"Collision" by Michael Phillip Cash

A while ago, I received a different book written by Michael Phillip Cash that I hated.  However, this book I thoroughly enjoyed.  In this book, Cash has impressed me with the talent I knew he had.  This science-fiction fantasy novel has a star wars feeling and is about opposing kingdoms, good and evil.  There is romance, but it is not graphic (compared to some of his other books).  In this book, readers understand who likes who but do not feel like they are reading a trashy book.  Aliens fill this book, as distant planets and species interact.  There is religion in the book as characters vie for their own spirituality.  Forces of good are seen as mysterious at times and vocal at other times.  The forces of evil are scary but not so much that the reader will have nightmares or want to put the book down.  There is a sense of paganism / animism in the book, but the reader does not feel preached to or overwhelmed.  It comes off more as just context and part of the story.  There are plenty of words the author made up, many of which are hard to pronounce.  However, even with all the characters' alien names, the book is not too hard to follow along with.  Something I enjoyed was how the chapters alternated between voices.  In other words, one chapter would be narrated by one character, and another chapter would be narrated by another character, and so on.  This is not an easy thing to pull of literary, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This is book 2 in a series.  I did not read book 1, but I was not at all confused in reading this.  This is also a difficult thing to pull off in any sort of series edition of books.  On another note, I liked how the print was nice and big.  I did not have to put my glasses on or strain to read the words.  It was a nice size for leisurely reading.  As for the ending of the book, I won't give it away, but it was unexpected and made me excited for the next book. 

"Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office" by Lois P. Frankel, PhD

Full of tips of stories, this book explains to women the many pitfalls and strategies that affect their career.  What I enjoyed is that there were not just mistakes but also advice for how to work on said mistakes.  While there are chapters, the bulk of the book is broken up into 101 sections that are very short.  One page discusses the mistake with a story from real women.  The next page discusses tips for how to overcome this mistake.  With this layout, not only does the book get straight to the point, but it is also incredibly readable for all those women who work long hours and don't have the time to read long psychological dissertations that span hundreds of pages.  I read this book through a book club at my corporation and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I realized there were some mistakes I was making, and--along with Frankel's tips--I am working on correcting them.  

"The Introverted Leader" by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD

I had the privilege of hearing the author speak in person at a professional development seminar.  She is definitely knowledgeable on introversion and business acumen.  So, when I started to read her book, I knew there was meaningful advice in it from a real expert.  This book has tips of meetings, sales calls, career-planning, mentoring, and so much more.  There are plenty of places where the reader is prompted to write out their thoughts and goals, too, which is nice.  The author expresses what she calls her 4 P's.  These are Presence, Practice, Prepare, and Push.  These are explained in more detail in the book.  They give readers a quick and easy way to remember how to be successful.  I also want to point out that--unlike some self-help business books--readers do not feel like they are being yelled at.