Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
For generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But today, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. It turns out that at work, most people operate as either takers, matchers, or givers. Whereas takers strive to get as much as possible from others and matchers aim to trade evenly, givers are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without expecting anything in return.
Bartimaeus Sequence by Jonathan Stroud
The Bartimaeus Sequence is made up of four bestselling novels featuring the grumpy, sarcastic and resourceful fourth-level djinni, Bartimaeus. Since the first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, was published in 2003, the series has sold more than 6 million copies in 36 languages worldwide. The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye and Ptolemy’s Gate are set mainly in an alternative present-day London. They follow Bart’s relationships with his young master, Nathaniel, and with Kitty, a fiery member of the Resistance against the magicians.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Allison Bechdel
A fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books.
This breakout book by Alison Bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitch-perfectly illustrated with Bechdel’s sweetly gothic drawings.
The Bletchley Circle (television)
Four women who worked as codebreakers at Bletchley Park have taken up civilian lives. Susan has collated data about a series of murders. She tries to convince the police she knows where another body is, but they are unable to locate it and dismiss her. She turns to her three friends and they work out where the next victim will be taken, find the body, and then decide they are the only ones who can track down the killer.