Books I’ve Read Recently
April 25th, 2006When I start working with a group of managers, one of the questions I ask is what self-development efforts they’ve undertaken recently. Overwhelmingly - 90+% of the time, the answer boils down to, “Not much”. Sometimes they mention a book that came out 10 years ago. I admit to always having a drop in energy when I hear it, even though I know it’s coming. I think, “gee, if they won’t do it for themselves, why would they do it for me?”
So, in the spirit of making it easier, If i read a book, I’ll post about it. I’ll include fiction, because I read a lot of fiction, too. I’ve read 11 books so far this month, I think - couple more to go this week. If you want to know how I have time, I have three answers:
(a) I “have” no more “time” than you do. It’s just more important to me, I guess. It’s okay to not read. If you don’t want to, or don’t like it, that’s fine. But it’s not okay to not read and then complain about what you don’t know. The person who can read and doesn’t is no different than the person who can’t.
(b) LESS TV.
(c) Airplanes without power adapters for my laptop, and just-not-quite-long-enough-layovers to get mail.
So, here’s my first installment.
The Notebook. Fiction, by Nicholas Sparks. My favorite book. I’ve read it 20 times, and will read it again soon, but won’t blog again on it. 
Love is the most wonderful force in the universe, and not a bad touchstone for managers, either.
Work is work. It’s wonderful, and fulfilling, and so much fun it seems like I oughta pay for the privilege. But life is not work. Life is… love.
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April 26th, 2006 at 9:13 am
Hi Mark,
Great idea to provide your mini-reviews of books and steer people towards the items that give the most value. Here’s an example of a “favourites” list generated by another big reader. Perhaps this page will be helpful to you as an example.
http://www.heatinghelp.com/reading_list.cfm
On your suggestion from the Development Challenge podcast, I’ve started The World is flat (during lunch hours)
April 26th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
Steve-
Thanks for the suggestion - it’s already made my drafts better!
And let us know how much you like TWIF. It’s my favorite book of the past COUPLE of years.
Mark
April 28th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
Mark,
Good tips on reading more. One of the most useful techniques I’ve found is to listen to audio books. I keep a queue of books on my iPod so that I have something to listen to anywhere I go. I’m also cheap, so I have found several ways to stay in good supply without spending a lot of money:
-Most local libraries have a large and growing supply of books on CD, which can be copied into iTunes. I’ve developed a nomenclature system which makes it relatively quite quick and easy. I delete the files when I finish the book to respect intellectual rights.
-Audible.com offers downloadable audio books and subscriptions. For $15 a month I get the Wall Street Journal every day plus 1 audio book credit. I even have an application on my Treo that allows me to download wirelessly, though I haven’t had much luck getting it to work
-Many online clubs exist for renting audio books, though these tend to be a little pricey
It takes a little practice to get used to “reading” with your ears, but once you grow accustomed to it you will find that narration adds a whole new dimension to the work. A skilled narrator can add much depth to the characters and events of the story.
I have listened to dozens, if not hundreds, of audio books over the years, including many of the books in your “favorites” list. At this point, I’d have to say my favorite was “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens, narrated by Frank Muller.
Shawn
April 28th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
I, too, love the audiobooks as I can then listen to it during my daily walk and while doing all the shores like cleaning. It’s also great for travel, esp. as my trips are usually over a week and the travel time is usually 10 hours or more… I used to lug two or three books in my carry-on. But now I just got one book, and a fully-loaded MP3 player. This also allows me to walk around the airport stretching my legs while still “reading” the book.
Audiobooks and Ipod are the greatest invention. However, I still stash at least two books in my suitcase… There is joy in the touch and feel of a good book, and the opportunity to read and reread a beautiful passage… like the ones Mark quoted.
April 28th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Mark: What do you think about another one of Marcus Buckingham’s book, Discover Your Strengths? Would love to hear (or read) your thought on it when you have time.
And thanks for the book recommendation. I am getting started on Love is the Killer App., and am eyeing a few more you have suggested.
April 30th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
May-
All of Buckingham’s books are worth reading. Strengths is quite good, and I think is very helpful to many to understand why they’re good. Drucker made this point 30-40 years ago - ask what your job requires of you, apply your strengths to that, and delegate to those whom you have hired those things which you are not good at.
Love is the Killer App is very good, and closely related to I think an upcoming cast on networking.
Good reading!
Mark
April 30th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Regarding audiobooks-
I have never tried them, though will try one and see. While I say I am a slow reader, I KNOW I am a faster reader than someone else is a reader.
What’s more, so many books are abridged…. and so I miss the value of the depth, or worse, the beauty of the writing. That said, maybe I should have a hybrid reading plan - fiction and good authors on paper, professional books on audio/podcasts.
It could happen.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Mark
May 1st, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Mark,
You are expressing many of the same sentiments I had when first exploring the medium. However, what I found is that if you’ve heard one audio book, you’ve heard one audio book.
Re: speed… the audio books downloaded from audible.com or through iTunes can be played at a slower or faster rate on the iPod, which helps.
I, too, shy away from abridgments. The nice thing about shopping online is that you can easily sort those out. Also, you can see what others thought of the production before purchasing.
-Shawn
February 13th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Yep, time can be an issue, bulky baggage an other…. I have quite a few friends who started to not take books with them anymore, but just one big iPod. And for the longer trips they make sure they can dock somewhere on the internet with a decent DSL connection, and just download more ‘literature’. Downloadable audio books are a very convenient way to get a fresh supply!
Personally I found that by listening to the audio sample provided for the audiobook, I can immediately decide if I’ll like the voice reading or if I’m going to be turned off. All good audio book stores provide samples so that you’re sure you’ll enjoy listening.
April 29th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Mark,
Here’s a new and interesting book I recently read cover-to-cover:
The Halo Effect: … and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers by Phil Rosenzweig (Hardcover - Feb 6, 2007)
Here’s a recent review (April 2007) that summarizes: http://agelessmarketing.typepad.com/ageless_marketing/2007/04/phil_rosenzweig.html
-Joe
[as before, thanks Mark and Mike for all of the value you are creating. keep offering us ways to help you monetize it and capture some of the value you’ve earned.]