Recently the reading bug has caught me again.  It usually goes in waves, much like flu season, keeping me awake for hours at night as I devour page after page of whatever I happen to be consuming at the time.  I’ve always been a reader.

As a young boy I remember dominating my class in the reading contests in which children were given a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut for every x amount of books they read.  It was par for the course in my family.  Early memories of my parents involved them sitting in their chairs after dinner quietly reading with an old record playing in the background.

A few of my friends, Glenn Packiam and Aaron Stern, recently published posts listing their favorite books.  As funny as it may sound, these posts fascinate me more than almost anything they’ve written…and it’s not because they’re poor writers (the opposite is true).

To me, nothing is more telling of how a person thinks and interacts with the world than the books they cherish.  Each one reveals a unique angle to their character and perceptions that no amount of direct questioning could uncover.

So in the spirit of promoting great books I thought I would follow suit with my own list of favorite books.  The following represent various facets of what I love about books.  Not just the information contained within the pages, but the journeys available to anyone who dare enter.  Check them out and pick one up for a friend for Christmas if you’re having a hard time thinking of what to give them.

1) The Bible- no other piece of work has influenced so many, caused so much controversy and delved deeper into the meat of life.  My favorite description comes from the cover of my TNIV Bible, “How God created the world, watched it turn against his purpose, lived among us, was still rejected because he didn’t fit expectations, turned everything upside down to get things back on track and now invites you to find your place in The Story of God.”

2)  The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky - said by many to be the best work of Dostoevsky, his final book explores the lives of a Russian landowner and his three sons, each of whom has an entirely different personality.
As with most classic literature, the tale explores major themes like greed, envy, love, faith and everything that cuts to the core of man.  “The Grand Inquisitor” chapter of the book is one of the finest sections of writing I have ever read.

3)  The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas L. Friedman – required reading for every 20-something.  Globalization has shaped the last several decades more than anyone imagined, but Friedman explains the “why” and “how,” taking a complex world and making it simple again.  This Eureka-moment-book will cause you to look at the world around you in a new way and exclaim, “That’s why it is how it is!”

4)  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – somewhere along the line it became the norm to associate faith with a rejection of the mind.  C.S. Lewis begs to differ and offers an incredible treatise as to why one should choose to follow Christ in a logical and well-thought out way. “Mere Christianity” is a defense of traditional Christianity in a world that often rejects it as “old-fashioned.” Quite simply, the best defense of Christianity I have ever read.

5)  Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer – I read this book in high school and was so inspired by the life of the main character that I went on a 2-week trip into the Alaskan backcountry upon graduation.  Based on a true story, this incredible adventure examines the life and death of college graduate Christopher McCandless who sold all of his life possessions and set off on an journey to Alaska that would give him a new life, but eventually take it.  Amazing insight into what keeps the human spirit alive and healthy.

6)  From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman – Thomas Friedman’s first book reads much differently than all those after it.  Based on his life as a reporter living in Lebanaon in the early 80′s, Friedman discusses the complexities of the Arab/Israeli conflict in storylike fashion.  Using the significant events of his personal life during that period as a springboard, he takes the reader through all of the characters and themes that have made this area of the world one of the most volatile in history.  If you read any books on the Middle Eastern conflict, this should be it.

7) How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer – A book for anyone that wants to know how our present culture got to where it is today and the people, ideas, and moments that acted as the catalysts. Schaeffer makes history incredibly relevant and interesting. Working forward from the breakdown of ancient Rome, through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, etc. up to our present age, Schaeffer highlights the key players that have shaped how we view our world today as well as the major shift from a Christian world view to a humanistic world view and the consequences of this change. Schaeffer concludes, “The problem is having, and then acting upon, the right world view – the world view which gives men and women the truth of what is.”

8)  Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam – Authentic, relevant community is something that is increasingly sought after by my generation (the 20-somethings, college and career group), but sometimes hard to find or even define. Bowling Alone is a fascinating commentary on community, relationships, social networking and the many ways that people connect with each other in America both past and present. It provides incredible arguments for the benefits of strong community to include trust, altruism, honesty, reciprocity, etc., but at the same time frames the discussion in such a way that you don’t feel like you’re listening to grandpa tell long tales of the “good ole’ days.”

9)  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand – First, don’t be intimidated by it’s thickness (over 1,000 pages).  Rand’s writing lends itself to burning through pages quickly.  On one level this book is a fictional story of railroad tycoon Dagny Taggart, struggling to manage a railroad company as the world around her pressures her to run it “for the good of everyone,” rather than the way she sees fit.  On another level it is an impassioned defense of objectivism, Rand’s radical philosophy of self-interest, as well as capitalism.  The product description says it best, “It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder–and rebirth–of man’s spirit.”  A huge book in every sense.

10)  A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel – This book was assigned reading for my junior-year Personal Finance and Investing Class at the Air Force Academy. It has become my investing bible. With a few strokes of the pen, Malkiel sizes up the entire investment analysis industry and renders it worthless. Citing years of personal experience and reams of data, Malkiel shows how monthly investing in an simple index-fund has matched, and much of the time exceeded, the returns of other actively managed mutual funds when measured over long time periods. Looking at history as a guide, the book examines several different market bubbles, crashes, etc. and shows how deeply irrational investors can become in pursuit of “the secret.” The number one book I would recommend on investing and personal finance to anyone that asked.

Honorable Mention:

*The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

**What’s So Great About America by Dinesh D’Souza

***Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll

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This week has been a bit crazy for me with most of my sim rides being late at night (9-12ish) meaning I’m getting an idea of what it’s like for people that work the late shift. In the midst of this I’ve also attempted to implement a new policy of limiting my time spent on the computer. What this means is that I’ve had to focus my time on good writing and good information. Here’s the quality stuff I’ve read in the past couple weeks.

1,000 True Fans – Kevin Kelly — The Technium

Secret Service – Glenn Packiam’s Blog: Like a Butterfly…

Lessons In Manliness: Benjamin Franklin’s Pursuit of the Virtuous Life – Art of Manliness

Friends at work, divine of disaster? @ Awake at the Wheel

7 Universities and Websites Offering Free Business Entrepreneurship Courses Online

Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business – Wired Mag

the counterargument – The Myth of Free – Sam Davidson also by Sam – A Culture of Once

Homeless: Can you build a life from $25? – Christian Science Monitor

Everything I Know About Blogging – I Will Change Your Life

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Reading is one of the best ways to learn, develop and change. However, the immense benefits of reading are only as great as one’s ability to remember and process the information. Nothing is more frustrating than reading a great book and not being able to recall any of the major points a year or even a month later. It makes the whole process seem like a huge waste.

My family are all avid readers and they instilled that passion in me. I try to read at least 2 books a month, but often more. Over the past few years I’ve made a much greater effort to be more intentional about my reading, making sure to get the most out of the process. Here is some of the best advice I’ve come across when it comes to remembering what you read:

1) Read With the Goal of Teaching Someone Else – My friend Glenn has one of the most brilliant minds I know. He can read a book and process the information, quickly adapting new ideas into his life and teaching others along the way. The secret to Glenn’s ability started during his childhood. Every weekend his family would go to the local library to read. During dinner they would teach the other members of the family what they learned that day. This ritual formed a wonderful habit in Glenn of reading comprehensively in order to teach someone else. He had to constantly think, “How will I be able to explain the main ideas of this book to others.” In doing so he delved deep into the book and the information stuck with him.

2) Read the Last Chapter First – This one is more geared towards non-fiction as I can already hear people screaming, “But it’ll ruin the ending!” At the end of most books is a summary chapter that gives the main ideas and how they all tie together. By reading this first you are then able to catch these ideas and themes more easily as you go through the book. It also allows you to read like the author would read his own book, with a full understanding of where everything is going.

3) Take Notes – Lots of people utilize this technique in school, but let it go when they toss their caps at graduation. Taking notes allows a reader to right down key points, themes and memorable quotes. In doing so the information is then processed twice, once when read and once when written. This gives the reader a much greater chance of remembering. My friend Beau uses a pencil to mark and highlight in the book as he reads and then transfers this information into Google Docs. He has a great summary of his method here.

4) Read When You’re Awake – Most people read right before they go to bed. After a long day, they’re usually tired and hardly in the best state to process and retain information. By reading at other times throughout the day chances are their minds would work much better. If you are a night person maybe it is the best time for you to read. The important thing is to know your body and know what times of day are best for thinking and concentrating. Try to schedule your reading during these times and you will give yourself a much better chance of remembering what you read.

5) Discuss What You’re Reading – Some of the books we remember most vividly are those that we read in our high school English class. Why? It is the practice of nearly every teacher to have lively class discussions and debates over each section of a book. In discussing the book we were able to process the information as a group, bouncing ideas off each other and hearing different perspectives. All of these made us use the information in various ways cementing it in our minds and helping us remember. Most of us are no longer in high school, but the options are endless. Join a book club, or if you have a good group of friends, start one. Discuss the book online in book forums or in a social networking group like Facebook. The important thing is to talk about what you’re reading.

6) Read the Cliff Notes First – We’re not in high school anymore, so it’s not cheating. Especially for some of the classics, reading the cliff notes before starting the book can provide all kids of insight into characters, themes, symbolism and author background. By reading these things beforehand you are helping ensure that you won’t miss them as you read the book. Another benefit of reading summaries is the mental debate you will have each time you reach a controversial section as you ask yourself whether you agree with the conventional interpretations.

7) Find Your Reading Environment – Sometimes more important than how you are reading is where you are reading. Is the television on? Are the kids crawling all over you? Do you do your best reading on the airplane? Some things can’t be helped, but finding a good reading environment goes a long way. I had never thought much about where I read until reading a great post Ben Casnocha wrote on optimizing activity for location a couple months ago. He explained, “…when thinking about what you’re going to do, think about where you’re going to be, and how that place will affect your productivity at completing the activity.” Find your reading environment and enjoy remembering what you read.

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I just got done packing for a trip to Florida this week where I’ll be going through the Air Force’s Water Survival Course in Pensacola, FL. Since, I’ll be off the radar for a bit I thought I’d leave you with some great articles and blogs that I’ve been reading to comfort you in my absence and hopefully give you a few lessons in skilled living.

First, read this

Employee Evolution is a blog I came across tonight focusing on the millennial generation and the workplace, great thoughts, especially here

Ever wonder what happened to the food pyramid? Akshay checks it out here

Ben Casnocha on where we should read

Fast Company article on the new theory that slams the Tipping Point

Beau Suder on talking to yourself…its good seriously

The Next 45 Years has some great content on personal development and a carnival that threw me a link

Amazing new blog on writing by the author of Zen Habits

Some good personal finance and investing blogs here and here

Finally, Ramit Sethi ran a very interesting survey looking at: “Are you spending less because of a possible recession?”

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Since finishing UPT about a month ago I’ve had lots of free time on my hands. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

Books:
- A New Brand World: Eight Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the Twenty-First Century by Scott Bedbury

- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

- Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich

- Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in an Everyday Life by Eugene Peterson

- Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality And Spirituality by Rob Bell

- Pour Your Heart into It : How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz

Blogs:
- Ben Casnocha: The Blog – entrepreneurship, writing, books and tons of other good stuff

- Ramit Sethi: I Will Teach You to Be Rich – personal finance

- Seth Godin: Seth’s Blog – marketing

- Brian Reese: Brian Reese Blogs – investing, books, business, faith

- Lawrence Cheok: A Long Long Road – personal development

- Akshay Kapur – great blog on health care, economics and business intelligence

- Andrew Pratt: Andrew’s Thoughts – books, business, grad school

- Justin Steinhart: Steiny’s Corner – faith, books, life

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Its about that time again when much of the media will be focused on creating their year-in-review pieces. Like my blogging friend, Ben Casnocha, I love “Best of” lists. So, without further attempts to write for the sake of hearing my fingers hit the keys, here is a list of my favorite books I read in 2007:

Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England by Lynne Olson

My latest read, a story about the band of young MP’s in Britain that broke party ties on the eve of WWII in order to topple the Chamberlain-led appeasement government and make way for Winston Churchill. Starts out a bit slow, but gains rapidly after the first 6 chapters. Incredible insight into the internal struggles many of the young politicians faced in going against their party and standing for what they believed was England’s only chance at survival, all-out war against Nazism. The book raises interesting questions concerning loyalty, party politics, the role of the press and leadership. Lynne Olson has made great tale in describing the behind the scenes workings of a few that helped change the world for so many.

Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There by David Brooks

Go to any college campus, resort town, or urban-chic hotspot in America today and David Brooks’ “Bobos In Paradise,” could act as an incredibly detailed and relevant tour guide. Everyone knows a Bobo whether they realize it or not…in fact they may be one themselves, though they would never admit it. After reading this book I realized that I am in fact a Bobo. Brooks cracked the code for me on things I had always noticed, but never been able to put into words regarding the new class of society forming in America; the exotic coffee drinking, urban outfitter/anthropologie wearing, mutual fund owning, I go climb Himalayan ranges barefoot and drink yak’s milk tea with the sherpas over Spring Break for fun because all the “tourists” stay in Kathmandu, class of society. The people that will not like this book are the ones that take themselves way too seriously…most likely because they are probably Bobos too, but too proud to admit it. Entertaining to say the least!

Londonistan by Melanie Phillips

Shocking commentary on the rise of radical Islam in London. Finally, someone who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. Melanie Phillips should be commended for her courage and tenacity in tackling head on an ideology that is seldom confronted out of fear of being labeled “intolerant.” Ideologies of hate simply cannot coexist with freedom. “Londonistan” shows the front lines of a culture war that has been brewing for centuries and is nearing its critical mass. This book should sound as a warning for every American, highlighting the consequences of appeasement and the philosophy of moral and cultural relativism. Prepare to walk away angry and shocked.

The Brothers Karamazov (Everyman’s Library) by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Not much to say on this book, its a classic for a reason. Dostoevsky has an amazing ability to take characters and make them your friend, brother, father, etc. The story of a Russian family and their struggles for power, money and blood. Some of the greatest writing I have ever experienced. Examines nearly every big philosophical question: meaining, purpose, good, evil, God, man. If you read one classic, read this.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb

Most predictions are flat out wrong, just listen to any “expert” on CNBC give a prediction of where the market is headed on a given day. Yet, we love predictions because they help us feel like we understand what’s going on around us much better than we actually do…the idea of randomness is uncomfortable. The reason our prophecies fall so short is our lack of understanding of the Black Swan and its impact on both history and the future. The Black Swan as Taleb describes it is:
1) an outlier 2) carries extreme impact 3) produces explanations only after the fact.

The bulk of Taleb’s book explains in great detail, clarity, and wit the error most humans make in failing to account for the Black Swan in their thinking. He explores various theories ranging from our eagerness to interpret the “causes” in history (confirmation bias, narrative fallacy, etc.) to our inabilities to predict the future (the expert problem, herding and the character of prediction errors).

Finally, Taleb doesn’t stop with mere theory; he gives the reader help in how to think in a Black Swan world. His advice, make black swans gray by being aggressive in gaining exposure to positive Black Swans and extremely conservative when under the threat of a negative Black Swan. You’re probably reading this right now going, I think I know what he is talking about, but you don’t, just read the book and be prepared to have your comfort zone shattered and your mind exercised.

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