5 Books That My Dad Recommends (In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
5 Books That My Dad Recommends
(In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
Father's Day is June 17, do you have something special planned for your dad? I was going to write a post about 5 Books to Get Your Dad for Father's Day...but then my dad and I were talking about books one afternoon and I loved the idea of sharing with you his top 5 books...it is always nice to get someone else's perspective. So here they are, my Dad's 5 Favorite Books:
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
HBL Note: If I had to guess which books would have made my dad's list of top 5 books, this one would have been number one. This book was first published in 1989 and I can't remember a time when this book wasn't a large part of our lives. In middle school my dad had me read 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens - and I adored it as much as he loved this book. It has been far too long since I had a refresher on these 7 habits and this post is just the motivation I need to pick this one up again.
5 Books That My Dad Recommends (In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
From the publisher: This twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Stephen Covey’s cherished classic commemorates the timeless wisdom of the 7 Habits.
CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING BOOKS EVER WRITTEN, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has guided generations of readers for the last 25 years. Presidents and CEOs have kept it by their bedsides, students have underlined and studied passages from it, educators and parents have drawn from it, and individuals of all ages and occupations have used its step-by-step pathway to adapt to change and to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.
2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
HBL Note: I read this one in graduate school and I felt personally offended that I hadn't been introduced to Malcolm Gladwell before that point. Why had my college professors made me read all those boring textbooks when scientific research could be presented in such an interesting way?! Needless to say, I was an instant fan of Malcolm's and I continue reading his books as they come out. I was pleasantly surprised to see this book on my dad's list - I don't think we've talked about it together!
5 Books That My Dad Recommends (In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
From the publisher:
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas.
3. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
HBL Note: This is the first one on his list that I hadn't read. But it looks like a book I'd really enjoy - and I'm not the least bit surprised that it made it on my dad's list. We are always talking about our dream retirement - where we would live if money were no object. I can easily see my dad imagining himself in a 200-year-old farm house in Provence drinking all the delicious French wine. My dad and I have a lot in common, but our appreciation for a good bottle of wine is one of my favorites!
5 Books That My Dad Recommends (In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
From the publisher:
In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January's frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing through the middle of town, and delights in the glorious regional cuisine. A Year in Provence transports us into all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life and lets us live vicariously at a tempo governed by seasons, not by days.
4. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
HBL Note: To be honest, I can't remember if I've read this one or just saw the movie. Either way, it is a great story (and very similar to A Year in Provence, now that I think about it!) The movie came out in 2003, I was in high school and I was a BIG dreamer. I couldn't imagine anything more exciting than moving to Italy, restoring an old villa, and finding a handsome Italian lover. I think this book/movie inspired my love for old architecture which is still very much a part of my passions today.
5 Books That My Dad Recommends (In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
From the publisher:
Twenty years ago, Frances Mayes--widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer--introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned villa called Bramasole in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. Under the Tuscan inspired generations to embark on their own journeys--whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book's dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes's signature evocative, sensory language. Now, with a new afterword from the Bard of Tuscany herself, the 20th anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun brings us up-to-date with the book's most beloved characters.
5. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
HBL Note: My family loves watching Anthony Bourdain's show - from No Reservations to Parts Unknown. He is a master storyteller - my favorite part of each show is the monologue at the beginning where he sets the scene. He has a beautiful way with words, so it is no surprise that he's written a number of best selling books. I even had the opportunity to see him live with Eric Ripert - a great show if you ever get a chance to see them together! He can be abrasive but I would trust him 100% with travel and food recommendations.
Update: I wrote this post just a few days before Bourdain's tragic death. I am saddened by this loss and the suffering he endured. If you need help: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. I leave you with these words of wisdom:
“If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.”
and
“Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom... is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.”
5 Books That My Dad Recommends (In Celebration Of Father's Day!)
From the publisher:
Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bourdain calls "twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine."
Last summer, The New Yorker published Chef Bourdain's shocking, "Don't Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no one's appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller
