Books

background

I've always enjoyed reading, but usually struggled to keep a flow on from book to book. Since about August 2000 though I've been reading quite regularly. I didn't realize quite how much I'd come to depend on it until a couple of weeks ago when I ran out of books and suddenly I was up until all hours of the night watching Letterman and various late night crap.

Below are some thoughts on the books I've been reading since about the start of 2001, and a place for me to remember the books I'm planning to read.

links

Amazon - the best place for book reviews and reading ideas

recent

Protect and Defend, Richard North Patterson  December 2001
The first time I've even come close to questioning my pro-choice opinion on abortion. An interesting and challenging read that I couldn't put down.

Whirlwind, James Clavell  December 2001
Particularly interesting reading about an Islamic revolution in the context of things currently unfolding in Afganistan. Hearing about the chaos of change and the systems of goverment was interesting, the insight into what ordinary people go through fascinating, and realizing why the US government might give guns to Iran in a situation like that was helpful.

statistics

41 books in 2001 at a rate of 3.42 per month (12 months).

thoughts

Absolute Power, David Baldacci  August 2001
Another great plot and story from this writer.

Airframe, Michael Crichton  July 2001
Captivating from the first page and lots to learn.

Apaches, Lorenzo Carcaterra  Dec 2000
Sleepers was great but I had to wade through this disjointed, unlikable novel. I only finished it because I had nothing better to read.

The Apocalypse Watch, Robert Ludlum  Feb 2001
I waded through the first 200 pages and then gave up. I don't like to give up on a book, but when it reaches a point where I'd rather watch late night TV than read it is time to move on.

Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer  August 2001
Brings fairies to life, but you might not like them...

As The Crow Flies, Jeffrey Archer  November 2001
Another great book from Archer that I devoured on Guatemalan "chicken buses".

Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding  June 2001
Light with a few things that made me laugh out loud.

The Cashflow Quadrant, Robert Kiyosaki  August 2001
Among other things, it gave me great insight into the difference between being self-employed and owning a business.

Congo, Michael Chrichton  November 2001
Absorbing and fascinating.

Contact, Carl Sagan  Jan 2001
Great science fiction, but I also loved the tie in with religious issues.

Cosmos, Carl Sagan  Jan 2001
Fascinating, the one concept that truly blew my mind is the vastness of time on a cosmic scale.

The Dogs of War, Frederick Forsyth  September 2001
I don't think I've ever read a book by Frederick Forsyth that I didn't love. The detail is incredible and fascinating.

The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber  September 2001
I read this book soon after starting my business 3 years ago. I wish that I'd understood it then. Reading it again now I can see so many of our growth problems outlined perfectly. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Extreme Programming in Practice, James W Newkirk, Robert C Martin  July 2001
They make some interesting observations but I am not sure that it warrants a full book.

Good Service Is Good Business: 7 Simple Strategies for Success, Catherine DeVyre  Jan 2001
Maybe I just wasn't ready to learn about customer service yet. Most of the ideas in this book seem to be more relevant to larger corporations or consumer oriented companies. Using "case studies" solicited and written by organizations themselves seems a bit lazy to me.

Harry Potter and the Sourcerer's Stone, J. K. Rowling  Apr 2001
When I see kids who never read books engrossed in a huge novel I had to try it. Great characters and fantastic ideas.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling  Apr 2001
I love these books... 5 minutes after finishing this I went out to buy the 3rd one.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling  May 2001
They just keep getting better...

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling  May 2001
Now I just have to wait for the 5th one along with everyone else.

How to Become CEO, Jeffrey J Fox  June 2001
As with all books like this you have to take it with a grain of salt. I believe that everyone has their own work and leadership style. By presenting some rules / formulae this book might help you to review your own style.

How to Get New Business in 90 Days and Keep it Forever, Wendy Evans  Jan 2001
Lots of great marketing ideas. Made a tech guy like me feel that sales / marketing are not beyond my comprehension.

How to Sell Stacks and Stacks of Anything, Doug Malouf  June 2001
I like the way this book spends some time talking about personal motivation. This is definitely one of the big challenges for sales and marketing people IMO.

Jack and Jill, James Patterson  May 2001
Good story, but a very weird writing style.

Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer  August 2001
So good that I read this 500+ page book in less than 48 hours.

Lord of the Flies, William Golding  Feb 2001
I'm glad I could skim it since I wasn't reading it as a school text.

Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur S Golden  June 2001
Very interesting, believable and easy to read.

The Nemesis File, Paul Bruce  July 2001
Horrible. You know it is true but don't want to believe it.

No B.S. Sales Success, Dan Kennedy  June 2001
A good guide to sales as opposed to marketing. I keep referring back to this book for ideas and approaches.

The Odessa File, Frederick Forsyth  Jan 2001
I had no idea that one of the key ideas behind the holocaust was to make it a profitable business. This book also helped me to better understand the whole concept of collective guilt associated with this terrible part of human history.

The Princess Bride, William Goldman  Mar 2001
I loved the movie and the book was just even more clever.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki  August 2001
Like most books of this type, it has one key idea. Build wealth through investments that have positive cashflow. Great if you take the time to reflect on that key idea.

The Seventh Scroll, Wilbur Smith  Apr 2001
The characters are a little simple at times but I think I've found another author to explore.

Shall We Tell the President?, Jeffrey Archer  August 2001
Enjoyable from the first moment.

Shattered, Dick Francis  November 2001
I own nearly all the Dick Francis books and love them. But this one was slow to start, felt awkward and really wasn't anywhere near as good as the others.

The Simple Truth, David Baldacci  June 2001
I love books like this, learn lots while enjoying the story.

Solo, Jack Higgins  Apr 2001
Readable, but lucky it was short.

The Testament, John Grisham  Apr 2001
Great first chapter that carries you through an otherwise fairly ordinary book.

Timeline, Michael Crichton  July 2001
The modern day bits were interesting, the parts from the past were not. I felt there were holes in his plot this time.

Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson  Feb 2001
Focus on the story and draw your own conclusions. The introduction and discussion seem like a bit of a sales pitch for the book itself.

The X10 Memplex, Michael Hewitt-Gleeson  Jan 2001
I'm not sure about the times everything by 10 philosophy spouted in this book. But I did pick up on another key idea, viewing sales as a dialogue with potential customers rather than as doing everything possible to "close the sale".