Peak Careers

Professional Development for Career Practitioners

Book Reviews

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. By Daniel Pink

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Another great deep dive into topics that can help us do better in our lives. Daniel uses lots of research to support “when” to do things. He talks about when our energy is best (it’s a little different for all of use) and most people have a drop in energy in the afternoons. *(Guess what? If you interview late in the afternoon your

chances are diminished in getting the job because the interviewers are not at their best)

He gives tips on how to counter this.

Also, ending a decade is motivational. 49 years old, 59 years old are all times when people will be looking to “end well”. Interestingly this week I am typing up my notes I had a friend who climbed Mt. Katahdin because he never had and wanted to do it before he turned 60.

[Read more…] about When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. By Daniel Pink

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

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Wow! An incredible true tale of a young Italien boy who helped many Jewish people escape Italy to avoid the death camps of Nazi Germany.

The author researched for years after he heard this story and then created a novel based upon the stories from Pino Lilla.

Pino was 17 at the beginning of this story and was put into the most amazing and difficult situations you can imagine. Actually, I can not.

A very brave young man that had some of life’s most miserable things happen to him as he witnessed many of the atrocities of Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

All I can say is, you must read this book.

The Negotiator. By George Mitchell

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The Negotiator: Reflections on an American Life

I would vote for this man. Doesn’t matter what, he has my vote. George Mitchell is one of the most grounded intelligent people I know. I’ve heard him speak a number of times and will go out of my way to listen to him speak. He grew up near me in Waterville Maine and returns often to Colby College to speak.

His ability to tell a story and give you the essence of what went wrong and right is wonderful. This book tells about much of his life from growing up in Maine in the Lebanese community, to the U.S. Senate, his role in major league baseball and Disney, to Northern Ireland’s success and the difficulty in working to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.

Senator Mitchell’s ability to sift through details and complicated issues from varying points of view have made him a great negotiator. But most importantly he is a man who has great integrity and a purpose in life to ‘do the right thing’.

I need to return this book to my friend who loaned it to me, but I am tempted to buy it and keep it on my bookshelf to remind myself how to live life best.

The Couple’s Retirement Puzzle. By Roberta K. Taylor and Dorian Mintzer

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The Couple’s Retirement Puzzle.couple's retirement
10 Must-Have Conversations for Creating an Amazing New Life Together

I have known Dori Mintzer for awhile now and in the fall of 2017 I finally had the pleasure to meet her in person. We were both presenters at a Boomer Conference in Portland Maine. We had a wonderful lunch sitting outdoors enjoying a beautiful fall day.

She gave me this book and signed it for me “Enjoy your journey“.

Dori and Roberta have written a very upbeat, optimistic, practical book for anyone approaching retirement or in retirement now. Their advice is all based upon breaking this time of our lives down into essential parts and then communicating with our partners.

The cornerstone of their advice is communication and at the end of each chapter are prompts to talk through the essential topic of that chapter. First time alone to write and process. And then time together to listen, really listen and understand what your partner is saying and thinking. Then to work on a plan -and compromise – if needed.

It ends with a very practical worksheet “Creating Your Shared Vision” and tons of resources to help anyone move beyond the book.

The book covers topics from; If, when, and how to retire; Money; Changing Roles; Relationships; to Choosing where to live, and more. They break each topic down to the essential parts that should be discussed and examples to help you understand the why behind each.

If you are facing retirement soon and want to know what needs to be thought of and discussed, this is a great book that I highly recommend to you.

Read my blogs on Boomers here

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a monthly newsletter for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

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I’ve Been Thinking…Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life. By Maria Shiver

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I heard an interview with Maria Shiver and was so impressed with her commitment to meditation, mindfulness, and a search for a meaningful life that I had to buy the book. It really has been everything I had hoped for:

  • reason and rationale for mindfulness
  • hope to the future
  • acknowledgment of what is important (family and yourself)
  • advice on how to live a fulfilling life
  • perspective…on so many things
  • finding your purpose and then going for it
  • and so much more.

I loved how each chapter begins with an inspirational quote and ends with a prayer. I am no longer a practicing Catholic but I appreciated that her prayers are to God but also to whatever your higher being is.

If you are looking for something to uplift you and give you hope for the future…read this book.

Realize deeply that this present moment is all you really have.

Eckhart Tolle

On Trails: An Exploration. By Robert Moor

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My good friend and backpacking buddy, Howard, sent me this book right before he clicked off another couple hundred miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I finished it shortly after he got off the trail and we were able to talk about “trails”.

I truly enjoyed this book, written by a person who has obviously done some long-distance backpacking. Having around 1500+ miles of the PCT completed, mostly in 110-125 mile segments, but also one 200 mile stretch, and the original 400-mile backpack. He talks about the ‘meditation of the trail’ which truly resonates with me. I find it so cleansing to walk 100+ miles. I never feel more like myself than on the trail. All the clutter of the world is reduced to walking 15 miles/day, sleeping, eating, repeat.

But this book is more about the trail than the hike. He talks about the trail as following something. That trail was made to go somewhere and if you are on it, you are going where that trail maker wants you to go. His thoughts are developed by hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) and he talks about the community that builds with other long distance hikers. He expected loneliness but found community. Then struggles with the feeling of “freedom” you’d expect with the fact there is no freedom, if you are following a trail that does not give you choices 🙂  Gotta love this guy. A bit of Motorcycle Maintenance in here.

I was fascinated thinking about the fact that many roads we drive on were originally Native American trails that became a horse and buggy trail, then a road for a car. So even when I am driving now, I think of the past and what this “trail” was used for 300 years ago.

Much of this book explores why the AT still ends at Baxter State Park’s Mt. Katahdin, and why the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) heads from there up to Canada AND across to Morocco! Yes, Morocco! Very interesting indeed.

This is a wonderful book for backpackers to read and other to possibly understand us. Have a dictionary nearby, Robert’s vocabulary is inspiring.

PCT - Mt Whitney
Howard, Rees, and I on top of Mt Whitney at the end of a 200 mile backpacking trip in 2012