Book Completion Board

[Greg]

This discussion thread will be home to posts about books you have recently finished.

Feel free to leave a review, talk about what you liked or disliked, anything that's on your mind!

[Greg]

My first book of the year is officially Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

I enjoyed learning about the various cultural and temporal factors that encouraged success in prominent individuals. I never knew that Bill Gates was granted extremely rare, unlimited access to a computer terminal in Middle School... or that The Beatles' first music gigs were 8 hours long, nearly 7 days a week... They were given the rare opportunities to practice their skillsets as much as their hearts desired, so that when circumstances for fame and wealth aligned, they were more than ready to stun the world.

Granted that individuals like these must ALSO be willing to put in the work, without these opportunities their success becomes much less likely.

These early chance encounters with unlimited skill acquisition and practice is just one of many opportunities discussed by Gladwell that allow cultural 'Outliers' to emerge from society. Other factors include ancient cultural heritage, month of birth in relation to standard academic or sporting calendars, socioeconomic standing at birth, and many more.

The bottom line is this: much more is involved with extreme cases of success than perspiration and determination. Where there is genius, there is not always success.

While this is not the recommendation board, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who needs a light-hearted non-fiction.

[Greg]

Second Book of the Year: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

I'm not really sure where to begin with this book... it's depressing, lengthy, and aggravating, but it is also beautiful and well written. Much like life I suppose.

Agnes, a strikingly beautiful woman in her late thirties, struggles with alcoholism while battling physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her lovers. Her drinking is fueled by the abuse, and the abuse is worsened by her drinking. Moments of clarity are blotted out by long stretches of incoherent, lager driven benders that leave her worse off in every way.

Shuggie, the youngest son of Agnes and her estranged husband 'Big Shug', works tirelessly to keep his mother stable while battling his own insecurities as a young gay man with no guidance. He himself is gradually estranged from his older siblings as they mature enough to escape their chaotic home.

The entire story takes place in 1980s Glasgow, in a time of economic hardship as unemployment reached numbers as high as 15%. For those without work living on government subsistence, parents fallen to alcoholism squandered weekly food aide and left their families to starve.

If you want an uplifting, optimistic book, you will not find it here. This is a gritty, close up narrative of what life very well could have been like for people living in 1980s Glasgow.

[Tom]

Kingdom: How Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs Returned to Super Bowl Glory
by Adam Teicher

A must read for Chiefs fans. I’ve read Teicher for years. He’s a good writer. The book can be repetitive though.

[Tom]

graphic retelling of the early years of the X-men in the style of the times. Oversize. I was expecting text and analysis. I must have read the description wrong. Anyway, entertaining. Worth checking out for any X-men fans.

[Greg]

Tom wrote: "
graphic retelling of the early years of the X-men in the style of the times. Oversize. I was expecting text and analysis. I must have read the description w..."

That looks interesting, I'll definitely look into that

[Greg]

Third read of the year! In my opinion this book provided priceless information on improving the way you look at human interactions. I would recommend this to anyone regardless of profession. Although many examples within it refer directly to business interactions, the lessons learned extend far beyond professional life and can benefit the smallest of personal interactions in your daily life.

[Greg]

As of the fourth book of the year, I was very happy with this book. Coming from someone who enjoyed the Netflix adaptation of this novel and then felt obliged to read the original, I'd say it was worth the read. The quality and overall plot of the story remains roughly the same, but enough small scenes are different from the Netflix show that it provides a sort of alternate look into the challenges and victories of Beth Harmon. Anyone who liked the Netflix version will not be disappointed!

[Greg]

Hoping everyone is doing well so far this year!

My first book of February and 5th book of 2021 was Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall by Frank Brady.

This was a highly informative look into the life and times of Bobby Fischer. I honestly picked this up due to an increasing personal interest in Chess and its complexities and culture. Like many others, I recently watched the Netflix adaptation of the Queen's Gambit, and then proceeded to read the original novel.

I must say, Chess is far more fascinating than I ever thought possible, and the personalities within its realm touch every part of the globe. The thought that such a simple board game would end up a tool of international politics is mind boggling.

[Tom]

I recently finished Summary: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. It'd been on my "To Read" list for a long time. My girlfriend wants to watch the movie; she has read the book. I wanted to finish the book first.
I thought it was well written. I read a lot in my first setting.
I appreciate how the author rose out of poverty. That said, I felt kind of depressed about the book. I'm not sure I want to watch the movie.

[Tom]

Downsizing the Blended Home: When Two Households Become One
A topical book for me. I found some tips that will be useful. The book focused a lot on interior design, which doesn't really interest me. Also, the examples of houses and budgets of people are crazy expensive, at least by Kansas standards.

[Greg]

The Steal Like an Artist Audio Trilogy

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book trio, it is tightly packed with valuable insight into how and why to become more productively creative. TONS of quotations from various successful creatives that add a lot of wisdom to Kleon's message. Excellent listen, I'm considering getting the print versions to keep near my desk.

Favorite quote from the book: "Worry less about getting things done; worry more about things worth doing. Worry less about being a great artist. Worry more about being a good human being, who makes art. Worry less about making a mark. Worry more about leaving things better than you found them."
-Austin Kleon.

[Greg]

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

I was honestly not expecting this book to be as well thought out and useful as it was, given its profane title and heavy doses of humor. Hidden within Manson's uniquely informal writing style are profound ideas, that if applied really could help people. I've already began to see some of my own values as flawed thanks to his words of wisdom.

Book's best advice in one sentence: We are all going to die, so we should choose wisely what values and activities we truly care about.

[Greg]

1984

I've been wanting to read this classic for a long time now, and finally got around to it.

If the ideologies of Hitler and Stalin were supercharged and combined with a group of power hungry intellectuals with no moral code, you would get Big Brother.

The world imagined by Orwell in this dystopian novel is truly terrifying, in which the only free realm is pure thought. Even thoughts are being attacked through the creation of a new language called "new speak", designed to eliminate any and all ability to conceive of retaliation against the State.

War is eternal and used to keep the masses poor and uneducated, and a concerted effort within the ruling party works night and day to alter past documents and records to align with their ideals. "He who controls the past, controls the future. And he who controls the present, controls the past".

This book highlights the importance of responsible librarianship and internet privacy more than ever, in a day and age of unprecedented surveillance.