January 2021
Here we are at the end of January already. I admit I was hoping for more snow, but the rain has been refreshing. This month my reading was scattered. I started several books, put several off, made progress on some bigger collections I have been working through and didn’t finish as many as I had hoped. I’m sure it will all work out in the end.
Here are the books I finished in January 2020 and my short reviews of them:
Fiction Books
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
This story goes just like the title - James, a small boy with a terrible home life, finds some magic and that magic gets spilled in the garden. In the garden, the magic makes a giant peach, and it makes several other critters giant as well. The adventure begins when James finds himself inside the peach with a giant talking Spider, Grasshopper, Earthworm, Glowworm, Ladybird, and Centipede. The peach breaks loose from its tree crushing Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge (who were the bad guys in charge of James) and rolls down the hill to the water, where it floats out to sea. The adventure continues as the crew is attacked by sharks. They escape by catching seagulls with spider silk and silkworm thread. Eventually, the peach and crew end up in America. In the story, the centipede was our (mine and Jet’s) favorite character. He’s obnoxious and funny and has lots and lots of boots.
I recommend this book to those needing an escape and hope for adventure and a better life.
(Rated G, Score 8/10, Audiobook read by Julian Rhind-Tutt, 3:18)
Non-Fiction Books
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear…” Have you lost someone you love recently? Have you struggled to process the feelings and thoughts that come with loss? Me too. Lewis too. This short book records his thoughts and railings during his grief caused by the death of his wife. As a parent, some of the most comforting moments I have had are to see other parents struggling like I do and in that moment to realize that I am not alone. As a griever, it is powerful to know that you are not alone in those feelings. Lewis journals his thoughts, and feelings as he works through the healing process. In the end, only time has the power to start to heal the hurt.
I recommend this to the grievers, and those supporting them.
(Rated G, Score 7/10, paperback 120p.)
What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
So this isn’t really a non-fiction book, but it is packaged like one. It’s not your typical science book. It’s written by a very smart person about very silly questions (the author quit NASA to be an internet comic writer). The kindle version has lots of illustrations and comics. The audible version is read by Wil Wheaton who is hilarious. Here are my favorite examples of internet questions that the author tackles with physics, math, and research:
~What would happen if you made a periodic table out of cube-shaped bricks, where each brick was made of the corresponding element?
~What would happen if you were to gather a mole (unit of measurement) of moles (the small furry critter) in one place?
~Is it possible to build a jetpack using downward-firing machine guns?
This book is filled with science, snark, overanalyzing, explosions, and things taken to their extremes.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes the science jokes like those on Big Bang Theory.
(Rated PG-13, Score 7/10, Audiobook read by Wil Wheaton, 6:36)
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
I listened through this book once, but probably need to listen two or three more times to really absorb all the ideas. I struggled with most of the management type ideas because I myself, am not a manager. I’m an “individual contributor”. The core idea of the book is this- stop acting the politically correct way and start treating people like humans. Stop trying to treat everyone equally and start treating people like thinking, feeling, capable humans. This is like parenting 102. No two kids can be managed, disciplined, or motivated in the same way. The book also goes to great lengths to help clarify the differences between talents and skills. Talents are those aspects of an employee where they are naturally gifted. Talents cannot be trained into an employee. Skills can be trained. Most managers don’t know the difference between talents and skills, so when hiring they can make the mistake of thinking that a new person can be taught the talents needed for a particular role. This is a big mistake. For example, if an open job requires that the employee be detail-oriented and precise like an accountant, hiring someone without those talents can lead to costly mistakes. There are many other management ideas in the book that I am sure I will find more helpful on my next listen.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in managing their people better.
(Rated PG, Score 6/10, Audiobook read by Mel Foster, 9:51)
Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden
Bad news… the path to success is hard. It’s not complicated or confusing, just hard. Hard work. Hard choices. Every day. “Success is never owned. It is rented and the rent is due every day.” I found this book to be refreshing in its clarity, honesty, and common sense approach. A lot of leadership and development books I’ve read miss some of the basics like hard work, discipline, and sacrifice, or they avoid those ideas because they are hard and unpopular. Here are the 7 principles or steps to success as described by Rory:
1. Sacrifice - the paradox principle. Doing hard things now (budgeting, exercising, eating healthy) makes things easier later. Sacrifice is like a down payment.
2. Commitment- the buy-in principle. Change your mindset from “Should I?” To “How can I?”. Attitude is simply the way you choose to see things.
3. Focus- the magnification principle. We are victims of priority dilution. Focus = power. Creative avoidance- purposely distracting ourselves from those things that we should be doing.
4. Integrity - the creation principle. Your words have the power to create and to destroy. Use your words to inspire creation. The more integrity you have (doing what you say), the more power you will have to begin creation simply by speaking.
5. Schedule- the harvest principle. Put the big rocks in your jar first. Schedule your week like you budget your money. Be intentional about doing the hard things first.
6. Faith- the perspective principle. Take a step back and look at decisions over a longer timeline to see that temporary pain or discomfort is the path to your long-term destinations.
7. Action- the pendulum principle. Understanding a concept is different than acting on a concept. You can only move toward your goals with action. By doing. Scared? Do it scared. Uncomfortable? That’s ok. Just start doing things while you are uncomfortable. Just start.
Each of these principles are broken down in their own chapters, with examples, stories, and illustrations from the author’s experiences. While these concepts are not necessarily new, they are good to be reminded of, and having application examples was helpful to me. In a society filled with escalators (easy ways), take the stairs (do the hard things).
I recommend this book to the distracted, the aspiring, and the young workers.
(Rated G, Score 8/10, Audiobook read by the author, 4:05)
Preview/Currently Reading
Here are the books I am currently working through. Join me if you will:
The Water Keeper by Charles Martin
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction
I track all the books I read in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
I’m looking for some uplifting or funny books to read to help beat off the winter chill. Send me your favorites.
I’m also interested in your goals for the year. I’m not a New Years Resolution type, but I do like having 3 or four big goals to work toward during the year. I don’t have mine set just yet, but they are starting to take shape. Send me your ideas, challenges, and dreams.