Reading good books is a resolution worth keeping

If you would have asked me as a kid my favorite subject in school, I definitely would not have said reading.

Getting glasses around the first grade made reading more manageable; nevertheless, I was not one to sit down and enjoy it. That is until my parents bought me a subscription to Baseball Weekly.

I was, and continue to be, a huge baseball fan. I watched it on TV, played on teams, threw a ball against the house to practice. You name it, I likely tried it when it came to baseball. My parents knew my passion for the game and lack of interest in reading, and they thought a subscription to the baseball publication would get me started. Maybe that would lead to future topics. Later on, my reading moved to the Southeast Missourian sports pages. I�d wake up in the morning, ask mom for the sports section and give her the rest of the paper. She was happy to oblige and encouraged this daily habit.

Today I make a living, in part, by reading. It�s ironic that something I previously did not enjoy plays an important role in my career. And it�s something I do enjoy.

You�ll hear leadership experts say that leaders are readers. To that end, in addition to this newspaper and baseball books, I read other publications and nonfiction. A good book is worth the investment. Here are a few of the dozen or so books I invested time into reading in 2017.

4. �It�s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture� by Dee Ann Turner. Written by the vice president of corporate talent for Chick-fil-A, this book gives readers a look inside the chicken empire. Chick-fil-A is a fantastic restaurant when it comes to good food at a reasonable price, but the fast food chain is widely considered a great culture company with top-notch customer service highlighted by a simple response to customers: �It�s my pleasure.� They also close their doors on Sundays so employees can spend time with family and attend church services. If you love the restaurant and want to learn how to bring outstanding customer service to your workplace, check out the book. Fellow author and speaker Patrick Lencioni summed it up with his review: �This is one of those rare books that contains such deceptively simple wisdom that you�ll wonder, �Why doesn�t every company do this?��

3. No. 3 on this list is a series by talk-radio show host and Cape Girardeau native Rush Limbaugh and his wife, Kathryn Adams Limbaugh. Limbaugh, as you might expect, is the lead character in the books. But it�s not Rush Limbaugh. It�s Rush Revere, a tribute to early American patriot Paul Revere.

So far I�ve made in through the first two books: �Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans� and �Rush Revere and the First Patriots: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans.�

Yes, it�s a children�s series. But adults will find the tales inspiring and engaging.

Rush Revere, a history teacher, teaches students at Manchester Middle School. But this is not an ordinary history class. Revere, and his talking horse, Liberty, take students through a time portal where they learn firsthand about exceptional Americans.

This is some of Rush Limbaugh�s best work, sharing important lessons about exceptional Americans from history and mixing in tales of fun and adventure. Whether you�re 8 or 80 years of age, these are good reads with solid information.

2. �42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story.� Written by Fox News reporter Ed Henry, �42 Faith� looks at Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey and God. Faith played a seminal role for Robinson and Rickey. The book recalls stories of the two, but also insights through sermons, firsthand interviews conducted by the author and Robinson�s unpublished book. You�ll finish this book with even more respect for Robinson and Rickey, what they dealt with in breaking the color barrier in professional baseball, and how faith in God gave them strength and courage.

1. �Between Heaven and the Real World� by Steven Curtis Chapman. When you think of contemporary Christian music, the name Steven Curtis Chapman is likely high on the list. The Paducah, Kentucky, native is noted for classic Christian anthems such as �The Great Adventure� and �Cinderella.� Christian music listeners likely know the challenges the Chapman family faced, including the death of their adopted daughter, Maria. But this book dives deeper into how Chapman entered Christian music, his wife�s battle with depression, how the family grieved the loss of Maria, and the joy of adoption. If you want an inspiring book, this is a good one.

Of course my real No. 1 book is the Bible. There are many great options to help you read the Scripture in a year, whether in print or through an app. My preference in the YouVersion Bible app.

It�s not too late to make a resolution to read this year � both on these pages and others. If you currently are not reading a book, hopefully these suggestions pique your interest.

Lucas Presson is the assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian.