Non-Fiction

So you want to publish a magazine? by Angharad Lewis – I love this sorts of books. You could read a Dummies How-To but this is written by a fan for a fan.  Lewis gathered wonderful interviews with indie magazine publishers. The book has a strong European flavor, but it doesn’t take away from the lessons taught. If you are interested in the magazine business, this book is a Should.

TED Talks by Chris Anderson – No one knows how to do compelling presentations better than TED. Somehow, that knowledge got mangled and the book ended up confusing and kind of boring. So many strange decisions about what Anderson thought the reader would want to hear – what to wear? traps to avoid? Make eye contact? This should have been a master’s class in public speaking and feels more like a basic “Presentations for Dummies” title instead. Skip.

Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans – Design is the key word.  The authors believe there is huge value in bringing design principles to finding your life’s work.  Try stuff. Be curious. These are antidotes to how fixed we get in our mindset when we want to move or need to move to something else. The book is well done and provides exactly what is needed to deliver on the promise. I’d point you to this one if you need some help figure out what is next. Should.

Spiritual

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines Translated by Edward Conze – This is the text that established Mahayana Buddhism and is foundational to Zen. I read it as a part of a class  Must for Mahayana Buddhists.

Graphic Novels

Saga Vol 4, 5, and 6 – Yes. Yes. Yes. Must.

Old Man Logan Volume 3 by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino- I am sucker for Wolverine playing the Ronin in Japan. This book seems to best storytelling the combination of his past and present from the new series. Still just a Should for me.