Colin Marks's Blog, page 6

Review: The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road has been sat on my ‘shelf’ for seven years! I started it once, got half way through, and then got distracted by something shiny. I found it again recently, and as I did enjoy it the first time, started again from the beginning and this time, I made it to the end!

Looking back, I can see why I stopped the first time. Most of the writing is excellent, but it often becomes sentimental and airy, attempting poetic but incomprehensible sentences.

The story how...

Review: When America Stopped Being Great: A history of the present by Nick Bryant

Nick Bryant discusses how America went from having a solid democracy with cross-party collaboration to a dysfunctional nation ruled with the mindset of tribal adolescents. He follows American politics of the past 50 years, praising and admonishing each President on their actions and how they affected the trajectory of American politics. Many of the problems discussed also relate to other nations and aren’t specific to America, such as the consolidation of businesses and how that effects communit...

Review: How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs (Hardcover) by Guy Raz

I’m a huge fan of Guy’s podcast of the same name, so bought the book as a way of supporting him and saying thanks! The podcast works as the questions in an interview lead on from each other, and you get an understanding of the thought processes. However in the book, Guy splits the conversations into themes – such as funding, hiring, etc – with each of the founders’ stories intermingled. For me, this doesn’t work as well, and oddly I found there were very few takeaways from the book compared to t...

Review: How to Solve a Murder: True Stories from a Life in Forensic Medicine by Derek Tremain

“How to Solve a Murder” is poorly titled -it’s just the life story of the two authors, with a few chapters on the forensic aspect. Too much time was spent talking about their lives, which thinned down the interesting forensic discussions. I listened to the audio version, and the woman’s voice was a bit too plummy for my liking. I liked the professional talk, but found the personal side too much, so only 3-stars I’m afraid.

Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

See review on Good...

Review: Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most (Hardcover) by Greg McKeown

I’ve had Essentialism on my to-read shelf for almost two years, and after reading Effortless, I’ll definitely be pushing it towards the front of the queue. The premise of Effortless can be summed up in two sayings, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”, and, “Work smart, not hard”. Most of the lessons would be taught on any introductory project management course (i.e. define what “Done” looks like), but the writing is smooth and there is a charm to his anecdotes that make it an easy read. I received ...

Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I read Kazou’s The Unconsoled over twenty years ago, and loved the dreaminess and confusion, a tale of a man unsure what his life held, and where he was and where he was going. Never Let Me Go has similar themes – how despite your dreams in life, you’re still moulded by your environment and your future is determine by other people’s expectations of you.

I liked the concept, liked the theme, but the pace was very slow, and none of the characters really grabbed me, so it did become a struggle t...

Review: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam M. Grant

It seems these days people are becoming polarised, stuck in the trench of their opinions and unwilling to listen or accept other views. This is prominent in politics, especially in the USA, where the majority of votes follow party lines. This wasn’t always the case, but the explosion of social media and politicised news broadcasting has formed echo chambers where non-opposing, dissenting views are rarely heard. People are losing the skill of having nuanced conversations, and therefore aren’t cha...

Review: No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer

F&R (Freedom and Responsibility) are the cornerstone of the values held at Netflix. Unlimited holiday, no need to follow your bosses instructions, financial sign-off to any amount – all this F&R gives employees the sense of ownership and empowerment, and with that, Reed argues, comes greater creativity. The book is well written, with a well thought-out structure, and an easy read.

The issue I have with this book and the approach, is the so-called “keeper test”. You can only give staff this le...

Review: Joe Biden American Dreamer By Evan Osnos

I’ve just finished the audio book version of American Dreamer and it’s a light and enjoyable listen, but doesn’t really add anything new. It starts with Biden’s aneurysm, before going on to describe the other tragedies and highs of his life. He’s portrayed as a good man, a relationship builder, and someone who was so sure that another term with Trump as president would so permanently damage America’s standing in the world, that he stood purely to prevent that outcome.

I live in the UK, and br...

Review: Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

I’ve been listening to Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast for a while, so bought this book to give him something back. Unfortunately I chose the wrong one. It’s his voice in the book, you can imagine him narrating it, the problem is that the book is dated. The world was a very different place back in 2002 when this was first published, and while the core message is still valid (excellent products for niche markets generate conversations among the believers), many of the other statements no longer hold ...