I had the pleasure recently of attending a reading by Paul Harding, the author of
Tinkers. The book starts with a man on his deathbed in his last days. The story floats back and forth from the man, a tinker, to his father, who was also a tinker. Despite the death scenario, the story is balanced with lighthearted interludes. It's a character driven story, very poetic and rhythmic. Harding was/is a drummer, and his writing has a certain form and rhythm that seems very musical.
I'm also enjoying
Mindset, which proffers the premise that there are two attitudes about learning: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Fixed mindset people say that "you either got it or you don't," or "he's really talented at playing the bass. It comes easily." Growth mindset people always see the possibility for improvement, and often surpass the "naturally talented" in ability. Author Carol Dweck uses examples from quite a few musicians, as well as from business workers/managers, teachers/students, athletes.
In a similar vein, I'd like to give big props to our own Adrian Cho, who has written a fantastic book:
The Jazz Process: Collaboration, Innovation and Agility. Maybe this book has already been discussed here. (Disclaimer: I wrote the foreword, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the book!)
Adrian compares the techniques of high performance musicians, military units, businesspeople and athletes/teams. He distills common characteristics of high-performance teams (like a great jazz band) and describes in detail the characteristics that make the team tick.
