As part of our company’s onboarding process, we are invited to connect with new hires at every level of the organization and wherever they may live. Technology of course makes scheduling these calls and having these calls very easy when we are connecting with new remote team members. The other day I had a wonderful call with our newest team member, Adam. What we found that we had in common was a love for reading. And it was a great reminder for me that each year around this time, I publish my reading list and recommendations.

The summertime is always a great way to reacquaint ourselves with reading if we have not been as diligent in our efforts. Vacations and staycations offer us that time to unwind and relax with a good book. For me, depending on what I am reading, a great book transports me to different places, in different times, inspires creativity, and helps me to learn and grow personally and professionally.

I love this quote by S.I. Hayawaka, “It is not true that we only have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of life as we wish.” So spot on.

We all have our different genres of the types of books we enjoy reading. For me, I go through a cycle of five different types of books and then repeat the cycle. I start with a faith-based book, then a history book or biography, then move to a business book, add in a personal development book, and then go to a fictional book. I have found that the diversity in my reading keeps me well-rounded and affords me the opportunity to engage in conversations with people regardless of their own reading preferences. Reading so many different types of books also inspires tremendous creativity.

So here is my current reading list, hopefully one or two may be of interest to you.

Faith-based books: “Mission Possible” by Tim Tebow, “All Things New” by John Eldridge, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” by John Ortberg, “Let the Journey Begin” by Max Lucado, “The Carpenter” by Jon Gordon

History or biography books: “The Forgotten 500” by Gregory A. Freeman, “The Last Stand” by Nathaniel Philbrick, “George Washington’s Secret Six” by Brian Kilmead and Don Yaeger, “The Nine” by Gwen Strauss

Business books: “How to Sell to the Modern Buyer” by David Mattson, “10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times” by Tom Ziglar, “Smart Brevity” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz, “Traction” by Gino Wickman

Personal development books: “The Power of Who” by Bob Beaudine, “The Power of Community” by Howard Partridge, “Becoming a Master Communicator” by Renee Marino, “What Drives You” by Kevin Miller, “Growth with Goals” by Jill Hellwig

Fiction books: “Dark Vector” by Clive Cussler, “Wild Fire” by Nelson DeMille, “The Lion” by Nelson DeMille, “American Assassin” by Vince Flynn, “Transfer of Power” by Vince Flynn

Again, those are just my recent favorites and if you are looking for a good book in a specific genre, hopefully this list helps or inspires you to look at similar titles.

And remember what Mary Schmich says about reading, “Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” It is so true, we can let whatever it is we read to lead us into a new paradigm and bring us into a new place mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Reading broadens our knowledge and leads us to new horizons. And the only thing that we are bound by is our own time and willingness to commit to making the effort to read and read more often.

How about you? What are you reading these days? I always love getting fantastic book recommendations from our community and sharing what we both get out of the reading. I would love to see your list at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can read to learn, grow, imagine and escape it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.