Reading books has always been equated with a certain level of intelligence and expanded vocabulary.  As much of a technofile that I tend to be, nothing comes close to the feeling of opening up a physical copy of a book with freshly-printed ink.  I don’t know how to describe, but try it next time you go your local bookstore: feel the book, contemplate the colors on the dust jacket, open the book and smell the paper and ink.  Make it a physical experience.

While the books on my shelf may not be many, I also make it a point to get them autographed by the author, whenever possible.

Here is a list of recent books that I have read along with a quick synopsis of what caught my eye, or made the book memorable:

• You’re Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day (almost) : March 2016 : This is a must-read if you are a fan of Felicia Day or the web series she has created.  What is more interesting though, is the way she describes how painful her “creative” process was as she was coming up with “The Guild” web series.  Also, there is a very interesting chapter that I keep referring to, that talks about goal setting.
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline : September 2016 : Think about a world in which every single inhabitant is plugged into a sort of Matrix-like virtual reality game.  Folks now live their lives in this game, while mostly ignoring their physical reality.  Now think about just about any obscure nerdy-geeky reference being made in the 80s and 90s, as the story develops.   And yes, I had to go back and actually watch a couple of episodes of “Ultra-Man” after reading this book.
• Explore/Create by Richard Garriott de Cayeux : February 2017 : This has been one of my most enjoyable reads, and it has been even more enjoyable as I have met Richard on several occasions.  I could not help but keep hearing Richard’s voice after I read page after page.  You get to peek into Richard’s brain and see what motivates him and how he approaches life.  It is definitely a unique perspective, and one that may make you re-evaluate your own life-long purpose, contributions and goals.
• Infosec Rockstar : September 2019 : So what do you do when you have a couple of long flights coming up? And yes, I finished it in the air. Some definite good insights, and I am definitely part of the audience he is trying to reach.  He provides some excellent advise on how to align goals, activities and time management.