Monday, December 19, 2011

What Are You Reading?

 

Those of you who have had the (pleasure?) of interviewing with me you probably had to come up with an answer to that question.  And if you are currently working for us, you probably came up with a good one!

I ask this for several reasons:  First, I’m genuinely interested in understanding what makes a person tick, what they’re interested in and how they occupy their mind in quiet times.  Second, I have found that the smartest, most creative people I know tend to be life-long readers.  Third, I believe that you have to continually challenge and inspire your mind if you expect to keep it sharp over the course of a career.

By the way, it doesn’t matter so much WHAT you read, just that you DO read.   Business books, novels, magazines – they’re all valuable.  While I subscribe to about 15 magazines, The New York Times, the local paper and several online magazines that are personalized for me, I also try to have one or more books going at the same time.

So, I’m adding a new feature to the blog that will hopefully inspire you to pick up a book of your own (maybe even one I’ve described).

What Am I Reading?
The Last Greatest Magician in the World by Jim Steinmeyer.  This biography of Howard Thurston, who at one time rivaled Houdini but today is all but forgotten, is a fascinating look into the worlds of illusion and show business in the early 20th Century.