Book Reviews

Below you'll see the books I've finished and some notes.

I've always wanted to read this book because I heard such good things about it. The fact that it is small and only 30 something pages was a big plus!

I got this book because it merged two topics I really wanted to focus on - Faith/Christianity and Business. It has 52 chapters. Each chapter covers the biblical perspective on a business topic (i.e. Marketting, Customer Focus, Sales, etc.). An easy read and insightful.

This book took me a while because it was over 400 pages (small print no spaces either!). But I've always wanted to read Edison's biography. He was a very interesting man - innovative for his time. I had to re-check out this book from the library 3 times before I finished it! I think if I do another biography, it'll be on George Washington Carver (the peanut guy). I saw a clip about him on the History Channel and it was pretty interesting.

From the New York Times best seller list. The subtitle is "Silencing the Enemies of Growth". The author talks about the importance of 'Exuberant Growth' in a growing and thriving economy and how innovation in the future can help to sustain exuberant growth.

Woah, I see why this was on several "best seller" lists! It's one of those books that is just pain interesting. Basically, it's an economists view on everyday things (even the Freaky ones). Hence the title...Freaky + Economics. If you like to challenge "convential wisdom" and see what is really driving the [insert any topic here], you'll love this book.

OK, I cheated. This was a book on CD, but it still counts in my book! It's about a public defense lawyer who gets in the middle of something a lot bigger. It then tracks his rise and fall as he gains and loses the title The King of Torts.

The 80/20 Principle states that 20% of efforts produce 80% of the effects. The author argues that you can do more by focusing on your productive 20% and "outsourcing" the other 80%. In interesting look at the principle and how individuals can be more productive people.

I didn't quite make it...

I didn't put it at the top of the page, but a "side" resolution was to keep my education current by reading magazines. I am pleased to report that I subscribed to three magazines and read every page of every issue, every month.

Subcribe through Amazon.com
Money Magazine
Inc Magazine
Business 2.0

This book was one of the required readings during my Intermediate Level Education (ILE) course at Fort Belvoir - we had to do a paper on it. It is about the events leading up to decision to enter Iraq and oust Sadaam Hussain from power.

I have a little interest in Economics and Finance, so I thought a book by the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve would be a interesting. And I was right! The book is very long, so it took me a while to finish. Greenspan talks about his career path before he made the Fed and his time at the Fed (did you know he dated Barbara Walters?). The last half of the book is a focus on Macroeconomic policies that affect the US and his predictions for what our economic situation will look like in 2030.

This one took me a while. I actually started it a year earlier as I came out of ILE. We discussed some of the topics of the book in class, so I thought I'd follow up by reading it. I got half-way through and just stopped. I finally finished it while in Iraq. It's more "philosophical" rather than "practical" but still interesting. Recurring themes are the ideas of our own "mental models" and how they shape what we see and observe in life every day. When we learn what our "mental models" are, we are better able to see others' "mental models" or even shift our own to fit the ever-changing world around us.

This is another Freakonomics type book, but on a much higher level. The author is an economics professor who shares his students' theories on why some things are the way they are from an economics perspective (with his edits, of course). For example, one topic poses that gas tanks in Europe are smaller than in the US because gas is more expensive (due to taxes). Smaller gas tanks equal cheaper "fill-ups" which make it more pallatable to buy the car in the first place.

I heard about this book when the authors were on an episode of "Talk of the Nation" on NPR. The book gets into the neuro-science of what parts of the brain are active during different thought processes. It also speaks extensively on the concept of "body maps" - the theory that our minds creates mental "maps" of our body and the world around us. These maps can be extended to external objects such as a fork, a rake, or even a vehicle (which is why many people instinctively "duck" when driving a tall SUV into a parking garage...the SUV has become part of their brain's body map).

This book covers the basics of the four personality profiles of (Perfect) Melancholy, (Peaceful) Phlegmatic, (Popular) Sanguine, and (Powerful) Choleric. Like most writings on personality traits, this book covers the "good" and "bad" of each type, how to determine which you are, and how to deal with the others. The book is easy to read and has lots of practical (and personal) examples...lighthearted and fun.

A well written book that explains some basics of economics. There is also a great chapter on "How China Got Big" that explains how China has been able to grow so much so fast. The author also devotes the good part of a chapter on health care and how - economically speaking - the best way would be to approach getting everyone some kind of health insurance at the best price. I was impressed with his unbiased and unemotional (and non-political) economic approach to different issues.

I usually don't read "story" books, but since this was really a historical novel I read it. It was really worth it too! The fight to be first to fly - and then to build a business from it - was a fierce battle. The Wright Brothers were competing against well-established individuals (Alexander Graham Bell) and well-financed groups. In spite of being a gross underdog in the battle, they won the first in flight honor.

My Mother-In-Law got this book for me at a used book sale a few years ago after she found out I like business-related books. I kept putting off reading it because it was published in 1986 and I thought it would be old news. But it was a very interesting read! It was all about how Ray Kroc started the McDonald's Corporation. It also speaks in depth about how McDonald's survived in the midst of heavy competition and how it "McDonalized" the producers and suppliers of it's food and products. Even thought it was published over 20 years ago, it was relevant and interesting.

This book was written by a friend of mine in Iraq. This book is about his life. He grew up in Utah in the Mormon church and then converted to Christianity. He has a very interesting life story, and the book is very well written. The book isn't sold on the "open" market, but he gave me a copy. I'm glad he did.

I've been wanting to read this book for a while. I've heard good reviews about it and it seems to be referenced in a lot of the magazine and news articles that I read. This one took me a while for a couple of reasons. First, it was like 600 pages or something. So the sheer length of the book made this a long read. Secondly, it was a little more "deep" than the other economic books I've read. So I had to read it a little slower in order to really digest it. All in all, it was very enlightening, though. The thesis of the book is that the world is "flat" and becoming flatter because of several "flatteners" (the web, outsourcing, fall of Berlin Wall and rise of free market economies, etc.). This was version three of the book. I recommend it as a read, but take your time to get the most out of it.

I got this book and read through it while in Iraq to catch up on the latest in programming. C# ("C-Sharp) is one of the new programming languages that is being touted as one of the best to work with ASP.Net. The book was good and got me the first baby step to mastering the language. I don't think I'll bury myself into C#, but at least now I can at least "get around" the code.

This book was written by Tyler Cowen, author of the economic blog Marginal Revolution. The book was about what I expected, a typical "economics is all about incentives" approach to life. The book wasn't all nerdy economic stuff and actually had quite a few examples from everyday life. The most interesting thing is the approach, or thought process, that you can glean from economics and apply to the world around you.

I cheated a little bit and got the "book on CD" version of this book. It was on sale for a buck at Borders! How could I pass that up!?! I remember reading a review about this one in Inc. Magazine one issue. I had a trip coming up - which meant enough time to sit and listen - so I bought it. It really was very interesting. The premise of the book is that "neat and orderly" doesn't always mean efficient. In fact, a case can be made - and they did make the case - that some disorder can lead to a lot of efficiency.

The subtitle "The hidden benefits of disorder" says it all. If you keep a messy desk, home, whatever and you want some vendication, pick up this book and share it with your "neat and organized" critics!