Thank you for asking me what I’m reading. I’ve been avoiding this post, for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a very intimate question, isn’t it? Books are personal super powers. Everything I have accomplished up to this point is because of my personal library. It’s like admitting to someone what perfume you wear (I’ll never tell).

The second reason is because the titles I’m reading right now just aren’t very interesting. I go through phases. Sometimes it’s stacks of magazines, sometimes paperback novels, sometimes educational journals, sometimes Shakespeare, sometimes a revisit of Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Bryson and David Sedaris, my Holy Trinity. I just read a book on how to make good Youtube videos. Yaaaaaawn.

(Yes, I’m going to start putting videos up on my Youtube channel. Before I was at “should,” now I’m at “have to“).

Right now I’m reading about book publicity, libel laws, education, and marketing. You can imagine the thrill quotient of my current titles. I don’t really read trash fiction. It has to be a phenomenal suggestion from a credible source for me to pick it up. The last two fiction books I read that I really liked were Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, and The Help by Kathryn Stockett. They both knocked me out.

Here are five titles I’m barreling through:

Limitless by Jim Kwik. This is about upgrading your brain, learning faster and unlocking your potential. It has a surprisingly large amount of mathematical equations in it, but there’s some good advice on how to use a larger percentage of your brain. If you’re getting only trash sleep, this book could help. Oh, and he’s Will Smith’s guru.

Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica. Dublanica adapted his hysterically funny blog into this book. He’s so, so good, and this book deserves more publicity than it gets. Maybe if Barnes and Noble would take moronic vapid celebrity tomes off the shelves, there would be room for more genius like this gem.

TED Talks by Chris Anderson. I’ll be giving a TED talk in 2022, and when it’s time, I’ll post details. Anderson, HEAD of TED, gives the best line of the book at the end of the introduction: “Are you ready? Let’s go light a fire.” Just wait, ya’ll.

The Marshmallow Test by Walter Mischel. Sociology is my thing, and this book posits the following theory: A child is given a marshmallow and two choices: Eat this one now, or wait and enjoy two later. What will she do? And what are the implications for her behavior later in life? The ability to delay gratification is critical for a successful life. But is willpower prewired, or can it be taught? Mischel knows.

The Road to Character by David Brooks. Just how it sounds. How strength of character is often abandoned in exchange for wealth, greed, and desire. Trust me when I say there’s a scarcity of such people. This book shows great portraits of great people who managed to be successful without abandoning their ideals.

There you have it, a brief, boring and banal glimpse into my literary soul. Hope you didn’t fall asleep.