Living within walking distance to a university has many benefits, including access to a large library and a college bookstore.

When I went with my daughter to buy books for fall semester, I browsed the bookstore stacks and found two books on my wish list I thought were out of print: Ogilvy on Advertising and Hey Whipple, Squeeze This.

If I remember correctly,  well known copywriter Bob Bly  mentioned those two books long ago, and that’s how they landed on my radar.

Any writer working with commercial clients should pick up a copy of Luke Sullivan’s Hey Whipple – it’s full of how-to’s for coming up with and refining ideas, looking at things from a different perspective, and writing for television, radio, print and social media.

Finding it was timely for me because I recently landed an assignment writing a brochure, something I haven’t done in a while. The book has earned a place next to Roy Peter Clark’s books on my primary writing reference shelf. I’m re-reading a book from that shelf as well: Jack Hart’s Storycraft. I’m knee-deep in a developing profile article and Jack’s advice on narrative storytelling has given me many angles to consider as I pull the many pieces together.

 I also added To Show and To Tell by Phillip Lopate, but it is seemingly more academic and harder to read.

Stephen King’s On Writing has made many a writer’s recommendation list so when I saw a copy at my local bookstore, I bought it.

The first part is autobiographical and the second contains pointers on writing – many I’ve heard before but not quite in the same way.

I haven’t cracked Ogilvy on Advertising yet, but I will have to soon as it, Storycraft and Hey Whipple could  soon be on my other daughter’s required reading list since she’s a comm major at Murrow.

Tell me – what have you been reading lately?