Taste of 2011- from Adult Services

As you can imagine, we read a lot. The following are just a few of the books we've read and really enjoyed in the last year and highly recommend for reading consumption.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
A dark and quiet book with lots to talk about in a discussion.










Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Uplifting immigrant story filled with the trials of being a poor immigrant, school









The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Devoured this book. It's the first book in what will be a trilogy and is full of action, suspense, love and the powerful Sidhe or “faeries”.












Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
The factors that contribute to certain people's success in life. Right place, right time and hard work. Very interesting stories including the Beatles and Bill Gates. Also if you haven't anything else by Gladwell you should definitely check out The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and Blink.











Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
The finale of this beloved series. If you haven't read the series DO NOT start with this one. Go back and enjoy. The first one is Darkfever.












Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Loved this Young Adult novel. It's the classic story about a guy from the wrong side of town and the rich girl from the right side of town who, despite all obstacles against them, fall in love. Think West Side Story, Grease, Valley Girl etc.

Book Review: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell asks this question in Outliers: Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Gladwell applies logic to define why certain people succeed in their field, such as: birthdays, hours of practice, cultural background, correlation between agriculture and academic schedule and more.

Gladwell redefines ‘self-made’ by saying that no one comes from nowhere to succeed; that person had many factors that helped s/he reach their goals: equipment available, hours of practice, connections, and birthdays. However, I disagree with his definition of a self-made person. Someone could have every advantage, something they’re interested in freely available and not be motivated enough to pursue or practice something in order to be successful.

The end of the book was a nice surprise because it was about the success of his own family and eventually his own journey of success from rural Ontario to New York Times Best Selling author.

Outliers was a fantastic read that makes you think about success in a deeper, analytical way. My fingers are still crossed that my sons have the potential to be in MLB despite their birthdays;)

Check it out here