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Things I'm Reading

Things I'm Reading

by Christinepboyle@ · 135 things on Twos

Books - Fiction
The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington
These books are James Islington's debut novels. While they do have trappings of Wheel of Time and other high fantasy novels, the novels lack character development, leaving me unattached to the characters. I would consider reading his later works given this is his first attempt and overall a decent story.
✓ The Shadow of What Was Lost
In a world formerly ruled by Augurs who could see the future, the use of Essence to complete magical tasks is highly restricted. When an ancient barrier protecting the world from demons begins to fail, young Augur Davian must embrace his powers.
An Echo of Things to Come
As Prince, and Northwarden of Ilian Illan, Wirr is dealing with political unrest and potential assassination attempts. Davian, an Augur who possesses once forbidden magic, has been sent on a mission to The Boundary with the aim being to stop it faltering and essentially keep it standing indefinitely so that the enemies and fabled monsters cannot make their way across to civilisation. Asha, a shadow, does lots of spying and espionage stuff but her mission is least memorable at the beginning. Finally, Caeden. Well, he's getting his memories back now albeit slowly, and normally at highly inconvenient times by meeting old acquaintances.
The Light of All That Fails
The Boundary is whole once again, but it may be too late. Banes now stalk Andarra, while in Ilin Illan, the political machinations of a generation come to a head as Wirr's newfound ability forces his family's old enemies into action. Imprisoned and alone in a strange land, Davian is pitted against the remaining Venerate as they work tirelessly to undo Asha's sacrifice - even as he struggles with what he has learned about the friend he chose to set free. And Caeden, now facing the consequences of his centuries-old plan, must finally confront its reality - heartbroken at how it began, and devastated by how it must end.
Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown
A good enough series with twists and turns and decent character development. Set in the solar system where there is a cast system of colours spread across the planets. I have the first 4 books in Audible. The rest I borrowed from the library.
✓ Red Rising (audible)
✓ Golden Sun (audible)
✓ Morning Star (audible)
✓ Iron Gold (audible)
Dark Age (library book)
Light Bringer
Red God
✓ Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer Lucy Barton, who lives down the road in a house by the sea with her ex-husband, William. Together, Lucy and Bob go on walks and talk about their lives, their fears and regrets, and what might have been. Lucy, meanwhile, is finally introduced to the iconic Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive’s apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known—“unrecorded lives,” Olive calls them—reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning. Borrowed from the Library.
Horus Heresy Series
Penned by several authors, the series takes place during the Horus Heresy, a fictional galaxy-spanning civil war occurring in the 31st millenium, 10,000 years before the main setting of Warhammer 40,000. I really enjoyed the first 3, but disappointed when the POV from the first 3 isn't carried on in the other books. The other books, since penned by various artists, vary in their quality. Overall, I enjoyed the series so far. There are so many darned books, though, that I doubt I'll ever get through them all as each book is £7.99 in Audible.
✓ Horus Rising: The seeds of heresy are sown
✓ Horus Rising, the series opener, starts in the early years of the 31st millennium, during the 203rd year of the Great Crusade. It describes the rise to power of Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the "Luna Wolves" Legion of Space Marines, and the most versatile and favoured "son" of the Emperor. The Emperor has recently appointed him Warmaster, overall commander of Imperial military forces, while also leaving him in charge of the rest of the Crusade; the Emperor meanwhile returns to Terra, where in relative isolation he undertakes a secret project to which not even Horus is privy. The focus and perspective of the novel centres on a Space Marine Captain, Garviel Loken, leader of the Luna Wolves' 10th Company. He becomes a member of the Mournival, an informal advisory body to Horus, and participates in Crusade campaigns against anti-Imperial human populations and aliens, referred to in the series as "xenos". The story also hints at tensions in the nascent Imperium, exacerbated by the Emperor's absence and contentious actions and inactions – these are common themes in following books.
✓ False Gods: The heresy takes root
✓ False Gods picks up a few weeks after the conclusion of Horus Rising in the series timeline, and tells the story of Horus' fall. In a complicated conspiracy implemented by followers of Chaos, Horus is mortally wounded during a Crusade mission by a Chaos-tainted xenos weapon. In a desperate action by his lieutenants to ensure his survival – one taken in strict contradiction to Imperial doctrine – Horus is brought to a local temple with a reputation for healing. The temple is the seat of a powerful Chaos cult, and both Horus' wound and its supposed healing makes him susceptible to Chaos' influence. He ultimately turns against his "father", the Emperor, and sets in motion the entire Heresy. This novel further highlights the institutional and personal tensions that accompany the Imperium's maturity into the preeminent power of the galaxy; they include rifts among the Primarchs, as well as both between and within their Space Marine Legions. Conflicts and characters flaws are repeatedly and effectively manipulated by Chaos in pursuit of their agenda throughout the series. A parallel storyline, also present in several other books, involves the growing influence – both within the Crusade Expeditionary forces and across the wider Imperium – of a forbidden religious cult, whose members, while loyal to the Emperor and Imperium, defy the Imperial Truth by worshipping the Emperor as a god.
✓ Galaxy in Flames: The heresy revealed
✓ Galaxy in Flames starts shortly after the end of False Gods. It outlines the corrupted Warmaster's descent into madness, which leads to the fomentation of his plot to betray the Imperium. Horus pursues his secret planning of the rebellion in earnest, seeking and finding allies among his disgruntled fellow Primarchs, their Legions, and the Imperium's other organisations and key personalities. The novel details the first open move of the Heresy, the "Betrayal of Istvaan III", wherein factions of four Astartes Legions who were deemed unconvertible by their traitor brethren are ambushed during a planetary invasion of the fictional Isstvan star system. The novel marks the first distinguishment of the "Loyalists" and "Traitor" factions within the Legions and other rebel forces, including the unmodified soldiers of the Imperial Army.
✓ The Flight of the Eisenstein: The heresy unfolds
✓ The Flight of the Eisenstein follows the eponymous Eisenstein, a space frigate of the "Death Guard" 14th Legion of Space Marines. The story follows the ship's escape from the Betrayal of Istvaan III, crewed by surviving loyalists of the four Legions present at the battle and commanded by Battle‑Captain Nathaniel Garro of the Death Guard 7th Company and one of the few Commanders in the Traitor Legions that remain loyal to the Emperor – followed by the perilous voyage the vessel must take across the galaxy in an effort to reach Terra and raise the alarm over the developing rebellion. Garro and the others on board the vessel face suspicion and incredulity from Imperial authorities; apart from the inconceivable news of Horus' betrayal, the situation is complicated by the fact that many of the travellers on the Eisenstein now openly proclaim their belief in the Emperor's divinity, itself a heresy.
✓ Fulgrim: Visions of Treachery
✓ Fulgrim centers on the eponymous Primarch of the 3rd Legion, the "Emperor's Children". Characterised as flamboyant perfectionists, the novel tracks the descent of Fulgrim and his Legion into the service of Chaos roughly simultaneously with that of Horus in (Book 2). Fulgrim is delivered a warning about Horus' imminent betrayal and the disaster that may follow by the alien Eldar race, but he and his staff dismiss it. The Emperor's Children eventually become the "Chosen" of Slaanesh, one of the four Gods of Chaos, with which Fulgrim is slowly and unwittingly drawn into grotesque communion. Primarch Ferrus Manus and his "Iron Hands" Space Marines (the 10th Legion) also play a prominent role in the novel as Fulgrim attempts to lure them into betrayal, and several other Primarchs and Legions make appearances. Described in passing is the pivotal Battle of Isstvaan V, also known as the Dropsite Massacre, where several entirely Loyalist Legions are slaughtered in another Traitor ambush in the Isstvan star system. The battle fully reveals the scale and ferocity of the rebellion.
✓ Descent of Angels: Loyalty and honour
✓ Descent of Angels is a pre-Heresy story that concludes about 50 years before the start of that conflict. It introduces the "Dark Angels", first of the Space Marine Legions, and their Primarch Lion El'Jonson. The story is mainly told from the viewpoint of Zahariel El'Zurias, a native of the fictional planet Caliban. Caliban is an isolated, low-technology world that resembles a feudal medieval fantasy setting. Zahariel is introduced in the story as an Aspirant of the Order, an organisation of techno-barbarian knights. The first half of the novel is set on Caliban and covers the final battles of the Order under the leadership of Jonson, the future Primarch. The book's second half describes Caliban's unification with the Imperium of Man as well as the actions of the Dark Angels during the early years of the Great Crusade. In this part of the story, Zahariel, selected as a candidate Space Marine, is accepted as a Dark Angel Neophyte. A future schism within the Legion is intimated towards the end of the book.
✓ Legion: Secrets and lies
✓ Legion focuses on the "Alpha Legion", the 20th and last of the Space Marine Legions. Characterised in earlier publications as clandestine and inscrutable, the book constitutes a major development of the entire canon of the setting with the revelation that the Legion's Primarch is actually a pair of twins, Alpharius and Omegon. The book also features the Imperial Army, the regular unmodified human fighting force of the Imperium, covering several officers and their units. Lastly, the novel introduces a new organisation to the setting, the enigmatic and ancient Cabal – an interspecies organisation opposed to Chaos. The human John Grammaticus is introduced as a prominent Cabal member. The story takes place over roughly a 6‑month period, about two years before the Heresy starts; it describes the events that eventually lead Alpharius and Omegon (publicly a single figure named Alpharius Omegon) to support Horus.
✓ Battle for the Abyss: My brother, my enemy
✓ Battle for the Abyss concerns the lead‑up to a Traitor invasion of Ultramar, a remote star system and the home base of the unshakeably-Loyalist 13th Legion, the "Ultramarines" (Book 19 and 24). Early in the Heresy, the Traitor Word Bearers Legion is tasked with organising and leading the invasion; they plan to use an immense, secretly commissioned warship, the Furious Abyss, to spearhead the surprise attack. The vessel, commanded by Fleet Captain Zadkiel, launches from shipyards near Jupiter around the time of the events on Isstvan III (Book 3), and sets course for Macragge, Ultramar's capital world. Leading the cast of Loyalist protagonists is Cestus, Fleet Commander and Captain of the 7th Company of the Ultramarines. They become aware of the powerful capital ship's true purpose, and engage in long pursuit; they will seek to prevent the Furious Abyss from participating in the invasion and from reaching Macragge.
✓ Mechanicum: Knowledge is power
✓ Mechanicum is the first book in the series not to focus on either the Primarchs or their Space Marines Legions. The novel centres on the eponymous "Mechanicum", a cult of machine-worshipping technologists based on the real-life planet Mars and which serves as the chief engineering authority in the nascent Imperium. The machinations of Horus and the Chaos-worshipping Traitors affects the Martian cult as much as every other Imperial organisation, leading to a civil war on Mars itself. Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator General of Mars and the technocracy's supreme leader, declares for Horus, and together they carry out a coup d'état to eliminate Techpriest and Magos adherents of the Cult who are loyal to Terra and the Emperor. As the Mechanicum is the sole power responsible for all civil and military technology in the Imperium, the conflict has vast implications for whichever side of the broader intergalactic civil war receives Mars' crucial support.
Tales of Heresy
Tales of Heresy is a collection of short stories introducing and expanding upon numerous threads within the greater happenings of the Heresy. Various stories centre on the Custodian Guard, the elite Praetorian Guard-esque retinue of the Emperor, and the Sisters of Silence, a classified Imperial organisation of anti-psychic warrior‑nuns originally introduced in Book 4. Most stories are concurrent with the Heresy, with some occurring in the years prior. It includes two stories that take place on Terra, one of which occurs long before the Heresy and adds to the background regarding the Imperial Truth; another entry in the compilation is a Primarch origin story, covering the contentious circumstances under which the gladiatorial Primarch Angron takes command of the 12th Space Marine Legion, which he renames from the "Warhounds" to the "World Eaters". The book contains seven stories by various authors;[20] several stories relate to full-length novels in the series.
List of Characters
Sydney Rye Mysteries Series
a murder/mystery set in present day Manhattan. It is fast paced, full of adventure, murder, loneliness, family secrets, dog walker business and of course finding a murderer. Joy is a loner, just been fired from her job, and decides to buy a dog walker business. Soon she finds a client murdered and is caught up in the drama and danger of her high powered,clients with their influences and their lives. She soon learns that what they say is not necessarily what they do. With the help of a rogue, arrogant detective, Joy will find a killer and quickly re-invents herself as Sydney Rye, detective extreme. It is a wonderful story full of mystery that will have wanting to see more of the dynamite young Joy.
Unleashed: A Sydney Rye Mystery
Death in the Dark
Insatiable
Strings of Glass
Devil's Breath
Inviting Fire
Shadow Harvest
Girl with the Gun
Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan
Books - Non Fiction
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Part psychological study, part self-help book, Finding Flow is a prescriptive guide that helps us reclaim ownership of our lives. Based on a far-reaching study of thousands of individuals, Finding Flow contends that we often walk through our days unaware and out of touch with our emotional lives. Our inattention makes us constantly bounce between two extremes: during much of the day we live filled with the anxiety and pressures of our work and obligations, while during our leisure moments, we tend to live in passive boredom. The key, according to Csikszentmihalyi, is to challenge ourselves with tasks requiring a high degree of skill and commitment. Instead of watching television, play the piano. Transform a routine task by taking a different approach. In short, learn the joy of complete engagement. Thought they appear simple, the lessons in Finding Flow are life-altering.
Flow: The Psychology of Happiness - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
[8h] What really makes people glad to be alive? What are the inner experiences that make life worthwhile? For more than two decades Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied those states in which people report feelings of concentration and deep enjoyment. His studies revealed that what makes experience genuinely satisfying is 'flow' - a state of concentration so focused that it amounts to complete absorption in an activity and results in the achievement of an ideal state of happiness. Flow has become the classic work on happiness and a major contribution to contemporary psychology. It examines such timeless issues as the challenge of lifelong learning; family relationships; art, sport and sex as 'flow'; the pain of loneliness; optimal use of free time and how to make lives meaningful.
Why do We do what We do: Understanding Self Motivation - Edward L. Deci
Motivation to Work - Frederick Herzberg
[6.5h] Quality work that fosters job satisfaction and health enjoys top priority in industry all over the world. This was not always so. Until recently analysis of job attitudes focused primarily on human relations problems within organizations. While American industry was trying to solve the unsolvable problem of avoiding interpersonal dissatisfaction, problems with the potential for solution, such as training and quality production, were ignored. When first published, 'The Motivation to Work' challenged the received wisdom by showing that worker fulfillment came from achievement and growth within the job itself. In his new introduction, Herzberg examines thirty years of motivational research in job-related areas. Based on workers' accounts of real events that have made them feel good or bad on the job, the findings of Herzberg and his colleagues have stimulated research and controversy that continue to the present day. The authors surprisingly found that while a poor work environment generated discontent, improved conditions seldom brought about improved attitudes. Instead, satisfaction came most often from factors intrinsic to work: achievements, job recognition, and work that was challenging, interesting, and responsible. The evidence marshaled by this volume called into question many previous assumptions about job satisfaction and worker motivation. Feelings about intrinsic and extrinsic factors could not be validly averaged on a single scale of measurement. Motivation and performance are not merely dependent upon environmental needs and external rewards. Frederick Herzberg and his staff based their motivation—hygiene theory on a variety of human needs and applied it to a strategy of job enrichment that has widely influenced motivation and job design strategies. 'Motivation to Work' is a landmark volume that is of enduring interest to sociologists, psychologists, labor studies specialists, and organization analysts.
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential - Tiago Forte
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich - Timothy Ferriss
[15h] Ever wonder, “How can I work smarter and not harder?” Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint. This step-by-step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches: • How Tim went from $40,000 per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month and 4 hours per week • How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want • How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs • How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist • How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements” The new expanded edition of Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek includes: • More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point • Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating e-mail, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than $8 a meal • How Lifestyle Design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times • The latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World - Cal Newport
[10h] One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world. 'Cal Newport is exceptional in the realm of self-help authors' New York Times 'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy. And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way. A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world. This book will point the way.
Make Time - How to Focus on What Matters Every Day - Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
[10h] Physical book Owned 'If you want to achieve more (without going nuts), read this book.' - Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better 'Make Time is essential reading for anyone who wants to create a happier, more successful life.' - Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project Most of our time is spent by default. We all wish for more hours in the day. We all struggle to make time for what matters. Help is here. Productivity experts Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky have created a four-step framework that anyone can use, packed with more than 80 tactics to help you design your day around the things that matter. Tactics such as: · Choose a daily highlight · Be the boss of your phone · Stay out of social media infinity pools · Slow your inbox · Make TV a 'sometimes treat' · Exercise every day (but don't be a hero) · Eat without screens · Go off grid · Spend time with your tribe · Make your bedroom a bed room With tips and tricks to help you change your life, it's time to stop daydreaming about projects and activities that you'll get to 'someday', and start that someday today.
The Tipping Point - How little things can make a big difference - Malcolm Gladwell
[8h] A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him' Michael Lewis In this brilliant and original book, Malcolm Gladwell explains and analyses the 'tipping point', that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change. 'Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better' George Stephanopoulos
To Sell is Human - The Surprising Truth About Moving Others - Daniel H. Pink
[9h] According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase. But dig deeper and a startling truth emerges: Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight. Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now. To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it’s no longer “Always Be Closing”), explains why extraverts don’t make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an “off-ramp” for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds. Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another’s perspective, the five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive, and much more. The result is a perceptive and practical book–one that will change how you see the world and transform what you do at work, at school, and at home.
Unleash the Power of Storytelling - Win hearts, change minds, get results - Rob Biesenbach
[6h] Unleash the Power of Storytelling offers a practical roadmap to crafting and delivering more powerful, persuasive stories that you can use to get more of what you want out of your career and your life. “In this engaging, no-nonsense, and often extremely funny handbook on the craft behind great stories, Rob Biesenbach shares his own storytelling roadmap without hesitation, giving you precisely what you need to raise your business storytelling to an art form."
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman - Yvon Chouinard
The Score Takes Care of Itself - Bill Walsh
She Thinks Like a Boss : Leadership: 9 Essential Skills for New Female Leaders in Business and the Workplace. How to Influence Teams Effectively and Combat Imposter Syndrome - Jemma Roedel
[7h] Discover how to become an effective woman in leadership -- even if you’re shy, avoid conflict at all costs, or lack confidence. Are you tired of seeing men at work get promoted, be given better assignments, and enjoy pay raises even though you know your skills and results are just as good, if not better? Do you find it difficult to express yourself during work meetings without being hostile or apologetic? Perhaps you're tired of coming home feeling frustrated because you didn't speak up at the meeting, or maybe you feel as though, no matter what you try, people just walk all over you. You know that there must be another way. And you’re right. But don’t worry: help is at hand. In an incredibly male-dominated world, it’s crucial -- now more than ever -- to develop the necessary skills to become an effective leader and start demanding what you deserve. Luckily, it’s easier than you think. You don't have to buy into the self-help industry, which wastes your time, resources and energy on costly and often condescending life coaches and counselling sessions. All you need are easy, proven skills and traits that will help you gradually develop your self-esteem, sharpen your trust, and hone your boundary-setting and communication skills. If you're someone who: Is new into leadership Wants to know how to manage a team more effectively Finds it difficult to deal with employees Doesn’t feel worthy of their leadership position (or doesn’t know how to reach one) Lacks self-confidence Wants to know the secrets to improving communication then Jemma Roedel can help you. Many people don’t understand that there’s a lot more to being a leader than just managing people. The first step to thinking like a boss is having the insight and understanding that pioneering successful women have -- and using it to take constructive action. In She Thinks Like a Boss, here’s just a fraction of what you will discover: What successful women in leadership are doing -- and how you can copy them What ‘imposter syndrome’ is, and how to FINALLY defeat it Essential strategies for overcoming the fears that are holding you back Why having a great team is the foundation to every business success (and how to build yours) A blueprint for optimizing your team and the outstanding results it can produce The 4-step communication model for setting strong boundaries The rules of negotiation -- and how to use them to get what you deserve And much more. Even if you feel uncomfortable or scared to face the issues that being a great leader brings, the key is to dive straight in. In She Thinks Like a Boss, you will be given specific and practical techniques to help you gradually overcome the problems you're facing. You’re on a personal journey, but there are key steps you can take to set you on the path to live the life you dream of and be an inspiration to other women in business.
[4.5h] The alternative way towards better team-building, this is the bestselling management tool from the author of The One Minute Manager. Most managers spend over half their time working with a team, and the One Minute Manager's practical advice shows how any team can work better and more effectively. The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams explains the four stages on the way to building a high performing team: Orientation, Dissatisfaction, Resolution and Production and reveals how to tap the creativity and potential of people at all levels in order to become an effective group leader.
Unleash the Power of Storytelling - Win hearts, change minds, get results - Rob Biesenbach #co
Radical Candor - Kim Scott
[9.5h] Physical Book Owned The old adage is ingrained in us that if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. While this advice may work for home life, as Kim Scott has seen firsthand, it is a disaster when adopted by managers in the workplace. Scott earned her stripes as a highly successful manager at Google before moving to Apple, where she developed a class on optimal management. Radical Candor draws directly on her experiences at these cutting-edge companies to reveal a new approach to effective management that delivers huge success by inspiring teams to work better together by embracing fierce conversations. Radical Candor is the sweet spot between managers who are obnoxiously aggressive on the one side and ruinously empathetic on the other. It is about providing guidance, which involves a mix of praise as well as criticism - delivered to produce better results and help employees develop their skills and boundaries of success. Great bosses have strong relationships with their employees, and Scott has identified three simple principles for building better relationships with your employees: make it personal, get stuff done, and understand why it matters. Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses. Drawing on years of firsthand experience, and distilled clearly to give actionable lessons to the listener, Radical Candor shows how to be successful while retaining your integrity and humanity. Radical Candor is the perfect handbook for those who are looking to find meaning in their job and create an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues and are motivated to strive to ever greater success.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain
The Power of Regret - How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward - Daniel H. Pink
[8.5h] “No regrets.” You’ve heard people proclaim it as a philosophy of life. That’s nonsense, even dangerous, says Daniel H. Pink in his latest bold and inspiring work. Everybody has regrets. They’re a fundamental part of our lives. And if we reckon with them in fresh and imaginative ways, we can enlist our regrets to make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and deepen our sense of meaning and purpose. In The Power of Regret, Pink draws on research in psychology, neuroscience, economics, and biology to challenge widely-held assumptions about emotions and behavior. Using the largest sampling of American attitudes about regret ever conducted as well as his own World Regret Survey—which has collected regrets from more than 16,000 people in 105 countries—he identifies the four core regrets that most people have. These four regrets, Pink argues, operate as a “photographic negative” of the good life. By understanding what people regret the most, we can understand what they value the most. And by following the simple, science-based, three-step process that he sets out, we can transform our regrets in a positive force for working smarter and living better. With Pink’s signature blend of big ideas and practical takeaways, captivating stories and crisp humor, The Power of Regret offers an urgent and indispensable guide for a life well lived.
The NEW One Minute Manager - Increase Productivity, Profits, and Your Own Prosperity - Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson #managem
Philosophy for Polar Explorers - Erling Kagge
[2.5h] Surviving extreme conditions can teach us to lead a fulfilled life. No one knows this better than Erling Kagge, who was the first man in history to reach all of the Earth's poles by foot - the North, the South, and the summit of Everest. In Philosophy for Polar Explorers he brings together the wisdom and expertise he has gained from the expeditions that have taken him to the limits of the earth, and of human endurance. In sixteen meditative but practical lessons - from cultivating an optimistic outlook, to getting up at the right time, to learning to take pleasure in the small things and comfort in solitude - Erling Kagge reveals what survival in the most extreme conditions can teach us about how to lead a meaningful life. Wherever we may be headed.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You - Cal Newport
[6.5h] Physical book owned Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto flies in the face of conventional wisdom by suggesting that it should be a person's talent and skill - and not necessarily their passion - that determines their career path. Newport, who graduated from Dartmouth College (Phi Beta Kappa) and earned a PhD from MIT, contends that trying to find what drives us, instead of focusing on areas in which we naturally excel, is ultimately harmful and frustrating to job seekers. The title is a direct quote from comedian Steve Martin, who, when once asked why he was successful in his career, immediately replied, 'Be so good they can't ignore you', and that's the main basis for Newport's audiobook. Skill and ability trump passion. Inspired by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs' famous Stanford University commencement speech in which Jobs urges idealistic grads to chase their dreams, Newport takes issue with that advice, claiming that not only is this advice Pollyannaish but that Jobs himself never followed his own advice. From there Newport presents compelling scientific and contemporary case study evidence that the key to one's career success is to find out what you do well and where you have built up your 'career capital' and then to put all of your efforts in that direction.
Swipe to Unlock - The Primer on Technology and Business Strategy - Neel Mehta, Parth Detroja, & Aditya Agashe
[10.5h] This #1 Amazon Business Bestseller won a medal from the North American Book Awards and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Business Insider. Swipe to Unlock has been translated into 11 languages including Chinese, Korean, & Russian and wastouted as "our generation's Rosetta Stone for enabling anyone to peer into the technology changing everyday life" by Jeremy Schifeling. Swipe to Unlock teaches you how to think like a technologist by answering real-world questions like: How does Spotify determine what songs to recommend to you? How did KaiOS become the third largest mobile operating system in just two years since launching? Why does Amazon offer free shipping with Prime if it loses them money? How did a single typo take down 20% of the internet? Why did Microsoft acquire LinkedIn? By breaking down questions like this, Swipe to Unlock gives you a peek under the hood of the technology you use every day, decodes tech's biggest buzzwords, and shows you how technology is changing the society we live in for better or for worse. Topics Covered: Software Development, Business Models & Strategies, Economics, Hacking & Security, Hardware & Robots, The Internet, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Technology Policy, Emerging Markets, Future Trends, and much more! Featured Companies: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Spotify, Uber, WeChat, Yelp, Tinder, Washington Post, Grab, Toyota, GoJek, Samsung, Salesforce, M-Pesa, Quora, KaiOS, Twitter, Tesla, ByteDance, Airbnb, Robinhood, Adobe, Alibaba, Netflix, Paytm, Target, and many more! Unlock the answers you need to ace your tech interviews or become a better-educated digital citizen. Buy Swipe to Unlock today to understand why it's the Top Gifted Technology Book of 2022!
Industry X.0 - Realising Digital Value in Industrial Sectors - Eric Schaeffer
Physical book owned Industry X.0 takes an insightful look at the business impact of the Internet of Things movement on the industrial sphere. Eric Schaeffer combines deep analysis with practical strategic guidance, and offers tangible and actionable recommendations on how to realise value in the current digital age. Based on extensive research and insights into the six core competencies that have been identified by Accenture, Industry X.0 explores critical aspects of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), discussing and defining them in an engaging and accessible manner. These include managing smart data, handling digital product development, skilling up the workforce, mastering innovation, making the most of platforms and ecosystems, and much more. Meticulously researched and clearly explained, Industry X.0 makes a stringent case for companies to actively shift mind-sets away from products, towards services, value and outcomes. Complemented by a wealth of case studies and real world examples, this book provides invaluable, practical 'how-to' advice for business organizations as they embark on their journeys into the era of the IIoT.
Reinventing the Product - How to transform your business and create value in the digital age - Eric Schaffer and David Sovie
[13h] Physical Book Owned Create the personalized and compelling experiences that today's customers expect by harnessing AI and digital technologies to create smart connected products, with this cutting-edge guide from senior leaders at Accenture. Digital technology is both friend and foe: highly disruptive, yet it cannot be ignored. As traditional products transform into smart connected products faster than ever before, companies that fail to make use of it now put themselves in the firing line for disintermediation or even eradication. However, digital technology is also the biggest opportunity for product-making businesses to create the next generation of goods in the marketplace. In Reinventing the Product, Eric Schaeffer and David Sovie, both Senior Managing Directors at Accenture, show how this reinvention is made possible, to deliver truly intelligent, and often even autonomous, products. Reinventing the Product makes the case for companies to rethink their product strategy, innovation and engineering processes, including: How to harness the opportunities of AI and digital technologies, such as IoT sensors, blockchain, advanced analytics, cloud and edge computing Practical advice on transforming their entire culture to build the future of successful 'living products' Features case studies from global organizations such as Faurecia, Signify, Symmons and Haier and interviews with thought leaders from top companies including Amazon, ABB, Tesla, Samsung and Google This book provides the only advice any product-making company needs as it embarks on, or accelerates, its digitization journey.
Product Management in Practice - Matt LeMay
[6h] In O’Reilly Learning Product management has become a critical connective role for modern organizations, from small technology startups to global corporate enterprises. And yet the day-to-day work of product management remains largely misunderstood. In theory, product management is about building products that people love. The real-world practice of product management is often about difficult conversations, practical compromises, and hard-won incremental gains. In this book, author Matt LeMay focuses on the CORE connective skills - communication, organization, research, execution - that can build a successful product management practice across industries, organizations, teams, and toolsets. For current and aspiring product managers, this book explores: On-the-ground tactics for facilitating collaboration and communication How to talk to users and work with executives The importance of setting clear and actionable goals Using roadmaps to connect and align your team A values-first approach to implementing Agile practices Common behavioral traps that turn good product managers bad
Product Management’s Sacred Seven - The skills required to be a world-class PM - Neel Mehta, Parth Detroja, and Aditya Agashe
[23h] Physical Book Owned In writing this book, we interviewed 67 product leads and hiring managers from 52 top companies around the world. They ranged from all the usual FAANG suspects to darling unicorns such as Coinbase, TikTok, and Grab. We asked everyone two simple questions: What knowledge separates interview candidates you hire from those you don't? What hard skills help PMs advance their careers the fastest? Given that we talked to product leaders across the world who worked in various different countries and industries, we expected to see no clear pattern in our responses. We were shocked to find a common theme across all of our interviews. The knowledge and skills which separated exceptional PMs from the rest all boiled down to seven subjects: product design, economics, psychology, user experience, data science, law & policy, and marketing & growth. The average PM excels at 2 or 3 of these disciplines. A truly world-class product manager, however, thrives in all 7. Authored by the #1 bestselling authors of Swipe to Unlock, this book blends case studies, theory, and mental models to help you master these seven subjects and fast forward your product career! Inside Product Management’s Sacred Seven, you’ll find real-world examples from over four dozen companies, battle-tested interview tips, and free access to a library of bonus video content online. Topics Covered: Product Development, Hypothesis Testing, Market Selection, Prototyping, Product Strategy, Business Models, Market Entry Strategies, Unit Economics, Customer Economics, Product Segmentation, Pricing Psychology, User Motivation, Creating Product Stickiness & Habit, Gamification, Cognition & Mental Models, UX Principles, Product Usability, Light & Dark Patterns, Data Analysis, Experimentation Frameworks, Product Metrics, Storytelling with Data, Antitrust Policy, Intellectual Property, Platform Liability, Privacy, Employment Law, Accessibility, Brand Building, Advertising, Growth Hacking and much more! Featured Companies: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, TikTok, Snapchat, Apple, Spotify, Uber, WeChat, Yelp, Tinder, Twitter, Tesla, ByteDance, OnePlus, PayPal, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Pinterest, Zillow, Visa, Salesforce, Asana, Robinhood, Adobe, Alibaba, Netflix, Bloomberg, Shopify, Trello, Workday, Notion, Nintendo, Glossier, Lyft, Telegram, Disney, and many more! Read Sacred Seven today to ace your PM interviews and become a better product leader!
Projects - A Very Short Introduction
[4h] Physical Book Owned What is a project? How are projects organized to deal with a complex, rapidly changing, and uncertain world? Why are projects the organization of the future? A project is a temporary organization and one-time process established to achieve a desired outcome. Projects range in size from small teams to large international joint-ventures and temporary coalitions of public and private organizations. What distinguishes projects from all other organizational activities - such as mass produced products and services - is that a project is finite in duration, lasting from hours, days, or weeks to years, and in some cases decades. Each project is disposable. It brings together people and resources to accomplish a goal and when the goal is accomplished, the organization disappears. When projects are complex, unpredictable, and changing, their plans have to be flexible and able to adjust to situations that cannot foreseen at the outset. In this Very Short Introduction Andrew Davies looks at how projects have developed since the industrial revolution to create the human-built world in which we live, work, and play. Considering some of our greatest endeavours such as the Erie Canal, Apollo Moon landing, Japanese product development, and Chinese ecocity projects, Davies identifies how projects are organized and managed to design and produce large and complex systems, cope with fast changing conditions, and deal with the immense uncertainties required to create breakthrough innovations in products and services. He concludes by considering how projects could be organized to address the challenges facing the post-industrial society of the 21st century. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Agile Project Management for Dummies - Mark C. Layton
[17h] Physical Book Owned + In Audible (free) Be flexible and faster with Agile project management. As mobile and web technologies continue to evolve rapidly, there is added pressure to develop and implement software projects in weeks instead of months. Agile Project Management for Dummies can make that happen. This is the first book to provide a simple, step-by-step guide to Agile project management approaches, tools, and techniques. With the fast pace of mobile and web technology development, software project development must keep pace; Agile project management enables developers to complete and implement projects more quickly and this book shows you how. Offers a practical context for understanding and applying Agile techniques, moving from theory into actual practice Explains when to use Agile and how to avoid common pitfalls Written by experts who know how to apply the principles in real-world situations Agile Project Management for Dummies enables you to understand and apply Agile principles for faster, more accurate development.
Scaling Up - Verne Harnish
[8h] Winner of the International Book Awards for General Business Winner of the Readers' Favorite International Book Award for Non-Fiction Business This is the first major revision (2022) to Scaling Up since it was published in 2014. With over 500,000 copies in print, it’s become the standard for scaling any for-purpose or for-profit organization. In Scaling Up, Harnish and his contributors share practical tools and techniques for scaling an industry dominating business while enjoying the journey. This book is written so everyone ― from frontline employees to senior executives ― can get aligned in contributing to the growth of the firm. Scaling Up focuses on the four major decisions every company must get right: People, Strategy, Execution and Cash and includes a series of new One-Page tools, including the often copied One-Page Strategic Plan and Rockefeller Habits Execution Checklist™. More than 80,000 firms around the globe have used these tools to scale their organizations successfully. You can too!
PRINTING’S ALIVE - A TALE OF INK, INNOVATION, AND INDUSTRY WISDOM - Warren Werbitt
In this captivating book, Warren intertwines personal anecdotes, professional experiences, and valuable lessons to offer a unique perspective on the ever-evolving print landscape from the early days of his entrepreneurial venture to his current role as a revered consultant in the print industry. Discover how he navigated industry storms, harnessed the power of teamwork, and embraced technological advancements to thrive in a highly competitive field. This book is not just for print enthusiasts; it's a valuable resource for anyone seeking inspiration, leadership insights, and a glimpse into the future of a resilient industry. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business leader, or someone looking to reignite your passion, "Printing's Alive" will resonate with you. With humour, drama, and heartfelt reflections, this book will leave you inspired, informed, and ready to embark on your journey with renewed vigour. "Printing's Alive" is more than a memoir; it's a testament to the enduring power of passion, innovation, and the indomitable spirit of those who dare to defy convention. It's a celebration of the art and science of print and the unyielding commitment to excellence that drives it forward.
Leadership and The One Minute Manager - Increasing effectiveness through situational leadership - Ken Blanchard
[5.5h] Adapting One Minute Manager techniques to enable successful leadership to happen. Using different ways to motivate different kinds of people. Leadership and The One Minute Manager goes straight to the heart of management as it describes the effective, adaptive styles of Situational Leadership. In clear and simple terms it teaches how to become a flexible and successful leader, fitting your style to the needs of the individual and to the situation at hand, and using the One Minute Manager techniques to enhance the motivation of others.
The Management Myth – Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong - Matthew Stewart
The NEW One Minute Manager - Increase Productivity, Profits, and Your Own Prosperity - Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson
[4h] The original, bestselling blockbuster which has transformed businesses world wide. The blockbuster number one international bestselling phenomenon is back … not that it ever really went away. This easily-read story quickly demonstrates three very practical management techniques: One Minute Goals, One Minute Praisings and One Minute Reprimands. The One Minute Manager also includes information on several studies in medicine and in the behavioural sciences, which help readers understand why these apparently simple methods work so well with so many people. The book is brief, the language is simple, and best of all … it works.
The One Minute Manager Build High Performing Teams - Ken Blanchard
The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey - Free up your time and deal with priorities - Ken Blanchard
[5.5h] How management can effectively rid themselves of ‘monkeys’ – other people’s responsibilities that cling to them and prevent them managing efficiently. This book explains in simple-minded if abstract terms how to achieve a balance between supervision and delegation for reduced tension and improved productivity in the workplace. ‘There is a high correlation between self-reliance and morale,’ stress the authors. With humour and logic they describe the delicate business of assigning monkeys to the right masters and keeping them healthy, i.e., fed and cared for: ‘… if monkeys are managed properly, you don't have to manage people so much.’
Product Strategy Framework Playbook
62 page playbook on Product Strategy
Articles
Things You Should Know Before Becoming “Successful”
Read up to point 5
Motivation: The Scientific Guide on How to Get and Stay Motivated
✓ How I Get It Done: Taffy Brodesser-Akner of the New York Times
revist this article https://curtismchale.ca/what-to-read/read-learn-focus-deep-work/
Videos (TEDx, YT, etc)
Flow, the secret to happiness
Your Brain at Work - Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long - Dr David Rock
When - The Science of Perfect Timing - Daniel H. Pink
How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking - Sönke Ahrens