My mom has strongly suggested that I read about gifted children to help get ideas on raising my own child so I picked these two up.

I wasn't impressed with the first one, not that it was bad, just that I didn't learn anything new that I hadn't known from when I read my mother's stash of such books when I was a pre-teen. Maybe one concept. The best part was the list of current online resources in the back that I will go ahead and delve into. If you haven't read about the topic before, then it's still a good introduction.

The second one contained the same kind of information, but also had multiple additional details and ideas, some of which were new to me. It also gave me a better idea on how to deal with the school system in the future.

Drawing and Painting Fantasy Figures by Finlay Cowan

I enjoyed seeing and reading about how the art could come together but am not keeping it for future purposes.

The Last Lecture by Randy Paush

I'd heard about Randy, of course, back when the book was published and the big deal was made of it, but hadn't read it. The stories, clear writing, and concepts were great. It was poignant, yes, but I really enjoyed reading this practical and uplifting book.

The Innovator's DNA by Clayton Christensen, Jeffrey Dyer, Hal Gregersen

What made this book special was that it was based on research and talking to many different companies. The actual information was not particularly surprising and fit in with a lot of other creativity and innovation work I'd read. However, it was presented very well, with stories, key points, and tips. I also especially liked how they tied individual tendencies to company tendencies. 

Dreamscapes Myth and Magic by Stephanie Pui-Mon Law

This art instruction book was rather beyond what I needed - it was mostly about getting great watercolor effects and color in realistic fantasy paintings. But you start with a pencil drawing and I can't do that yet. I did enjoy the discussions about the fantasy creatures and notes on how to vary them.

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

I had read this at one point, but didn't remember much. The key takeaway this time was the idea of making a conversation safe. Some of what they talk about sounds so hard - to be the reasonable one - to focus on the end desired state instead of getting any acknowledgement of being right or getting to say your opinion or any of that. It definitely gave me some new ideas on how to accomplish more difficult conversations. I even used it deliberately a couple times between reading it and the end of the month, to good effect.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

I'd heard a lot about this book but had never read it. I could see why the idea of resistance has resonated with so many and it did shift my view a little to give the feeling, which I've definitely had, a name.

Titus Groan by Mervyn Laurence Peake

Oh my god, I'm actually done with the book. I've been slowly moving through it for the last few months.

The language is amazing and visually dense. Tombstones of teeth and more turns of phrase I would never have imagined. The characters are so much outliers that they are wince inducing but still believable. On the other hand, there really wasn't much of a story, but that seemed to be part of the point.

I can't imagine ever recommending this to anyone who isn't in love with words for their own sake. I'm debating whether or not I'll read the sequel, Gormenghast, or not. If I do it will be after a break!

Fool by Christopher Moore

Delightful mish-mash mess of irreverance and Shakespeare's King Lear. My husband had been trying to get me to read it for a while, so I finally moved it to the top of my to read pile and got into it and I'm glad I did.

The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey

I have enjoyed her Elemental series in the past and was surprised to realize I'd had this one for a while and never actually read it. An enjoyable read, but not particularly special.

The Serpent's Shadow and The Gates of Sleep and Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey

These were rereads of the first three in the Elemental series and I enjoyed immersing myself in them again. In order, they were based on Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, although the first you don't realize the source until almost the very end.

Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey

I had somehow missed picking up this one of the Elemental series even though it had been out for a while. I'm still not sure what fairy tale this one was based on, if any, although I recognized the motif of a shapechanging battle where a cat tries to trick a prideful opponent into becoming a mouse. I liked some of the twists of this one.

In the Line of Fire by Jerry Weissman

I might have picked this one up during a free or discounted promo because I don't remember buying it. But I'm glad I did because it was absolutely excellent. The book gives very detailed ways to think about and see what's happening when someone asks you a tough question so you can respond in a way that improves your credibility and lets you control the tone of the situation. Most of the examples are from political debates but he does a good job of showing how the principles are valid in other areas. I'll be taking some detailed notes on this one. 

I often get customers who have thought through their problem and the reason they are looking for a particular grade of paper. So, they ask for something specific.

However, sometimes what they say they need is not the best solution I can provide. So I need to regularly ask about applications and intent, looking for the information that will help me provide the best answer.

It's not always there. Sometimes the process is straightforward.

But when it's not, the difference between the answer I would have provided and the one I come up with after questioning can be significant enough that it could have become the difference between the person I'm talking to going with us or with someone else.

I suspect this is a habit that could serve me well if I extend it further to other situations.

This was very interesting, although parts of it seemed a bit dated. The biggest takeaway for me was that magazine features are NOT the same as journalistic pieces. They laid out some structural notes which I immediately went and checked in the magazines I read. And, yep, they were valid. 

Power Listening by Bernard Ferrari

This wasn't quite what I expected when I bought it. There's some information about how to listen and how to avoid common traps, but at least half of it is more about how to ask questions to get the information to be revealed that you need to be listening to.

Carl von Clausewitz's On War by Andrew Holmes

I never tried to read the original and now I don't feel I need to. The author did a great job of putting an original concept into context, translating it to business, and providing a suggestion for action. It's interesting and easily digested.

Blah Blah Blah by Dan Roam

I love how he evolved his ideas further from The Back of the Napkin to make the tools more useful. It basically boils down to use a word, draw a picture but the book is about how to more effectively use that idea.

Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

Wow. This makes me feel like I could actually write a work of fiction because I have a grasp of the necessary structure on which to apply the art and imagination. He bases his ideas off of his own writing and resources on screenwriting and they make a lot of sense to me. Very analytical, but also written for the seat of the pants writer who just hasn't had success yet.

Frost Moon by Anthony Francis

Surprisingly good. I love the magic tied into the tattos. I love the combination of spunk and fragility in the main character. I'm definitely getting the next one.

Up, Down, and Sideways by Mark Sanborn

I happened to be listening to a SUCCESS magazine interview with the author on the way to the airport and thought I should try the book out. When I opened up my Kindle I realized I'd picked it up when it was free. Cool. Now, I didn't get much new from the book that wasn't in the hour long interview, but either way the ideas were great. He focuses on the daily activities that will provide confidence in all economic conditions, not the same level of prosperity necessarily, but confidence.

The Secret Life of Dust by Hannah Holmes

This was almost entirely new information for me and absolutely fascinating. The book was dense with description and with story and I learned a great deal. Fantastic popular science book.

The Lark and the Wren by Mercedes Lackey

An enjoyable re-read. I always liked Rune's journey and desire to learn and play. I did try to move into the sequels and just lost interest, so they'll be going away.

The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker

In a way this was two books. The first part was about listening to the small cues and accepting when they tell you to be afraid. It gave some specific things to look for as well and ways that predators try to get to you. But the second part was more about things he'd seen, still on topic, but not as practically useful. If you haven't been exposed to these ideas, the book is definitely worth a read for the perspective it will give you. 

The Education of Vision edited by Georgy Kepes

I've been fascinated by the idea of this series of six books since I stumbled across it. Actually reading them is a harder slog than I'd originally anticipated! There were a few interesting ideas, but it's going to take another read throguh to extract them, which I won't be doing until I've gone through the whole set one time first.

What the Plus by Guy Kawasaki

A fun guide to the Google Plus social network, more useful for the average user than Brogan's, which was more geared to the business mind. I especially enjoyed how the book took advantage of the digital format with color screen captures and active links.

I tried to read this one when I was a teenager and ended up not getting far. I found Thomas annoying and the rape just stopped me dead. I never intended to pick it up again.

But I'd gotten a leather copy back when we were getting the Fantasy series from Easton Press. So I picked it up again to see if I wanted to sell it or keep it.

Being 35 definitely changed my view of the main character. I can feel his pain and the shades of grey and doubt involved in him struggling to understand his own life as a leper and then his immersion in the high fantasy world that he's charged with trying to save.

I will not be returning to this world, but I'm glad I read this one.

The Circle of Innovation by Tom Peters

It was kind of strange to read a book with this much typographic variety. I remember trying some years ago and putting it aside as too frustrating, but this time I enjoyed it. I can only imagine what his presentations must be like in person when his enthusiasm jumps out of a written page. The information was interesting and had some good ideas also.

The Language of Cells by Spencer Nadler

The essays are more about people and how they react to their health and less about the cells themselves, but the science is woven in and it's more than I had known before.

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

Cure and light story of if Jane Austen was living among us, a vampire, and still trying to get her last book published.

Painter's Wild Workshop by Lynn Leon Loscutoff

For a book that looked very organized, this one definitely had a chaotic and disorganized feel to it. I enjoyed reading the creativity bits and workshop ideas but have better books.

Today Matters by John C. Maxwell

I've enjoyed a number of his personal development books and always pick up something good. This one, focusing on what small things you can do on a given day and why that is important, was no exception.

Strange Circumstances by Marshall J. Stephens, David Chrisley, Weston Kincade

I bought this book because one of my friends is one of the authors. It was amusing and lived up to its description of exploring boundaries and throwing in twists but many of the stories felt unfinished somehow. It might have been a genre thing.

Color Drawing Workshop by Bet Borgeson

Some interesting and detailed thoughts on working with colored pencils. I especially liked the bits on color blending and developing interesting backgrounds.

Little Teal Book of Trust by Jeffrey Gitomer

Clear, easy to read, and with good action steps and stories, like his others in the color book series. As long as you've read one other book on trust in business, it will all be very familiar. If you haven't read any, this would be a good one to pick up.

How to Be a Writer by Barbara Baig

This was a fantastic book with practical ideas on using practice and freewriting to increase writing skills. It felt kind of like a week long workshop in a book.

Nefertiti by Nick Drake

Very immersive mystery from the point of view of a detective in ancient Egypt. That the main character was writing a journal instead of just speaking in first person without explanation was a bit awkward, even though it was integrated in the plot, but the fascinating detail Drake included and the strength of the overall plot more than made up for it.

Georgiana's Darcy Diary and Pemberley to Waterloo by Anna Elliott

Sweet sequels to Pride and Prejudice. The first person diary style is very unaffected and natural here. The stories develop well.

Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

A re-read of how to change when change is hard in preparation for writing some blog posts on this absolutely fantastic book.

How to Unspoil Your Child Fast by Richard Bromfield

This book focused on setting expectations and calmly removing privileges when they were violated. I don't think my daughter is spoiled, but she certainly expects to get her own way and sometimes shows a bit of attitude when she doesn't, so some of the ideas he presents will be relevant.

The Gauntlet Assassin by L .J. Sellers

Surprisingly riveting. The near sci-fi future feels very plausible and the mystery overlaid on what could be standard competition story keeps things moving. There are two story lines that move in parallel for much of the book. The characters in both are attracting, if not always attractive. The tension of wondering how they are related is well done, as is their gradual merging and eventual full explanation as the story ends.

Insights from Remarkable Business People by FT Press

Decent collection of short business essays. Nohting particularly stood out.

It was a painful decision, but I feel a bit lighter now.

It Was the Beginning

My art was the reason I started blogging in the first place. I had been sharing pieces on an online group and felt I was taking up too much space. I wanted to talk more. So I opened up a blogger account, then quickly moved to Squarespace. (At the time Wordpress was bewildering and didn't have an easy way to add a photo album.) The spiral of blogging, getting responses, visiting others' blogs, and all the other associated community activities drove me to create even more. 

But I basically stopped doing art, or even the embroidery that had led me into art, not long after my daughter was born. It wasn't just the baby. It was also changes in my career and goals. I would revive the art for a bit, then let it slip away. Repeatedly.

Having my art blog - and paying for it every month - began to feel like an expectation that I couldn't live up to, either in frequency or quality. But I enjoyed looking back at the archive and knew if I shut the blog down I would basically lose all that history since I couldn't really export it with all the embedded pictures. 

I have now reached a point where I'm okay with that. My art, the little I'm doing, feels more private. As much as my supplies call for me, I feel the need to develop more of a personal language and work through a sketchbook piece by piece.

It is Not the End

It's time to set aside a piece of the past.

I will always be grateful for the journey I took, even if I never do much more with art for the rest of my life. (Although I certainly hope to do so.)

I have called myself an artist and been proud and confidant in the title.

I developed my personal creativity and was able to translate my belief in the quality to my corporate career.

I learned my first online skills, which I built on over time and wove themselves into my business studies.

I made friends, both online and in person.

I will not forget. But I will not be tied to what I've done.

I will sketch and I will stitch, even if it is only a little bit.

And if I want to share I will do it here, on my personal blog, or at my Flickr account.

An enjoyable popular science book on an unusual, although unexpectedly pervasive, topic. It runs from the foam that tops beer to the structure of the galaxies within the universe.

Song of Sorcery by Elizabeth Scarborough

An older sweet fantasy with a strong female character that I really enjoyed for being both a hearthwitch and an unexpected heroine. But I don't think I'll be taking the time to read the sequels.

African and Oceanic Art by Margaret Trowell and Hans Nevermann

I'd never really seen the variety of African sculpture pictured here and it was fascinating to see the different features emphasized in the collection of masks and statues.

Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child by Robert J. MacKenzie

I bought this one because my daughter is umm, very strong-willed, and could be adjusting to our move (and her new school) better. This was well written, with great action items and examples. I will be putting these principles into action.

Google+ for Business by Chris Brogan

I'd been avoiding this social network because I just didn't understand it. After a spate of articles in the blogs I was reading I decided to devote some of my brain to the problem and bought Chris' book. Everything is MUCH clearer now and I've started playing.

Once a Princess and Twice a Prince by Sherwood Smith

These are lighter books than her Inda series, more like the Crown Duel pair. I especially liked that the middle-aged mother was one of the main characters and we heard her voice as well. I was annoyed that at the end of the first book, the younger main character sounded very much like the determined blindness that the heroine in Crown Duel had. Overall enjoyable.

In the short term I am to help customers and prospects with questions and product recommendations that involved more technical knowledge than the Customer Service Specialists or the average Account Manager may have. Previously the questions would go to the Product Manager or the R&D department.

There's a lot to learn. The products I am working with are essentially paper and I had never realized how much knowledge and complexity went into making paper on a continuously running machine plus into developing the properties of the finished product. I am catching on quickly, building on my previous experiences, but I look forward to developing more depth.

There's a lot to learn about the markets, too. The primary ones for the products I am working with are related to the life sciences. Yet the filter papers are used in so many different ways as a minor part of the overall function being discussed that learning about end-uses feels like a one customer at a time sort of thing.

In the long term, my job will include a range of marketing and sales support activities, we're just not entirely sure what they'll be from one month to another. So far I've worked on a competitive analysis and a patent search plus I am currently working on an animated presentation for the sales force. I intend to be able to suggest my own projects and ways to add technical values to our customers before the end of my first 90 days.

I am very happy with my new position. I like the job, the science, the people, the company. Plus, as a family we're unpacking ourselves in our new home in Carlisle, PA and adjusting well. 

This last book in the quartet was decent. I enjoyed it. But overall it didn't finish up well enough to reread or keep the series.

The Rules of Work by Richard Templar

Valuable looking career advice with some humorous side commentary.

Touchpoints by Douglas R. Conant and Mette Norgaard

A management book with a few illustrations of a simple concept. A magazine article would likely have been enough, but the book was enjoyable to read.

How to Make a Boring Subject Interesting by Geni Whitehouse, Amy Moore, and Mary Patterson

A great book on presentations. I've been reading Geni's blog for a while and had to see what went in the book. 

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

I finally got around to reading the actual book instead of just works based on it or articles summarizing it. I enjoyed the expanded view and greater subtleties that could be discussed.

The Flinch by Julien Smith

A shorter Kindle book with one key idea that is well worth reading. It matched with my own experiences on the necessity of pushing past temporary emotional discomfort and gave me some good ideas for moving forwards.

The Snow Queen's Shadow by Jim C. Hines

A good addition to this series of mished up and mashed up fairy tale stories. I'm sorry that he's done for now.

Know What You Don't Know by Michael A. Roberto

Good ideas for developing skills as a problem-finder. I'll be reading this one again and trying to put these ideas into action.

The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker

I really enjoyed the characters in this fiction work and how the heroine achieved her successes by working with them. I'm seriously considering getting the next two.

Evil Plans by Hugh MacLeod

Great book. Even if you don't have evil plans about becoming a small biz entrepreneur, the book still pushes you, in a fun and hardly noticeable way, to consider possibilities and live the best life you can.

My title was "Production Clerk" and all day Monday and something over half the day the rest of the week I processed paper work. I put in orders and prepared paperwork for them to be fulfilled, updated one aspect of the production schedule, and added information from the production logs to the reporting database.

But at 3:30 pm each afternoon I got to participate in the the daily production meeting. And that was the eye opener. My biggest lessons:

Daily Action

Progress on the priority project was expected each and every day. There was the understanding that this was in addition to the daily duties required to get product out the door, but it was still expected. And if it wasn't getting done, then an explanation of obstacles (with ways to remove them, if applicable) was also expected.

Always be Shipping

Projects were deliberately defined in chunks that could be set up and executed within a week or less, although the auditing of the training portion could extend for months. It' was one completed project after another. One potential for success or failure after another.

Also be Looking Forwards

Even though most of what we discussed was related to immediately obvious problems, some of it was also more overarching. The big picture was referred to on a regular basis and kept in mind. One area was not the exclusive focus, but things moved around.

Reprioritize Without Excuses

When a question about quality came up that involved a concerted effort, all the improvement projects were put on hold in order to first protect the customer and second develop the data of what was causing the problem to fix the root cause.

In Person Impacts

When I write this down it doesn't quite capture the feeling I got when I realized these things, because it becomes once more words on a page instead of seeing in action a person, the head of the plant at the time, who has mastered many of the things I'd like to learn. He made the principle real, doable, and memorable.

An in-depth retelling of Rumpelstiltskin that had some very interesting ideas in it, but seemed somewhat disjointed. It took me a while to read because I kept leaving and returning. Basically a good story.

Changes by Mercedes Lackey

I always enjoy reading a Valdemar book and Mags is an interesting character, although the strong dialect got a bit frustrating to read sometimes. Not the best, but still enjoyable. 

Superheroes: The Best of Philosophy and Pop Culture ed. by William Irwin

This was FUN (well, for me anyway, since I'm both somewhat geeky and introspective). It took the moral and philosophical issues that are played out as part of comic book stories and tied them into the writings of philosophers who look at the things more abstractly. They have a whole series of books like this and I'll want to get some more.

Gifts in Sand and Water by Annie Bellet

A nice collection of fantasy short stories. I found especially interesting one where Delilah was not betraying Samson but helping him.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

I'd been referred to this book by one of the Success magazine audio interviews and found it everything I'd hoped for. Some was a bit over the top, but the key principles and comparisons were things I would like to return to and think about.

We Are All Weird by Seth Godin

The concept is intriguing by itself - that consumer marketing has changed because the opportunities for choice have made weird the new normal. And it's different when you are marketing to weird than a standardized normal. And then the book elaborates in a helpful way. I suspect I'll read this again.

Fierce Converations by Susan Scott

Very good book about having the conversations you've been avoiding and doing it in an effective way that makes work or home relationships work beter. 

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I'm still enjoying this young adult Greek/Roman demi-gods in modern times series. The quest felt like a bit of a repetition in tone from the first books, but the characters and their concerns were so different that the feeling was just swept away

Break Your Own Rules by Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt

I devoured this book in an evening but even if I'd paid full price for it (free because I won the In Bubble Wrap giveaway) it would have still been worth it. The subtitle of the book is "How to Change the Paths of Thinking that Block Women's Paths to Power" and each concept along the way is clearly laid out as a comparison of typical vs. necessary. It's hardly the first book in the genre, but it resonated with me, and I recognized a couple behaviors that I had displayed in the past that had probably been working against me reaching my goals. I'm looking forward to applying their counterparts, of course, first I need to adapt these ideas and others to helping me get a career job...