Executive Times

Volume 5, Issue 12

December, 2003

ã 2003 Hopkins and Company, LLC

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Thanks

Thanks to revenue from Executive Times subscriptions, buyers of books through our amazon.com links, and clients of Hopkins & Company, we’ve continued our annual practice of making a donation to a not-for-profit organization as a special holiday thanks to our clients and friends. This year’s donation was 33% higher than last year’s, and was made to the House of the Good Shepherd, a program that helps women and children break the cycle of domestic violence through participation in an intensive three-month residential program. If you’d like to join us in supporting this fine organization, we’ve enclosed an envelope for that purpose, or you can send your contribution to:

House of the Good Shepherd

P.O. Box 13453

Chicago, IL 60613

You can also check out this organization on www.guidestar.org, under “Sisters of the Good Shepherd-Chicago.” Guidestar is a national database of nonprofit organizations. The December 1 issue of Business Week lists America’s top 100 philanthropists, as well as a new ranking of corporate donors. You can view the cover story at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/03_48/B38600348giving.htm.

This month we present our annual book issue, which many readers use to purchase holiday gifts through our online links to amazon.com. (Another gift idea is a subscription to Executive Times.) Fifteen new books are rated in this issue. We read, reviewed and listed a total of 180 books in Executive Times during 2003. We recap in this issue the best and worst books we read this year. We also include a section listing some of the books we look forward to reading in 2004.

This is also the time of year when we update our Shelf of Reproach: the books we feel a little guilty for not reading. A new addition for 2003 has been the Shelf of Ennui: those books we touched, but never finished for various reasons and feel the slightest bit guilty for taking a pass.

For space reasons, pictures of book jackets are eliminated from the print version of Executive Times. To follow all links, and see the version with jacket pictures, visit the web version located at: http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/archive/archive1203.htm.

You can also visit our 2003 bookshelf at http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/bookshelf.html and see the rating table explained as well as explore links to all 2003 book reviews. Happy Holidays!

Latest Books Read and Reviewed

Review Link	Author	Rating	Review Summary	Purchase
Every Second Counts	Armstrong, Lance	•••	Discomfort. How do you spend your time? Tour de France champion and cancer survivor provides dozens of stories that reinforce the reality that every second brings us closer to or further away from our goals.
It Was Today	Codrescu, Andrei	••	Dreams. Poets use words and images to show us who we are and where we are heading. This collection does that well, whether we like the images or not.
The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home	Colt, George Howe	••	Twits. Fine writing about a Boston Brahmin family’s 100-year attachment to a Cape Cod summer home that they almost sell outside the family because of neglect and cluelessness.
I Am What I Ate … and I’m Frightened!! : And Other Digressions from the Doctor of Comedy	Cosby, Bill	••	Yummy. Savor a funny exploration of the joys and sorrows of eating, especially everything that’s not good for you. Readers can almost hear Cosby’s voice and pacing of the text.
Cooking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America	Culinary Institute of America	•	Bland. Interesting photos and clear descriptions of basic cooking methods that may be helpful for kitchen novices. Boring recipes lead readers to want to eat out.
A Travel Guide to Heaven	DeStefano, Anthony	•••	Cute. Upbeat and comforting view of life in heaven, especially for those who have recently lost loved ones. Even included our image: “,,, reading a really good book by the fireside with a hot cup of tea nearby…”
Train	Dexter, Pete	••••	Raw. Superb writing about dimensions of pain and the struggles of relationships. Spare writing style keeps readers happily glued to every page.
Bleachers	Grisham, John	•	Heroes. Success at high school football isn’t what life is all about. The players and coaches who achieve that success don’t merit hero status. If for some reason you’re interested in that or if you like Grisham’s writing, this book’s for you.
Our Lady of the Forest	Guterson, David	•	Dense. Lazy writer overplays guilt and scene, but fails to get enough details right to allow a willing suspension of disbelief.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America	Larson, Erik	•••	Monumental. Brings alive the creation of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (the White City) by the architects who made it happen, and unravels how a grizzly serial killer (The Devil) preyed on vulnerable fairgoers.
Stone Cold	Parker, Robert B.	•••	Serial. Fourth installment in Jesse Stone mysteries brings serial killers to Paradise, and allows Stone to match wits with smart criminals. Great dialogue, as usual.
Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11	Posner, Gerald, L.	•••	Infighting. Exploration of twenty years of fumbled investigations and misplaced priorities leads to one conclusion: 9/11 did not need to happen.
A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America	Steinfels, Peter	•••	Turbulence. A readable and insightful exploration of recent decades of change for the Catholic Church, the impact of the sexual abuse scandals, and what’s likely to happen next.
Ultimate Punishment: A Lawyer’s Reflections on Dealing with the Death Penalty	Turow, Scott	•••	Evolution. Novelist and lawyer shares his real life struggle over his position on the death penalty. Read and watch your thinking evolve with his.
Heavenly Days	Wilcox, James	••	Charm. Life in Tula Springs presents encounters with real characters and some prolonged chuckling at their relationship foibles. Some serious brushes with racial and religious tolerance.

Best Books of 2003

Review Link	Author	Rating	Issue	Review Summary	Purchase
Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value	George, Bill	•••••	Oct 03	Journey. Outstanding book by former Medtronic CEO, who “gets it.” There are five dimensions to being an authentic leader: understanding why you want to lead, practicing solid values, leading with a heart, establishing connected relationships, and showing self-discipline. Read this book now.
Oryx and Crake	Atwood, Margaret	••••	June 03	Tomorrow. Finely crafted novel of what our world could become as we experience the missteps of genetic experiments, corporate imperialism, the values of games and media, and the ability of one person to make all the difference.
A Short History of Nearly Everything	Bryson, Bill	••••	Aug 03	Connections. Bryson’s wit and basic questions grabs our attention and holds it as the answers lead to more questions about astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology, and physics.
Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman	Buchan, Elizabeth	••••	Apr 03	Sweet. Rose’s assistant takes her husband and her job in the same week. Through Buchan’s wit, grace, charm, poignancy, and very fine writing, readers enjoy Rose’s gradual transformation through the stages of grief and into a new life.
The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers: The Guide for Achieving Success and Satisfaction	Citrin, James M.	••••	Oct 03	Provocative. No matter what degree of success or satisfaction you’ve achieved in your career, you’ll find something to think about when you read this insightful book based on analysis of successful executives.
Train	Dexter, Pete	••••	Dec 03	Raw. Superb writing about dimensions of pain and the struggles of relationships. Spare writing style keeps readers happily glued to every page.
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround	Gerstner, Louis V.	••••	May 03	Fandango. Former head of IBM discloses why he took the job, how key decisions were made, and what it took to transform the organization. Well written, insightful, with some “aha” moments for long-time IBM watchers.
Liars and Saints	Meloy, Maile