What are you reading?

I am seldom caught without a book. While I have indulged in my fair share of video games and dvds, reading remains as my first love. Friends and colleagues often pose these questions: Why do you read? What are you reading? How many books do you read (month or year)?

The holy trinity of questions, however, reveals very different aspects. Why? Though seemingly philosophical, the answer is unrelatively simple. I am, by nature, curious. I am of the firm belief that whatever I read can be interesting. If not, my readings can then lead me to discover the interesting. To avoid stares, I prefer the to state that I am ignorant thus I read. What? Secondly, the subject I read differs all the time. I used to frown on fictional tales and consume only non-fiction works ranging from biographies to sociology. Now I am wiser and learn to be less discriminating and spread my interests far and wide. Finally, the question of how many seems rather irrelevant. The number of books nor pages does not amount to neither comprehension nor knowledge. As impressive as big numbers may sound, they are the least insightful.

The ants aren’t smart. The colony is.

My 2011's reading expedition began with Peter Miller’s The Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done. This is the book-length extension of Miller's 2007 National Geographic article entitled, The Genius of Swarm. Miller believes that shared platforms with which groups collaborate and build on one another’s knowledge is possible and can be effective. The key is to overcome our fear of losing control and especially, our individuality. For Miller, the “best way to serve the group, it turns out, is to be true to ourselves.”

Those who suffer from Insectophobia or Entomophobia but still keen to explore the topic could give James Surowiecki’s The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations a go. James argues passionately that "under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them." No doubt, an insightful study on group dynamics that contests the prevalent culture that the smartest should lead.

Words Enable

My second book for 2011 was Newbery Award winner Patricia Maclachlan’s Word After Word After Word, a book based on her experience speaking in schools. Originally intended as a non-fiction work on the art of writing, the project eventually evolved into a fictional account. The children characters are encouraged to find their own distinct voices through writing. Though their success were expected, their willingness to connect and explore the world around them remains honest and real. A delightful gift for all ages especially those who love words and aspire to write.. You could browse the book at the Harper Collin's website.

The Reading Itinerary

My reading itinerary for the months of January-February 2011. 

1. Jonathan Bender’s Lego: A Love Story (Video)
2. Michael D. Beil’s The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour
3. Justin Cronin’s 784 pages of post-apocalyptic vampire fiction The Passage. The first of a proposed trilogy, this will spell the commencement of a 2000+ page voyage.
4. Lewis Gordon Pugh’s Achieving the Impossible: A Fearless Leader. A Fragile Earth. Do watch his Ted ’09 speech about his courageous swim across the North Pole. To quote Lewis, “Bodies heal themselves. What matters most is the state of your spirit.”
5. David Grann’s Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession
6. Cornelia Funke’s (author of the Inkheart trilogy) Reckless (Video)
7. Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson’s The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the Word, One Correction at a Time (Video)
8. Carmine Gallo’s The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success. Following the success of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, Carmine Gallo seeks to unveil the innovation secrets of one of the most successful CEOs of all time. (Video)
9. The Way We're Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance by The Energy Project CEO, Tony Schwartz. (Video)
10. Annabel Lyon’s The Golden Mean. I am reading the UK edition. Contrast its cover with that of the US edition. Sexy cover art and bragging rights aside, I am most eager to digest this fictional account of two of history’s greatest minds, Aristotle and Alexander the Great. (Video)

Enough of my scribbling, what are YOU reading?