The Lost Art of Listening by Michael P. Nichols

The Lost Art of Listening by Michael P. Nichols

The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships

by Michael P. Nichols

Why do we often feel cut off when speaking to the people closest to us family members, friends, or colleagues? What is it that keeps so many of us from really listening? Michael P. Nichols answers these questions and more in this thoughtful, witty, and helpful look at the reasons people don’t hear one another. His book, a guide to the secrets of listening and being listened to, is filled with vivid examples that clearly demonstrate easy-to-learn techniques for becoming a better listener. He also illustrates how empathic listening enables us to break through misunderstandings and conflict and to transform our personal and professional relationships.

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story

by Josh Sundquist

A bright, poignant, and deeply funny autobiographical account of coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor, from Josh Sundquist: Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star, and motivational speaker.

Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend.
For twenty-three hours.
In eighth grade.

Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong?

The results of Josh’s semiscientific, wholly hilarious investigation are captured here. From a disastrous Putt-Putt date involving a backward prosthetic foot, to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing), to a misguided “grand gesture” at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love–or at least a girlfriend–in all the wrong places.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

by Steven Pressfield

Library Book Club meeting for this book was held May 19, 2016.

The Art of War meets “The Artist’s Way” in this no-nonsense, profoundly inspiring guide to overcoming creative blocks of every kind.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★★ and said, “This is a small but powerful little book! It was really something I could related to right now, with its focus on the power of resistance. It provides a lot of nuggets of wisdom that I’ll be thinking about for a while. This is a great read for anyone involved in creative endeavors, and can be applied to pretty much any new venture in life. A Must Read!”

Cathy rated it ★★★★★ and said, “Just as good the fourth time through.”

Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam

Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam

Rocket Boys

by Homer Hickam

Library Book Club meeting for this book was held July 21, 2016.

The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspired the film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir—a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn of the 1960s, of a mother’s love and a father’s fears, of a group of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outer space . . . and who made those dreams come true.

With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickam paints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia mining town of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, when anything was possible, even in a company town that swallowed its men alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and getting out, Homer Hickam’s lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle of triumph—at once exquisitely written and marvelously entertaining.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Cathy rated it ★★★★.