I'll keep this week's open thread short and sweet, as I'm busily catching up on emails and finishing a story after returning from little reporting trip. Traveling did afford me some extra time for reading, which I spent on Mark J. Penn's 2007 book Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Change. It's really intended for marketers, politicians, and businesspeople who want to be on the cutting edge of emerging trends, but it's certainly applicable to freelance writers with that same goal. Although some of the trends are now a little passe (how 2007!), the book has helped me think about current day clues that might point to newer trends. What's on your reading list these days? Anything good? Do tell!