My deployment library

Just like last deployment, I ended up bringing a nice little collection of books to help pass the time and in an attempt to catch up on some reading that I wasn't able to accomplish while at home. Not that I don't get a chance to read back home, I do, I just tend to be a slightly slow reader mainly because most of reading is done at night and can usually only read a page or two before my eyes can no longer stay open. Thus, it takes me awhile to make it through a book and I have racked up quite a few library fines in the process. So, here's a little preview of what I have read/will be reading during the upcoming months.

I apologize for the pictures on some of these books; some of them had dust jackets (I think that's the proper term) which I ended up leaving at home. The first one here is "The Carrot Principle" which was actually a book I was supposed to read for my master's class last year but only got about a quarter of the way through. It talks about how recognition can and should be used in the work place as a employee motivation tool....something that I noticed the Air Force does a poor job of as I read through it. I just completed this one although I had a head start on it back home.

I have also completed "Pujols" thanks to a nearly 24 hour trek to get over here and lack of in-flight entertainment. It's kind of like a biography, but I could consider it to be more of a testimonial about his upbringing and faith. I thought it was an interesting read and I learned quite a bit about "The Machine" that I didn't know. 

Of course, if I read a book about the greatest Cardinal in recent memory, I have to get a book dedicated to the greatest Cardinal player ever, Stan 'The Man' Musial (definitely not a knock against Pujols, but I think Stan will always be the emeritus #1 in all Cardinal fans' minds). This is the first of the books I haven't read, so stay tuned for a review in the future. 

In an attempt to learn a little more about some of the Civil War battles that I haven't read before, I got this book, "Chancellorsville," by Stephen Sears who also wrote "Landscape Turned Red" that I read last year. He's a really good author, very thorough and descriptive, so I anticipate this book taking some time to read. Maybe I'll save this one for last in hopes that I can read it on the return trip home.

"The Southwest Way" is probably the nerdiest of the books I got. Since I took my first industrial engineering class and had to read "Built to Last" by Jim Collins, I've been intrigued by the business and management related books. I feel there's a lot that the military can learn from the civilian side of business and it should help with any follow-on masters' classes that I take. 

The final book and the one I'm currently reading is "His Excellency" which talks about George Washington. I'm rather ashamed of my lack of knowledge about the founding of our country and the men who helped form it, so George Washington seems to be the perfect place to start. It's been really interesting so far. Joseph Ellis has done a good job of keeping a very unbiased perspective of George Washington. More to follow in the near future once I finish reading this one.