Anonymous

Quick read on a true life story of two friends that buy a lion cub at Harrod's department store in the late 1960s. Their experiences raising the cub into adolescence and ultimately returning him to his natural habitat with the help of a well-known naturalist George Adamson is truly amazing.

The story sparked renewed interest after a video appeared on YouTube showing the two friends reuniting with the lion, Christian, in the African wild. It's a beautiful moment to witness. I found the story of how these two young men were able to form such a close bond with a lion inspiring. It gave me newfound respect and awareness for the welfare of these creatures in their natural and unnatural habitats.

What is presence? How does one have presence in everyday life? Why is having presence important? Cuddy answers these and many more questions on the topic by providing a multitide of anecdotal evidence and research studies to demonstrate the positive effects of improving one's presence.

Beautifully written and thought provoking story set in a fictional dystopian time period (1990's or 80s). The story unfolds from the perspective of the narrator (Offred - of Fred). The history of how events unfolded to create the setting is explained in further detail much later in the story. It's an interesting history created by Atwood but at the same time familar in the real world. Themes of misogyny, class systems, patriarchy, and ecological disasters pervade the story. A great read, highly recommended!

Excellent history book of the world of game of thrones. Thorough histories of westeros, it's people and ruling families in the first half and Essos and the lands beyond in the second half. I enjoyed learning about the various peoples of this world and the rocky history of Westero's ruling families. I plan to reference this book again and again in the future!

Beautifully written adventure of one little hobbit and 14 dwarves by master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkien. I enjoyed following Bilbao and his dwarvish company through the many obstacles, victories and defeats they encountered in their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the evil dragon Smaug and the subsequent battle that ensues. Tolkien's Middle Earth and it's inhabitants are richly detailed and interesting in their own right. Luckily he wrote many more books set in this mysterious and fantastical world for all of us to enjoy.

Very funny and interesting read from well known comedian Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg. Ansari's brand of humor lightens up the more scientific side of romance and helps to navigate the various angles they delve into. This includes a history of dating, modern dating practices, real life anecdotes, marriage, cheating and love in other parts of the world. Ansari occasionally draws examples from his life but mostly he recounts stories from others who freely participated in discussions and surveys that were administered during the research process of writing this book. I think that's the strength of the story as reference to statistics and other research findings can be hard to relate to.

Enjoyable story with several intersecting storylines of quirky and interesting characters centered around one main event (end of the world). The journey to the main event has many funny twists and turns along the way.

Thoroughly enjoyable re-telling of the Norse myths. Thor, Loki, and Odin all come to life in various stories retold by Mr. Gaiman's skillful ability to bring humor and depth to each character.

Excellent book on how to ask for what you want in a professional setting. The first few chapters help to set the stage on why women struggle to ask for what they want or deserve. The rest of the chapters focus on techniques and examples. I reread these chapters as I was preparing for job interviews and critical business negotiations.

I highly recommend this book to any female professional looking for guidance on this subject.

Excellent book from Ray Anderson on his personal journey implementing sustainable and environmentally friendly business and manufacturing processes. His experiences, triumphs and failures lend wisdom to an industry that is challenged with staying competitive and relevant. He offers many stories from outside and inside his business on important sustainability themes. Many metrics and studies are also presented to drive points home.

The chapter I found most inspiring was social sustainability. This is a point that I hadn't paid much attention to and is a critical pillar to creating and sustaining a healthy community. Again, he offers many real and touching stories to give life to the topic.

I've purchased copies of this book for several friends as I believe his story resonates with business professionals of all backgrounds.

Quick read on a topic of a critical leadership skill. The recurring theme is making time for touchpoints and making them impactful. Conant's research and stories shared by other leaders emphasize this point over and over. He also spends time addressing different management styles and how to mold oneself's style to better suit the needs of their team and organization.