Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It feels like it has been a long time since I have read something that was written for me: adult fantasy fiction that draws me in, engaging my mind rather than pointlessly entertaining it. Mistborn did just that. I don't think I can list all of the things I loved about this book, but I'll try to pick my top three.

1. The setting. As all good fantasy writers must, Sanderson creates a whole new world and finds ways to weave their politics, history, and culture into the main plot line. The back story IS the story, and it unrolls seamlessly.

2. The action. While good fantasy has always relied on enthralling action scenes, contemporary fiction has raised the bar on vivid action. Books are competing with movies for mindshare, and in more and more cases they are feeding the competition with substantive stories to share. Mistborn is full of detailed, fast-paced action scenes that win out over any action movie.

3. The intricacy of the plot. The plot unfolds, dropping bits and tangles of foreshadowing all over the place, but you don't know what is going to happen until it does. I know I've found a gem when I can go back through the story and gain insights into the eventual resolution that tie in perfectly, but were so subtle I missed them. It has been a while since I encountered such a story, and this book did just that.

So I have said multiple times that good books (in my humble opinion) are all about characters that connect with and become real to the reader. This book is no exception to that, but you might have noticed that the characters are not in my top three. I guess that is because I have come to expect it. The characters here were good, very good in fact. But I am feeling like I can find great character development in any book, including the YA Fantasy that I like to read. The setting, action and plot in this one are way above what I would expect in a YA book, so I guess that is why I'm giving them special attention.

My recommendation? Drop what you are doing and read this book. Right now. When you are done you can send me a thank you note.

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So overall I thought this was a helpful book on the topic of entrepreneurship. The concepts are very similar to the Nail It Then Scale It book I read (but didn't review) in 2012, but I would guess that this book came out first. It is better written, and definitely had a wider distribution. Even with those benefits, I don't feel that the Lean Start-up would lead to any better outcomes than its competitors. The key concepts of a minimum viable product, fast feedback cycles and brutal honesty about your market and your results are now common place ideas. The tips for implementation were not as scripted as in other books and the examples were largely focused on IMVU, a company that seems to be over-studied relative to its notoriety. (In B-school we did a case study on the same company.)

So if you haven't ever read a book on entrepreneurship, this is a good one. So are a dozen others.

2014 Book List

Well, 2014 was a big year for me. I finished my MBA and took on more responsibilities at work. I've seen a fundamental shift in my reading habits to be more focused on non-fiction. It is something that I thought would be remedied by my graduation, but even post-graduation I feel pressure to read for education and application rather than pleasure or personal satisfaction. While I understand the importance of continued professional growth, I hope to do a better balancing act in 2015. My annual goal is to read 52 books a year, but for 2015 I want to go a step further to say that I plan on reading at least 26 fiction books. I've joined a non-fiction book club, so I know that I will be getting a minimum does of practicality in my reading, so the push is to make sure the fiction side gets its fair share. 

 So here is my list from 2014. Enjoy!

#	Book	Author	Date Completed
1	Getting Past No	William Ury	January 10
2	Man's Search for Meaning	Viktor E. Frankl	January 19
3	Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions	John S. Hammond	January 24
4	Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change by Joseph Grenny	Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler	February 2
5	Outliers: The Story of Success	Malcolm Gladwell	March 3
6	The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Michael Vey 1)	Richard Paul Evans	March 10
7	Born to Run	Chris McDougall	March 11
8	Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box	Arbinger Institute	March 16
9	Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation	Edward L. Deci	April 7
10	The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness	Jeff Olson	April 14
11	The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century	Thomas L. Friedman	May 2
12	The Richest Man in Babylon	George S. Clason	June 10
13	How Will You Measure Your Life	Clayton M. Christensen	June 19
14	Mind Over Back Pain	John E. Sarno	July 20
15	What Your Doctor Won't Tell You about Your Lower Back: Avoid the Pitfalls, Scams, Shysters, Con Men, Charlatans, and Quacks	Bill Yancey	August 9
16	Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2)	Suzanne Collins	August 26
17	Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)	Suzanne Collins	August 27
18	Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold (Magic Kingdom of Landover #1)	Terry Brooks	August 28
19	Five Dysfunctions of a Team	Patrick Lencioni	August 30
20	The Black Unicorn (Magic Kingdom of Landover #2)	Terry Brooks	September 3
21	Wizard at Large (Magic Kingdom of Landover #3)	Terry Brooks	September 7
22	The Tangle Box (Magic Kingdom of Landover #4)	Terry Brooks	September 9
23	Witches Brew (Magic Kingdom of Landover #5)	Terry Brooks	September 10
24	Who Moved My Cheese	Spencer Johnson	September 20
25	EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches	Dave Ramsey	November 5
26	The 4-Hour Work Week	Timothy Ferriss	November 15
27	Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know	Meg Meeker	November 29
28	Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War IT'S Most Audacious General	Bill O'Reilly	November 30
29	Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High	Kerry Patterson	December 1
30	Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard	Chip and Dan Heath	December 31