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Taylor University, Upland, IN
Monday, Dec. 23, 2024
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Readeemed

Austin Lindner
By Nichole Parks | Contributor

I get it, the toll of textbooks. I really do. You're speaking with a card-carrying member of the Netflix library. I mean, since Law & Order: SVU dedicates many an episode to social commentary, there's really no need to read a book on the subject. And why check out books when checking out James Lafferty and James Wolk on the screen requires attention without the need for retention?

As it turns out, Zondervan Library has the answer. Not inside on the shelves. But outside etched in huge letters. Basically, it's about how entertainment either belongs to the hour or to all time.

I'm pretty sure I know where an episode of Grey's Anatomy fits.

Next time the internet crashes or you have downtime, here's a list of seven books (in no particular order) that can make your life if you give them the time of day.

1. HATCH! Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer by C. McNair Wilson

Find out how the Tower of Terror came to be and, more importantly, how to facilitate the kind of brainstorming get-together that could lead to similar big ideas. Creativity rules. Negativity drools. By following McNair's 7 Agreements of Brainstorming, kick your next group project up a notch, discover how to wrangle budgets to fit big dreams and be thoroughly entertained by McNair's doodles and anecdotes along the way.

When it comes to problem solving, you won't find a better book. And while you won't want to miss a single story, McNair designed HATCH with chapter summaries for a cram session or refresher.

2. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin

Blink and you'll be graduated and hoping to impress employers. Before you get that far, you'll want to highlight the dickens out of Seth Godin's professional and personal advice on how to become not only an indispensable employee but an indispensable person.

  1. Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Obtaining a debt-free lifestyle, let alone graduating from college without any student loans, sounds like fiction. But it can be fact. It can be your future.

Ramsey pops 10 money myths, shares shrewd stewardship on how to knock out debt and stay debt-free on a zero-based budget. Most of the books on this list are about improving your life, but this one is about changing your legacy.

  1. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Steven Martin has nothing on Mr. Gilbreth, the great efficiency expert. This collection of escapades from the Gilbreth clan are a hilarious treasure trove with family values at the heart.

5. Jesus in the 9 to 5 by Dennis E. Hensley

Being an indispensable employee is one thing. Being an indispensable Christian is another. Why not learn from the best? Dennis E. Hensley tells a modern-day allegory of Jesus in the workforce and how you can follow His business practices.

  1. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Emerson Eggerichs
Regardless of your relationship status, it's complicated. You interact with the opposite sex in some way every day. Communication can quickly become miscommunication. Before you know it, the crazy cycle starts. She's disrespectful to him. He's unloving to her. Bada bing, bada boom, big fight.

Eggerichs' biblical approach cultivates empathy and enriches relationships-romantic or not.

  1. Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Don't take reading so seriously. The comic "Calvin and Hobbes"is the perfect read for in-between classes or weekend relaxation. It represents a perfect balance of deep philosophical questions and childish mirth. And just like my dad did with me, you'll want to share the comic with your family.
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