Foolish Reads: Friday 7-31-09

As usual, we’ve got more books on our nightstand than we can possibly finish. Here are a few we’re making a sincere effort to finish this week. (Click the titles to find the cheapest copies anywhere.)

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell continues to radically reinvent our understanding of the things we take for granted. Is success about hard work, timing, or some lucky combination of both? Quote from this Q & A with Gladwell:

6. What’s the most surprising pattern you uncovered in the book?

It’s probably the chapter nearly the end of Outliers where I talk about plane crashes. How good a pilot is, it turns out, has a lot to do with where that pilot is from—that is, the culture he or she was raised in. I was actually stunned by how strong the connection is between culture and crashes, and it’s something that I would never have dreamed was true, in a million years.

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Steven K. Scott

Scott went from a massive failure to a massive success, and he credits the change to King Solomon’s Proverbs. This book parses the underlying rules (the “laws of living”) that invisibly govern all aspects of life. It will be interesting to see how this book and Outliers speak to each other.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

This one I have yet to begin, but it’s supposed to be a fresh take on the gods of ancient mythology, a favorite subject of mine from long ago.

Your Haiku Entries by You

Today at midnight is the last time to submit your entries for the 2009 Hot Tomato Haiku Contest. Don’t miss out!

What are you reading?