Some of the most interesting books I have read lately:
"Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World" by Ret Gen William H McRaven
If you like military stories, this will be right up your alley. He was a Navy seal and uses the stories of his experiences to teach lessons of being a better person. Short, entertaining read. I still do not make my bed and therefore have not yet changed the world.
"The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For" by David McCullough
A compilation of some of his essays and speeches that has some pretty interesting tidbits. There is a speech or two that seems really strange considering the audience, but mostly they are very entertaining and historically informative.
"Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
If you aren't familiar with him, he's the successor to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. He grew up in South Africa at a time when it was illegal for a white person and a black person to have "relations," much less a child. It is fascinating! It helps that he is a comedian which brings some fun into such a serious topic.
"The Green Mile" by Stephen King
I have managed to avoid reading any Stephen King (blasphemy, I know), mostly because I consider him a horror writer and that isn't my scene. I gave this one a try because I loved the movie. I enjoyed the book and will probably try another one sometime.
"Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult
A novel about a black nurse who runs up against a white supremacist family who do not want her to touch their newborn child, and the fallout when the baby dies.
"The Final Spark" by Richard Paul Evans
The final volume of the "Michael Vey" series about a group of electric children. Fun middle school sci fi series. Sorry it's over.
"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
I think this book has been discussed in a few other threads, but it was very informative and a bit mind-blowing. Encompasses not only the history of mankind as far as physically evolving, but also religion, laws, money, government.
"Origin" by Dan Brown
While this series isn't everyone's cup of tea, I love it because of all the things I learn from it. This book is set mostly in Spain and other nearby countries, and I burned up my phone looking at photos of all the locations mentioned. The underlying mystery is rather interesting as well.
"A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles
A novel of a nobleman who survives the Russian revolution but is confined to house arrest, which in this case is a hotel. It is amazing how much life was lived in one location. I also learned a lot about Russia as well.
"Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly
A novel of three women who lived through World War II. One was an American who worked for the French embassy, one was a girl sent to a concentration camp, and one was a doctor who performed horrible experiments on camp victims. Two of the three women are real people, while the third was a compilation. It's fascinating and horrifying and beautiful.
"Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
I haven't yet seen the movie, but the book was fantastic. It's about a 10-year-old boy who has terrible facial abnormalities and his struggle to fit in.
"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
This has been on my TRL for decades now, and I finally got around to it. It was a bit horrifying, actually, what happens to a group of boys who are stranded on an island. I wish our base natures were not so brutal.
"The Book of Separation: A Memoir" by Tova Mirvis
A woman born and raised Orthodox Jew struggles with doubt and chooses to leave the religion. The book is about that experience and the fallout. Being an Orthodox Jew is not for the faint-hearted, for sure.
