Join the Guild at our Spring Fellowship Brunch this Saturday! (April 26, 2014 10am-Noon) Special guest speaker Bob Hamer and workshops. Where: The Cove, 11838 Bernardo Plaza Ct., SD, CA 92128 (BEHIND THE CITIBANK BUILDING!). $25/person (bring someone new to the Guild and they are only $20). Register online via Paypal or mail in registration form.

I’m reading David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Writing this book reportedly brought author Malcolm Gladwell back to his faith. I’m also reading The Great Santini by Pat Conroy, and recently finished A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner and Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. All excellent!

Just finished The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt. I liked this book! Haidt’s a self-described, left-leaning liberal, but in my opinion he’s one of the good ones in that he’s willing to think for himself and isn’t afraid to be as critical of the left as he is of the right. The book is based on years of his own research as a social psychologist, is peppered throughout with end notes which are as interesting as the book itself, and is extremely well-documented. Anyone interested in why our society is so polarized but who may not have time to read the book, you’ll find Haidt on TED, or go to his website at http://righteousmind.com.

On the recommendation of a friend I just finished A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. They said it was an interesting and easy read. I found it boring, tedious, confusing and difficult but I was determined to slug through it. They kept asking me how I liked it. About half way through I realized I’d ordered A Short History of the World by Blainey instead of Bryson’s book! LOL. Mystery solved and after reading Bryson I may not agree with everything he wrote but agree that it was written in an easy and entertaining style! I also read Think of a Number (mystery) by John Verdon. What impressed me about this book was the extensive vocabulary list I built from looking up words I didn’t know. I also finished Master the SAT (along with all the sample problems and practice tests). Great way to humble yourself in front of your teenagers and learn something along the way!