Well, I finished another one. "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell was as interesting and enlightening as expected. There is some very interesting theory in their about what really makes a difference in affecting change. Sometimes it is the smallest of details that makes a big difference. I suppose this is not really a new lesson, though. Aren't we always told that it is the little things that count? There is also the oft' used analogy of a ships rudder as in the 1982 talk by Elder Thomas S. Monson, "Sailing Safely the Seas of Life" where he states:

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"As with the ship, so it is with man. The thrust of the turbines, the power of the propellers are useless without that sense of direction, that harnessing of the energy, that directing of the power provided by the rudder, hidden from view, relatively small in size, but absolutely essential in function."

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Gladwell illustrates countless examples of this same principle. It was a good reminder for me not to discredit the small details in life.

In addition to this book I have been listening to a few chapters of "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner which my wife Micaela got from the library. It is also a very interesting book which gets at issues on a deeper level. According to the book, economics is all about incentives and why people do what they do. Using this idea, the authors try to dig into the sometimes surprising and controversial motives for a lot of hidden or ignored activities. It is an interesting read in the least.

I also started reading just this evening a new book lent to me by my Mother-in-Law, Carol Johnson. The book is "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know" by Meg Meeker, M.D. It is the opinion of the author that the most important person in a girl's life is her Father. This has many consequences (some good, some bad) which she promises to explore in the book. She draws on her own experience as a daughter as well as her wealth of knowledge from observations and research as a medical doctor. I have never been a daughter (that would of course be impossible, even through the magic of modern plastic surgery), but I am a father of an incredible little girl (see previous post for picture), and so I am hoping to glean some pertinent advice from the book.

As always, if any of you have read, or are reading any of these books please leave a note with your own thoughts. My love to you all. Happy reading!