2013 Book Reviews: Jeff

You guys all make me feel like a chump w/ the quality of books you read, but I'll go ahead and throw out what I picked through in 2013...

The Double Helix by James D. Watson
Don't read it... If you're super interested in how the double helix was discovered, read a book abstract or Wikipedia - this is poorly written and not worth the time.

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
Classic Holmes, who is probably my favorite literary character (though mostly for his many incarnations in media, including the current "Elementary" and "Sherlock" shows - though Hugh Laurie as House is probably my favorite incarnation due to the twist).

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
If you haven't read this, do so before the apocalypse comes. Captivating and dark, this will make you wonder if you truly know yourself or not. Hyperbole aside, put yourself in this man's shoes and try to imagine who you truly are.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
The book has it's peaks and valleys, but if you're interested in understanding why Eurasian society has had an upper-hand since the early days of humanity I recommend this one. Diamond defends his thesis incredibly well.

Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson
Certainly the best book I've read on Innovation. It is essentially a starter course if you want to better understand how the build liquid networks and understand where innovation happens.

Rework by Jason Fried
Written by one of the founders of Basecamp, this is their take on starting and running a tech company. I loved it, though I know it's not for everyone. Incredibly quick read full of small insights.

Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath
Read this... Same guys who wrote "Made to Stick" and "Switch" - and this is my favorite of the three. If you haven't read any of them, I might have a birthday gift idea for you. :)

The Power of Everyday Missionaries by Clayton Christensen
Truly insightful and pragmatic. We tend to over complicate and add stigma to missionary work, and Christensen paints a more realistic view of our responsibilities.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
We listened to this on a road trip to Arkansas and thought it was good, though crazy. Kirby Heyborne may or may not cuss constantly in the audiobook, which was a shock and a half, but if you can handle some language I think you'll be taken on quite the ride.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
If you've seen the movie, don't read the book as the reveal will probably ruin it. Not your typical spy novel as it's very much a story of true spies you sit in rooms and figure out puzzles - the antithesis of Bond.

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
Really, really good. Coming from a family full of women (and marrying into one), I thought it would be important to read this. I've had some really excellent conversations on this book w/ my wife and my mentor (a Jewish woman in her late 40's) that have solidified the importance of this message.

Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School by Philip Delves Broughton
I found this interesting and wholly unsurprising. Tony - read this before B-school. :)

Divergent by Veronica Roth
I wanted to know what the deal was...

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Because why not, and it took like two days.

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
I had to cleanse my pallet of Veronica Roth's terrible characterization work, and who better to do so than Sanderson? Very quick, very good.

Teamwork 101 by John C Maxwell
Read it as part of a peer mentoring group, and I think there is some good value here. Maxwell writes some pretty good stuff, but a lot of it repeats itself (so be selective on topics).

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
I encourage any enterprising individual to read this one. Nothing magical about it, but it does share very solid teachings on how to conduct yourself in business and continually improve.

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
More Sanderson... This was a quick read (teen fantasy) that I listened to while attempting to do more running (which I failed at doing well).

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Another book I read to understand the hype, though I did like this one. Certainly sappy and written for teens, but Green has remarkable talent for dealing with complex characters with difficult lives. You may have zero interest, which is fine, but if you like picking up something out of the box on occasion, I recommend this one.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
OK, so now I'll give the full synopsis... I got stuck on these because I really enjoyed the concept and the sci-fi aspects, but the characterization is so cheap and meaningless that the climax of the trilogy felt dry. Don't start reading - you might get caught up like I did and end up reading way more than you wanted to going in. I wish I could start over and have someone like Brandon Sanderson write these books.

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
Overrated in most every sense. I found it a total chore to get through this one.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
See my review of "Think and Grow Rich" - this needs to be on your list if you haven't read it yet.

I'll have to add some of the group's recent reads to my list for 2014. Thus far I've read Hatching Twitter (excellent) and Warbreaker (very good, though certainly imperfect), but I'll save full analysis for later in the year.