Brian Block sent me this nice e-mail a bit ago. He informed me that I was being tagged with a literary meme. It seems that there is someone somewhere that finds it fascinating to ponder what books I have read.

Fair enough, but AR does not have the memory capacity for me to share the places I have been, the crimes I have solved, the mysteries I have unraveled or the knowledge I have gained from reading. Reading is absolutely the greatest skill I have mastered.

Pick any subject, if it tickled my fancy, I devoured the written word that described it.

My reading falls into many categories. The dewey decimal system is my friend. My library card is more valuble than my driver's license and decidely more important than my license to sell real estate.

First you have the non-fiction. I group philosophy, sales, psychology, biography, etc. into this group.

The Art of War - Sun Tzu

This is a fantastic little tome. You have to read it, ponder it and then when the lightbulbs go off, put the principles into action. Once you understand that every interaction is a war between wills, you will understand the value of the information found here.

The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale

Everyone seems to want to whisper about the secret. This book was extolling the value of positive thinking before those "Secret" folks concocted their movie. It is another book that can be read quickly and forgotten or read slowly and absorbed. Once the tenents become clear, it is like removing blinders and seeing the beauty of a rose for the first time.

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

I am beginning to detect a pattern here. There should be one, after all, it is my list. Now, this book in many ways is really just the short version of the edicts of the New Testatment. I have probably purchased more copies of this book than any other. I have given it to every new agent I work with. If you really read it, you will see that we could have a wonderful world if everyone was trying to win friends and influence people.

OK, wrong image..correct author

The magic of the whole life contract - Joe Gondalfo

I read this book over thirty years ago. I was selling life insurance and found it on the bookshelf in the office. I don't even know if it is still in print. Just the fact that I remember it should be an indication of how important it was to me. It opened up the "out of the box" possibilities that surrounded me every day. All solutions were not cut in stone and I had the power to use creative thought to fashion results using the same set of circumstances that others faced. I could destroy failure with the same tools by merely looking at every problem as a challenge. Situations began to be nothing more than a rubik's cube and I had the power to solve them.

Biko - Donald Woods

We are all much more comfortable operating in the shades of gray. It is a place that many can hide their sins and many others can abdicate true responsibility for their actions. It is very simple to say that everything is not black and white. I am guilty of this subversion upon occasion. This book is about so much more than Mr. Biko. This book will provide anyone with a clear picture of the impact and effects of racism. This book will explain why the people on this planet have to rise above inherent tribal differences and move beyond the fear of those that are different than us. There is no legislative body that can wipe out the ravages of aparthied and every legislative body has the power to create the division that gives birth to these problems. If you read of this man's journey and accept that any one of us may have worn the same shoes, we can be grateful he wore them and devasted that he wore them. It is a good character building novel and it is a wonderful love story. I am always amazed that he was born 6 months after me and accomplished so much before he was murdered. Steve Biko left quite a challange to stand up for what is right, regardless of your situation. This book tells the story of a hero.

These are just the first five that jumped into mind. They give a reasonable overview of my kind of non-fiction. I will have to share but one fictional piece to complete the circle.

Stuart Little - E.B.White

This was the first book my father read to me and my brother. As soon as I mastered reading well enough, I read it again. It is the first book that I read to my children and after they were fast asleep, I read it again. It is the first book I read after turning 50. It is the first book on my list of books that I would take to an island. It is the style of writing I aspire to recreating. It is a wonderful fantasy as a child. It is a great adventure story for an older child. It is the best overview of the world for an inquiring teen. It is a great philosophical overview for a young adult. It is a respite from the weary world for an adult. The same story changes as you grow older and wiser. Of all my books, this is a must own and must read.

That is enough meat to make soup. I will return and share the dark side another time. Just trust that it will include authors like Dylan,Patterson, Woods, Kava, etc.

Now.....Robin Kurtz................what do you read?