Okay, I am going to focus this blog on what I always intended it to be: my thoughts on books, since reading has always been the most important skill that I have ever learned and embraced in my life. Reading is one of my main passions and it has has given me the life I have today, and I cannot envision a life without books.

Here is a list of what I have been reading recently:

The Monsters of Templeton by Laura Groff
Beautifully written with strong characters and strange plot twists, Templeton is based on the town of Cooperstown, NY. James Fenimore Cooper and baseball, as well as a Loch Ness monster all appear in this well crafted and enjoyable novel that combines truth with fiction.

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
This book was suggested to our staff at the high school during a teacher workshop presentation.
Dealing with skills that translate into success in the future, it is sold as a "business" book, but is easy to read and isn't focused on tips for the "bottom line", instead the premise is about how "right-brainers" , artistic and creative thinkers are truly the wave of the future. I found it wonderfully reassuring, as a right-brain thinker, to recognise that I bring a workable set of skills to my job that might not be instantly recognizable as skills.

The Way of a Ship by Derek Lundy
This fascinating book is a must read for any and all armchair sailors. Part family memoir, part nautical history, this book allows landlubber the chance to be part of a Square-Rigger crew in the sunset of wind-driven ships. Square-Riggers are four masted ships that hauled coal and other supplies around the world in the late 19th century, rounding the Horn and bringing much needed supplies from the Old World to the new.

So many books, so little time!