Books

I like to read. My choice of books are probably on the boring side of Exciting. Books that I'm currently reading or preparing to read:

• A Generous Orthodoxy (see book club blog below)
• Lost Lake by Phillip Margolin
• Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
• How to Talk to Anybody about Anything by Leil Lowndes (more on this one in a second)
• Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (an interesting book, but not well written at all)
• The Procrastinator's Handbook (seriously, this book was due 2 weeks ago and I'm only partially through it. I just keep putting it off.)
• Fast Company magazine (March, April, May, June issues)
• Investor's Business Daily online (www.investors.com)

I'm sure there are other books swimming beside the bed, but that is what I remember now.

About this How to Talk to Anybody book... I don't really want to talk to anybody about anything, but I do feel like I have trouble going from How are you? to Who are you? Some people are so good at this. It makes me want to improve. This book won't help. It won't help, that is, unless I'm attending one of the strangest parties. It provides a chapter for each of more than one hundred careers/types of people. Let's pick one at random, shall we?

How about Hang Gliders? You certainly wouldn't want to appear unknowledgeable about the relatively routine world of hang gliding now, would you? Your icebreaker question is:

What's Your Favorite Launch Method?

Your goal is to discover if they prefer cliff or tow launches. After that, you ask "Was your First Ride Bunny Slope or Did you Take a Tandem Flight?" (by the way, I'm capitalizing the way the book capitalizes. Isn't Every Question You Ask in Title Case?)

Then, "What are Your Preferred Flying Conditions?" Here is an insightful question. You'll discover if they prefer calm weather or much more challenging conditions with turbulence. If they prefer hang gliding in a meteor storm, I bet they're lying, although that is not in the book. If the conversation hasn't moved on naturally by now, you could also ask about their First Flight or if they do Competitive Flying or Cross-Country Flying.

I'd keep writing, but I'm going to move on to How to Talk With Squash Players and How to Talk With Stamp Collectors.