Every now and then, the hubby and I like to find a nice quiet spot to read.
We’d like to find these quiet spots, but we don’t know where they are, because after all, we’re the parents of two small children. However, the hub prefers non-fiction books and listens to them on audio while driving or exercising and I wait for bedtimes or lunch hour to pick up a good Fiction novel. For your reading pleasure, we’ve decided to compile a list of the top books we can’t stop talking about.
Keeping Up with the Johnsons By Dr. Rainbow Johnson: If you’ve ever watched the show Blackish, then I think you’ll love this book. This book is seriously laugh-out-loud-funny, so funny that I got stares from people while reading because I was laughing so hard (so uh…you might want to read this one at home). It says the book is by Rainbow Johnson, who is a fictional character played by Tracy Ellis Ross on the show. The book is in fact written by the show’s writer Dr. Rainbow Barris, the inspiration behind Rainbow Johnson’s character. Many have commented that this book is funnier than the show and I think I agree. Whether you’ve seen the show or not, you have got to pick this one up. In a comical way, it gives advice to the middle class/ upper-class parents, trying to bring up a family on values.
Start with Why by Simon Sinek is a book by Simon Sinek who is a motivational speaker-actually I’m not sure if that’s how you would categorize him. It’s a book that gets down to the essence of why we do what we do. And there’s really two types of people: there’s how people and why people. Why people are visionaries, they have big ideas but they need how people to help them execute their big ideas. It’s a book that should be read by students, business leaders, young professionals. It’s inspiring and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony-This is one for the kiddos. I like it because it teaches a lesson about using your manners, most specifically, saying please and thank you. My kids like it because I make funny voices for the characters and the story centers around their favorite thing to eat: donuts.
The Hate U Give– By Angie Thomas This book came out in February 2017 and will have a movie debuting in October of 2018. As a writer myself, I was very happy for this author to have her first novel turned into a film. What made this novel great? Everything. This book is about the life of a teenager being taken all too soon. It’s inspired by the stories we’ve read about and/or seen in the news beginning the Black Lives Matter movement. Reviews on this book come from all races and it’s a good thing too. Before you utter the words, “All lives matter,” or “but he shouldn’t have…” pick up this book. It is a different perspective of what you might have heard. We could all use a little perspective and learn from reading the other side of the story.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz The book is about the Horowitz’s time as an engineering student, engineer, a CEO, and later an Adventure Capitalist. It’s a book about leadership, making tough decisions and not taking any shortcuts. This book is filled with great stories from a seasoned veteran who’s been there. What I found unique about this book was that the author starts off quotes from Rappers. It’s unexpected and it’s insightful when you have a book that contains quotes by Nas, Jay-Z, and even DMX.
Radical Candor by Kim Scott This author is a Silicon Valley veteran who’s worked with Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley companies. She believes that having radical candor is a management style that speaks to your ability to lead with truth, authenticity, and honesty.
Big Hair, Don’t Care by Crystal Swain-Bates This is another one for the kids. My husband ordered this book for my daughter a couple of years ago and it instantly became my her favorite. I like it because it gives my daughter a chance to see “herself” on the page. She looks at the book and says, “Hey, her hair’s like mine.” When we first got this book, we read it every night for a whole week. This book is beautifully written with rhyme and illustrations of all the many hairstyles that black girls wear. This is a great way to empower young beauties when they struggle to figure out why their hair won’t look like Anna and Elsa or some of the girls in their class. Being unique is a treat!
This post contains some affiliate links. I was not paid to review or mention any of these books.
