We love to read, and the staff all agrees that one of the great ways we have found new titles, genres and authors are the recommendations from our favorite book sellers. Near our old office, the Wellesley Booksmith kept a year-round display of books that their employees were reading. That table was often a source of great discovery. With that in mind, we introduce our version … and have included selections from Institute staff as well as suggestions from our Board. Links to the book on AMAZON are provided if you want to learn more about the title, and add it to your collection.
Enjoy browsing!
Travel Institute Staff Picks
Carla Recommends:
What Alice Forgot
“With twins, it is so rare that I get a book and read. This was the last book I finished that wasn’t a children’s storybook. The book is told in third person but has such a great plot line- amnesia story and it is an easy read. It is a book that makes you think about what it would be like if something like that ever happened to you? How do you go on with the daily life and how much can go on in 10 years of your life that you missed/forgot!”
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Love You Forever
“My favorite children’s book that I read to the twins is this one. By the end of the book I am almost in tears. It is a very cute and emotional book to read to little ones. It follows through a mother and son over their lifetime and how their roles shift and revert to the son taking care of his mother. A tear jerker for sure.”
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Pat Recommends:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
“This non-fiction book is one of the most interesting you’ll ever read. Henrietta Lacks was a poor Southern tobacco farmer whose cells – taken without her knowledge – were the first “immortal” human cells grown in culture. The HeLa cells are still alive today and have led to many vital advances in medicine.”
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The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
“This is one of the most memorable and moving books I’ve ever read. Set during World War II in Germany, it’s the story of a girl who steals books and shares them with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. It’s an unforgettable story.”
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Steven Recommends:
Lost Horizon: A Novel
“One of the great escape novels of all time takes place at the top of the world. Every time I read this, I see something new. While the movie with Ronald Coleman is remarkable – reading the actual story brings more of the story to life. Deep down … you may start looking for (and yearning for) a Shangri-La yourself.”
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Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
“A most readable biography of one of the most influential thinkers and theologians of our time and it shows how his beliefs shaped how he reacted to the Germany that was crumbling around him. It is a chunky book and it is one that you will need to pay attention to, but it is a testament on how his seriously adhering to his convictions influenced every aspect of his life, and continues to influence people around the world.”
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DS Alaska
“Had to add this … getting ready for the Study Group!”
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Board Picks
Our Chairman, Jack Mannix, CTC Recommends:
Can I Have 5 Minutes of Your Time?
“Hal was either the number one or two salesman at Xerox (out of 10,000 or something) when he was there and his whole theory is that sales is really about asking questions and seeing where you might be able to help the prospect. It’s a pretty quick read and written by someone who’s been there, done that.”
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Pan American World Airways Aviation History Through the Words of its People
“It’s really a collection of anecdotes from former employees, some very entertaining (e.g. a flight attendant’s story of being one of the crew on the Beatles’ first flight across the Atlantic to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show the following night; let me know if you don’t know who the Beatles or Ed Sullivan were); some very tragic (Lockerbie, Tenerife) and I suspect, most in between. This is purely entertainment rather than a business book – but a great look back to one of the world’s greatest legacy airlines.”
Brian Robb Recommends:
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
“It’s a book about how to take yourself to the next level of achievement.”
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1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
“An amazing update on what the Americas were like before Columbus. Very interesting and very different from what I remember from my school background.”
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Gary Pollard, CTC Recommends:
Zero Day
The Richmond Times Dispatch says: “Zero Day is a nifty, paranoid thriller disguised as a murder mystery, and Baldacci advances it at a speedy clip with a nice mix of intrigue, tantalizing clues and the occasional explosion…Baldacci’s books are fast-paced battles between good and evil.”
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Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton
As described on AMAZON: “Few Americans have observed the ups and downs of presidential leadership more closely over the past thirty years — from Nixon to Clinton and Watergate to Whitewater — than David Gergen. A White House adviser to four presidents, both Republican and Democrat, he offers a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of their struggles to exercise power and draws from them key lessons for leaders of the future.”
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Scott Ahlsmith, CTC Recommends:
Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don’t Work
by Dan Roam
As described on AMAZON: “Ever been to so many meetings that you couldn’t get your work done? Ever fallen asleep during a bulletpoint presentation? Ever watched the news and ended up knowing less? Welcome to the land of Blah Blah Blah.”
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Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
by Alexandra Horowitz
As described on AMAZON: “The bestselling book that asks what dogs know and how they think, now in paperback.The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human. Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draws a picture of what it might be like to be a dog.”
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