Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are a lot of fans for this book, and I had seen Simon Sinek on YouTube and liked his TED talk. However, this landed at a 3-star for me in a weird way: sincere 2 star disappointment with some occasional 4 star tidbits.

Disappointment - he's an unabashed Apple fanboy, and it's so over the top that it undermines his premise. He would do better to use examples of other people connecting with brands to let him maintain some distance from the examples. Second, his theory doesn't account for macro economics. You can have all of the "why" and social good you want, but if you're in an unprofitable, declining industry, you better start thinking about a new why and a new social injustice to solve in some other industry. As I was listening to this, I started to feel confused about Sinek himself. What was his angle? His data choices were obviously biased in many cases, which I was strangely ok with,
but I just didn't understand where he was coming from. Then he explained his marketing background (and his why) and it clicked. He's a marketer, and he stumbled across a good idea he could articulate, and he was marketing it. Marketing it really well, in fact. And like most marketers, his job is to sell the positive benefits of his idea, and he would struggle to share both sides of the coin. I've noticed that great marketers lack objectivity, and if there is ever a description of Sinek, this is it. When did he address the downside of getting driven by a "why"? There are two sides to every coin, just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, yet he presents and defends one way, and one way only, to achieve success. And lucky for us, it has no downsides.

I started reading this as a pre-built fan of the "why" idea, eager to get more details, and instead left the book a skeptic. It's easy to get caught up in the hype and the emotion of his examples, but at the end of the day how deep is this theory? Is success, however you define it, predicated by this concept?

An example of the 4-star tidbits I encountered: Sinek is a great marketer, and I love a good marketing insight. One of my favorites was about the need for people to join groups. I see this as a key observation, that when applied could account for as much, or more of, the positive results he cites than his why theory.

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life by John Wooden

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life by John Wooden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up, ready for a quick business/ motivational read. I was surprised to find a quasi-sermon based on the teachings and experience of the great Coach Wooden of UCLA basketball fame. Similar to the Lou Holtz book I read a few years ago, this was a book of solid life lessons from a great coach. I found myself thinking that they just don't make men like this anymore. He calmly and persuasively told you what you needed to do to be successful, and it was to do what's right, work hard, and follow Jesus. I would love to hear a contemporary basketball coach say those things.

Why only 3 stars? While I liked his old school, conservative message, I thought his pyramid was too complex. Many of his principles could be combined and reordered to get the same message across without so many pieces and mortar principles. Simplify. Also, while I agreed with his message, I don't feel like I came away with anything new, or any burning desire to do anything differently. That might be on me more than the book, but I felt it was missing something there.

Still, it was a good read, so if you need solid life advice from your grandpa, and he isn't around, this might be a fair substitute.

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet by John G. Turner

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet by John G. Turner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I approached what looked like a dry history book with a little trepidation. It was long, for one. As I actually got into it, I found it quite interesting. Not a nail-biter for sure, but interesting. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and many of the stories included in this history-first rendition of Brigham's life were not new to me. Some of the details were, however. Many of them showcased questionable decisions made by the pioneering church leader, and, well, true history is like that. Part of the challenge of learning the history of someone you revere is discovering the inevitable--that they were human. The fact that Brigham Young made some sketchy decisions, and had an imperfect personality, shouldn't be shocking, although to many Church members it is. I'm a fairly objective sort of person (although no one is really objective, I know) and I prefer to know the person. By knowing the person, I feel like I understand more about how they tried to apply what they knew about God's teachings. I don't just say this through the lens of my church membership. The last book I read was written by Pope Francis, and I was looking for the same thing there. I wanted to see and hear the man that was the Pope, and get to know him. That book failed at that objective for me, but what glimpses I did have of the man, I saw someone who was also trying to live out God's teachings as he understood them. Despite the mistakes and weaknesses of mankind, I feel that the world improves as each of us try to live out God's teachings as we understand them.

So do I leave this book with my faith shaken at all? I don't think so. I feel educated. I know more about what happened in the past, and I see more of why our current world and local culture is the way it is. I see the mistakes of others and see how we can learn from them. I see how trying to following God's laws, despite the lack of perfect execution, can bring about great results.

I appreciated this author. My 3-star rating is not really a rating of the quality of his work, but in part my interest level in the topic. He did a great job of writing a historical biography and not succumbing to the temptation of taking sides. He does not discredit the Church, and makes this clear in the prologue and epilogue. He also does not make this an endorsement for the church, or in any way a spiritual book. Brigham Young was a religious leader, and so he had to address spiritual topics, but he does so only in respect to his goal of writing an accurate history. He does not coddle the past, even the ugly parts. If you feel he defends Brigham Young now and then, remember that he was writing about the man, and in order to understand him, you have to understand his justification for his choices, so presenting his view of events and reasoning for his actions is justified.

An interesting note: As I was listening to this book, I talked about it with several other Church members, and was surprised at the level of push-back I got. It caused some introspection. There is a lot of negative, incorrect content about our faith out there, and as members of the Church we purposely and justifiably choose to not subject ourselves to it. I think this has unintentionally created a fear of any content that might be less than positive. While I understand the purpose behind that fear, I think that this actually weakens the faith of church members. They start to believe in an infallible earthly organization free from error, but by definition that also means free from humanity. Individuals within the Church make mistakes. They always have and they always will. While it is more infrequent, the Church as an organization has made mistakes. Thankfully, the organization of the church and how it has evolved continues to make that more and more unlikely in my opinion. But from on top of my oh-so-small soapbox, I would suggest to Church members that they learn about the history of the Church, and accept historical facts as they are. Don't base your testimony of the Church on the infallibility of men, even good men. You will be let down. And to those who aren't of our faith, if we seem like we have our heads stuck in the sand and are ignoring historical facts, remember how much misinformation is out there. Remember the history of persecution and hardship that are now a part of our cultural heritage, and it will be easier to be a little more forgiving of our oddities, but also to see where our real spiritual commitment lies.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pros:
Events from the Holocaust are so much more real and disturbing when you get to know someone who lived it. And that is what this book does. You get to know Anne as a person, with all of her strengths and weaknesses. You feel her fears and frustrations, her petty disagreements and her adolescent highs. When those final entries come, and you sense some maturity coming to her, and with it her growing fear, the events of the times take on new meanings. It was an awful time to be alive, and and this book does an unusually effective job at portraying it.

Cons:
I don't think I needed to read the definitive edition. The entries of a young woman going through puberty were not meant for the public, and even if they were, I didn't gain anything from them. They don't add to the experience or the message of the book, so I can see why they were edited out of the mass-market version.

Let Sleeping Dragons Lie by Garth Nix

Let Sleeping Dragons Lie by Garth Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm, I need to go back and read my review of the first book. I might be at risk of repeating myself. This book was entertaining at a juvenile level. While maintaining a simple plot with simple goals, the authors were able to maintain a storyline and set of characters that appealed to their audience.

The best thing about this book is actually the epilogue. This postscript kicks off the next conflict, which was set up by both book 1 and 2. If not for that I think I would be done with this series, but now I might consider reading one more. Time will tell.

Snapshot by Brandon Sanderson

Snapshot by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So I'm always looking out it for Sanderson material I haven't read, and I saw this in a picture on one of his Instagram posts. Weird that I hadn't heard of it before.

The concept of snapshots was a little hard to grasp at first. I don't know if he didn't explain it well, or if I just wasn't ready for it. I was halfway through the book before I really grasped the concept and the implications, and then it was over really quickly. I almost want to go back and re-read it with the understanding I have now, but now that I know the ending I doubt it would be worth it.

So in the end, I liked it, but it's not my favorite Sanderson story. By the time he got the story spun up, it was over. He had more bones, not enough meat. I often feel like I want his novels to last longer, but this was different. It felt incomplete somehow. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it just wasn't great.

A final thought: I'm trying to avoid any spoilers here, but I'll state what the twist ISN'T. I was waiting the whole time for one of the main characters to meet themselves in the snapshot and had theories about what that would mean. Didn't happen. Well played, Sanderson, well played. I hope it was intentional misdirection, or else you might have missed an opportunity in my opinion...

Fun fact, I finished this one in the bottom of the Grand Canyon as I waited out the hottest part of a July day at Phantom Ranch. Great way to kick back and let my legs recover from the hike down!

The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People by Gary Chapman

The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People by Gary Chapman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm a huge fan of the Five Love Languages, the predecessor of this book. I eagerly put this one on my list, and shared it with others in my company. However, when I finally got around to reading it myself I was a little disappointed. This is a perfect example of a business book that used 200 pages to give 50 pages of information. It was laughable. The audio version I listened to had supplemental material that included interviews of the authors that I gained insights from, so I don't think there was as lack content. It just feels like it was a lazy attempt.

Am I still a believer in the Five Love Languages? Yes. Do I think this book hits on a real need in the workplace? Yes. Did this book do an effective and efficient job of repackaging the love languages into business form and delivering them to the business community. No.

Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix

Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a decent book for young readers. I'm not actually sure what age group it was aimed at, but I'm guessing it is a pretty young demographic. It moved along quickly, and had a good story.

So why was I disappointed? I picked up this book because it had Garth Nix's name printed on the cover. After my last few random selections at the library I wanted to turn to an author I trusted for a great book. Nix always has some original concept that makes his books exceptional. This book lacked that originality. I guess I was supposed to be more intrigued by the sword-as-a-character, but that didn't do it. There were too many cliches, from magic swords to dragons that talked, for this book to meet my expectation as a Nix work.

Was it a bad book? Not at all. Was it a fantastic book written for kids, but that would appeal to all ages? Not at all. It is just a plain old fashioned good book for kids.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't watch dramas. I just don't enjoy the extreme tugging of emotions back and forth. I prefer emotions in the background, subtle and meaningful. Given this opinion, you can guess that I don't enjoy World War II stories. Whether tragic, heroic, or despicable, the stories produced from those sad days and years were not subtle. Violent external conflict on the national, local, and personal levels does not equal enjoyment for me. Yet, here I am having read the story of an Auschwitz survivor. It was an interesting story. It was well written. For the most part it was tastefully done, given the circumstances, but not my cup of tea.

Having said all that, I am firmly in the "never forget" camp. I've been to several concentration camps, and spent hours in the Holocaust museum in DC on multiple occasions. The Holocaust was a horrific event in the history of the world, and unfortunately does not stand alone as the only event of despotism in history. I have strong feelings about it, but that does mean that I want to read book after book about it. That feels like wallowing in misery to me. I prefer to move on to other uplifting or educational topics and overcome darkness with light.

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really want to like this series more than I do. I like mysteries, I like period British stories, I like Flavia's character. Yet these stories just haven't ended satisfactorily to me. And this doesn't end the series well at all. Where is Flavia headed, as she rides off into the sunset? Is Collin a future love interest? Is her future really based on a partnership with Dogger, a man old enough to be her father, if not grandfather? If nothing else, Undine is a loose end. Are they really going to coexist? I thought for a while that maybe Flavia would accept her as some sort of partner, yet in the end she obviously still thinks of her as a child. If this is really it for the series, I want all of these questions answered. Instead we embarked on another stand alone mystery, which was ok for what it was, but lackluster given the expectation to wrap up the series as a whole. Disappointing.

Of course, if he continues to write these, maybe there is a chance of a better wrap up in the future, but even in that case, this book didn't move her character forward at all. Waste of space.

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm returning to the Flavia series to finish it up now that the final books are out. Flavia is a great character because she is incorrigible, but the start of this book was a little heavy handed with her precociousness, even for her. This story introduced another new, albeit temporary, setting, but the downside is that there were none of her hallmark chemistry experiments, since she didn't have her lab at her disposal. I did like the increased part played by Dogger, and look forward to his further character development, even though the series is wrapping up.

Finally, if there was anything that made this book ho-hum for me, it was the ending. I felt like it was missing the complete wrap up scene, where all of the evidence was explained and dots connected. Yes, there was an effort, but it didn't feel complete. Also, the plot didn't contribute to a bigger picture such as her mother's disappearance, or her father's death, or the fate of her home, so this also falls flat because it doesn't move the greater "Flavia" story arc forward. I'm looking forward to the wrap up, and better execution of a classic mystery, and hopefully a good wrap on Flavia's story arc.

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The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else by Daniel Coyle

The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else by Daniel Coyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was an interesting study of the source of human talent. I happen to be reading another book I received from a friend on creativity which I will hopefully write about here when I finish it. It was interesting that both books shared some of same examples.

The Talent Code focuses on neurosciences and discoveries related to myelin. Myelin does seem to be very important, but I can't help but think they gave too much credit to that biological factor in an attempt to prove that there is no such thing as natural talent. And yet, with as much proof as they offered don't we all know somebody who is naturally talented at something? That is hard to reconcile. One last criticism is that several of their data points seem to exhibit confirmation bias. For example, they point out how many great contributors to society lost at least one parent in their youth and say that is a motivator to their success. Yet, they don't talk about the millions that lose parents and struggle to achieve even mediocre success in life.

With all of that said, I liked this book. I do have the feeling that when I finish the book on creativity I would probably recommend reading one or the other but not both.

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a journey that, while glad I undertook, I was not prepared for. This final volume of the trilogy was massive, and plodded along for most of it. In the end, you invest so much time in the characters, especially the main character, that you care about them, and their heartaches are your heartaches. And that is how this story ended for me. In heartache.

I can't say I liked the ending, even though I can say I "liked" the book. I just expected... more. More happiness. More resolution. More winning. Less compromise. Less sorrow. Less awkwardness.

I often like to include specific examples of things I did or didn't like in a book, but the scope of this one is just too big, so I'm not even going to try. I will comment on one positive thing I have gained from this book. This is a true fantasy, and is a great example of fantasy that is not just about elves or dwarves, or about a certain setting. It is about distinct people, battling the challenges in their lives. The time spent on the details of the main character's life is the main point of this narrative, not what we would call the plot. It is walking with Fitz through life that gives the reader a strong emotional connection to him when the plot kicks him around and abuses him. Without that, the whole thing would fall flat.

So that's all I have to say about that. Would I recommend this book? Maybe. If you have a lot of time, and are ready to immerse yourself in the mind and experiences of a character that does not get everything he wants in the end, then go for it. This book is for you. For anyone else I would suggest putting this on hold until the above qualifiers are true. If that never happens, then there are better books for you out there.

The more I have thought about it, the more I have disliked this book.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was more of the same from Assassin's Apprentice, the first book in this series. Fairly slow going and detailed, it is hard to see how this book became so popular. Then as you near the end, the action begins to happen, and you find that you are very involved. You care about the characters, and you can picture the society you invested so much time to get to know. It is hard to see where that switch flips, but it does, and then this tired, slow story becomes a page turner.

A small criticism: Fitz has this power to repel people, yet he is in many situations where he is threatened but doesn't use it. I don't understand that. Near the end of the book you see him try to use that power, and then learn about the strength it takes, etc., probably because the author realized that the readers would ask that same question. But earlier, it just isn't a part of his repertoire. That seems like an oversight.

Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix

Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this young adult fantasy Regency romance for one reason: it was written by Garth Nix. I've decided that--prepare yourself for a shocking revelation--good writers write good books. It doesn't matter what kind of book, really. The ability to tell a story, develop characters, and paint a picture in your mind transfer to pretty much any genre. Does that mean every book by a good author is a home run? Of course not. But it does seem to be that the worst you will get from a tried-and-true author is mediocrity, and that is a good bit better than random selection.

I honestly didn't even know what the term Regency romance meant. About a third of the way into Newt's Emerald I bothered to ask my wife, and her explanation was depressing. She described the lace and fainting books I actively avoid. Yet, I had started it, and I was interested. Did it help that it had a fantasy tie-in? Sure. Did I find some of the period social depictions cheesy? Absolutely. But in and around that was an interesting story, with a simple premise--recover the stolen property--and characters I could root for.

In the end I liked this book. No, I'm not adding Jane Austen to my To Read list any time soon, but I can recommend this one to just about anyone who appreciates a good book in any genre. As I expected, Nix applied his ability to create characters we root for, in a setting that intrigues us, and then wove a plot around them all that kept things moving and gave a satisfying conclusion. Yes, good writers write good books.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read Mary Poppins after watching Saving Mr. Banks and the latest Mary Poppins movie sequel that came out, and I found the children's book a much more interesting read after that. It was still a rough read for me, but having other data points to distract me from the aged style, and absence of a plot really helped. I recently watched two movies about Christopher Robin, and read the Tao of Pooh, after which I put this book on my to-read list, and here we are.

What would have been a mediocre children's book experience was again, interesting. Stories I had watched in movies, and seen in rides at Disneyland, were now given context. Thankfully, it was less random than Mary Poppins, but it did have some similar classic features. Slower in pace and with more whimsical characters, Winnie the Pooh actually carried plots better in short story form than Mary Poppins.

It was a good opportunity to try to understand the backdrop of Milne life when he wrote this book. It puts it in context, and for me actually improved the experience.

White Sand, Volume 2 by Brandon Sanderson

White Sand, Volume 2 by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I said a lot in my review of White Sand, Volume 1, and most of that still applies. I don't prefer the graphic novel presentation, but it is still a Sanderson story. It has all of the depth and character development I look forward to, but I feel like I'm not getting the full effect. I was also under the impression for some reason that this book was going to wrap up the story, making it more of an extended short story. I was wrong on that count as well. Now I guess I have to wait for the next one to come out to know what happens next, and I have again broken my personal pledge to not start series that are not complete. Now the waiting begins...

White Sand, Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson

White Sand, Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My son got these graphic novels by Brandon Sanderson for Christmas, so it was my turn to take the first one for a spin. I don't usually pick up graphic novels. I read a few comic books as a kid, and the drama levels were usually too high for me, but given my fanboy status for Sanderson products I decided to put that aside and give this graphic novel a chance. I pulled on the beanie I got for Christmas with a shash mark on the forehead, and sat there in my new t-shirt featuring Kaladin and Sil, and dug in. Sanderson is a prolific novelist, so his stuff had to read different than a pictorial soap opera, right?

Well, the story and the world are well done. In Arcanum Unbounded earlier this year I had gotten a glimpse of this world, and the extension in this book did not disappoint. However, I did not find the graphic format helpful. Sanderson does a great job of creating his worlds with words, and I've never felt like I was missing anything. Here, I had detailed color graphical representations of his world and characters, and I felt like I had less. The characters looked too similar, and I ended up relying on the dialogue to figure out who was who. While you can get immediate details on scenery, and a feel for the environment, I just didn't get the feel of an arid desert, the way I would have had he described the characters experience.

In creative writing there is the maxim to "show, don't tell" which is good advice. As a writer your primary medium is words, and you want to tell the reader everything you want them to know. Instead you are supposed to hold back and show them what is happening in a scene, and let the reader learn what they need to know. While not a frequent reader of graphic novels, I think the opposite might be true here, to a degree. The primary medium seems to be the art, where you are showing everything rather than telling, and the pendulum might be swinging the other way. I felt starved for description and detail, even though I had more concrete images to help me visualize what was happening.

Again, I'm out on a limb here, not being a frequent consumer of this format, but I'm just sharing my opinion. It is still a solid story, but if I had a choice, I'd ask for the full text version.

The Shining Ones by David Eddings

The Shining Ones by David Eddings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have been trying to move forward in this David Eddings series for months, but with travel and the ease of audio books, this ebook just never got any attention. I'm at the end of the year and trying to finish up what I can, so I finally made it a priority to finish.

This installment of the Sparhawk series is very similar to the others. The characters are shallow, the plot is shallow, but overall the book has just enough to keep me reading. It isn't that it is a bad book, it is just predictable and dated. It is similar to how a nice house from the 1970s, if preserved, might still be a serviceable home, but would be missing a lot of features we expect in 2018. Will I finish this trilogy? Probably, some day. Am I in a rush? No.

One more thought, or pet peeve, is how there are gods and people with extraordinary gifts always around to help solve problems. It is a bit cheesy. The only thing that keeps that from ruining the book is that they don't seem to really test the limits of the divine capability to short cut the bad guys. Good thing, I guess.

Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella

Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Over the last decade I have really soured on Microsoft. Their solutions just seemed so clunky and expensive, although they have incredible market share on several levels. About 7 years ago I said enough was enough and uninstalled MS Office, and have actively avoided every Microsoft product since then, with the exception of the Windows operating system, which is ubiquitous. I have even tried to go non-Windows several times, but it has never worked. Too much of our technical environment still has bits and pieces stuck in the Windows mentality that it was impractical to keep fighting that fight. I have a Chromebook that I love and use as often as I can, but all too often it just doesn't have what I need, although I think that will not always be the case.

Why do I share this rant with you? This is the background with which I picked up Satya Nadella's story. I have watched the recovery of the Microsoft stock price, and being in a technical resource industry, have felt the shift in Microsoft's approach to the market. The smugness of MS fanboys turns out to be just as annoying as the Mac fanboys that reemerged into the light as Apple made its resurgence over a decade ago, and that leaves me hating just about everyone in the tech industry. But I digress. Back to the book.

The first half of the book sold me on the changes I have seen at Microsoft. That huge ship is making a course correction, I just don't know where it is headed yet. Still, I like the shift, and find myself willing to give Microsoft a chance again. And that is saying a lot. The last few chapters, however, were less impactful. Just when Nadella seemed to be making sense, some politically correct nonsense seemed to get in the way. I like the idea of empowering countries and peoples with technology, but why the political name-dropping and pandering around access to opportunities? Are you a capitalist or not? It sounds like he views Microsoft as a non-profit, and that he personally has the leaning to become a politician. No thank you. The last thing we need is more political ties in the business community. That is everything I dislike about big business.

The book was ok. If you listen to it at 1.5x the normal speed. And can sort out the real business content from the technological prophesying and policy comments included for political correctness.