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What I’m Reading Now: David Hale Smith

David Hale Smith, Literary Agent, DHS Literary, Inc.

What I’m Reading Now – Jane McGarry

Jane McGarry – NBC News Anchor

Books: “The Bolter”, Frances Osborne.  I would highly recommend it!  It’s a
little racy, a little fun, and very informative.  The jacket says it’s
the story of  the “wild, beautiful, fearless Idina Sackville, descendent
of one of England’s oldest families, who went off to Kenya in search of
adventure and became known as the high priestess of the scandalous Happy
Valley Set”. I found it fascinating because it’s the story of a woman
who married five times, when that wasn’t done, but also because it’s a
really interesting portrait of English society in the 20′s, which was
much more permissive than I ever knew.

Bookmarks: Favorite websites:  NBCDFW.com of course, also Huffingtonpost.com,
dailybeast.com, TMZ and itunes.

Magazines: Vogue, Newsweek, World of Interiors, Wall Street Journal and New York
Times.

What I’m Reading Now: T. D. Jakes

Bishop T.D. Jakes, The Potter’s House Church in Dallas: Pastor, Author, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Books:  Push by Sapphire (basis of the movie “Precious”). Someone handed me this book by Sapphire a little before it came out as the movie “Precious,” and no matter what anyone else says, I can enjoy a book and the movie.  In this case, both pack an emotional punch to the gut:  ”Precious” is a large teen girl, misfit and mistreated, in the starkest shadow of Harlem.  Her addict father has repeatedly raped her.  Her invalid mother abuses her. Yet in the ashes of poverty and unrelenting tragedy, her glow will not be extinguished.  I know her in a thousand people trampled by systems and cruelty and circumstances–who stand and walk on.  It’s a hard story but a right story. I recommend it.

Outliers. I like Malcolm Gladwell because I like how he thinks and what he puts his mind to.  He exposes patterns in people and the people in trends.  In this case, Mr. Gladwell breaks down certain aspects of success–some patterns by choice, some by chance.  The bible says the race is not always to the swift.  Mr. Gladwell might say success is not always to the most intellectual or most gifted or to someone born into the most favorable circumstances–but to the person who perseveres, and ever learns, and practices, and absorbs, and ignores the sweat in the eyes for the fix on the prize.  But I’m summarizing too wildly.  Just read the book.

Websites: Variety.com and various online bibles

Magazines and newspapers and journals:  Wall Street Journal, D Magazine, Gospel Today, Dallas Morning News and the New York Times and Variety