I have yet to read Gilbert’s biggest-selling Eat, Pray, Love, which is mentioned constantly in her latest book. Big Magic is Gilbert’s guide on creative living—or bringing out your hidden treasures. Her advice is simply to do what you enjoy. For Gilbert, writing is what she does, but you can do anything as long as you enjoy doing it. Your enjoyment doesn’t have to do with making a living, although it wouldn’t hurt. Big Magic is an inspiring book for anyone who is looking for a creative journey, but is it a helpful guide to students and newcomers in the field of design.

I didn’t discover the value of reading until I finished my my four-year college. Since I was a kid, I was always told that I should read, but no one explained to me why. When I arrived in the States, I had trouble reading in English. As a result, I got bored and gave up after reading one page.

These days, I read every opportunity I have. I read books to stay informed and stay offline. Now that I understand the value of reading, I want to help my kids to start reading as well. Daniel Willingham’s Raising Kids Who Read offers research and guides to help kids to read. The key goal to take away from this book is to show kids that reading is pleasurable. Once they find the joy in reading, they will read themselves.

I don’t read or recommend parenting books, but this one is an exception. It is a great resource for parents who want to introduce reading to their kids.

Glad to see a copy of Matthew Butterick’s second edition of Typography for Lawyers on the reference shelf in the Law Library. Every law student should be required to read this book in their first year because “Good typography is part of good lawyering.” Butterick is dead on.

Những bức thư tình nhẹ nhàng nhưng cảm xúc, thơ mộng nhưng chững chạc. Ngọc Bích viết với tâm trạng một cô bé dám yêu và cố chấp yêu cho dù chưa được sống bên người mình yêu. Thời gian xa cách là một thử thách trong tình yêu. Tuy đã trải qua thời yêu thương non dại tôi vẫn tìm được những điều mọc mạc thú vị khi đọc Cố Chấp Yêu.

A mesmerizing memoir on alcohol, sex, sober, and dating. Hepola’s gripping, humorous, and candid writing makes Blackout an engaging read. For instance, she writes, “Some of the healthiest, most accomplished people I know went to both rehab and therapy, and I’ve know some sick motherfuckers who managed to avoid both.” I won’t quit drinking after finishing this book, but I enjoyed it.

Rewriting the content for ON Designs motivated me to reread Nicely Said by Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee. I wanted to make my writing clear and concise. Furthermore, I simply enjoy the beautiful typesetting by Kim Scott. It’s a must-read for anyone who works on the web.

Although I didn’t get through the entire book, I found some fascinating, which “comes from the Latin fascinum, a representation of the erected penis” (p. 17), vulgarities:

It is much better to fuck a hairy cunt than one which is smooth; it holds in the steam and simulates the cock. (p. 20)

Futuo could be translated more literally as “to penetrate a vagina.” Pedicare means “to penetrate an anus.” (p. 30)

The verb irrumare involves pretty much the only other orifice available—it means “to penetrate the mouth.” (p. 31)

Based on their own use cases, whether in a crisis situation or an unfortunate scenario, Eric Meyer and Sara Wachter-Boettcher provide a foundation for making compassionate and inclusive designs. Design for Real Life challenges designers to approach the less-than-ideal users first in their process to ensure that the experience is not only satisfying, but also not causing any harm. Read it and apply kindness to your UX.

A passionate, well-written book that examines what it takes to be a winner. Drawing interviews from the top political figures to the best sport players to the most successful business leaders, Alastair Campbell studies many aspects of winning. He came to a conclusion that all the winners have three characteristics in common: objective, strategy, and tactics. Winners is a compelling and enlightening read.

1. An A-Z of Type Designers, by Neil Macmillan, is a quick, useful reference on type designers and their works.
2. The Adobe Original Silver Anniversary Story, by Tamye Riggs, provides insights on the talented team at Adobe Type.
3. Adrian Frutiger Typefaces, by Heidrun Osterer & Philipp Stamm, is a big, beautiful, and comprehensive documentation of Frutiger’s typefaces completed with detailed analysis.
4. Anatomy of a Typeface, by Alexander Lawson, is an informative analytical study of classic typefaces and their letter forms.
5. The Anatomy of Type, by Stephen Coles, is as delightful to read as insightful to study.
6. Book Typography, by Michael and Susan Wightman Mitchell, is indeed a designer’s manual for making beautiful books while still focusing on legibility and readability.
7. Building Ligatures, by TypeTogether, features inspiring behind-the-scenes stories of the foundry as well as informative how-to essays. It is an essential and enjoyable read for anyone who touches types.
8. The Complete Manual of Typography, by James Felici, is a concise yet comprehensive manual on typesetting drawing from over thirty years of experience.
9. The Complete Typographer, by Christopher Perfect, manages to provide a comprehensive history of typography starting from 3000BC to 1990s within the first 35 pages.
10. Designing Type, by Karen Cheng, is a must-read for anyone who is interested in type design and typography.
11. Detail In Typography, by Jost Hochuli, exams the elements of micro-typography including letters, words, lines, and spacing.
12. The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst, is the quintessential text on typography.
13. The Evolution of Type, by Tony Seddon, is useful, insightful, and a perfect complement to Stephen Coles’s The Anatomy of Type.
14. The Field Guide to Typography, by Peter Dawson, is a breezy and beautiful introduction to the world of typography we see everyday.
15. Flexible Typesetting, by Tim Brown, is an essential guide to shape better typography on the web.
16. Inside Paragraphs, by Cyrus Highsmith, advises designers to look at the space (such as glyph, counter, letter, and line) rather than the text.
17. Just My Type, by Simon Garfield, is an engaging book about fonts that even non-type nerds will enjoy.
18. Mastering Type, by Denise Bosler, teaches all basic parts of typography and points out good-vs.-bad examples.
19. The New Typography, by Jan Tschichold, provides practical principles for contemporary design.
20. On Web Typography, by Jason Santa Maria, proves that the process of working with types on the web could be rewarding, engaging, and not daunting.
21. Reading Letters, by Sofie Beier, is packed with research on the history of reading and typography.
22. Revival Type, by Paul Shaw, is an awe-inspiring collection of typefaces that have been reinvented and reinterpreted from the past to the present.
23. Shady Characters, by Keith Houston, reserves a place on my bookshelf to remind me these characters whenever I work on my typographic design.
24. Shaping Text, by Jan Middendorp, covers the basics of typesetting and the nuances of typography.
25. Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works, by Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger, uses amusing, relatable analogies to help readers understand the important of typography.
26. Thinking with Type, by Ellen Lupton, is a rare gem—a book on typography that is as thoughtfully explained as it is designed.
27. Type Tricks, by Sofie Beier, is not only an essential guide for type designers, but also a useful reference for typographers who want to make better typographic choices.
28. Twentieth Century Type Designers, by Sebastian Carter, features short profiles of prominent type designers starting from Frederic W. Goudy to Carol Twombly.
29. Universal Principles of Typography, by Elliot Jay Stocks, features 100 clearly written principles accompanied by beautiful illustrations to help readers understand the key concepts.
30. Web Typography, by Richard Rutter, is a comprehensive resource that has everything you need to know for setting beautiful, readable, and responsive type on the web.