It's that time of year again - to fall back to reading, so I've launched a repeat of my first series with that title and invited a dozen thought leaders to answer six questions about reading, books, and marketing. Join me every Monday during October, November, and December - ending on December 15th and with a series recap on December 21st.
Today's featured series participant is Jen Carroll, a fellow member of the "Leaders Who Fiction" virtual book club. Co-founder of The Dames Marketing & PR firm in Canton, Ohio, Jen amplifies what a business is already doing well and opens up new pathways to desired audiences. She helps small-to-medium businesses achieve cohesive marketing communications plans, campaigns, and messaging; brand authority that competes with larger competitors; and visibility in the attention economy and age of artificial intelligence. Her core areas of expertise include: customer-centric brand voice and positioning; integrated marketing communications strategy; media and influencer outreach; sales enablement materials that convert; and content strategy optimized for human audiences and AI. Jen's other hat is as the "founder and member of the same book club for 20+ years, an avid hiker, and passionate homecook...And she's always eager to discuss women's issues, the impact of AI on our society, or the merits of a great historical novel."
QUESTION: Why did you choose the last book you read?
JEN CARROLL: "The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-year-old Man" by David Von Drehle recently caught my eye while passing through the history section at a Barnes & Noble. Standing at the table for a few minutes, I thumbed through the book, my interest immediately sparked. I borrowed the e-book version via my local library's Libby subscription and finished this short, compelling read in a little over a week.
QUESTION: Have you ever chosen a book because you were drawn to the cover design? If yes, what was the book, and what attracted you to the cover?
JEN CARROLL: In a busy book store, completely surrounded by vibrant colors, the cover of "The Book of Charlie" immediately drew me in with its simple, clean design. Of course, it was sitting on the table, which helped grab my attention.
QUESTION: Have you ever chosen a book because of its title? If yes, what was the book, and what drew you to the title?
JEN CARROLL: My upper elementary years often meant walking next door to the public library after school to wait for my parents to pick me up. Wandering the adult book aisles became a favorite pastime (my reading level was beyond the children's section by then), scanning title after title to see what caught my eye. Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series still fascinated me at the time, and, one day, while walking the book aisles, the title "A Lantern in Her Hand" by Bess Streeter Aldrich stood out as a historical novel. After pulling it off the shelf and seeing a covered wagon on the cover, the book immediately felt perfect for me. I re-read it at least twice.
As an adult, I know many books about the American West were romanticized. Ironically, I'm currently reading "Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder" by Caroline Fraser, which depicts the realities of pioneer poverty and Native American removal in the context of politics and society of the time.
QUESTION: Have you ever finished reading a book, been disappointed by the ending, and thought you could have written a better ending? If yes, what was the book, and how would you have ended it?
JEN CARROLL: Typically, I set aside books that don't quickly capture my interest because my TBR list is very long. However, my commitment to the book club I started in 1997 means occasionally finishing a novel that doesn't fully satisfy. "The Girls with No Names" by Serena Burdick was a recent example. Despite an informative historical context, the author wove in too many socioeconomic threads, leading to a plot that felt contrived.
The book, and particularly its conclusion, would likely have been more impactful had the narrative been solely dedicated to the character Mable's compelling journey. A marginalized female in a home for "fallen women" in 19th-century New York City, Mable could still have made a hard-won escape but faced a more realistic and uncertain future in an era when such women were especially vulnerable. She could have revealed her secrets as a form of internal redemption and helped others in similar circumstances. She could have created a surrogate family in the home, or her story could have ended in tragedy, which probably would have been more convincing.
QUESTION: Is there a social media account, a national book publisher, or book club you follow for reading recommendations?
JEN CARROLL: For non-fiction books, I tune into the Ezra Klein Show podcast on the regular. He asks every guest to recommend three books to the audience, and many of those have found their way onto my TBR list. My fiction selections are most often recommended by friends or through the two book clubs I am part of. Shout out to Leaders Who Fiction, of course!
QUESTION: What book should everyone read, and why?
JEN CARROLL: I recommend "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman, an Ezra Klein Show recommendation. Burkeman's book pushes back on all the empty time management advice I've ever been given. Thank God! It's a wake-up call to confront and embrace mortality and find meaning in the few short weeks we have in life. He encourages readers to reassess their relationship to time and to reclaim it for themselves. For me, "Four Thousand Weeks" was a continuation of other paradigm-shifting books I've loved: "Saving Time" by Jenny Odell, "Bittersweet" by Susan Cain, and "The Myth of Closure" by Pauline Boss.
My gratitude to Jen for sharing her insights and for being a part of my fall back to reading series. Until next week, happy reading!
Image Credit: Amazon.
Check out the Forbes review of THE BOOK OF CHARLIE:
Connect with Jen at these links:
Website: https://www.damesmarketing.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-dames-marketing/
and
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlcarroll
Check out the website for the "Leaders Who Fiction" virtual book club:
https://www.leaderswhofiction.com/upcoming-books
