Aman Mittal's Blog, page 5
June 20, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk
Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk Published by HarperBusiness on 30/01/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 228
Format: eBook
Goodreads
Since the start of this decade Gary’s Crush It! has done wonders for many of its readers. In it, he insisted that a vibrant personal brand was crucial to entrepreneurial success. I happen to read it recently, just he announced the launch of Crushing It! a follow-up or you can say a modern version of Crush It! because a lot has changed and evolved since Gary wrote his previous book in 2009.
In Crushing It! Gary Vaynerchuk starts by explaining why it is important to create a personal brand and what tools you can use to do so. He briefly shares his own journey about how in his twenties he developed his family’s wine business from $4 million to $60 million using social media as a tool. It was after that he came up with Vaynerchuk media at the age of 34. He offers his perspective on what has changed since he wrote Crush It! and what principles are still applicable and are timeless in this ever-changing world.
If you show up with that energy, and intensity every single day, good things are going to happen. #CRUSHINGIT
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Credits: https://www.instagram.com/amanhimself...
He then shares stories in between every chapter of entrepreneurs who have grown wealthier after having read Gary’s Crush It!. Actually, not just by reading the book but understanding and their willingness to make use of social media and do whatever it takes to their highest potential. Crushing It! is a deep exploration of just that.
After reading Gary’s previous work of writings I got the idea that he and I share a similar belief, that there is not some magic template of success. Any entrepreneur who Gary interviewed for his latest book will agree to that. He makes authentic assertions about selfishness and business and I have heard him do that in various podcasts, not just in this book.
If your nature is at least 51 percent altruistic and only 49 percent selfish, you have a real shot at breaking out, because the vast majority of people are 70 to 99 percent selfish. #CRUSHINGIT
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There are interesting stories shared in this book of how entrepreneurs, some of them completely broke at some point in their lives, such as Lewis Howes. If you are already familiar with Crush It!, you might find some repetitions of content. To develop a basic understanding of how to use social media tools for your own benefit and grow with the community, you can skip those stories and straight away get to the point. Gary shares tips and discusses almost every social media platform such as Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
It is an inspiring read with pragmatic outlook to grow your own personal brand in a constantly changing the world. It took me 5 days to read it, the length of the book is not heavy but the content is something, I believe, you should take to time to grasp.
4 out of 5!
The post BOOK REVIEW: Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.
June 18, 2018
10 Bookish Hashtags to Follow on Instagram
Instagram runs on Hashtags. Without ‘#…’ it would not exist. It is a relevant and a useful way to find things that interests you as a user. If you are blogger/book blogger/ bookworm and like to click or share what you are reading with the world, you probably are familiar with the power of Instagram. If not, I am going to share with you 10 hashtags that can help you get started in a quickly fashion on Instagram.
I started my Instagram account two months back. So far the response I have got is good. Though I still struggle to post frequently there, I do have observed a set of popular hashtags. I love photos of books there. Readers share what they are reading and some of those pics are highly exquisite
P.S. You can find me on Instagram too.
#Bookstagram
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/she.hearts....
#Bookshelfporn
#BookNerd
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/bookhoarder...#BookHaul
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/_myfictiona...
#Shelfie
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/booksugar/
#Bookworm
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/miserybookc...#BooksofInstagram
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/everlasting...#Bookstagram
#Bookstack
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/aroseforbooks/#CurrentlyReading
Credits: https://www.instagram.com/tassedelivre/Are you on Instagram? You can find me on Instagram. Share your Bookish pics with me and I will follow you.
This post took a cup of coffee. To write more posts, I need your help. You can by me a coffee
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Looking forward to becoming a #BookBlogger?
Are you looking forward to start a Book Blog but do not know what to do with it or where to start? Or do you have a book blog but still struggling to get followers and increase your viewership?
Check out my new ebook A Blogger’s Manifesto.
A Blogger’s Manifesto is a short ebook (around 100 pages) about blogging written by a blogger. It covers the story of my book blog Confessions of a Readaholic and other essentials for an individual who is getting started with blogging or is a new blogger.
The book in detail covers:
Starting a blog with zero followers
Writing a compelling blog post
Why Comments are essential part in blogging community
How to reach your milestones with your blog
Social Media and money making tips
Are you looking to #kickstart a #BookBlog?
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Since I am a book blogger, I have covered topics that are essential to know before if you are getting started or recently started in Book Blogging.
Writing a Book review
Blog Tours
Getting an ARC
Interviewing Authors
If this interests you, grab your copy now from Amazon IN | Amazon US only for $0.99.
Note: If the title is unavailable on the Amazon in your country, let me know, I will be happy to send you the copy.
Everyone will get future updates for free, especially the second version which is coming out soon.
The post Looking forward to becoming a #BookBlogger? appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.
June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Entering StartupLand by Jeffrey Bussgang
Pages: 232, Kindle Edition
Published: October 2017, by Harvard Business Review Press
Cover Rating: 4/5
We see startups everywhere. Being a part of the fastest growing economy the word startup is now on the mouth of everyone. Some have their own definitions of it, but as Jeffrey Bussgang mentions it is hard to define the word startup in mere words. To help reader understand the concept and those aspiring to work for startups will definitely get some help by reading this book.
Entering StartupLand: An Essential Guide to Finding Right Job is pragmatic approach to various career options or job profiles and responsibilities that are available almost in every startup. This includes product management, business development, marketing, growth and sales. To help one figure out what to expect when someone joins a startup there are insights from Jeffrey’s own life as he started his career with Open Market that was once a startup in 1997.
The book divides in eight chapters and begins with introduction to the startup culture and then discuss various but essential job profiles. Within the context, Jeffrey has made an effort to clarify and get his readers familiar with terms like Scrum and Agile working methodology. This I feel, is good for the reader to know some of the main buzzwords and make an effort to understand if they are new or not familiar with the context.
Having worked myself in one startup, I will say there are times when you dwell in uncertainty. Be ready for that. You may have to handle multiple responsibilities. Jeffrey has differentiated the two organisational paradigms, what a stable corporate life is and how it is different from the startup.
Since it is a nonfiction work, I don’t have much to write about the narrative voice. The book is written in an expressive and clear language. I do strongly feel that the author could have make an effort to explore the possibility of other skills that are common with startup culture.
If you want to get familiar with this term and its scions then this book is a great starting point. Perfect target audience are students in colleges and universities, and also recommended to someone looking for a job or career change.
4 out of 5!
The post BOOK REVIEW: Entering StartupLand by Jeffrey Bussgang appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.
June 13, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Bring the Noise by Raphael Honigstein
Pages: 352, Paperback
Publication: February 2018 by Nation Books
Cover Rating: 5/5
Das Reboot How German Football Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World which was published in 2015 after the German National Team won the FIFA World Cup and recent achievements of German Clubs in European Football. It is written by Raphael Honigstein who has come up with another German Football related story for us, and this time a high profile manager Jurgen Klopp.
Bring the Noise: The Jürgen Klopp Story is expected to be release in February in 2018 yet I was tempted to read in whip. For those who are familiar or interested in modern day football, are familiar with the name Klopp. He is currently managing a top English Football Club, Liverpool who are rich in history but what made him famous is his skillfull, brave intention to coach a football team in Mainz. His coaching career began in the German second tier at the unfashionable club of FSV Mainz 05, whom he steered to the Bundesliga (German Top Division) for the first time in forty-one years. He then took the command of Borussia Dortmund, a club that is driven by its passionate uninamous stream of fans. He achieved back-to-back league titles and took the club to the UEFA Champions League final. He left Germany for one of the England’s most challenging jobs: to manage Liverpool, a once-mighty club that had not managed sustained success since the 1980s.
There are occassional interviews in the book of people of have worked with Klopp. He holds an ecstatic personality, with passion for the sport in his body language and is famous for his teams to play a different kind of tactical game, called gegenpress. This biographical work is presented with occasional flashbacks but concentrate enough of Klopp’s life at Liverpool, for whom he is still the manager at the time of writing this book review. The book does take a deep dive in his management/coaching career.
The writing style of the book is not the most encouraging factor. Das Reboot had an influential way of telling the story of German Football to its readers, but this time Honigstein is plain and lacks a bit of creativity or just could not present an interesting personality in an interesting way enough. Martí Perarnau has done a better job both times with Pep Guardiola’s biography. However, the book is still a good read for people who want to dive more into Klopp or for Liverpool fans who have high hopes for the club and share a similar trait as Dortmund fans in terms of being passionate.
3 out of 5!
The post BOOK REVIEW: Bring the Noise by Raphael Honigstein appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.
June 11, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Beekeeping for Beginners by Laurie R. King
Pages: 77, Kindle Edition
Published: 2011, Random House
I am big fan of Conan Doyle’s writings that include Sherlock Holmes and this year I realised I should try adaptions of same character written by other authors. After reading Martin Greenberg’s anthologies on Holmes’ Christmas Stories I came across Laurie R. Kings Mary Russell series. Mary Russell is a young girl that Holmes after retiring from being a Private Detective and relocating him in Sussex, takes an apprentice of. This short novella can be called the origin of this new series of adventure.
The plot is interesting but the adventure Sherlock Holmes pick up at the age of 54 to save his wealthy orphaned protégée is bit off for me in terms the time it takes to develop.
I did not enjoy this much not because the adaption of Holmes and Mrs. Hudson is actually accurate but the other main character, Mary Russell is too young and clearly being shown as a work in progress.
There isn’t much to conclude for me on the writing style since this book is only 77 pages and I am going to take my chances with her other books in which the characterisation is fully developed.
2 out of 5
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June 8, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: The Digital Nomad Survival Guide by Peter Knudson and Katherine Conaway
Pages: 172, Kindle Edition
Published: February 2017
Cover Rating: 3/5
If you are curious about what a Digital Nomad is an if you are planning to be one in near future, The Digital Nomad Survival Guide: How to Successfully Travel the World While Working Remotely written by two nomads themselves: Peter Knudson and Katherine Conaway can be a good start.
This book titled as a “survival guide” do justify itself as it covers knowledge, experiences of other nomads and resources about travel, housing, work, and socializing hubs to help you get started and manage a new lifestyle you are eager to pick up. It contains conversations in various manner with more than twenty digital nomads who travelled across 70+ countries. Their tips from to do or how to do at specific locations to their packaging lists, sample budgets and balance sheets, application recommendations might be helpful to you.
Peter and Katherine, the co-authors of this book have put enough emphasis on one of the most factors when it comes to travel and working remotely, money. Both of them have experience that includes 5 years travelling across 30 countries in between them. This book is collaborated remotely while they continued their journey in separate countries in South-East Asia.
I like how simple and to the point the narrative style used by both co-authors. The length of the book is enough to cover the surface but I strongly feel that there could have been more testimonies and in detail conversations with digital nomads covering a variety of jobs and sharing their experience in regards of the niche area of skills and what more skills they did acquire while travelling.
A positive about this book I find is that it is up to date as its published in 2017 and the content or resources are not outdated as one might have come across on not so relevant blog articles to read and explore the same concerned topic.
3 out of 5
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June 6, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Creativity for Sale by Jason SurfrApp
Pages: 224, Kindle Edition
Published: 2014 by The Rebel Within Us
Cover Rating: 5/5
I read a lot of business books these days and many a times I come across success stories of various entrepreneurs. But few of them talk about or share their story and how they got started from scratch. Jason Surfrapp’s Creativity for Sale: How I Made $1,000,000 Wearing T-Shirts and How You Can Turn Your Passion Into Profit, Too is a one of those few people.
Successful entrepreneur Jason Surfrapp (formerly Jason Headsetsdotcom and Jason Sadler) shares his hard-earned advice on how to use out of the box thinking to turn passions into profits. Creativity For Sale is the story of how Jason took a crazy idea (IWearYourShirt) and turned it into social media marketing empire that generated over $1M in revenue in just a few short years.
The content of the book is sharp, fresh (even to his date) and contain some pragmatic advice and tips from the entrepreneur himself. He offers specific examples from his own life, a touch to reality, how built and produced a creativity in the world of business. These suggestions or anecdotes from his life are timeless lessons that young entrepreneur can learn start to identify at a early stage in the careers. There is enough emphasis on the why one should focus on their destination and have that locus to stick till one accomplishes his goals.
I recommend this book to any creative fellow who wants start a business today. Great source of motivation and inspiring story at the same time.
4 out of 5
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June 4, 2018
7 Books You Can Read in One Day for a Readathon
Who does not like to read a book in one sitting? In this post, I am going to present you with a list of books that can be used for a calm weekend after a tiring week, while traveling or even Readathons! Readers who think are falling behind in their Goodreads Yearly Challenge or want to jumpstart can also use books mentioned in the list below.
I love shorter books. Sometimes it is better to tell a story in less amount of words and leave the rest for the reader to figure out. Novellas are still written by modern-day writers and sold by publishers. In the list below, I will try to diversify as much as I can. Let us prepare for our next Readathon!
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Page Count: 208
Winner of 2016’s Man Booker International Prize, Han Kang ’s subtle written book, The Vegetarian is a surprise package. It’s a long form of a novella and divided into three parts, first published in 2007. However, the concept of this novel originated in 1997 when Kang wrote a short story titled, ‘The Fruit of My Woman’. Set in modern-day Seoul, it tells the story of Yeong-hye, a homemaker, whose decision to stop eating meat after having a nightmare.
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
Page Count: 64
The author of the Gone Girl came out with a short story in 2015. about a fraudulent psychic who gets drawn into the life of one of her wealthy customers who is convinced her house is haunted. When the psychic checks out her tale, though, she realizes she might be able to sense a sinister supernatural power after all.
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
Page Count: 162
First Nonfiction book on this list. It is a collection of essays and is a reader’s delight, written by another reader who tributes her love for the books in her life by writing a book of essays herself.
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
Page Count: 96
The Strange Library is an excellent introduction to the dreamy, magical world of Haruki Murakami. In this novella, an unlikely trio—a shy boy, a tortured sheep man, and a strange girl—work to escape a creepy library.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Page Count: 264
My favorite Christie book. Don’t go on the length of it. It is so intense that you will be shocked to read it in a lesser amount of time than you expect.
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
Page Count: 192
This slim novel about George, a professor grieving the loss of his younger male lover, caused outrage when it was first published in 1964. The story, which takes place over the course of a single day, shocked audiences with its bold and unapologetic grappling with society’s paralyzing stigma towards the gay community and advocating for LGBT rights.
The Misfit’s Manifesto by Lidia Yuknavitch
Page Count: 120
Another non-fiction book is an ode to nonconformity by weaving her misfit history and those of her writing students and notable artists, writers, and creatives. For anyone who has felt like they never fit in, The Misfit Manifesto is a searing manifesto that will inspire a rebel stirring in your weird little heart.
I am accepting books for reviews, email me for inquiries at amandeepmittal@live.com
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June 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan
Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan on 1976
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 187
Format: eBook
Goodreads
Subtitled as a Japanese story, Richard Brautigan’s Sombrero Fallout is my second reading of the author’s work. It is a unique story, a peculiar one too, with themes that might seem bizarre at first but are actually brought to clarity as the plot moves forward
.
The storyline is about a heartbroken American writer that starts a story (somewhat meta) about an ice-cold sombrero hat that falls from the sky and lands in the center of a small Southwest American town. This is where the bizarreness comes in. This scene is repeated in a different manner along those 187 pages. While the focus of the writer inside the story is on the hat he certainly tries different angles to find out why he wants to write about the sombrero falling from a sky. Along with that, we get insight into the recent events of his life. His Japanese has left him, and he is now trying to cope with the heartbreak. In order to cope, he is trying to western stories with an angle that seems pointless to him as the plot moves forward.
I cannot talk about the characterization in this novel. Because there is a single character whose imagination is the locus of this novel. It indeed is a sad tale but after reading it, I think is a perfect way to deal with broken relationships and the feeling of the void it leaves. The narrator of the novel, when searches for the lost totems of his girlfriend shows how longs for her. This is the turning point in the novel for me. It is written without any flaw and the narrative voice is important but it does not drive the plot forward. The series of real event and the events that unfold in the imagination of the novelist described in the novel drive the plot.
The book is loosely based on Brautigan’s life and the void he was left with. The perfect instability of novelist who is being considered a humorist by the society and national media, cannot be a pure work of imagination. It is a bittersweet piece of writing that one must explore.
4 out of 5
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