Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Playful Intelligence by Anthony T. DeBenedet

It looks like this book is being re-released as it originally came out on May 1, 2018. There are no notes on this being a new edition so, if you've read this before, I don't think anything has changed.
The author dives into the idea that people with rich imaginations, who are able to re-frame their stressors, are able to go far in life. He talks about Bill B whose job was in danger of being cut every day for ten years. We look at Sheila whose life is one catastrophe after another starting from her birth. These two are just the start of example after example of people who used some form of imagination to make it through hard times.
DeBenedet argues that empathy is a part of imagination and that exercising that muscle can help us to connect with others. That putting ourselves in their shoes can help make us better at our jobs and at life. He also argues that having imagination can help us avoid "anchoring," when our thoughts are so rooted in what we've seen in the past that we can't come up for solutions what is in front of us now. 
For a book that relies on what seem to be true stories, the writing style reminded me of nothing so much as The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. 

Three stars
This book came out May 1, 2018
ARC kindly provided by Santa Monica Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Saturday, March 9, 2024

How to Walk into a Room by Emily P. Freeman

I completely missed that this book was based in Christianity but that doesn't necessarily turn me off reading a book. 
I liked the author's posit that endings don't have to be sad. That this may just be a place that we shouldn't be any more. This book is really about finding those times that it's time to leave a place and head to a new one. I have read almost all of the books that Freeman references and enjoyed the way that she wove in the lessons that she had learned from each and why those stories worked with what she was trying to build in her book. 

Four stars
This book comes out March 12, 2024
ARC kindly provided by HarperOne and NetGalley
Opinions are my own


Saturday, February 24, 2024

Atomic Habits by James Clear

A coworker of mine was talking about this book so I picked it up. It was an interesting premise, boiling down to four steps to develop better habits, all of which seem fairly obtainable. Clear also brings up some other ideas that resonated with me. One was the "Plateau of Latent Potential." He mentions that this is a place where you've been working hard for awhile but not seeing any results. But if you keep plugging away, it will seem like you have sudden results.
Another idea that Clear brings up is the idea of systems vs. goals. Goals are what you are trying to achieve, systems are the way that you get to those goals. These are actually MORE important than the goals themselves as they are markers of how you get to what you need to do.
An idea that really hit home for me is that your identity is tied to the things that you do regularly. That means, the best habits are the ones that help you to define your identity. 
The rest of the book (the bulk of the book) is set on defining the four laws (and their inverses): Make it obvious (invisible); make it attractive (unattractive); make it easy (difficult); make it satisfying (unsatisfying.)
These all made a tone of sense and seem like they could be easily actionable. 

Four stars
This book came out October 16, 2018
Borrowed as hard copy from library 
Opinions are my own


Saturday, January 27, 2024

Death and the Victorians by Adrian Mackinder

If you've studied the Victorians at all, you will probably know a lot of these stories. It is, not surprisingly, very Euro-centric. Very focused on England with all of the, what we would call nowadays, weirdness: seances, memento moris, and the scare of Jack the Ripper.
I was disappointed that there were topics that weren't more deeply delved into (not Jack the Ripper, as Mackinder says, that has been well-covered.) This book is shorter than many nonfiction books and could have stood with more pages. I did appreciate that one chapter was mainly dedicated to books of the time that focused on death. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 30, 2024
ARC kindly provided b Pen & Sword and NetGalley
Opinions are my own


Friday, January 19, 2024

Through the Wilderness by Brad Orsted

I sort of peripherally know the author having worked with his ex-wife and was curious about the book. I knew a little bit about their story (that they had a child who had died) but didn't know the whys and wherefores. And that story is enough to bring anyone to their knees.
Orsted talks through his life with a bit of a description of his childhood through meeting his wife and kids, his daughter's birth, and death. Interspersed with these stories are his life after it changes irrevocably. He moves to Montana, on the border of Yellowstone National Park. 
More and more studies are showing the healing powers of being in nature and Orsted is certainly proof of that. His story is a hard one to read but hopeful in the end with a great look at Yellowstone and the joys of living in the wild. 

Four stars
This book came out June 27, 2023
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own



Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman, Greg McKeown

This book looks at the ways that leaders can get the most out of their employees. They divide leaders into those who multiply the talents of their employees and those who diminish. This book shows us the ways we can be multipliers as bosses. I really liked the fact that Wiseman tells readers that they can't ever embody all of the suggestions in the books but they can do the best they can and be as aware as possible of how we manage. 

Four stars
This book came out June 1, 2010
Audiobook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own


Tuesday, January 9, 2024

I Didn't Know I Needed This by Eli Rallo

The cover of this book was pretty and the subtitle intriguing so I decided to borrow the book from the library. I quickly realized that I am probably not in Rallo's main demographic but it was an interesting enough book that I finished it. 
Rallo has collected a number of rules for herself that she is sharing with other people. Most of the lists seem to relate to dating and love but she also touches on friendship. Weaving stories of her past loves and lovers into the story, it is easy to see why Rallo is compared to Carrie Bradshaw. 
I'm not a huge fan of stories that skip around in time and this book does that, identifying characters by name though none of them really stuck with me other than Rallo's best friend.

Three stars
This book came out January 1, 2023
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Wednesday, December 27, 2023

My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand

48 hours of listening. 48. hours. It was a very interesting read and really inclusive of all of Streisand's work which, as most of us know, is extensive. I did finish the whole book before it needed to be returned to the library but it did start to drag a bit. In an effort to include everyone she worked with, Streisand name drops everyone. Ev. Er. Y. One. So many names. A really interesting look at her life from her side and most of the stories, especially those that set her up to look like a high strung diva are shown to have been untrue. Like so many women, she was vilified to make others look good. 

Four stars
This book came out November 7, 2023
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Friday, December 8, 2023

Setting the Table by Danny Meyer


I had had this book recommended to me in a couple of different ways and had one copy which I gave away and then another that sat on my TBR for a few years. Finally, I picked it up and realized why people were recommending this book. It did take awhile because this book was more memoir than I realized and I thought it was more about business. It does get there but it is woven in. What finally hooked me was a quote on page 65, "Service is a monologue... Hospitality is a dialogue." 
Meyer gives some other great ideas like looking for an employee that is a 51 percenter - someone whose skills re 51% emotional hospitality and 49% technical excellence. These people have five core skills that he divides out as optimistic warmth, a thirst for learning, a natural tendency to work as well as it can be done, a connection to how other people feel, and an understanding of what makes people tick. On that last one he also tacks on a natural inclination to do the right thing. 
Meyer talks about the the many people who have helped him develop his restaurants as well as his philosophy. One bit that he took from a mentor, Erika Andersen, is that people would far rather be heard than agreed with.
There is a lovely section on traits that his team looked for when hiring managers. There are nine in total and I think I'm going to be trying to hit at least one of these every week until the rest of the year:  infectious attitude, self-awareness, charitable assumption (assume the best), long-term view of success, sense of abundance, trust, approving patience and tough love, not feeling threatened by others, and character. 
The last thing that really resonated with me were the five As for effectively addressing mistakes. I've seen them in various aspects but not necessarily all in one place. He talks about awareness (knowing that the mistake happened), acknowledgement (letting people know that you have had mistakes), apology (in the AHLEI GSG, this is 'Recovery'), action (fixing it if possible; letting people know what you are doing), and additional generosity (extra action if people have been good sports).

Four stars
This book came out October 1, 2006
Hard copy of mine
Opinions are my own






Monday, December 4, 2023

The Art of Chit Chat by Luigi Padovesi

I tend toward introversion so I like reading books about how to make conversations. This was... okay, I guess. I'm not sure that this was written by a human and not just some AI prompt. It certainly wasn't edited (which, I did read an ARC but still). Lots of repetition. LOTS of repetition. This 71 page book might have been closer to 60 if it had been vetted and rearranged.
You'll have to work hard to find the good points though they do exist.

Two stars
This book came out November 12, 2023
ARC kindly provided by BooksGoSocial and NetGalley
Opinions are my own



Monday, November 20, 2023

Thanksgiving by Sam Sifton

This is a delightful book which, written by the one man turkey helpline for the New York Times, simplifies Thanksgiving for everyone. Whether you've hosted Thanksgiving in the past or this will be your first year, this book is going to help you be ready for the big day. Combining recipes with some of the author's own nostalgia with instructions from before the big day to the end of it, this book is no-nonsense and filled with some rules to break (you can put your for on top of your napkin) and others to definitely follow (NO appetizers.)
Highly enjoyable and definitely worth a read, probably even a re-read.

Five stars
This book came out January 1, 2012
Borrowed as hard copy from the library
Opinions are my own

Monday, October 16, 2023

The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker

I would swear I've read this book before but I didn't record it so... but it's a nice reflection on noticing. Walker starts with the eyes, moves to the nose and ears, then explores going out, meeting others, and then being alone. Each chapter has short recommendations with examples of how to do that specific thing and a rating of how hard it might be. Some of the things recommended include looking up, looking at everything in a museum that ISN'T art (as labeled), listening for one particular sound, eating someplace you normally wouldn't, talking to a stranger, describing the night sky.
In a world that is increasingly taken up with microseconds of entertainment, this book teaches us how to relax and refocus our minds on just seeing the world around us. It does get a little tedious and is probably better picked up and put down often (you'd better able to practice), but an overall enjoyable read. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 1, 2019
Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own


Friday, October 13, 2023

Live for a Living by Paula Caligiuri, PhD and Andy Palmer

I liked the title and cover of this book and in some career flux so thought I'd take this book on. There are definitely some good points made by the authors but there is a lot of belief that everything you need is inside yourself. The entire first chapter is about learning your own limiting thoughts while the second looks at finding your skills. I think this focus is a bit myopic as you also have to be aware of the trends around you as well. You may be the very best and most passionate burger flipper out there but if you live in a town of vegans, it's not going to help.
There is more advice related to building a career portfolio, keeping yourself healthy, and identifying your values. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking but there are a number of resources and I've read enough of them to know that they were gathered well and the book is written well. This book could probably work well for anyone looking for a career move but will probably benefit those early in their careers the most. 

Four stars
This book comes out October 10, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own



Sunday, October 1, 2023

Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White

Most of this book boils down to seeing different things as containers and making sure that whatever you have fits in that container. 
I am single- most of this book is geared toward families.
No nonsense, this is a decent book but nothing really new.

Three stars
This book came out January 11, 2022
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin

If you are used to listening to Rubin's podcast, listening to her in a longer format is rather odd. A lot of the ideas in this book are discussed on her show. She talks about how she spent time exploring each of her five senses. Is any of it groundbreaking? Maybe not. But it is grounding and a good reminder that we all need to remember not to neglect any of our senses. Instead, we should remember each of these senses and to care for them as well. We can use our senses to indulge in healthy ways. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out April 18, 2023
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Saturday, August 26, 2023

HBR's 10 Must Reads for Mid-Level Managers by Harvard Business Review

Managers Can't Do It All by Diane Gherson and Lynda Gratton
Managers are being asked to do more and more while working with less and less. Even as we are having to downsize the workforce, we are having to manage the emotions of the people left behind. 
This article explores some ways that we can make life easier for those managers including how AI can help with things like metrics, budget approval, and salary negotiations. It also looks at how one company made life easier by flattening the hierarchy. 

The Real Value of Middle Managers by Zahira Jaser
For the past 50 years, the thought has been that middle managers are... well, middle people. Better than average but not quite higher management material. Jaser would like to change that and bring back to the idea of the manager, the role of leader, to take over being the amplifying voice on the way up, and the explanatory voice on the way down.

In Praise of Middle Managers by Quy Nguyen Huy
Recently, there has been a school of thought that middle managers don't do anything, Huy begs to differ. A six-year study shows that managers at least two levels below the boss and one up from line employees combine knowledge of company goals with boots-on-the-ground practicality in a way that no other managers can. 

Managing Your Boss by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter
Middle managers are often the "boots on the ground" but may be scared to speak up about changes or ideas because they are afraid of the consequences. But these are the people who most need to be able to sell their ideas because they are going to know what works. They need to know the tactics, know how to combine the tactics, and know when and how to implement them. 

Get the Boss to Buy In by Susan J. Ashford and James Detert
Mid-level managers have the power to effect big change at their companies. Ashford and Detert give seven tactics for how to raise ideas to the senior levels and make information more palatable so the company can prosper: tailor your pitch (make it specific to the decision maker), framing (show how your goal fits into the big picture), manage emotions on both sides, think about your timing, involve others, adhere to others (know how your organization makes decisions and play into that information), and suggest solutions (if you bring up a problem, also suggest a solution. These tactics can be pick and choose though the authors found more successes when using all seven ideas at once. 

The Secrets of Great Teamwork by Martine Haas and Mark Mortensen
Teams need any number of things to work well but the authors have identified four. They start with a well-dedined shared direction. Strong structure needs to be considered for great teamwork, who will be on the team, what the max capacity will be, and who will do what to compete a project. The third importance is support. That support comes from both outside and within the team. Finally, they talk about a shared mindset to overcome us/them thinking and fractures that can be caused by any number of reasons.

How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on Their Teams by Joan C. Williams and Sky Mihaylo
The best bosses can’t solve bias but they can interrupt it by making sure that they are fairly looking at all applicants and making a concerted effort to make their teams more diverse. That includes using fewer referrals, fairly dispersing office chores, and mindfully assigning high-value projects. But it also includes things that may not be as obvious like making sure you are scheduling the same amount of time for each of your employees (one person may feel more comfortable taking your time)

Making the Hybrid Workplace Fair by Mark Mortensen and Martine Haas
The new hybrid working model can make it hard for managers to keep things fair. The authors of this paper put forth some ideas on how to level the playing field: track and communicate, design, educate (let people know how hybridity can create unfair conditions), and monitor. 

Why Strategy Execution Unravels—and What to Do About It by Donald Sull, Rebecca Homkes, and Charles Sull
There are any number of books about strategy but little explores how to actually implement the strategies once they are decided upon. The authors look at ways to more successfully implement strategies with tactics like making sure that we are working well cross-departmentally. Of course, resource allocation comes up as a topic but we don't mean just moving things around, it can also mean resource elimination. Of course, there is getting out the message of key strategies but we have to remember to measure them in results a.k.a. frontline workers knowing what our strategies are rather than how many times we communicated the message. We also need to focus on what execution success looks like and think about the fact that it can't always be top down.

The Leader as Coach by Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular
Coaching is hard and many middle managers just aren't very good at it. But they can use the advice from this article and looking at their 2x2 matrix on various aspects of coaching ranging from mentoring (letting the manager solve the problem) to hands off, to withholding judgment. The square the authors suggest as the sweet spot is "situational." They suggest using the GROW method: finding the Goal, looking back at the Reality, examining your Options, and Will (what will you do and whether they are willing to act.)4

Make the Most of Your One-on-One Meetings by Steven G. Rogelberg
Rogelberg did three different studies around one-on-one meetings. They are incredibly important and managers need to view and prepare for them through the lens of making their employees be more prepared as well as finding solutions for difficulties the company is facing.

Learn When to Say No by Bruce Tulgan
Before you automatically say either yes or no to an ask, you need to pause and think about a number of factors before you answer the question. And you also need to think about your timing in how you day yes or no. Then be able to state why you said yes or no.

Begin with Trust by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss
The authors of this paper identify core drivers of trust: authenticity (working with the real you), logic (people trust your decisions), and empathy (people feel you care about them.) Everyone has one that they are weakest in, their trust wobble. Ways to adjust the wobble are given for each of the three. 

Four stars
This book comes out August 29, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Yoga Inversions by Kat Heagberg Rebar

I really liked this book. The illustrations are really helpful. The writing gives a great idea of not only how to get into the poses but also how to cue them. I could have used just a few more prep poses or ideas of how long to use them to build up to the full inversion but, honestly, you probably need to be able to listen to your own body. 

Four and a half stars
This book comes out August 22, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Shambhala Publications, Inc. and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Sunday, August 13, 2023

The Undoing Project Michael Lewis

We first hear about Michael Lewis. About his ideas that he might be able to game the NBA draft through statistics. To try and take people's gut feelings out of the picks. He tried his best but did not succeed. However, his ideas all stem from the work of Kahneman and Tversky.
Then comes Daniel Kahneman. We hear about his growing up during WWII. About the way that others describe him, as brilliant but maybe a little odd. He eventually ended up in Israel. 
Last comes a brief biography of Amos Tversky who grew up in Israel and was an acknowledged genius. 
Then comes the overlapping work of Danny and Amos. The two come up with a number of interesting ideas about the ways we make decisions. Their relationship is closer than those that they have with their wives. Their work spans more than a decade and their ideas become so overlapping it is hard to tell who came up with which parts of their papers. They come up with the idea that our decisions may not be as clear cut and based on data as we think they are. But then, the cracks began to appear. First, they move to North America, but not to the same place. They don't argue in the same room anymore. Then, Danny starts to feel like his work is overlooked. And it seems like it is. While Amos never adds to that theory, he never publicly disputes it either. Their work never quite comes together again before Amos dies.
This is a really interesting story that falters a bit at the end. Certainly makes me rethink some of my decision-making processes. 

Four stars
This book came out October 13, 2017
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Operation Mincemeatby Ben Macintyre

A wonderfully written narrative about the ruse used by the Allies which ultimately helped win WWII. Wonderfully engaging and researched. Great to listen to as an audiobook.

Four stars
This book came out May 4, 2010
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

The bottom line always comes down to having a growth mindset. Yes, there are things in life that are fixed but many things can be improved through more learning. I did like the addition of the groupthink but otherwise this was a bit redundant. 

Three stars
This book came out January 1, 2006
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own