Books!

(Err, nothing to report.  Here's something else entirely!)

I'm so not ready to write anything this week, so this will be a hodgepodge.  I was originally going to write about Microsoft's big turnaround, but I don't have a unique angle to give: I don't like DRM, but they didn't have to kill every feature, did they?  That's the story you'll find nearly everywhere, so why bother reinventing the wheel?

I've been reading a lot lately, so here's my top five books (in no particular order)!
1. Stephen King's On Writing.
This is just an inspiring book that any creator can learn from.  The biggest lesson/reminder for me was the need to submerse your in your art form and other life experiences.  It's part of why I haven't gotten back to work yet - and definitely why I'm reading so much lately.

2. Getting Things Done
This book is a bit less straightforward than On Writing, but is a major life-lesson as well.  GTD is a work/life methodology of how to actually get things done (you may have guessed that from the title).  Biggest lesson here is the importance of writing stuff down whenever you think of it so you can focus your mind of the task at hand.  I cannot recommend it enough to people about to go to college.
3. The Book of Lost Things
An absolutely fantastic Narnia-esque tale.  It's moving dark fiction.
4. World War Z
This is the definitive zombie apocalypse writing.  Damned good, and focuses on the human element throughout - which is the correct usage of zombies.  Movie looks like a pile shit though.
5.Legend of the Five Rings: The Clan War Scroll #1 - The Scorpion
This is purely biased, but it really sells the world of Rokugan.  I love the L5R card game, campaign setting, and damn me if the Scorpion clan isn't fucking amazing.

Alright, enough rambling.  See you next week.