Colin Marks's Blog, page 7

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 ...

Review: Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

An interesting book with a broad range of meditations to follow in the various meditative styles. I did feel it was slightly over-written – many of the stories could have been trimmed – but a good book for those wishing to expand their knowledge of mindfulness and meditation techniques.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Space Hopper by Helen Fisher

I loved the concept of Space Hopper, and on the whole, the execution was pretty good. Its a light read, a couple of easily predicted twists but the book felt less than the whole. Though well written, it was very bloated a couple of pages dedicated to Faye cleaning the house definitely wasnt a highlight and I found myself heavily skimming the final half. The confessional style, to be fair, may be better suited for the female audience this book is clearly targeted at, but I found it...

Review: The Push by Ashley Audrain

Ashley Audrain is definitely going to be a very successful writer if her debut novel, The Push, is anything to go by. The film rights have been snapped up even before the novel’s release. Not many authors get that confirmation of their ability so early in their career.

The Push is a tight, doom-laden telling of any parent’s worse nightmare, the death of a child – particularly when that death may have been caused by a psychotic sibling. Was the sibling involved? Or was it just a freak accident...

Review: Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by B.J. Fogg

I do like the premise of this book – habits can be formed through the repetition of small routines. You don’t have to think big – think small. Completing a marathon starts with putting your running shoes on every day. The book dissects how to create lasting habits, by finding and nurturing behaviours that are easy to do. As he likes to say, Behaviours = Prompts + Ability + Motivation. There are lots of takeaways here, thought the second half could’ve done with a trim as far too much padding with...

Review: Night Falls, Still Missing by Helen Callaghan

My review for an earlier novel of Helen’s, “Dear Amy”, is very similar to my review for this book, “Night Falls, Still Missing”. The novel is generally well paced, a decent thriller with a decent cast, but I did find it was longer than it needed to be and the closing chapters were heavily skimmed. A decent book, but I felt it was more functional than exciting.

Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: The Lost Ones by Anita Frank

Imagine Sixth Sense, Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie moshed up, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect with Anita Frank’s debut novel. It’s a good read, especially for a first book – solid characters, good build up and avoidance of the standard tropes and cliches – but the writing was a tad bloated and could’ve done with a trim, the story didn’t merit the page count.

Very enjoyable – a solid 4 stars.

Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Crime fiction, especially cosy mysteries, aren’t my thing, but I read this one because it was written by Richard Osman. Whatever he’s on, he comes across as a genuinely caring, intelligent and funny chap, and these attributes made it onto the pages too – the writing is flowing, witty and often contains charming turns of phrases. The diary entries are a good example of that.

The characters were all sensitively handled, few stereotypes, and the plot clever (sometimes a bit too much). Some scene...