Miles’ Blog » Recent Reads for August 2008

I’ve read some great books recently, and I always mean to write a detailed review for each. I never seem to get around to it, so here’s a quick rundown of my five most recent book purchases…

Editing Made Easy by Bruce Kaplan
If terms like tautology and possessive apostrophe get you excited, then you’ll want to grab a copy of this book. This title is a handy pocket sized book on editing, which has the great side effect of improving your writing. Pitched mainly at beginners, but likely to be good for anyone who wants to write (or edit) well.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
As a fan of the television series, I had to get my hands on the book that inspired it all. It has all the characters we’ve grown to love in the series, but quite a few changes in storyline than the TV series. I’m a fan of reading the book after the movie/TV series, and not a fan at all of consuming stories the other way around; the movie or show normally disappoints.

Making Meaning by Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff and Darrel Rhea
The subtitle of this book is ‘How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences’. This book delivers the idea that a companies only way to gain customer loyalty is to build a meaningful customer experience. A fascinating read.

Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter
This is a great read for anyone involved in the user experience of any web application, social or not. There are still plenty of lessons here, and they’re delivered in an understandable and enjoyable way.

The Principles of Project Management by Meri Williams
Meri has an easy, clear way of outlining great practices for website project management. This is well worth a read no matter your team role. Note: I have a commercial relationship with SitePoint, publisher of this book, however this had no bearing on mentioning this book.

So, I’ve shared what’s on my bedside table. I encourage you to answer; What’s on your bookshelf or bedside table?

Image: Bedside table reading.