As I read books I like to write reviews. I count audiobooks as books. Check this page for updates on how I’m doing.
Other years available: 2015 and 2016
Lock In by John Scalzi - Scalzi is so good at world building. I went into this book cold. All I knew was Scalzi wrote it and Wil Wheaton did the audiobook narration. Quickly you’re thrown into a near-future world altered by contagious disease and the technology that helps to ease its effects. Millions of people in the near future have “Haden’s Syndrome,” […]
Flow by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi - Mihály Csíkszentmihályi was one the early psychologists to study positive psychology. This book is an explanation of his years of findings in the subject, all put into practical terms for everyone instead of academics. The premise of the book is that humans are happier overall when they spend more of their time in a state of “flow.” Precisely […]The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin - My favorite thing about Seth Godin is he knows how to play the changes. The melodies are always a little different, but the harmonies, structure, and tone we expect of his work find the realm where he does best. Make a ruckus, do the real work, and if you’re scared that’s a great compass for where you should […]
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - Finishing a lot of books lately. This one was finished late at night in bed when I should’ve been sleeping. When I realized how close to the end I was though, I had to just keep going through the last 10% of the book. The whole thing reads like a dream. Not the “it was all […]
Redshirts by John Scalzi - Another Audible listen by John Scalzi, narrated by Wil Wheaton. This experience was even amplified by Ber making her way through Star Trek (the original series) on Netflix. So every time I came back from the gym where I listened to Redshirts, she’d be watching Trek and I couldn’t help but laugh. Redshirts is to […]
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport - Cal Newport's rules for career building. I've never read a book that seemed more enlightened on the topic. 
Deep Work by Cal Newport - On the heels of Cal's So Good They Can't Ignore You comes Deep Work. If we agree with Cal that becoming good at rare skills is the way to build career capital - then how do we go about doing that? The answer is focusing on deep work, and mitigating shallow work.
Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer - Actually read this book a while ago, but just now getting to the review. Some very good ideas here, in particular the quick reference material: The Hatrix. If I have one takeaway, its the value of recognizing the differing needs of ‘onstage haters’ and ‘offstage haters.’ Since I’ve worked in WordPress support both privately and […]
Alex Gustafson 