Married And Still Loving It: The Joys and Challenges of the Second Half by Gary Chapman

Married And Still Loving It: The Joys and Challenges of the Second Half by Gary Chapman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So I was in between audio books, and still very committed to staying on track for my goal of 52 books this year, so I was browsing the "always available" section of my library's online site. I saw the author of Married and Stil Loving It, Dr. Gary Chapman, and recognized him from his bestselling book The Five Love Languages*. That is my all time favorite relationship book, so without even reading the rest of the cover I checked it this one and plugged it in as I started my next run. I was a little surprised to find that this book was about marriage, yes, but about the second half of marriage. I was committed for the next 40 mins, so I gave it a try. It was interesting enough that I finished the book over the next few days.

Yes, the subject was a little beyond my time, but it will still be relevant, eventually. Society talks more about other transitions between phases of life than it does the transition from active family life to the empty-nester phase. To be honest, I hadn't thought that much about it until now, and this book contained a thorough discussion of the topic.

Aging is inevitable, but perhaps there is a reason we don't talk as much about it. There are some distinctly less exciting parts of the experience. It was interesting, but some of the discussion was depressing. If you are wondering about that stage of life, or if it is upon you and you feel unprepared, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, it can wait.

* Thanks to this reference I went to link to my last blog post of the Five Love Languages, and *gasp* I haven't read it in the last decade!  It is now on my to-read list.  I promise I have read it at least 5 times.

How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman

How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was tough for me for several reasons. First, I listened to it, and this is definitely a book you should read in physical form so you can get the full effect of the checklists and the ability to flip back and forth between sections. Second, the first part of the book sets the expectation that there is only one formula for great bosses. That is ridiculous. Many different types of people succeed at management and are great bosses, so the idea there is only one way to do something, or only one profile for success doesn't make sense.

So that was the bad. On the good side, the tools and best practices they recommend seemed like mostly good ideas. There is a lot of value in their suggestions for most managers, as long as they are taken as suggestions and applied in a way that works with your management style. Trying to apply everything in this book as a prescription to be a perfect manager will probably fall flat. Your people will see everything you are doing as fake or disingenuous.

So I'm between 2 and 3 stars on this one, but if you are looking for ideas on how you can improve as a manager, this is a fairly short book that should give you a few good ideas.

2016 Book List

2016 Book List

At the end of every year I create a post from the year's readings. I like wrapping it up this way, with a few thoughts packaging up a specific section of time, and yes, a specific goal.  Every year I pledge to read 52 books, and once again I fell short in 2016 (17).  As usual, I have a number of things I could blame, but my key take-away this year is that I didn't make a plan to succeed.

I love to run, not as much because of the running, but because of the success I feel for having planned, trained, and completed a goal.  Well, this year I aim to approach my reading more like a marathon. I am going to make a plan, and follow it as best I can, and lets see if I don't get closer in 2017!

#	Book	Author	Completed
1	What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast	Laura Vanderkam	January 6
2	Shadows of Self	Brandon Sanderson	January 20
3	A Crown of Swords	Robert Jordan	February 9
4	The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet	David Mitchell	March 23
5	Firefight	Brandon Sanderson	April 3
6	Calamity	Brandon Sanderson	April 10
7	The Path of Daggers	Robert Jordan	April 30
8	The Name of the Wind	Patrick Rothfuss	May 30
9	The Bands of Mourning	Brandon Sanderson	June 19
10	A Man Called Ove	Fredrik Backman	July 24
11	Winter's Heart	Robert Jordan	August 10
12	Wednesday Wars	Gary D. Schmidt	September 16
13	Five Dysfunctions of Team	Patrick Lencioni	September 27
14	Crossroads of Twilight	Robert Jordan	October 5
15	Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea	Barbara Demick	November 20
16	The Rithmatist	Brandon Sanderson	November 27
17	Knife of Dreams	Robert Jordan	December 31