Books I've read recently (or am reading currently)

It's rare that I read as a hobby. As a computer geek, I'm always reading content online (such as CNN, Urban Dictionary, Wikipedia, etc...) but I never really curl up with a book. Even if I did, I almost certainly would never finish it.... at least not Harry Potter, fantasy books, or some murder mystery novel.

I've found some great books recently that I wanted to share. These are books that I am in the middle of or have read cover to cover. I can't get myself into reading a book unless I can learn from it. All of the books I'm about to mention are ones that you'll learn something new or they'll provide a new perspective on some aspect of life.

	The first book I have to mention is called "Don't make me think". Of all the books I've read, this is the one that I would recommend the most. It's written for people who want to understand how to make an easy to use website. The author discusses how people think, why they think that way, and how to give them what they want. You can apply most of what the book offers to anything that a human will see and use. My website used to look much different before I found this book. It inspired me to try and make my website easier to use. I want people to focus on my articles or content, not on how they navigate around or trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing.
	Next up is "Junk English". This is a pocket sized book that breaks down and analyzes everyday English. It's more of a coffee table book than it might sound like from the description. I found it entertaining to see all the garbage people use in their writing. It calls out filler words, common misuses of words, and how words are used to hide the real meaning of something. When I'm doing a lot of writing, this book is inspirational when my article is done. Even on my best day, my writing has tons of crap in it. When I skim through this book, it helps put a chip on my shoulder, forcing me to justify my writing, usually ending for the better.
	"The Language Instinct" is something I found on accident while I was walking around at Bookmans (a local used book store). At a high level it proposes that language, or actually the ability to process language, is an instinct that humans have, just like cats always seem to land on their feet. I've just started reading this book tonite and I'm almost through chapter two. This is a great analysis of language. The author cites existing works and studies. You could look at this book as an introduction to Linguistics or just a fun read. Read some of the reviews and an excerpt on Amazon if you have time.
	I forgot where I saw this book first. I was online trying to learn more about writing for blogs and I found this lady's webpage... http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ I'm not exactly the most scholarly person you'll ever meet, which is why it's weird plugging a book on grammar. With as much writing as I've been doing recently, I figured it couldn't hurt to pick up good habits. "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" has a lot of easy to remember tips. This isn't written for someone trying to master the English language; it just explains basic rules that will help your writing and has tips that make your work better. She also has a YouTube site and a Facebook page with more tips and information. I definitely recommend checking out some of her work.

Well, that's it folks. Take a few minutes, check those out, and leave me some feedback below!