Book of the, uh, Quarter

Those that know me, wish they didn't.  No, seriously, those that do, and would admit to it, would say that I'm not particularly known for reading.  I'm not talking about basic literacy, I'm talking about books.  I read magazines, articles, blog posts, snippets, clips, clippets and snips, quips, blips and backflips all the time.  Short, concise, densely packed information, ideal for short bursts of absorption.  The problem with that drug is that it wears thin after a while.  There's no depth.  Even the best articles and blog posts leave me (and likely you as well) wishing it could go a little further.  A little more in-depth.  Sort of like foreplay without the sex afterwards.

I was never what even I myself would call an "avid" reader.  I've read some books in my life.  Mostly in college, and mostly at the end of a large caliber firearm aimed at my shrinking forehead.  Threat of a bad grade (and hence: no tuition reimbursement) kept me reading like a prison road gang ditch digger on a hot Summer day.  No pissin off "da boss-man, no-suh".

But even that pathetic effort fell to almost nil once my wife and I focused on raising our four kids.  That began in 1990.  Now that our youngest is eleven, and exercising a little more autonomy and self-management, I am finding myself with an extra minute here, and an extra minute there.  Not a lot, mind you, but little bits, slowly accumulating like a frost melt pond.  Damn.  That was almost poetic.  Golly gosh!  Where was I? Oh yeah…

So this past month I began dipping my toe (another term for "brain" in my case) back into reading larger sources of information: books.  Yes, it's a shocker. Some of my friends and family cannot fathom this impossibility of impossibilities.  But it's true.  I've actually knocked out a few in the past 30 days and hope to continue on, which is pretty much what I said after my first time having sex.  Ok, maybe I said that after I found the enjoyment in my brother's secret Playboy stash, oh well.  Same difference.  In any case, here's my list:

Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
by Leonard Peikoff

The Myths of Innovation
by Scott Berkun

In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks
by Adam Carolla

What Technology Wants
by Kevin Kelly

It's a tough choice to make, all of these are good.  But if I had to pick one of these as my recent favorite, what would you guess would be my pick?