Why This Blog?
One reason for this blog is that there are so many books out there, especially in the self-help, personal growth, leadership genres. Many of them claim to have some magic paradigm that will break you free from whatever is holding you back, or make you rich, or make you whatever you've always dreamed of being. There are a ton of things out there to read, and only so much time any of us has to read them. We all have other things to do, myself included.
So, how do we separate the wheat from the chaff? How can we tell what books are too shallow or too narrow to be valuable? Which really have the depth to speak to your soul? Which have enough applicability to affect your thoughts, and consequently your actions, in the days after you set it down? Which are good for everyone to read, good for just a narrow audience, and which are not worth the effort for most everyone? My hope is that this blog is a resource for those looking for something to read that will be meaningful in their life, that we can point them in the direction of a book that might otherwise have gotten lost in a crowded bookshelf at a library, bookstore, or online retailer.
Why else? Well, as I mentioned, there is a benefit to active reading. As opposed to passive reading, this is where the reader's focus is producing something, new thoughts that will change their actions, their performance, and consequently, the quality of their life. This kind of reading involves taking notes, highlighting passages, perhaps even writing a report on the material to share with a group. By having to share my thoughts with you, I find I have greater focus on the material, and it means more to me.
