Books: A Very Good Place to Start

Imagine landing on an alien planet (or in a foreign country), where every gesture and each subtle change in body language communicates things you can never hope to understand. Everyone around you seems to have hidden knowledge of ‘how to be.’ You don’t catch jokes, you misunderstand sarcasm, and you’re likely to suffer from social isolation because your brain is hardwired differently.

I love reading. I have always loved reading. I love that my 5-year-old son appears to share my love for reading.

That enough love to start your week?

I want to spend part of this week talking about strategic planning and another part of the week talking about workflows.

But … first …

People often ask where I find all these books that I recommend and that spill off my shelves. (I’ll actually have a third round of book suggestions for you this week. It’s a busy week!)

Here’s a great place to start: Flashlight Worthy Books.

The introduction of this post comes from the site’s prologue to its recommendations of fiction and non-fiction books about autism. (Curious Incident, the book pictured here and on their list, is a wonderful, fictional place to begin to get a glimpse into what we think is going on inside the mind of our son.)

It’s just one of many things they get right. They update frequently. They vary their topics widely and farley. They work their tales off – it’s mainly just two dudes!

Treat yourself this holiday season: visit, bookmark, and subscribe to Flashlight Worthy Books.

Remember – as you read, so shall you write.

Read better stuff, and your own writing will soon grow fat and sweet and sassy.

How about you? What are you going to read this holiday season? Where do you get recommendations? Do you use one of them fancy e-book readers? The Barnes & Noble one looks pretty sweet, but I like folding pages and cracking spines and noting notes in the margins too much … for now.

(I’m pretty sure I owe a hearty “thanks” to Jeff Sexton for following FLW on twitter. I think that’s where I found them. Regardless, you should read Jeff’s blog, too. He makes me want to be a better writer.)