Reinventing Leadership by Bennis & Townsend

This brief book was on a recommended reading list about leadership. It’s an oldie (1995) but a goodie.

The brief chapters (creating a trusting organization, empowerment, guiding vision, etc.) feature a question posed and then a dialogue between Bennis and Townsend with their insights on the particular topic. At the end of each section are questions to use as dialogue starters and for further self-reflection.

This is the type of leadership book I like, because it mixes the theoritical discussion with practical steps to move you forward as a leader.

Judas Horse by April Smith

This must be sequel week for me – first Certain Girls, and now Judas Horse, which is another chapter in FBI Special Agent Ana Grey’s story. I don’t really see these books as a series, but the publisher markets them that way. Each Ana Grey book stands alone.

Ana is sent deep undercover to infiltrate a radical environmental-terrorism cell outside of Portland, Oregon.

April Smith is a fantastic writer. Ana is a wonderfully flawed character and the stress of being deep undercover and the pull between her fake life as Darcy and the Bureau is palpable.

Quite the satisfying thriller.

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

Ah Jennifer Weiner . . . another one of my favorite authors. I was excited and nervous to read Certain Girls, which picks up the story of Cammie Shapiro, 12 years after we last saw her in Good in Bed. Cannie is now married and dealing with a 12 (almost 13)-year-old daughter, Joy. The family is preparing for Joy’s bat mitzvah. Cannie is now married to Peter (Dr. K from Good in Bed) although we find it wasn’t the smoothest path to marriage.

I was excited because Good in Bed is one of my favorite books, and nervous because lately the sequels I’ve been reading haven’t measured up to the original. This book allayed my fears and is definitely a worthy sequel.

Basically this is the story behind the happy ending we think Cannie is heading towards at the end of Good In Bed.  In the past 12 years, Cannie has written a bestselling book, and dropped out of the public eye to pen sci-fi books under a pseudonym. However, once Joy discovers her mom’s book she has to deal with what’s real and what’s fiction.

Interestingly, the story alternates perspectives from Cannie to Joy. This keeps the story fresh and allows us to see Cannie from a different perspective. All in all it’s a great, fresh read.