Recent Reading

I thought it might be interesting to mention what I've been reading lately. I read a fair amount while on my trip to Hawaii, so the list of recently completed books is longer than usual for under a month, but I've really had some good ones that have kept me engaged. Lately, I haven't really read a lot of fiction, at least not a lot that I've been able to finish. I actually find I get a little bored with the fiction and find myself thinking, "Hey, what's the point?" I did read a couple novels during the Hawaii trip, though. So, here's the list of what I've read this last month, including links to their listings on Amazon:

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
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This one was a pretty good book. I like the way it was written in the first person, narrated by Ibn Fadlon. I would have been happy to read more in the same vein. It's apparently a "true story" style telling of the story of Beowulf. Unfortunately, since I haven't read the poem, I had no idea and therefore didn't get the references. I may pick up a copy of the poem sometime so I can understand where he got his inspiration. Incidentally, I really like the movie based on this book, The Thirteenth Warrior, and the difference between book and movie in no way detract from either.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
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I was less interested by this one, and if it had been much longer, I might have just dropped it. It's probably because the story was written in the late sixties and so the high-tech elements seems so dated now. That probably takes some of the polish off the story. I've never seen the movie made off this book, so can't comment.

Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton
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I was really entertained by this book right from the start. The book reads just as if Walton was there talking to you directly, and his story is really an amazing one. If you don't know, he was the founder of Walmart, built totally from the ground up. The values he held and instilled in the company make not just his own success truly admirable, but the culture of that company totally outstanding. Anyone that thinks that capitalism lacks compassion, generosity, and looking out for employees is looking at the wrong examples. I especially recommend this book as a valuable counterpoint to, say, present-day liberal arts college coursework?

If You Don't Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails: And Other Lessons I Learned from My Mom by Barbara Corcoran
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Yet another book written about an entreprenuer's success, this time Barbara Corcoran, who founded The Corcoran Group as her real estate startup in New York City and over twenty years later sold it to Cendant for about $70 million. This one is also a story of hard work, inspired leadership, and a person who combined success in capitalism with a real concern for her employees, as well as her customers.

We Shall Not Fail: The Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill by Celia Sandys & Jonathan Littman
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Celia Sandys is Winston Churchill's grand-daughter, and has compiled the lessons of his leadership in Great Britain as an education in leadership, not just of a country, but as it applies to business as well. The similarities between Churchill's attention to strategy yet compassion and connection for the frontline soldier and the citizen's enduring the German Blitz and the business endeavors of Sam Walton are striking.

Striking enough that I sent email feedback to the middle management that runs my group at Microsoft laying out lessons they could take from these two men. Sam Walton would talk to associates in the stores all the time, even when the company surpassed $50 billion in sales each year. Churchill would travel to the front lines to visit with soldiers and bring them inspiration and comfort, often at great risk to himself. It made me wonder why someone only a couple steps up the organization chart from me only noticed the rug I have in my office some nine months after I put it there. I sent that message a couple days ago after making sure it was welcome ("Is it okay for me to give you guys some feedback?") and unfortunately, so far all I have is silence. I guess we'll see.

And then, here's a list of what I have "on deck" waiting to be read next:

Basic Economics: A Citizens Guide to the Economy, Revised and Expanded by Thomas Sowell
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Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One by Thomas Sowell
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The Ten-Day MBA: A Step-By-step Guide To Mastering The Skills Taught In America's Top Business Schools by Steven A. Silbiger
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Fantastic Voyage : Live Long Enough to Live Forever by Ray Kurzweil & Terry Grossman
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How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) : The World According to Ann Coulter by Ann Coulter
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