booknewb

TL;DR: A memoir of a time in Anthony Bourdain's life well into the fame and prominence, and a look on a point in time when celebrity chefs roamed the land, including critiques when food is disrespected . This started out dark, very dark. Knowing what happens to Anthony Bourdain, and him describing nights holed out in the Caribbean, I got an eerie sense of AB's tendencies. That what he'd written down as being unsuccessfully suicidal for nights on end, a chill ran down my spine.

TL;DR: 12 Rules to improve life based on mythologies, philosophy, psychology, science and religion. Jordan Peterson is a controversial figure. Maybe because of the rhetoric different groups are interpreting as attacks. And maybe that's simply the purpose of a discussion. It seems he's become a voice, where none used to be around. Like a forest with burnt wood, and the first spark creates a ripple that lights up the area.  This book is a good read. Stripped of all the arguments, it's basically like a self-help/personal development book. What makes it different from what one can usually read is it pulls from different sources, The Bible, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Lessons from World War II, essentially from Myths, History, Psychology, Religion etc.

TL;DR: Girl dies and meets five people in heaven; along the way she learn five lessons and then something else. <Spoiler Alert!>

TL;DR: Real leaders make people feel safe. I n times of danger, they put themselves in harm's way to protect another, and would no sooner give up what they have for their people to live on. The book opens that people have a fundamental need for security. Safety. Simon Sinek describes this Circe of Safety, where feelings of belonging, of shared values and a deep sense of empathy fosters trust and cooperation.

TL;DR:  There are certain hours of the day when we are most effective. There is a science to starting and ending things, and in synchronizing a group. For a moment, I thought I was reading Clive Cussler. Daniel Pink opened with the sinking of the Lusitania; a grand hypothesis that maybe the Lusitania sank because its captain made a crucial decision in the afternoon. It seems odd if an argument about time would hold water in a court of law. Can a person be absolved simply because the event happened in a person's less optimal hours? I honestly don't know. 

TL;DR: A Dutch Industrialist wanting revenge against Russian leadership sets up a terrorism attempt against the US using a previously submerged Soviet Atomic Bomb. Dirk Pitt and team are compelled to stop this. Dirk Jr. and Summer gets tangled with Russian Intelligence leading to a Russian Imperial Treasure, Romanov Gold. This went fast. Initially thought there were only two entities or story lines. Spoiler: There are three. The pace has the feel of a Sherlock Holmes/Tom Clancy mix while still having that James Bond/Indiana Jones-vibe for the seas and oceans. The Dirk Pitt series has this tendency of mixing contemporary news with historical issues.The fiction starts at the seams where history is deemed to be unfulfilled. The product is one fine craft of action and adventure. Longer summary: More Spoilers

TL;DR: Bad guys are found mining uranium under the Atlantic Ocean causing environmental problems; and they want to takeover the Cuban government. Good guys investigate and try to stop this. Oh and they go on a search for an Aztec Emperor's Treasure I grew up on the Dirk Pitt series. In today's world of the MCU's, DCEU and Star Wars EU, this was my fictional universe. This was my long standing fictional series.  Although it's been a couple years since I'd last read a Clive Cussler novel, it seems the spirit of adventure in this book remains the same. Some of the characters have matured but overall it feels familiar in a good way, like being home. A longer summary below, but a spoiler warning should be called out, so Spoiler Alert.

TL;DR: Success comes from knowing yourself,  treating others well; being assertive when taken advantage of; knowing when to quit what's not important, to be gritty on the ones that are; making friends that support you and that you support,  setting boundaries with work  and by making time for your relationships. Barking Up the Wrong Tree as a blog, is a gold mine. One of the few blogs I still frequent on a regular basis. Now as a book, it is well written and very informative. With studies coming from towers of Academia with long deep technical words, this book makes learning pleasant and engaging.  At one podcast, If my memory serves me right, the author likens this to a Mythbusters for Success.

TL;DR: Kiyosaki had two dads. One was good with money; the other not. Learn more and buy more of his books, join his seminars and buy his game. Something about this book feels icky; like a sweet dessert with distasteful parts. One could enjoy such dessert but that aftertaste has something bitter. As the kids say today, it feels like if a click-bait were turned into a book about Financial Literacy. As a product, it is easily digestible and marketed well. Following every advice on this however, I'm not quite sure about that. Best to learn from Bruce Lee on this: " Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless"

TL;DR: Chuck Palahniuk compiles a collection of true stories.  In one of the last stories, Chuck Palahniuk writes:  I'm sorry if this all seems a little rushed and desperate.  It is. While this book doesn't seem desperate. It does feel a little rushed; like stories were cramped in folders and bounded as one material. 

TL;DR: Our tendencies that blind us from seeing the world as it is. Developing a Fact-based worldview allows us to see and think more clearly.  Trying not to be over-dramatic but this book is beautiful. Awesome is not the term. Beautiful. This is the kind of book I wish had written or have been part of in writing it. Anything that teaches me how to think clearly, how to see the world and know more of it while straying from being too academic sounding is beautiful.  Moving beyond the medium and to the content, It's probably my most eye-opening read this year. It seems common now in this genre that left to our own circuitry we default to our basic instincts. But it's unusual to hear that the world is not imploding. Bad things are still happening, but many  things have been or is getting better.

TL;DR: The 5 Languages:  Words of Affirmation,  Quality Time,  Acts of Service,  Tangible Gifts and  Physical Touch According to Gary Chapman, there are 5 Love Languages. These are the ways we communicate in a relationship; and how we act and respond the most upon giving and receiving love. As Love is to Relationships; Appreciation is to the Workplace.

TL;DR: Seiji Ozawa and Haruki Murakami talk about music and writing. A book may be the wrong medium for this. I wish this was a podcast or a series of podcast episodes.  The times when they were talking about rhythm and tones, and the subtle differences in performances;  I feel like those would be better represented in audio. Nevertheless,   It is great to even be able to read the two master's conversations. 

TL;DR: We are not perfect, but be good anyway.  Philosophy Books are always a slog to read. Mixing Religion and Philosophy, It becomes a grind.

TL;DR: The current theories on Negotiation are outdated. There is a correct way to Mirror, Empathize, Ask, Summarize, Push Back, Bargain and Ensure Implementation. Basically to Negotiate much better.

TL;DR: The 7 Habits: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win/Win, Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood, Synergize, and Sharpen the Saw.

TL;DR: Having a WHY (purpose/belief) is important. Your business's long term success depends on it. The takeaway from a leadership perspective: Have a Purpose, A Belief, or a Cause to champion.

TL;DR: Bob Ong writes in his unique style about stages of a typical Filipino man; One part How-to book; one part book of Advice, two parts Culture and Maturity.  To put it this way; If the Filipiniana section of a bookstore had a space for Self-Help, and this book were in that shelf, it would not be out-of-place. 

TL;DR: A bunch of bits that Chris Rock may or may not have done in a special but condensed in a book. 

TL;DR; It is a small part biography of Mother Teresa, and the people at the Missionary of Charity; and part advise and perspective mostly about Prayer, Faith, Love, Service and Peace.  The book opens with "The Simple Path": The fruit of silence is Prayer. The fruit of prayer is Faith. The fruit of faith is Love. The fruit of love is Service. The fruit of service is Peace.

TL;DR It is a series of Essays with a self-examination or a self-exploratory aim, discussing various topics that piqued Montaigne's curiosity.  Had Montaigne lived today he would be writing long form blogs. It is influenced by the stoics; some of more well known philosophers such as Socrates, St. Augustine and others. In the philosophical branch, he is lumped under Skepticism. From the writings, he seems like a regular guy, regular in the sense that he's like a neighbor, like an old uncle, a really smart, and at times self-deprecating uncle.

TL;DR: It is a collection of crime/horror stories that happened in Manila around the 50's and 60's.  To say that this is a terrifying read is an understatement. Combined with the subject matter and Nick Joaquin's style of writing gives the stories a certain kind of flair that amplifies the tension.  There were some prominent individuals, one including Joseph Estrada; a couple actors and actresses. And others who seem to be normal people dealt bad hands with bad circumstances aggravating fate with bad choices. It is a different view of Manila. It appears that even before Martial Law, the country had its share of terrible events.

TL;DR: There's a lot here. I'm of the opinion that this is one of those books where you take time, take long to read. It is not encouraged. It even has its own space in the Constitution declaring separation from the State. Whether it wants to or not, the Church does seem to get intertwined with Politics. At least, not directly nor intentionally but when a government becomes oppressive to its people; when it's no longer a matter of public opinion; and actual human values and dignity are crossed; the Church takes action.

TL;DR: You make snap decisions all the time. It can be biased so learn how to affect it. It begins with what Gladwell calls a "thin slice". It is a small sample size of a moment or moments. It is often indirect or emotional. ie. viewing a person's room or his bookshelf, a couple's 15 minute talk about mundane things, a doctor's interaction and not necessarily his diagnosis. 

TL;DR: Seriously though, it is 180 pages with the font, the size of a thumb. It's a short read. Take the time. Anyway, if you've seen the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, it is extremely close to the original by Roald Dahl. Around 97% close. I'm saying 97% because the part about Willy Wonka's back story in the Movie was not in the book. Roald Dahl may not have thought of giving Willy Wonka a back story, and it was pretty sad now remembering it. Daddy and Family issues may not have jived with the lively and warm tone Roald Dahl had in the book.  I wonder what Roald Dahl had in mind when he was writing the book. It reads like a sweet cautionary tale for kids about being too gluttonous, eating too much gum, being too spoiled and watching too much TV. Essentially, how to not be bratty hidden inside a Fantasy Chocolate world, like a caramel inside a chocolate kiss. Hey,  Charlotte's Web by EB White   is an...

TL;DR: To stay in Power as a Prince, you must be sly defensively, and offer fear offensively. You must play a certain way, have the right army and allies, and have the right character and behavior. It is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares, and a lion to terrify the wolves. This is terrible. Terrible in a stomach churning way. Hence, the term "Machiavellian".

TL;DR: Two sisters come of age. Elinor is serene. Marianne is more passionate. They meet two men who it appeared they will not marry, but eventually they end up marrying. One big story in the middle of what seemed like a suspense leads to the two sisters being happy with their marriages.

TL;DR:  The key to Mastery and Peak Performance is to build Mental Representations. The key to building Mental Representations is Proper Training, Effort and Time. The best format for proper training: Deliberate Practice. Okay now one by one.

It is surprising that this was originally published in 1990. I had to double check the dates in the opening pages because the concept of Flow is still discussed actively today; often quoted in other psychology books, one example is in Grit by Angela Duckworth . It also pops up in other mediums like podcasts, topics for life coaches/gurus, and in self-help and personal development book shelves. The TL;DR version is.. It is essentially about happiness. The argument being that if we want to maximize happiness, we should maximize Flow experiences.  Now what is Flow? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines it as:

This was a hard read. For a man only starting to dabble in philosophy, this was a struggle. There's a certain kind of blaaggh from philosophy. I don't know what it is. It's almost like listening to a scholarly talk way beyond your comprehension; like if a preschooler sat down in a college trigonometry class. The TL;DR version is: a bunch of philosophers gathered round and discussed details and debated about Justice, Reality and the ideal State, the Republic.

Which is it? Trying to Enjoy Every Day.  that is. If you really think about, it is highly unlikely, impossible even, that you will enjoy each day this year. There are going to be days when you're going to be as sick as you can be, or as tired and stressed as you can possibly imagine. You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you think the year's going to be all warm and rosy.