Book Updates: Added Remarks and Notes – September
A summary of book recommendations and updates from the books page for the month of September 2016. This is a monthly post emailed out to my newsletter. I'm also always on the hunt for good books contact or tweet @juvoni.
Books Added:
The Medium is the Massage
by Marshall Mcluhan Quientin Fiore
Tags: Philosophy, Design, Art, Sociology
Rating: 5.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 —Reading Time: 4 hours
“The ear favours no particular “point of view.” We are enveloped by sound. It forms a seamless web around us. We say, “Music shall fill the air.” We never say, “Music shall fill a particular segment of the air.”We hear sounds from everywhere, without ever having to focus. Sounds come from “above, ” from “below, ” from in “front” of us, from “behind” us, from our “right, ” from our “left.” We can‘t shut out sound automatically. We simply are not equipped with earlids. Where a visual space is an organised continuum of a uniformed connected kind, the ear world is a world of simultaneous relationships.” —Marshall McLuhan
3 Reasons to Read
- Insightful 1960s perspective of where marking and media is heading towards.
- A book that uses media to explain media.
- History on the evolution of media and it's effects.
On the Shortness of Life
by Seneca
See Notes.
The Life We Bury
by Allen Eskens
Tags: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller
Rating: 7/10 — Reading Ease: 4/4 —Reading Time: 7 hours
“We are surrounded every day by the wonders of life, wonders beyond comprehension that we simply take for granted. I decided that day that I would live my life—not simply exist. If I died and discovered heaven on the other side, well, that'd be just fine and dandy. But if I didn't live my life as if I was already in heaven, and I died and found only nothingness, well…I would have wasted my life. I would have wasted my one chance in all of history to be alive.”— Allen Eskens
3 Reasons to Read
- Well written mystery story.
- Gripping story of a college student who had to complete a writing assignment and wrote about a convicted murderer on his deathbed.
- Lessons on responsibility.
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Horror
Rating: 8.5/10 — Reading Ease: 4/4 —Reading Time: 7 hours
“You're alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you can change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you're dead, it's gone. Over. You've made what you've made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.” — Neil Gaiman
3 Reasons to Read
- If you enjoyed the Jungle Book or Tarzan, you'll probably enjoy this as well.
- The story of a boy named Bod who was raised in and by the Graveyard.
- A rich and vibrant world, that will keep you engaged all the way through.
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
See Notes.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmul
Tags: Business, Management & Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Biographies & Memoirs, Technology
“Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important than getting the right idea.” — Ed Catmull
Rating: 9.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 —Reading Time: 10 hours
3 Reasons to Read
- The ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so successful and wide admired.
- How to build and work in high performing teams.
- How to unlock and unleash your creativity.
Notes Added:
On the Shortness of Life
by Seneca
Tags: Classics, Philosophy, Self Help, Stoicism
Rating: 8.5/10 — Reading Ease: 3/4 —Reading Time: 3 hours
“Life is long, if you know how to use it.” — Seneca
3 Reasons to Read
- Insights into the art of living.
- The importance of reason and morality.
- Principles of stoicism that can guide your through life based on simple and timeless wisdom.
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
Tags: Classics, Philosophy, Self Help, Stoicism
Rating: 8/10 — Reading Ease: 2/4 —Reading Time: 8 hours
“You have power over your mind not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius
3 Reasons to Read
- Thoughts on dealing with pain and misfortune.
- Learning how to be more rational and observant of things within and outside our control.
- Stoic principles from Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of the ‘good' emperors.