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The NFL's reigning MVP isn't likely to unseat book club queens Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon orJenna Bush Hager anytime soon, but his Aaron Rodgers Book Club is rolling right along.

Each Tuesday during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," the Green Bay Packers quarterback ends his segment by revealing a recommended book. An avidreader, Rodgers told McAfee he started thinking about the idea after Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling asked him for a starter packof recommended reads during training camp.

His inaugural book club pick, "The Alchemist," got a retweet from its author. Rodgers has saidhe's heard from others who have thanked himfor talking about reading.

"We need more people reading and (less) people spending time sitting on their ass watching TV and other bull----," hesaid on the show.

Brown CountyLibrary, which hasnine locations in the greater Green Bay area, has noticed an uptick in interestin the seven titles Rodgers hasrecommended to date, particularly since October, said Susan Lagerman, the library's community engagement manager. Several of the titles are checked out and others have waiting lists, she said.

Rodgers, who told McAfee he has a stack of 30 books he wants to get to, reads mostly nonfiction and leans toward philosophical, spiritual and self-help titles. He plans to choose 18 books through the season.

All proceeds from the saleof Aaron Rodgers Book ClubT-shirts through McAfee's online merchandise store will be donated to a reading advocacy program of Rodgers' choice.

Here's a breakdown of his picks so far:

Recommended on: Oct. 19 (two days after the "I still own you" Packers-Chicago Bears game)

Quick summary: Writtenmore than 2,000 years ago in ancient China, it's the first known study of the planning and conduct of military operations, but its reach extends beyond battlefield maneuvers to business, politics and personal conflicts. Among the classic'sfamed quotes:It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy."

Rodgers' take: "It's a book that I think most great leaders have read at some point ... A lot of great wisdom in here and one-liners that you can use in your life and in press conferences down the road as well and in speeches to your team when you're trying to fire up the boys."

Recommended on: Oct. 12

Quick summary:Chopra, world-renowned as an author and speaker on integrative medicine and personal transformation,teams up with physicist Menas Kafatos to explore questions about time, space, the universe and humans' place in it.

Rodgers' take:He just finished reading the 2017 book and admits it's "a super dense book" with "some crazy concepts." At 288 pages, it's also one of the longer books he has chosen.

Recommended on: Oct. 5

Quick summary: First published in 1997, the long-running New York Times bestseller explores four agreements people can make with themselves to find happiness and freedom. They are: Be impeccable with your word; don't take anything personally; don't make assumptions; and always do your best.Winfrey has heralded the book three times on her television shows, in 2000, 2001 and 2013, resulting in huge sales spikes each time.

Rodgers' take: It's his go-to title when someone hits him up for a self-help book recommendation. It's a simple read at 140 pages and one he thinks everyone can relate to, especially the agreement about not to take thingspersonally.

"I think that'sthe motivation for most comments on social media," Rodgers said. "Somebody has said something and then somebody takes it personally and then they have to fire back."

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Recommended on: Sept. 28

Quick summary: A 1971 book that offers guidance on meditation, yogaand finding your true self from the famed guru of the spiritual movement in America. It took off during the hippie movement in the '70s, offering readers a way to find peace, calmness andhigher states of consciousness without psychedelics and deliveringthe ultimate message tolive in the present.

Rodgers' take:"It's a good intro book, I think, for anybody interested in needing inspiration on their journey to a new type of spirituality. Some incredible quotes in here and a book that really meant a lot to me."

Honorary mention:It's not an official ARBC selection, but Rodgers did give a shoutout to"Chuck Norris CannotBe Stopped:400 All-New Facts About the Man Who Knows Neither Fear Nor Mercy" by Ian Spector, mostly because he ran across a copy on his home bookshelf.

Recommended on: Sept. 21

Quick summary: TheAmericanyoung adultnovel follows 12-year-old Jonas in a society that at first appears to beutopianbut is later revealed to bedystopianas the haunting story goes on. It won the 1994 Newbery Medal, awarded annually by the American Library Associationfor the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year.

Rodgers' take: "This book was on reading lists when I was growing up. It still stands up. It's, in my opinion, super relatable to what we're going through as a society now." Rodgers has read it four times.

Recommended on: Sept. 14

Quick summary: The story of the Arizona Cardinals safety who gave up a $3.6 million contractafter 9/11 to enlist in the U.S. Army and become an Army Ranger. Sent first to Iraq and then Afghanistan, Tillman was killed in 2004 by friendly fire, the details of whichwerekept from his family and the American public for several weeks after his death.

Rodgers' take: "One of my legitimate all-time favorites by an author who I have read many, many of his books."

Rodgers said he has given the book away so many times for others to read that he had to run to Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy for the segment.

"The best part about it is learning more about Pat Tillman, and Pat, which I didn't know, he's a deep thinker and, like myself, kind of grew up in and around the church but at some point really dove into Eastern religions and meditationand philosophyand journaling. He was a very curious guy and he had a lot of interests outside of football."

Recommended on: Sept. 7

Quick summary: First published in 1988, the international bestseller by the Brazilian author tells thestory of an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest ends up taking him to riches of a different kind. No. 70 on the list of 100 most-loved books from PBS' "The Great American Read,"itoffers lessons about listening to your heart, recognizing opportunity and following your dreams.

Rodgers' take:"One of my all-time favorite books, and it's an easy book, and it'sfiction, which, I don't read a lot of fiction, but it's been around for a long, long time."

Rodgers, who just finished reading itagain during training camp, highlighted some of his favorite excerpts with a blue marker somethinghe often does with books he reads.

ContactKendra Meinertat 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.

Read more:
Are you keeping up with the Aaron Rodgers Book Club? Here are all of his recommended reads so far - Green Bay Press Gazette

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