Eric Lamkins has been a resident of Arlington Heights for 15 years and is the owner of four local businesses in Arlington Heights with his wife: Stone Soup 3 Creative, Kilwins, D'Light Apiary and coming soon, Spent Grain Brewing. Lamkins has been a graphic designer for 28 years, a home brewer for 24 years, a beekeeper for six years and a confectioner for five years. Lamkins’s hobbies include pinball, retro video games, modern PC video gaming, board games and tiki bars. Lamkins also enjoys music and films and has a collection of over 2,000 albums, almost 400 vinyl records and over 500 movies.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
By Crockett Johnson
One of the earliest books I remember and still own from my childhood. It's the book that opened my mind to creativity and imagination.
The Mac is Not a Typewriter
By Robin Williams
A book that I believe is still an essential tool for any graphic designer or person who sets type. It covers all manner of typesetting, from when to use a dash, an "en" dash or an "em" dash, or how to set a paragraph and not have orphans or widows, to how to proper let tabs and what quote marks to use and when.
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
By Wayne Curtis
I enjoy history and I enjoy a good tiki drink, which means rum, which is why this book was so good. Similar books, Salt: A World History and A History of the World in 6 Glasses, are also enjoyable. This book offers a look at the new world and how rum played a bigger part in it than we were taught in school.
Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft
Book By Thor Heyerdahl
Film Directed By Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg, 2012
Thor theorized that Polynesia may have been settled by ancient Peruvians. He set out to test the theory by building a raft and with five others, set out to sail to the Polynesian Islands. A great read and well done, beautifully filmed 2012 movie as well.
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
By Charlie Papazian
A friend introduced me to homebrewing in college. It was a time when there were not a lot of options for beers. This book should be in every brewer's library. If you're not a brewer, it's still a great read. It'll introduce you to how beer is made and give you insight into the processes that take place when brewing.
A Pirate Looks at Fifty
By Jimmy Buffett
As a person who loves music, I listen to it all: bluegrass, country, rap, metal, classical and rock. My favorites include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and of course Jimmy Buffett. Although I've read plenty of books about many groups and even took a class on music appreciation, this book was by far my favorite. I enjoy Jimmy's fictional writings as well, but this book gave insights into his life.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Books By Lemony Snicket
Film Directed By Brad Silberling, 2004
Finding time to read books can be a challenge in our household, and reading for pleasure can be even harder. Mostly saved for long flights or at five-minute intervals when waiting for an appointment. I read these books in about two months, first they're not that long to read. But at about one a week, they really entertained and captivated me. I was staying up late just to read them. A book series I can honestly say I couldn't put down! Jim Carrey's film version has a great soundtrack and is well cast, it covers only the first three books and "completes" the story in a way that can ignore the remaining 10 books (the Netflix series covers the books in their entirety over 25 episodes and was equally enjoyable).
Not all Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings: The Rise and Fall of Sierra On-Line
By Ken Williams
Ken Williams' book covers the development, growth and eventual dismantling of his and his wife's company Sierra. It is known for PC games such as King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest and more. It looks at the game industry, the development and the creativity that goes into video games and even applies to gaming today.