Don Sanford 

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I’m half way through Michener’s sweeping historical human drama novel, Caribbean. It starts with the early settlers landing in the West Indies and barrels through 500 plus years of life in the peaceful ocean concentrating mainly on the stretch of tiny islands from Cuba to Trinidad, and many related places along the coast in Central America. We become familiar with pirates and famous buccaneers (Captain Morgan of the famed rum), military leaders and sailors fighting for land (from Spain, England and France), and barons who manage powerful sugar plantations with abusive slavery as a backbone of their operations. Sometimes inspiring, sometimes sad, sometimes horrific and other times beautiful … with Michener you will run the gamut of human emotions while also coming to understand how we got where we are today. He is a master of bringing history to life.

The Road is a Pulitzer Prize winning book by Cormac McCarthy (he also penned All the Pretty Horses) set in a post-apocalyptic 2006. It follows the journey of a father and son as they move south in a desolate world fraught with danger and mystery at every turn. It’s a quick, edge-of-your-seat read and you really aren’t sure what will become of these two characters until they reach their final destination. Creepy and yet captivating at the same time, I marvel at how this tale parallels the feeling we had living through the pandemic, even though it was written fourteen years prior to Covid.

Julia Wolf

A friend gave me this book for Christmas. If you followed the Olive and Mabel videos during the COVID-19 shutdown (which I obviously did!), you’ll love Cotter’s loving explanation of how his Labrador Retrievers, Olive and Mabel, inspired him and translated into videos that uplifted us all!

Provides an important understanding of the Federal Reserve Bank and its impact on the U.S. economy.

Glen Gonzalez

A.E. Stallings studied classics in Athens, Georgia, and now lives in Athens, Greece. Fitting, since her poetry is known for use of classical forms and allusions. I think I discovered Stallings while searching for translations of The Nature of Things by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius. (Her translation was published in 2007.) While all this may sound like the kind of stuffy academic prattle that turns most people away from poetry, Stallings work is accessible, fresh and modern. Check out the opening stanza to Pop Music:

The music that your son will listen to
To drive you mad
Has yet to be invented. Be assured,
However, it is approaching from afar
Like the light of some Chaldean star.

Rhyme, rhythm, form and a reference to ancient Mesopotamians all in a mother’s lament about the state of popular music. That’s Stallings.

Or take her poem Olives. Each line includes an anagram of the word “olives” and it’s 19 lines long. Is love / so evil?

Her work seems so simple, but it’s a masterclass in the art and craft of poetry. Once I started reading her work, I was hooked and have started buying every one of her collections I can get my hands on.

Trey Wood

I fell in love with noir early on – books and movies. In a college class many years ago, my first exposure to the ideas expressed in this broad category of cynicism and moral ambiguity came in the form of Dashiell Hammett’s writings. My first reads were his Red Harvest, The Big Knockover and The Dain Curse—all these focusing on his iconic character the Continental Op, a short, fat, unimaginably tough private investigator whose name we never learn.

A new year’s resolution has been to revisit some of the books, characters and movies that first struck my interest in noir and the modern response to its fatalism that has come, in my view, in the popularizing of Marcus Aurelius’ stoicism. Well, I’m beginning where I started—with Red Harvest. It’s not only a fabulous detective story, it’s a classic tale of corruption that is purely American in its violence and lonely individual hero.

Gretchen Vaught

This year my kids and I together read (“Chariots of Fire”) Eric Liddell’s biography. It was an inspiring example of Divine talent “wasted” for others instead of self. A poignant contrast to current cultural messages teens are overwhelmed with.

Though I don’t usually enjoy fiction, The Songbook of Benny Lament was both captivating and entertaining.

Allison Artnak

I came across a podcast from neurologist Dr. Perlmutter on dementia that touched on the link between purines, high uric acid and dementia (not to mention a host of other conditions that can be influenced by inflammation) that I found quite fascinating. I have only gotten through the first chapter but have already learned a bunch.

I wasn’t familiar with Mary Reynolds until I recently watched the movie Dare to be Wild, the journey of how Mary won the Chelsea Flower Show. I enjoyed her passion for restoring native ecosystems to develop beautiful spaces and sanctuaries. I researched her a bit after watching the movie and found she had just published this book that also incorporates lovely illustrations. I can’t wait to dig in!

A humorous novel about a woman scientist in the 1960s that becomes a star of a TV cooking show.

Amy Crowell

A novelist scratching for his second bestseller uses the idea of a former student, newly discovered dead, as the premise of his book and then suffers at the threat of being exposed. If you are in it for the mystery, you may be disappointed as it likely will be prematurely solved. But the writing is fine, and the main character’s angst is sympathetic. Thoroughly enjoyed.

One morning, at exactly the same moment, every person in the world receives a box that holds the answer to the exact number of years they will live. Everyone faces the same dilemma: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge? I’ll find out when I’ve read more than 3 chapters.

Norine Cannon

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
An historical fiction book about an independent, strong woman in the 60s. She’s a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the reluctant star of a TV cooking show. It’s funny and poignant at the same time, addressing issues faced by so many women today.

Fun, firsthand accounts from 100 years of Hollywood history. It’s a compilation of interviews with the biggest names in front of and behind the camera, as well as lesser-known individuals who shaped what was seen and heard on screen—from the archives of the American Film Institute.

Michael Garcia

Yes, the same Michael Mann who wrote and directed the 1995 movie Heat with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, wrote this novel—his first—as a 466-page prequel and sequel to his original story. I had to read it, at least to find out what happened to a heartbroken Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) after he got the no-go sign from Charlene. If you’re following, welcome, you’re a Heat devotee like me. The book didn’t disappoint. I encourage you to read it…or don’t. It’s a free country, brother.

Truth be told, I received this book for Christmas and haven’t started it yet. McCarthy is one of my favorite authors. I’m more than ready to soak up another of his stories, even if a little nervous that his new work (it’s been since 2006!) won’t live up to the greatness of his past.

Rick Cole

A quirky little book (The cover is on backwards.) promoting the courageous pursuit of creativity and innovation. With a dizzying array of historical examples, quotes and photographs, Kessels (a successful adman and provocative artist) takes dead aim at the myth of perfection and its stunted offspring—safe mediocrity.

I found this in our voluminous used bookstore, Chamblin Bookmine. It caught my eye for two reasons. First, Disney and the State of Florida are having a protracted falling out for the first time. Second, native son Carl Hiaasen is a witty and deeply knowledgeable chronicler of Florida’s transformation over the past 50 years.

As a third generation Floridian born in 1965, my life has run parallel to Disney World’s inception and its unimaginable impact on the natural, economic and cultural nature of Florida. For the record, I miss Old Florida.

Scott Walters

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Even though they are considered a standard bearer for my generation, I wasn’t a big Nirvana fan when they broke through; but they had an undeniable impact on rock music. Over the years, though, I have become a fan of Dave Grohl’s various music projects: Probot, Them Crooked Vultures, the Sound City documentary and, of course, Foo Fighters. He’s easily rock’s greatest ambassador and it’s most dynamic catalyst right now. I don’t typically read books like this but my wife picked it up for me and, so far, it’s been worth the read. 

I found a used copy of this 1948 anthology on the theme of freedom while browsing a small bookstore. I was immediately intrigued. It includes religious poems, anti-religious poems, patriotic poems, poems of battle and poems from “our enemies” in war. It includes works both familiar and unexpected, domestic and international, resulting in a panoramic, human perspective on the concept of liberty — one worth revisiting and relishing. 

Jennifer Needham 

My reading lurched across the spectrum in 2021. Everything from Whiskey in a Teacup (Reese Witherspoon’s cookbook/Southern entertaining guide) to The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy Tyson. Tyson’s book reads like a novel, taking Till’s story from Chicago to Mississippi.

My favorite book of the year — and the one I’ve given as a gift several times — was How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith. If you want to broaden your perspective and learn about erased history, start with Smith’s book. Smith is a poet and his book is worth the read not only for his explorations but also for his writing. Oddly enough, I’ve learned about my own family history from both the Tyson and Smith books. What a gift.

Don Sanford 

I’m currently reading The Overstory by Richard Powers. It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction and was released in 2018, back before the pandemic crept into our lives and changed everything. While the book is essentially about trees, it’s mostly about the people who live around the trees and about their lives. It is masterfully written and a surprisingly engaging read, given the subject is, well, trees. 

I’m also reading, or shall I say, perusing, The History of Art in 50 Paintings. I read clips from it on occasion because I want to better understand Art and how we got where we are today. It’s a chore sometimes, but I find it helps me by making me more aware of Art … and sometimes it even helps me answer a query or two on Jeopardy. I am woefully ignorant about most topics in Art. This book helps me be less so.

Amy Crowell 

Currently finishing Stoner on the recommendation of Trey on the recommendation of Rick. (One of the many benefits of working with smart people.)

On the shelf is Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart, my first read set in the pandemic.

At Night All Blood is Black, by David Diop about a Sengalese villager who finds himself fighting  with the French army during World War I. It’s first up on the virtual book club my college roommates and I are starting this month.

Julia Wolf

“The Last Negroes at Harvard: The Class of 1963 and the 18 Young Men Who Changed Harvard Forever” by Kent Garrett. I decided to order this book after reading an intriguing review in the WSJ. At this point I’m about halfway through the book. As a white woman who is only slightly younger than the group described in the book, I found it to be a profoundly compelling read, and fascinating snapshot of our society as a whole.

“One Man’s West” by David Lavender. I bought this several years ago while on a visit to Arizona. It’s a fascinating (and sometimes cringe-worthy) look at life in the American West in the 20s and 30s.

Michael Garcia

A wonderful novel about baseball — one of my favorite things — that’s not really about baseball at all.

Allison Artnak

I came across this book online while Christmas shopping. I wasn’t familiar with the author/illustrator, Lisa Aisato, but apparently she is a well-known illustrator in Norway. I looked at sample pages online and thought it was incredible, so I ordered one as a gift and one for myself. I was absolutely blown away by the creativity and illustration. And even better, it’s a story of experiences in sequential order from childhood through adulthood (it’s 192 pages, but there is one sentence or two per spread, so it is a super fast read, but you linger on each page to soak in the beauty and all of the detail in each full-spread illustration). It is lovely on so many levels. She has written and illustrated six other books that I will explore sometime in the future.

David McCandless is an author, photo-journalist and information designer in the U.K. I first learned of David and his work while looking for unique infographics roughly 10 years ago and came across his website (https://informationisbeautiful.net/). I bought his first book (it was awesome!) and since then, visit his website at least four times a year to see what’s new in the world of infographics. He has a new book (Beautiful News:…) that will be released in the U.S. in March that I have pre-ordered and I can’t wait to get my hands on.

Sara Levinson

This is John U. Bacon’s account of the 1918 explosion of the cargo ship Mont-Blanc in Halifax harbor. The 2.9 kiloton TNT explosion, the most powerful ever excepting Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveled the surrounding city and caused a thirty-five-foot tsunami. The choices made that day ultimately killed 11,000…but heroic and remarkable efforts saved thousands. 

Norine Cannon 

Fascinating stories from Pan Am flight attendants who worked for the airline in the late 60s to mid-70s. Required to have a college degree and speak two languages, they played a role in the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon. Good discussion on sexism, gender and racial discrimination.

Goodall makes an argument for hope in these challenging times. She highlights some of the positive changes happening in the world and shares stories of the exquisite wonders of nature.

Trey Wood

Like most who know of Bukowski, I was introduced to his writing through his poetry which, on occasion, is not filled with obscenities. But those are rare moments just as his output of novels was rare. While he produced thousands of poems and hundreds of short stories, the writer only completed six novels. Post Office takes the grimly hysterical world of Bukowski’s poetry and stretches it to novel length. If you never get offended, Charles Bukowski is up for the challenge. 

This is one of those wonderful books that accompanies a documentary series one might see on PBS or the History Channel. In fact, Schama’s documentary of the same name first appeared in the US in just that manner twenty years ago. Unfortunately, I did not see the series but I have enjoyed the book immensely, particularly the facts and speculations that intertwine to tell the story of Britain 3500 B.C. to the time of the first Romans. 

This beautifully written book is the retelling of our country’s founding. Stewart endeavors to convince the reader that the American experiment, as envisioned by the likes of Jefferson, Franklin, Paine and many others, was not just a liberation from non-representational government but also a demand from the tyranny of super natural religion. Occasionally, Stewart comes close to invoking Dan Brown and the reader expects someone from the Illuminati to be quoted. But he manages to avoid that trap and produces a very interesting read. 

Rick Cole

Covid has physically cut us off from one another. Social media, instead of connecting us, creates more desire for human warmth than any cold LED can muster (or worse, causes us to cancel each other). Should we be surprised that there’s a crisis of loneliness?

Dr. Murthy explains how loneliness is more than just sad. It’s an epidemic contributing to disease, despair and violence. His book is solidly informative, warmly compassionate and reminder about what’s important and how to nurture it.

“Human Capital” is not just a clever rebrand. It’s an emerging approach to work that leverages technology to optimize the management of personnel and assignment. Boudreau posits a future role for HR departments that pushes them far beyond their traditional roles of talent acquisition and compliance toward full immersion into managing/maximizing of people, teams and processes. Fascinating book.

As corporate media continues culling true characters and eccentric personalities from onscreen talent pools, it’s wonderful to reminisce over the words of a Beano Cooke. This old school sports journalist was a fantastic raconteur and innovative media talent. (Beano was a co-founder of College Game Day.)

This book is Beano in his own words — writings and stories compiled by his protege and mentee John Lukas. If you love great story telling, college football, or laughing, read this book.

Scott Walters

Regarding current events, Steven Hassan’s “The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control” struck me as an important piece. Cultural trends, and lessons learned from history, sparked my interest in the subject of Hassan’s book. I’m hoping this book shed light on a very disruptive, growing ethos.

Like most folks, I was introduced to Barthes in college but have always wanted to dig a little deeper. “Mythologies” has particular relevance for designers — speaking specifically about his writings on Semiology (study of signs and symbols). Understanding how individuals and communities assign meaning to things is very much in my wheelhouse.