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Book Reviews

The Influential Mind

If you are curious how people make decisions, then The Influential Mind by Tali Sharot is a must-read book. The subtitle of the book, “what the brain reveals about our power to change others,” sums it up really well.

The author has done extensive research and cites her findings as well as other leading experts. Somehow it never devolves into “professional psycho-babble” talk and comes across as easy to understand and comprehend. I now realize that the author put her findings to work and definitely influenced me to appreciate her insights!

If you are in the story telling business — …

Book Reviews,

Top Ten Books of 2017

To help with your gift list, here are my top ten books of 2017:

The “I need something fun to create bar arguments” goes to Tim Harford for his book Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy. Barbed wire? The gramophone? Passports? Curious insights like these fill the book and will create conversation, controversy, and interest.

The “historical fiction that has fascinating characters and everybody is reading these days” award goes to Amor Towles for A Gentleman in Moscow. Set in the first half of the 20th Century, the story of a Russian man …

Book Reviews, Random Thoughts,

Advent

Christmas is four weeks from today, so it is safe to say we are in the season of Advent.

My faith tradition did not place a big emphasis on the Christian calendar, with the exception of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and of course Christmas Day. But there is great depth, even warmth, when we allow the seasons to enter our daily thinking.

This year I am going to read daily from the book God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is a collection of his letters from prison and a few of his sermons. If you are unfamiliar …

Book Reviews,

Leonardo da Vinci

A few days ago I was enjoying a brief visit with long time friends. By a warm fire with a glass of wine in my hand, they asked one of my favorite questions: “So Roy, any book suggestions?”

Without hesitation I said they must read Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.

Isaacson is one of my favorite biographers because he explains how his subjects — such as Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, and Steve Jobs — innovate at the intersection of science and art. These are Renaissance thinkers who understood electricity, physics, politics, technology … but also literature, beauty, …

Book Reviews,

Summer Books

A few good summer books:

I’m a latecomer to the blockbuster of a few years ago, The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. A novel with an amazing dog and amazing people (some of whom race cars). How could I not love this book? A great summertime read if you’re needing escape. Gotta love Enzo.

Something political? Check out Democracy, by Condoleezza Rice. Brilliant overview of how democracy has spread across the world, and the key components we must protect.

How about something about your faith? It’s hard for me to admit, but …

Book Reviews,

Leadership is an Art

Nearly twenty years ago I read Leadership is an Art by Max De Pree. The former CEO of the legendary company Herman Miller, De Pree was one of the great business leaders of his day. So naturally, I was eager to find out what he had to say.

The book had a profound impact on my understanding and practice of leadership. The most significant line for me was, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.”

I’ve always …

Book Reviews,

Book Buying Guide

Looking for a good book to buy as a last minute gift? I’ve got a few suggestions. My reading list for 2016 is over 100 books again this year and it’s been tough to keep this list short!

Winning the “Best Book to Make You Smile, Laugh, and Become Intrigued by the Storyline” award is Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Set in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, occasionally in New York, it’s a fun book for anybody who loves books, coding, and fantasy.

If nonfiction story telling is more your thing, then the winner of the “Best Book …

Book Reviews,

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

A few months ago D’Aun hired an olive oil consultant to help with a few questions. It’s a long story, but the consultants friend was none other than Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Robin seemed like a really nice guy, and the book had good reviews, so we got a copy.

Wow. Where the heck have I been? I mean, why did it take me so long to hear about this book and check it out?

Penumbra is fantastic. Fun plot, great writing, extraordinarily creative, contemporary with a touch of ancient wisdom, funny but in an …