On the nightstand, part Le Deux

On my nightstand:

Aforementioned Steinbeck.

A raggedy copy of "Shape of the Corral," written by a guy who works for me. I'm doing a second read through on it. It's rough, but has shiny spots.

Back of the toilet seat:
Portable Machiavelli.

I'm working on some theories about how the troubles encountered when transitioning a newsroom from print-centric to web-centric are similar to those encountered by princes taking over a city and putting a new ruler in power. Machiavelli offers some good lessons for a modern (niche) conundrum.

The Cult of the Amateur. Previously mentioned boo de hoo book about how lots of paid professionals are being put out of work by the underclass "amateurs" who are presuming willy nilly to publish stuff, displacing a bunch of people who spent years and lots of money at Northwestern.