise be hard to reach.
• Emily – Think Again,  Adam Grant
  I love business books that incorporate some form of psychology or way of thinking in their core. After reading various books on these subjects (another one of my favorites is Shane Snow’s book, Smartcuts), I have found that we can discover so much and generate new ideas simply by adjusting the way we think. If we apply the principles to our businesses that Adam Grant and others write about, we can stay on the cutting edge of innovation and avoid complacency. We can also have more fun.
• Julie – Atomic Habits, James Clear
  Little by little we can achieve great things but not for long if we focus only on the prize. The author makes the case for putting our attention not on great goals but on continuous tiny improvements via the systems and the processes we develop along the way to achieve them. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”  Success really IS in the journey, not the destination.

 Beach reads

• Jon – Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler
  A riveting journey by one of America’s greatest Afro-futurist authors and originally published in the early 1990’s, Parable of the Sower considers a Southern Californian world set in 2020-2030 suffering from climate change, political unrest, religious transformation and divide and a humanity who has (mostly) abandoned a shared set of values for survival. In reference to this work, Gloria Steinem said, “If there is one thing scarier than a dystopian novel about the future, it’s one written in the past that has already begun to come true.” Like all great futurists, Butler, after whom the recent Mars landing site was named by NASA, leverages the power of her craft to provide us with a somewhat extreme, almost otherworldly, vision of the future to allow us to reflect upon our present. Definitely dark in tone but also hopeful in its message around our ability to shape our own lives through the power of community and love.  Beware – this book will cost you twice because there’s a second in the series.
• Bennett – Dark Matter, Blake Crouch
  This Sci-Fi thriller explores what could happen if we had the chance to go back and choose a different path in life.
• Emily – The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
  A great book that taps into your imagination through time travel and makes you think about how you want to live your own life.
• Julie – The Empathetic Life of Rebecca Wright, Shawn Inmon
  A perk from the Audible membership I have enjoyed since 2003, this is Book 10 and my favorite from the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. In each one, we get to know someone whose flaws present them with an opportunity to return again and again to the same moment in their previous life with the memories from their full lifespan intact and a chance to set things right. I also love the details that transport me instantly back to settings from my youth.

Bonus: Books we love for kids

Emily

• Wolfpack (Young Readers Edition),  Abby Wambach
  This is an inspiring book to help young people find their voice, not conform, and be leaders from the 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist and FIFA World Cup champion. Abby teaches us from her life experience and wisdom the importance of creating your path, not staying on the path. As she says, “Don’t be Little Red Riding Hood. Be the wolf.” I love reading this book with my young daughter.
• What Should Danny Do?, Adir LevyThis book is part of a “choose your own adventure” series for young kids that I can’t say enough good things about. As you read, your kids can make different choices for how Danny responds to common situations that come up in a kid’s daily life, like fighting with his brother over toys, getting the “wrong” plate at breakfast, and even learning the challenges of setting up a lemonade stand. Based on your choices, you’ll see how Danny’s power to choose really does change his day. As many parents know, sometimes you need outside forces to help reinforce principles you are trying to instill in your kids, and this book is a tremendous help!

Bennett

• Fortunately, The Milk,  Neil Gaiman
  This fun, quick read tells the fantastical tale of what happened to Dad that made it take so long for him to get back from buying milk at the store. Hint: it involves a stegosaurus and a hot air balloon.

• How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids, Tom RathFrom the author of Strengths Finder 2.0, this book teaches kids how every interaction in a day either fills or empties their bucket (and that of those around them). It teaches important lessons about emotional intelligence, self-respect, and kindness.

 Next week: What we’re listening to!

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One great thing for 07.27.21 – Don’t have time for a great book? Enjoy this TED Talk by a bestselling children’s author: Why a good book is a secret door

More great things…