Okay, so I have this, this, that, and aeoiruazxcpeih…and sorilsekawrqawefh…and seitpeiadawrth…and… I was rambling like a complete buffoon as I listed the litany of things I needed to accomplish. JD placed his hands firmly on my shoulders and looked me in my scattered eyes.

It’s time for us to get you a good book, isn’t it?

And it was. Time for a good book, that is. Ever since childhood, reading was an escape; a place where my life was invisible and an environment where a protagonist was everything I wished I could be. Still to this day, I curl up with a good book and it calms the crazy aspects of my life.

I recently read a laundry list of mediocre books—none of them worth mentioning at all—but I thought I’d highlight some fresh reads that have rocked my world.

The World
First off, I read What is What by Dave Eggers while vacationing. I cried through the first third of the book and it radically changed my views of the world. It chronicles the life of a child who became part of the Lost Boys after the mass genocides in Sudan, who later was moved to the United States to create a new life. It’s poignant, humorous, wry, and truly emotional. I hope to one day travel to Sudan and take pictures of the remaining Lost Boys in hopes of educating the world of their plight.

Business
I also read Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders. My good friend David Jay recommended it and I was hooked after the first three pages! It’s an easy read (I finished reading it entirely while sitting in a local Borders) and it’ll completely change the way you do business. LOVED it!

American Politics
I recently finished A Bound Man by Shelby Steele. It was actually the subtitle that lured me in: “Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win”. The short book dissects the role race plays in American politics and it’s well crafted. I came to discover that the author—like Obama—is a biracial man, so his synthesis is heartfelt and he somehow finds a way to assess the situation without causing the reading to feel a sense of racial guilt. It’s interesting and a good read. However, I’m a political junkie, so be warned! 😉

Fiction/Biography
I’m currently reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I will not encourage or discourage anyone from reading this book. While I know it received plenty of slack due to the author’s fabrications of facts and history, it’s written painfully well. Regardless if it’s a memoir or fiction, the story is compelling and I view drug and alcohol addiction in a new light. However, please note that this book has inordinate amounts of vulgarity and drug-use descriptions. I’d hate for someone to read the book and blame me for corrupting their minds! Again, I am not endorsing the book, I’m merely stating I’m reading it.

And a special thanks to my buddy Eric McCarty for surprising me with a gift certificate to Audible.com, which is an online audio bookstore! I simply download a book and listen while I edit. Genius! What will they think of next?! 😉 Thanks, Eric…you're the best!