Meredith's Recommended Books: July » Living Life with Meredith

July’s Recommended Books are here! How has it been 6 months of Meredith’s Recommended Book Club?! I can’t believe August is here but let me tell you, July was a FULL month of reading for me.

We went on vacation which automatically means a ton of books. I read 5 books during my trip & there were so many good books! A few YA novels & a couple regular novels were a part of my vacation/beach-read selection. I chose my favorite non-YA novel to share with you today.

All of these pictures were taken on the beach. It was so fun to mix it up & have a different background!

Alright…here we go!

July’s Recommended Books are…

July’s Recommended Book #1:

The Heart of Leadership by Mark Miller

Here’s the summary:

“Are you the type of leader people want to follow? You can be—but first, you’ve got to understand what sets great leaders apart from all the rest.

Certainly, leaders need people skills, execution skills, a deep knowledge of industry trends, the ability to articulate a vision, and more—they must be competent—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What’s below the waterline? What’s deep inside the best leaders that makes them different?

Mark Miller contends it is their leadership character. In his latest enlightening and entertaining business fable, he describes the five unique character traits exhibited by exceptional leaders and how to cultivate them.

The Heart of Leadership begins with young and ambitious Blake Brown being passed over for a desperately wanted promotion, despite an outstanding individual performance. Confused and frustrated, he turns to his former mentor, Debbie Brewster. Rather than attempting to solve Blake’s problem for him, she sends him on a quest to meet with five of his late father’s colleagues, each of whom holds a piece of the puzzle he’s trying to solve.

This book shows us that leadership needn’t be the purview of the few—it is within reach for millions around the world. The Heart of Leadership is a road map for every person who desires to make a difference in the lives of others and become a leader people want to follow.”

My Thoughts:

This book is the definition of a quick & easy read. I was expecting it to be a little hard to follow or understand but it was actually really easy to grasp the concepts. The Heart of Leadership is set up more as a story rather than a “here’s the 5 concepts, here’s scientific studies backing it up” which I liked. I said that it’s an easy read and it is but don’t expect the conversations to read like fiction style conversations. I definitely knew that this was a non-fiction book and that it wasn’t written by a fiction writer. 🙂 Nothing wrong with that, just wanted to give you a heads up.

I felt like I learned a lot reading this book and I would definitely say that the concepts and principles at the core of leadership can be applied to any and all facets of life. Every human being should this book. It’s useful for your home and personal life as well as in your professional life.

July’s Recommended Book #2:

The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin

Here’s the synopsis:

“It’s 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New York’s East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick for the Midwest, she wonders if she’ll ever make it as a reporter in the big city—and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew.

As Cecily reaches for the phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say, “Don’t do it—you’ll regret it.” Something tells her to listen, and over the next several hours—and shots of tequila—the two forge an unlikely connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship. Moreover, their timing couldn’t be worse—Grant is preparing to quit his job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacles, they can’t seem to say goodbye, and for the first time in her carefully constructed life, Cecily follows her heart instead of her head.

Then Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Fearing the worst, Cecily spots his face on a missing-person poster, and realizes she is not the only one searching for him. Her investigative reporting instincts kick into action as she vows to discover the truth. But the questions pile up fast: How well did she really know Grant? Did he ever really love her? And is it possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be?

The Lies That Bind is a mesmerizing and emotionally resonant exploration of the never-ending search for love and truth—in our relationships, our careers, and deep within our own hearts.”

My Thoughts:

Full disclosure: I’ve read every single one of Emily’s books. We’re pretty much on a first name basis in my house. I love her books, I anticipate her books, mark the release date on my calendar & annoy my family about the release of a new book. I love her books. Did I say that?! For the last four or so books that she’s written, I’ve always read them at the beach. By nothing short of a miracle, I read this one at the beach too! WOOHOO!

Okay so I read this book in under 12 hours. It was that good & I couldn’t put it down. I have to say that this book & the last book she wrote are different from her first 8. It’s hard for me to put my finger on but they just feel different. All We Ever Wanted especially but I felt that way with this one too. Emily doesn’t usually throw me for a loop with her books. I don’t ever recall serious plot twists but let me tell ya, there’s one in this book. Brace yourself. I read that page & I had to stop & tell my mom & sister what was happening so they could share in the shock with me. (Guess they won’t be reading this book. Oops! Haha).

It also somewhat, & I mean somewhat, reminded me of The Light We Lost. Not exactly but there were little snippets where I thought/felt like there were parallels. I loved that book so I’m not mad about that. If you liked that book then I think you would like this one too.