Jerry Schwartz

Books I Read in 2013

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I read fewer books this year than ever—and I thought last year was bad! Despite the fact that the reasons for this are really good ones, it is with slight embarrassment that I present this meager list of books I read in 2013:

  • The Zen of Social Media Marketing (Shama Kabani)
  • Coincidences (Maria Savva)
  • Databases Demystified, 2/e (Andy Oppel)
  • Burmese Days (George Orwell)

Next year can only be better. I’m in the middle of a huge book now and have started two others (all nonfiction), so I’m off to a good start.

My Top 10 Favorite Novels

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Here are my top 10 favorite novels. Admittedly, language limitations have prevented me from reading several of these in the language in which they were originally written, but I list them here nevertheless, as I am no less in love with them as the result of having read translated versions. The list:

  • Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
  • The Way of All Flesh (Samuel Butler)
  • The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Laurence Sterne)
  • Ulysses (James Joyce)
  • Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes)
  • Malone Dies (Samuel Beckett)
  • Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
  • Confessions of Zeno (Italo Svevo)
  • On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
  • Look Homeward, Angel (Thomas Wolfe)

Google Glass

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Google Glass

Earlier this week, I got to try out Google Glass, and I’m totally amazed by what Glass can do. No word yet on when Glass will be available to the public, but the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned. Hopefully, it will come in a version that allows prescription lenses.

Chicago Music Summit

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Chicago Music Summit

I attended the first-ever Chicago Music Summit last week, and I’m busier than ever doing all the things I learned there. Three sessions were more than worthy of mention:

  • Music Partnerships on the Web: Workshop Hosted by YouTube
  • Website Demolition Derby
  • Album Release Strategies for the 21st Century

Great event—and free! I’m glad I took the day off from work to attend, and I look forward to doing the same next year.