Finished April 10, 2008

This book has been life-changing. Well...okay...it's changed my life for the week I've been reading it, but I truly think it will have a huge impact on how I approach my writing. I overheard a colleague from the IU Neuroimaging Group recommend it to her grad student. It sounded interesting, and short, so I gave it a read. And it's wonderful. The biggest take-away message is "set up a schedule for writing and stick to it." Sound simple, right? But, I've got 10 years proof showing that it's not that simple. Two fresh strategies from the book, though: 1) View your scheduled writing time as you view your scheduled teaching time. You couldn't say "oh, I'll just skip my class meeting today because something else has come up," <brilliant...I've used it twice this week alone>, and 2) keeping an SPSS file tracking your writing goals so you can know that you do write and you can know when you do (or don't) meet your goals.

 

 

 

Finished...ummm...Someday around April 1, 2008

Okay, I'm not sure when I finished this one, exactly. My old laptop had gone belly-up. But, I've not got a new one...it just took me awhile to load Dreamweaver on it in order to write this up. I've had it checked out from the IU library for months! And I just couldn't quite get into it. But, once I finally did, it was terrific. I thought it was terrific. It was worth buying my own copy just for the great bibliography that Daniel Levitin has compiled about the effect of music on cognition. It has really gotten me re-interested in studying music as an auditory independent variable. I really encourage this book as a fascinating and accessible book.

Here's one tidbit from it. Apparently, researchers have shown that because of the cognitive development of emotional circuits in the brain, the songs that are popular when you are 17 are ones that hold particularly strong emotional meaning comapred to other songs. Here are mine...no comment on their emotional meaning.

 

 

Finished January 31,2008

Honestly, I don't remember the date I finished the Kathy Reichs book. Her work is the basis for the TV series Bones. The series itself I think is sometimes over the top in its "gross factor." The book was alright..it's been about 3 weeks or so since I finished it and I remember that it was rather far fetched: it begins with a flashback by the main character Temperance Brenan to when she was a little girl, recollecting girl who would visit her grandmother during the summers...and befriended Brenan. Then, one night, this mystery girl was whisked away by her parents with no explanation. She was left to spend decades wondering what ever became of this friend. Well, guess what? In Brenan's course of being a forensic anthropologist she just happens to get a case that reunites them.

 

Speaking of coincidence..."P is for Peril" is another great Kinsey Millhone mystery. I mostly like the series and this one has a great main story about her being hired to find a missing doctor. I particularly liked how this one ended. But, it also has a very unlikely subplot with her leasing a new office from a pair of brothers who supposedly...well, I won't say that because it will be a spoiler. If you don't mind a far-fetched coincidence in the middle there...

 

 

Finished December 25, 2007 (Merry Christmas!)

This author, Jeffrey Gitomer, is a sales consultant, trainer, and motivational speaker whose writing and advice I really love. He goes a long way toward teaching salespeople how to enter into relationships with clients/prospects and truly work toward solving their problems with your product. I originally picked this up from the Bloomington library because I was considering using it as a textbook for my T343--Electronic Media Sales course. The textbook I used last year--Media Selling--was a little dry...and the information in it about particular media was outdated. However, even though I felt this way about it, several of my students have since emailed me telling me how much they found it useful in preparing them for their first sales jobs.

 

So, in the end, I think I'm going to use portions of Sales Bible as a supplement in the Spring. Still, I would highly recommend it.

 

Finished December 23, 2007

Got this (and the first Parker book, which I fiinished long ago) from a friend of the family. She was, if I read her correctly, slightly aghast that I had no idea what it meant that it was a Spenser novel. I've HEARD about the TV series Spenser for Hire. Never seen it, though. Never want to. Even after reading the books...which are pretty good.

 

Finished December 8, 2007

Wow, two autobiographies in a row! I was in Savannah GA for a conference recently. While in the hotel room on one of the last nights I saw Eric Clapton interviewed on Larry King Live. I've been a moderate fan of his music since my radio days, when the MTV Unplugged version of Layla exploded. But, what aptivated me during the interview was his candid honesty about his alcholism and how the most important think in his life was remaining sober using 12-step programs. I have some addicts with whom I am very close. I know that power of 12-step approaches and the importance of sobriety. A good read, and amazing that he now lives in Columbus OH.

Finished December 8, 2007

I knew I would read this eventually. All the reasons were there: I live in Bloomington for heaven's sake, the Colts are one of my top NFL teams (behind the Steelers and Seahawks). I had heard some very inspiring podcasts featuring Dungy...and had always been amazed by his calm leaderhip. I started to read this NOW because a group of men at my church were reading it and meeting every-other week to disuss it and work through its related bible study. I think I expected more of a discussion of his leadership techniques as TOPICS of chapters. Instead, it is a chronological account of his career (which started, professionally, with THE STEELERS!) up through the Superbowl last year. I initially found that somewhat disappointing.

But after I got over that, I found the book alright. I often felt a twinge of hypocrisy when thinking of Dungy as someone who preaches 'family first' could return to work so quickly after his son took his own life. Although I would have liked to have him deal with this more, in the book, his explanation of this removed all thoughts of hypocricy.

In the end, there were several management approaches that I took away: his saying 'Do What We Do,' meaning when unexpected things occur don't automatically change the way you approah things; don't get angry because that doesn't make the situation any better; and do the basics better than anyone else!

Finished November 22, 2007

I can't remember where I read about this book...highest liklihood is an article in the Bloomington Herald Times. Anyway, seemed interesting...and it was. A quick read...mostly a picture book of ways guys have designed and built places for them to sit, think, work, drink, collects, whatever...without the worry of being asked to change anything about the space.

Finished November 22, 2007

I have been a Dick Francis fan for decades. It was the parents of a high school girlfriend who first brought my attention to the author, who always has his mysteries revolving, in one way or another, around the sport of kings (horseracing). I had not known, until my wife included this book in a big box of books she got from the Mystery Book Club, that Francis had recently taken time off from writing. He is, after all, 87. But, he's now back, with research/co-author help from his son Felix. Still, I enjoyed this one as much as any...although my favorite was To The Hilt. This one had less to do with equestrian themes, in fact, there is more focus on the world of professional cooking--the protagonist is an up-and-coming chef who, the reader is led to believe, accidentally gives hundreds of people food poisoning! Another great read, which I took this Thanksgiving day to finish.

Finished November 13, 2007

I had read this years ago...but didn't really remember much of it. This year, though, I went to Savannah GA for the Society for Psychophysiological Research Conference. The book's set in Savannah, so I checked it out to read on the plane ride down there. It was much more relevant reading about the places once you've been there: Mercer House, Lady Chablis, even the Alpha ball at the Hyatt...the hotel I stayed in for SPR. Not one of my favorite books ever...but certainly better the second time around with a frame of reference.