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At the beginning of this year I made a pledge – a resolution if you will – to read 12 books. I did this for several reasons – I have never been much of a reader, I had books on my bookshelf I bought but never read, seeing my wife reading books all the time... you get the picture. As 2007 closes, I am pleased to say I met my goal.

I decided to tie these books into my newly-launched blog, and would write something on each one as I read it. Some of the books had been in print for many years, so writing a review would be no good, plus there are book reviews elsewhere. Instead I decided to personalize my responses by writing what I took away from each book. I would conclude my takeaways with whether or not I recommend the book for others to read, as I felt there would be a chance I didn’t like the book.

As I read each book, what would I do with them? My bookshelf was runneth over with books, documentation and of course sports memorabilia. As I was now a book reader, more shelf space was required. So rather than have these books become like trophies on the mantelpiece, I decided to give them away. Once I finished a book and wrote my takeaways, it was promptly sent off to someone who I felt it appropriate to them. Sometimes this was via my wife who became interested in my newfound passion, but they have all left my office and are in the hands of others.

It would not be appropriate to sum up a year’s effort without stats. Of the 12 books I read, only 5 were in my possession at the beginning of the year. One book was given to me by the author, a friend, and another was given to me by the city of Chicago (along with several thousand others I presume). Two books I heard about from articles I read, and one was mentioned in several of the other books I read. One book I read via email messages from the DailyLit service, and 1 was book was authored by someone with the same name as me.

You can read all of the book takeaways and supporting posts under the “Book Take-Aways” category, always available on the sidebar of The Hot Iron. Now onto writing my 12th takeaway post, then starting my first book for 2008!

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It’s always interesting when the media analyzes thyself, and even more interesting when itself is the news.

I was watching the 10 pm news on WLS-TV, ABC7 in Chicago last night. The anchor, Ravi Baichwal, was segueing to a field reporter when I heard a loud bang and Baichwal looked to the side in shock. And so the field reporter began her segment. When it came back to the news desk, we the viewers were told an SUV had crashed through one of the windows of the street-level studio on State Street, across from the famed Chicago Theatre.

As of this writing no reason has been given for the crash, which eyewitnesses said was deliberate. There were no barriers on the sidewalk in front of the studio to prevent such an incident, though temporary jersey barriers were put in place today. Though this could have been a much worse crime, nobody was injured and the driver was arrested on the scene. Baichwal handled the situation like a professional, though he was mere feet from it happening. He advised viewers that the newscast going forward would be “fluid” and you couldn’t expect anything better despite the circumstances.

You can see the replay of the incident on ABC7’s Web site and photos of the boarded-up studio window I took tonight, one with Baichwal behind the desk once again. I am sure more permanent barriers will be put into place, and they will also be in place when WBBM-TV CBS2 moves into its own street-level studio just a block away next year.

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There’s less than 24 hours left until Christmas arrives, and you still need to get someone a gift. As they use the Internet, why not get an Amazon Gift Certificate?

Amazon Gift Certificates can be redeemed for anything from Amazon.com. The recipient enters the code when they check out to apply the gift certificate value. They make a great gift for anyone – including yourself for doing more of your shopping online.

Merry Christmas!

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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