--- title: "FBR Staff Picks: Best Books for 2017" url: https://burnaze.com/article/d67b38b5-09fd-4252-8aa2-400ba81014a2 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/fbr-staff-picks-best-books-for-2017-8728 category: "General" published: 2016-12-21T18:13:55.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T04:12:34.225Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/6898ddc0bef88e0f44df6a5e4188881e3574.jpg --- # FBR Staff Picks: Best Books for 2017 **TL;DR:** 1851 Franchise recommends several books for 2017, including The Lean Startup, Rework, and A Man Called Ove, for innovation, productivity, and inspiration. The recommendations come from various staff members, including Eric Stites, Michelle Rowan, and Emma Pearson. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-12-21. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/fbr-staff-picks-best-books-for-2017-8728).* ## Story ***The Lean Startup*** by Eric Ries Whether you are an actual startup company, a Fortune 500 brand, or somewhere in between, The Lean Startup methods will help you breathe innovation into your organization. **Recommended by:** Eric Stites, CEO and Managing Director ***Rework*** by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson Rework shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business. If you’ve ever dreamed of doing it on your own, this book shows you how to be more productive, how to get exposure, and tons more counterintuitive ideas to inspire and provoke you. **Recommended by:** Michelle Rowan, President and COO ***A Man Called Ove*** by Fredrik Backman After his wife dies, Ove, who’s always been a grump, loses the limited zest for life he had. New neighbors and a fight-scarred street cat, however, lead him to live and love again. It's a great life-affirming read. **Recommended by:** Emma Pearson, Editorial Director ***The Five People You Meet in Heaven*** by Mitch Albom When 83 year-old Eddie dies in a tragic accident and awakens in the afterlife, he discovers that heaven is a place where your earthly life is explained to you by five people. It will change everything you've ever thought about the afterlife--and the meaning of our lives here on earth. **Recommended by:** Linda Lorrey, Client Consultant ***Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania*** by Erik Larson Telling a tale of suspense and glamour, Larson captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history. **Recommended by:** Margot Doering, Accounting ***The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less*** by Barry Schwartz In American culture, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But too many choices can make us question our decisions before we even make them. Through engaging examples, Schwartz explains how and why the array of choice we so value actually leads to stress, anxiety, and decision-making paralysis. **Recommended by:** Ali Forman, B2B Marketing Manager ***The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary*** by Simon Winchester When the compilation of the OED began in 1857, it was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand--ultimately bringing to light a shocking truth: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. **Recommended by:** Michael Kupfer, Online Marketing Manager ***Talking as Fast as I Can*** by Lauren Graham A collection of personal essays and a behind the scenes look from Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham, this is fun read that will keep you laughing. **Recommended by:** Nicole Kenney, Client Services Manager ***The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future*** by Kevin Kelly Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. The larger forces at work will completely revolutionize the way we buy, work, learn, and communicate with each other. By understanding and embracing them, it will be easier for us to arrange our day-to-day relationships with technology in ways that bring forth maximum benefits. **Recommended by:** CJ Fleck, IT Director ***Outliers*** by Malcolm Gladwell Gladwell takes readers on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? **Recommended by**: Carey Fitzgerald, Client Consultant ***The Glass Castle*** by Jeannette Walls Columnist and MSNBC contributor Jeannette Walls’ memoir recounts her dysfunctional upbringing in which she and her siblings were forced to fend for themselves in an Appalachian mining town, and how she created a successful career against the odds. **Recommended by:** Sydney Dionne, Client Consultant ***Fall of Giants*** by Ken Follett Book 1 of the Century Trilogy is an historical epic that begins as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. **Recommended by:** Amy LaLime, Office Manager ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - General (sector) - Fortune (company) - innovation (topic) - Michelle Rowan (person) - Eric Stites (person) - Emma Pearson (person) - productivity (topic) - inspiration (topic) - book recommendations (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/fbr-staff-picks-best-books-for-2017-8728). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/d67b38b5-09fd-4252-8aa2-400ba81014a2).