Banned Books Week roundup

Every year, books are challenged as being offensive to someone. Most of these challenges occur in public schools. My favorite banned book? I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Her story is a sad and compelling one about a woman that started with very little in life and ended up being one of the most remarkable poets of the 20th century (and today!). Check out these links for more banned book goodness:

• American Libraries kicks off Banned Books Week with a video in cooperation with ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom.
• 25 Banned Books That You Should Read Today from Degree Directory-short excerpts of banned books
• Explore banned books with Google Book Search
• Official banned books week website
• A history of banned books by Shelftalk, Seattle Public Library's blog

Deweying it by the Numbers: 100s

Job Stress (158.7) and dreams (135.3), along with philosophy (180s) and Self Help (158)--The 100s are all about you and your life.

Job Stress has been in the news a lot lately. One Microsoft executive blamed job stress as one of the reasons she embezzled $1 million from the company, while the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that job stress is really bad for your health.

Books to read on job stress:

The Inner Game of Work by W. Timothy Gallwey
The Truth about Burnout : how organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it by Christina Maslach
Stress for Success: the proven program for transforming stress into positive energy at work by James E. Loehr

Money Mortgage Melancholy

With AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, WaMu, and possibly others, the mortgage crisis is still very much underway. The New York Times has an interactive graphic that really puts it into perspective for me: $1 trillion has been lost so far. So money and mortgages have been on my mind. Take a look at some of these books to find some money peace of mind:

The road to wealth : a comprehensive guide to your money by Suze Orman

Every time Suze Orman is on the tv, I stop and take a look. She always makes sense even if she can be a little rough on her guests. With her books I get comprehensive guides on money. This one includes information about mortgages.

Home rich : increasing the value of the biggest investment of your life by Gerri Willis

With all of the homes foreclosing, it is interesting to look at a book about increasing the value of your home. I don't know if I have the time to take all of her suggestions, but still an interesting read.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Everyone asks for this book. To know it is to love it. Its a New York Times bestseller, spawned dozens of other books, and you can even buy the board game.

Financial Peace, Revisited by Dave Ramsey

Along with Orman and Kiyosaki, Ramsey is one of those financial gurus that people hang on their every word. His bestselling book, Financial Peace, was updated a couple of years ago with more information on marriage, singles, kids and families. And now with Ramsey's show so popular, he's even made an online "university" (there is a free preview lesson). But why pay money to find out how to save money? Just read his and others books at the library!

Presenting Powerfully

Presentations are everywhere. I posted earlier about the book, Presentation Zen, and said how remarkable it was. Well I got to put it into practice this week when my child had to do a Powerpoint for his technology class. He liked having a different background for each slide, and he said that my presentations for work were too "professional."

If he thinks that my presentations were too professional then he definitely hasn't seen what is out on the Internet. I recently received an email from slideshare.net about their World's Best Presentation 2008 contest. The top winner (Thirst) is an awesome combination of words and images. Enough so that it made me want to read more about the subject and see if the facts presented are correct. My next books to read are going to be about water:

• Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
• Blue Covenant : the global water crisis and the coming battle for the right to water by Maude Barlow
• The struggle for water : increasing demands on a vital resource by International Debate Education Association

Celebrity Reads!

These days everywhere I look, there is something on a billboard, or magazine, or television screen that tells me exactly what is going on in celebrities lives. Sometimes I am utterly fascinated, most times not (although I have watched my occasional reality show--even watching a design show on Style network about a reality television star's house makeover).

However, it is really fascinating to me about what a celebrity reads. Why did they choose that book? Who Reads What? doesn't answer all of my questions, but it does give me more books to read. The list is compiled by Gardiner Public Library in Gardiner, Maine and features people from Pat Boone to Jeff Foxworthy. The latter recommends the Bible: "It starts off with a bang and has many fascinating chapters. The ending is a page turner too!"

My favorite is Johnny Cash's choice of two Edna St. Vincent Millay's books: Collected Poems and A Few Figs from Thistles. The man in black likes poetry!