Book Updates: Added Remarks and Notes - April
A summary of book recommendations and updates from the books page for the month of April 2017. This is a monthly post emailed out to my newsletter. I'm also always on the hunt for good books, contact or tweet @juvoni recommendations.
The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Startups That Win
by Steve Blank Tags: Business, Entrepreneurship, Economics Rating: 8/10 — Reading Ease: 2/4 — Reading Time: 11 hours
“In the early stages of a startup, focusing on “execution” will put you out of business. Instead, you need a “learning and discovery” process so you can get the company to the point where you know what to execute.” — Steven Gary Blank
3 Reasons to Read:
- Great lessons on customer development for people starting a business as well as seasoned entrepreneurs.
- Todos and what not to do as different stages of the business and market maturity.
- Insights into what makes some startups successful and why others fail.
The Giver
by Lois Lowry Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Social & Family Issues, Values & Virtues Rating: 7.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 — Reading Time: 5 hours
“He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. They were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt.” — Lois Lowry
3 Reasons to Read:
- Commentary on a world without danger or pain.
- The importance of freedom of choice and individuality.
- How a limited range of emotions can significantly limit the experiences you have in the world.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande Tags: Death, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Medicine, Sociology Rating: 8/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 — Reading Time: 8 hours
“In the end, people don't view their life as merely the average of all its moments—which, after all, is mostly nothing much plus some sleep. For human beings, life is meaningful because it is a story. A story has a sense of a whole, and its arc is determined by the significant moments, the ones where something happens. Measurements of people's minute-by-minute levels of pleasure and pain miss this fundamental aspect of human existence. A seemingly happy life maybe empty. A seemingly difficult life may be devoted to a great cause. We have purposes larger than ourselves.” —Atul Gawande
3 Reasons to Read:
- How can medicine not only improve life, but help us manage the end of life process.
- Gawande offers examples of a freer, more socially fulfilling models for assisting the infirm and dependent elderly, and he explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person's last weeks or months may be rich and dignified.
- Stories to build more compassion and empathy for the elderly and ways to build more human support services for them
How to Lie with Statistics
by Darrell Huff Tags: Business, Economics, Politics, Statistics Rating: 7/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 — Reading Time: 4 hours
"One of the trickiest ways to misrepresent statistical data is by means of a map. A map introduces a fine bag of variables in which facts can be concealed and relationships distorted." — Darrell Huff
3 Reasons to Read:
- Understand how statistics can be used to misinform you.
- Learn how statistics affect your daily life.
- Gain knowledge on spotting abuse of and bias in statistics.
Power Eating: Build Muscle, Increase Energy, Cut Fat
by Susan Kleiner, Maggie Greenwood-Robinson Tags: Health, Fitness & Dieting, Nutrition Rating: 7.5/10 — Reading Ease: 2/4 — Reading Time: 10 hours
”You can think of amino acids as a construction crew building a house. Each crew member has a specific function, from framing to wiriing. If just one crew memeber calls off then the construction job doesn't get finished. It's the same with amino acids. There are 22 amino acids, all of which combine to contruct the proteins required for growth and tissue repair." — Susan Kleiner
3 Reasons to Read:
- Scientific-based research on what nutrients, supplements, and foods can help you in your physical development.
- Meal plan recommendations for men and women of different body types and performance goals.
- A guide through the minefield of unsubstantiated claims and to help you select the best supplements for you based on their purity, potency, digestibility, and absorption.
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
by Arnold Schwarzenegger Tags: Biographies & Memoirs, Business, Entrepreneurship, Politics Rating: 7.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 — Reading Time: 17 hours
“I never felt that I was good enough, strong enough, smart enough. He let me know that there was always room for improvement. A lot of sons would have been crippled by his demands, but instead the discipline rubbed off on me. I turned it into drive.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger
3 Reasons to Read:
- Exciting and Engaging life story of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Total Recall covers Schwarzenegger's high-stakes journey to the United States, from creating the international bodybuilding industry out of the sands of Venice Beach to breathing life into cinema's most iconic characters, and becoming one of the leading political figures of our time.
- Life and Business Lessons.
Poke the Box
by Seth Godin Tags: Business, Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Psychology, Self-Help Rating: 6/10 — Reading Ease: 4/4 — Reading Time: 2 hours
“I define anxiety as experiencing failure in advance.” — Seth Godin
3 Reasons to Read:
- If you have trouble starting things.
- If you overthink things and procrastinate on taking action. Principles for starting, being consistent and more curious.
Modern Romance
by Aziz Ansari Tags: Humor, Love & Romance, Psychology, Sociology Rating: 7.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 — Reading Time: 7 hours
“For me the takeaway of these stories is that, no matter how many options we seem to have on our screens, we should be careful not to lose track of the human beings behind them. We're better off spending quality time getting to know actual people than spending hours with our devices, seeing who else is out there.” — Aziz Ansari
3 Reasons to Read:
- Look into technologies impact on the dating scene and how people are adjusting to it.
- Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.
- Discussions around too many options contrasted with no options or settling down.
The Stranger
by Albert Camus Tags: Classics, Fiction, Philosophy Rating: 7.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 — Reading Time: 3 hours
“I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.” — Albert Camus
3 Reasons to Read:
- Story of a man who believes life is meaningless and the effect it has on him and those around him.
- Narrative around Existentialism.
- If you enjoy the blend between psychology and philosophy.
How Will You Measure Your Life?
by Clayton M. Christensen Tags: Business, Leadership, Personal Development, Psychology Rating: 7.5/10 — Reading Ease: 4/4 — Reading Time: 6 hours
“If you defer investing your time and energy until you see that you need to, chances are it will already be too late.” — Clayton M. Christensen
3 Reasons to Read:
- Conversation around, How can I be sure that I'll find satisfaction in my career?
- How can I be sure that my personal relationships become enduring sources of happiness?
- How can I avoid compromising my integrity—and stay out of jail?