Posts

Odessa Sea by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (2016)

Image
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

Havana Storm by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (2014)

Image
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.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree by Eric Barker (2017)

Image
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.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (1997)

Image
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"

Non-Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk (2004)

Image
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. 

Factfulness by Hans Rosling (2018)

Image
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.

The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White (2011)

Image
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.