Thankfully, novels have returned to my life. For most of my career, I read non-fiction, "how to" books that taught me to swim with the sharks, follow the fifth discipline, compete for the future and go from good to great. Now, post-career development phase, I have little need for these tomes. I'm not interested in being a highly effective friend or managing my household for profit growth. I want to be entertained. Or inspired. Or scared.
Fortunately, authors are still writing kick-ass fiction and I've found some great summer reads. The Help returned me to the crazy culture clashes of the 60's. Cutting for Stone fed me an overwhelmingly rich, and pleasing dose of Ethiopia. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society invited me to live with a rural British community as they survived WWII. Maybe having a Kindle helps or maybe having a lazy summer is the reason; regardless, I'm reading volumes more than I have in the past.
Which leads me to my latest online find: The Book Seer. Complete the sentence "I've just finished reading ___________. What should I read next?" and the site will provide you with a list of new book recommendations. From what I've seen so far, their recommendations are creative and excellent. My search based on the book "The Shadow Catcher" rewarded me with a page of new reads, none of which had anything to do with photography or Indians (the easiest match to my book). Bonus round--it's free, it's easy and it's an attractively designed site.
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