I got one of those book-reading devices for my birthday this year and have already read four books in the last month.

Here’s what I’ve read (amazon affiliate links):

• Just Kids
• The Monster Within: The Hidden Side of Motherhood
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place

_Drive_ is pretty interesting.. Lots of research has said for more than 50 years that carrot/stick approaches to business management don’t work, but businesses continue to do it anyway. It includes some great summaries of chapters, further books to read about specific topics, and lists of things individuals, teachers, business owners and managers can do to improve the way they motivate people.

The other books were pleasure reading… I read a book by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy called _Mother Nature_ a long time ago, and Scott remembered and recommended _The Monster Within_. Great insights into the psychology of motherhood and the pressures American women face.

_Just Kids_ is a poetic remembrance of Patti Smith’s life in NYC and her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Much of the early book reads like a fairy tale, while later parts detailed the rough, sloppy lives of artists carving out a living in NYC in the 70s and 80s. I didn’t enjoy the later chapters as much – which often had laundry lists of artists and celebrities meeting and partying. But the poetry came back toward the end.

_Between a Rock and a Hard Place_ is terrifying. I read it in anticipation of seeing “127 Hours”. Now I don’t know if I can stomach the movie. Jury’s out. 🙂