Bookmarked: Trustees of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust share their favorite books
JIM BRUNER
RECOMMENDS
“Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West — One Meal at a Time” by Stephen Fried
HIS TAKE
“Harvey, born in England, came to America as a teenager, settling in lower Manhattan and working as a dishwasher. His story begins there, but his creativity and hard work led him to working with railroads and opening up the West with his Harvey Girls and passion for good food and service. All this led to stops in Arizona, ending at the Grand Canyon. If you admire the ingenuity of an individual and love the Southwest, you will not be disappointed.”
JOSÉ CÁRDENAS
RECOMMENDS
“Loud and Clear” and “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir of a Woman’s Life” by Anna Quindlen
HIS TAKE
“Two of my favorite books are Anna Quindlen’s collection of columns, ‘Loud and Clear,’ and short essays, ‘Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.’ Using what one reviewer called ‘her twinkling aphorisms, her gentle homespun humor,’ she writes beautifully and powerfully about events big and small, about mortality, children, friendships, intimate relationships, in short, living.”
PAUL CRITCHFIELD
RECOMMENDS
“No Excuses! The Power of Self-Discipline” by Brian Tracy
HIS TAKE
“How many of us utilize our own self-discipline in all phases of our life? For example, choosing the right career and/or choosing to leave that career for a better chance to improve your leadership skills. Self-discipline is a skill you can use every day in a myriad of enhancing life opportunities. Do it today!”
LAURA GRAFMAN
RECOMMENDS
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
HER TAKE
“This exceptionally poignant coming-of-age story focuses on a young woman, Kya, who lives and grows up, alone, in a broken-down shack in the Swamplands of the North Carolina Coast. The time period is the 1950s and 1960s. There are no locks on her doors and no windows, stove or real refrigerator. Everything she needs to do to make a life for herself leads quickly to the fact that she needs to learn to read. And, she doesn’t intend to go to school again! There is so much to her story, including romance, mystery and murder. This beautifully written book encourages readers to be strong and courageous, that they can put up with just about anything life throws at them.”
SHARON HARPER
RECOMMENDS
“Character Is Destiny” by John McCain and Mark Salter
HER TAKE
“It is truly character that defines everything about a person. This is a book of heroism and about many leaders through the course of history who believed their values were the power that directed their lives. These are stories of celebrated historical figures and lesser-known heroes whose values exemplify the best of the human spirit. Triumph against the odds, righteousness in the face of iniquity, hope in adversity — a book of inspiration and guidance every day.”
JUDY JOLLEY MOHRAZ
RECOMMENDS
“Devotions” by Mary Oliver
HER TAKE
“If you are looking for beauty and hope in the world around us, Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Devotions’ is my choice. This compilation of Oliver’s poems reminds us that if we open our eyes and our hearts we will find joy as well as loss in the natural world. (And for dog lovers, the poems about her beloved dogs will be special treasures.)”
STEVE ZABILSKI
RECOMMENDS
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
HIS TAKE
“It is the story of a Russian aristocrat in the early 1920s who is arrested and confined to a hotel attic for 30 years. Full of beauty, wisdom and insight, it contains a passage that is among my favorites:
‘To sleep until noon and have someone bring you your breakfast on a tray. To cancel an appointment at the very last minute. To keep a carriage waiting at the door of one party, so that at a moment’s notice it can whisk you away to another. To sidestep marriage in your youth and put off having children altogether. These are the greatest conveniences — and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.’”
