Read a good book lately?

Who doesn’t love a good book, especially around the holidays? As 2010 comes to a close, we’ve pulled together a sampling of some of our team members’ favorite finds in literature. You’ll see a wide range of genres (and publishing dates) that include a few professional books and some just for fun. As one BR’er put it, “Don’t we read enough professional content while we’re at work being professionals?”

Whether you’re reading a hardcover, paperback or digital version, we hope you find value in our recommendations and enjoy getting to know a little bit more about a few of our associates. Here are our 10 top reads of 2010 followed by short summaries.

• “All My Friends Are Dead” by Avery Monsen and Jory John
• “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House” by John Meacham
• “I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson
• “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova
• “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” by Stieg Larsson
• “The Grass Harp” by Truman Capote
• “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
• “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” by David Meerman Scott
• “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
• “What is the What” by Dave Eggers

“All My Friends Are Dead” - Whether you’re a dinosaur or a dodo whose friends are all extinct, a gallon of milk whose friends expired last Tuesday or a tree whose friends have been converted to end tables, there are certain sad, yet undeniable, truths in life. This children’s book for adults – that is at once cute and wry – helps us accept them through plain language, simple illustrations and laugh-out-loud humor. (Well, it made me laugh out loud.) A GIF of the first dozen pages of the book became the most re-blogged item on Tumblr of all time. – Aimee Buck, Senior Account Executive – Account Management

“American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House” – I think most people tend to overlook Jackson when talking about the most influential presidents ever. His presidency probably defined the office more than any other, and this book goes through the reasons why. – Luke Kujath, Senior Account Executive - Public Relations

“I, Alex Cross” - Patterson writes a series of books about D.C. cop and forensic profiler Dr. Alex Cross, this is his latest in the series. I pride myself on being able to figure out how these books end and the ‘who did it’ of it all, but Patterson continues to surprise me. In this book, Cross is hunting down a serial killer – his niece was one of the victims. With his girlfriend’s help, also a detective, they learn a lot about the secret lives of some of D.C.’s most elite members. As always, lots of twists and turns, but I also like that the book focuses on his family life and relationships as well. – Elizabeth Bergum, Senior Account Executive - Public Relations

“Still Alice” - It’s a book that just sticks with you. I still think about it. This Harvard psychology professor is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. The story is told from her point of view. The book takes you through the progression of the disease and changes your view about how you judge or quantify the value of your life. – Alane Saphner, Senior Account Executive - Public Relations

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” - The third in the Millennium trilogy that follows a hacker who helps a journalist uncover conspiracy in the Swedish government. The trilogy is extremely interesting because the books were meant to be a series of 10, but the author died after completing only three. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie versions! – Andrea Boylard, Account Executive - Public Relations

“The Grass Harp” - This was a re-read of an old sentimental favorite for me. Truman Capote is one of my favorite authors, and this book and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” are both books I could read a hundred times. His writing style is so pure and simple, and yet so evocative. A good book to read at the beginning of summer. – Sarah Kmet-Hunt, Associate Creative Director

“The Help” - As summed up by John Searles of the NBC’s “Today” show, “This book was sitting on my desk and everyone kept coming in and when they’d see it they’d gush about it, ‘I love this book.’ So I brought it home and it didn’t disappoint. It’s very much a book like you would imagine Oprah would pick for her book club. Set in the early sixties, it’s about female friendship and race relations and it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.” – Amanda Powell, Senior Account Executive – Public Relations

“The New Rules of Marketing and PR” - This book was hands-down the best of any genre I read in 2010, because it explains with great examples how to use social media, blogs, video and other tactics to reach target audiences. The author inspired me to launch my own blog, and in fact, he himself has visited and provided feedback and complimented me on it, which was professionally pretty cool. – Gregg Voss, Senior Account Executive – Public Relations

“Water for Elephants” - I had this on my bookshelf for ages before reading it; I wasn’t convinced even though so many people were raving about it. But once I started it, I was hooked. A great story and the elephant turns out to be an amazingly poignant character in the book. – Sarah Kmet-Hunt, Associate Creative Director

“What is the What” - The autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, a Lost Boy who was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the of seven. Deng details stories of trekking hundreds of miles by foot, escaping militias, terrorists and wild animals, then crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom and eventually the “equally daunting” task of fitting-in in America. Surprisingly funny and extremely inspirational, you’ll find it hard to complain about anything after reading this book. – Rick Stoner, Account Executive – Public Relations     

Bonus list
When we solicited favorite books of 2010 the response was overwhelming. Guess we’re a fairly well-read bunch. Here are a few extra page-turners that weren’t featured in the main list.

• “Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany” by Stephen Ambrose


• “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larsen


• “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott


• “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro


• “Out” by Natsuo Kirino


• “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay


• “Scarpetta Factor” by Patricia Cornwell


• “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” by Al Ries and Laura Ries


• “The Bad Girl” by Mario Vargas Llosa


• “The Brand Gap” by Marty Neumeier


• “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow


• “The Lace Reader” by Brunonia Barry


• “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel


• “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon


• “The Tender Bar” by J.R. Moehringer


• “Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents” by Jane Isay


• “White Teeth” by Zadie Smith


• “ZAG” by Marty Neumeier