I read some great books in November and December. Here’s a list with a few thoughts. I’d love to know of any good reads you could recommend.
I’m a huge WWII nerd so this book was a must. George Patton was such a controversial and passionate person that reading about his life surely isn’t boring! In terms of the writing, I really enjoy O’Reilly’s narrative style. It is very fast paced and exciting. If you’re into history or WWII history in particular, I definitely recommend this one.
This book made me rethink how I oversee projects. For our student ministry team, projects are a big part of what we do. We approach our camps, retreats, trips and the entire summer like many organizations approach projects or new products. I think I have a lot to learn from principles that guide the technology industry or lean manufacturing. I’m very interested in adopting the Scrum approach for project management.
My wife and I read this book with a couple we are mentoring. This is a great book, particularly if you grew up in a strongly passive aggressive family, like I did. This book teaches a method for talking about difficult issues. I found it to be very helpful. I’ve used principles from this book to discuss difficult issues with volunteers, staff and my family.
This book is old school but so good! It’s one of those books that you should re-read every few years, particularly if you are in leadership. If you’ve never read it, you should pick it up. It will help you define and organize your life around what you truly care about.
I met this author at the Hutchmoot conference in Nashville this fall. He is part of the Rabbit Room. I liked this book because it is historical fiction, which I enjoy and because the author is a follower of Jesus but the narrative doesn’t follow the prescribed Christian novel script. I’ll just say it, I like a story with a little darkness because it feels more authentic. Sometimes the typical Christian novel feels a little too plastic. Also, there are pirates in this story, so it’s hard to go wrong.
Jennifer Trafton was also at Hutchmoot this fall and unless I am completely out of my mind, I believe she is married to Pete Peterson (the author of the previous book). I read this book to my kids at bedtime and it was perfect! They loved it. It stimulated their imaginations like crazy. In fact, as we read, my son built Lego scenes and characters to match the story. It was really fun. If you have early elementary aged kids, this book is great.
