Based on his famous lecture as part of Carnegie Mellon’s Last Lecture series, Randy Pausch’s book expounds on the lessons he presented at that lecture.  I suppose this amounts to a  life lessons book or even a self help book, and though I found it to be a bit longer than necessary (I couldn’t skim it because I listened to it on tape), it was inspiring and interesting.  Dying of pancreatic cancer, he offers his readers the many lessons he lived by which allowed him to remain both positive and realistic through his illness, but he also offers those lessons he lived by long before he knew he had a terminal disease.  I’ve excerpted a few that I would like my students to hear (the importance of hand written thank you notes and the power of persistence, especially when applying to college or grad school), and I will keep many of the lessons in mind as I go about my life.  I’d like to think that I already live by a number of them.  A good read, even if you prefer to skim.  Better yet, just listen to the lecture on You Tube and get the condensed version.  Inspiring.  (non-fiction)