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Book Review (Freedom to Explore)

Michael’s book has 26 two-page chapters with each one covering a different letter. Each letter has a well-crafted story with a provocative point to make.

Some of the chapter titles are ‘C is for Crap’, ‘E is for Erotic’ , ‘L is for Lager’ and ‘Y is for Yahoodotcom’.

A cool quote, there are heaps, is from ‘X is fro Xenophilia’

Jewish theologian Martin Buber once said, “Life is meeting.” By this me meant that we are fully and authentically alive when we meet others. To meet, in his thinking, is to so engage another human being so as to see in them at least as much complexity and beauty as you would like others to see in you.

Book Summary

Freedom to Explore
Michael Frost

Genres             Christian Spirituality, Post Modern Church
Pages              63
Readability       3 (1 = Easy, 5 = Hard)
Enjoyment        5 (1 = Never Read, 5 = Remarkable)

If you are are in any way involved in Christian things, BUY IT and READ IT. It will challenge your thinking no end!

NB: Xenophilla means 'an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs'

Book Review (The Google Story)

The thing that blows me away the most about The Google Story is the intelligence of it's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

If you are a closest IT geek and entrepreneur like me you will probably enjoy the read.

Be warned the numbers are mind blowing. Last year was their seventh year of busiess and they had revenues of $10 billion US dollars.

You can read the full review at www.viewpoint.net.nz

Free Prize Below

Come to the edge. We might fall.
Come to the edge. It's too high!
Come to the edge! And they came,
and he pushed ...... and they flew.  - Christopher Logue

I have just finished my sixth book for the year, Seth Godins "Free Prize Inside" (and it actually has one). It is a book that challenges business to go to the edges and beyond.

The key implication for me: Ideas are worthless if no one owns them and makes them happen.

To read the full review and get your free prize click here. If you post a comment on viewpoint.net.nz, I'll email you a free prize.

Time Management meets the Monkey

A post of mine on www.viewpoint.net.nz about the One Minute Manager meets the Monkey. Like the rest of the books in the series, it is written in narative style.

The key lesson for me is:

Rule 4: Check on the Monkey: Proper follow-up means healthier monkeys. Every monkeys should have a checkup appointment.

In summary, it was an easy read with some timely reminders about getting your people to solve their own problems.

Read the full review [Here]

Dragon for sale!

Don writes about the lessons he has as he grew up without a father and does so in his normal matter of fact and humorous style. At times I felt that some of his observations and negatives that he put down to being fatherless, actually apply to most men and are not necessarily the result of not growing up with a father.

Nevertheless a good, easy and enjoyable read. A couple of chapters I found particularly good and the quote below is from the latter.

Chapter 8: Making Decisions - How to Stay Out of Prison
Chapter 13: Education - Jordan and Mindy's Dog

I don't think I am stupid anymore. These days, I just think of the mind as a muscle, and by working it, we get more enjoyment out of life. I had a teacher in high school named Mr. Sleepak. He was our music instructor, and he used to tell us if we were coasting , we were moving downhill. He said this to get us to practice our instruments, but I think it's true in all of life. What I mean is, if we aren't learning, we are forgetting, if we aren't getting smart, we are becoming dull.

The latest statistic is that the average American watches 1,456 hours of television a year [4 hrs a day] but only reads three books. So if it's true that readers are leaders, and the more you read the further you advance, then there isn't a lot of competition.

Book Summary

To Own a Dragon - Reflections on growing up without a father
Donald Miller (with John MacMurray)

Genres        Fathers, Spirituality, Humour
Pages         192
Readability  2 (1 = Easy, 5 = Hard)
Enjoyment    4 (1 = Never Read, 5 = Remarkable)

What does a Purple Cow have to do with Marketing?

Book Review: Purple Cow is about making sure that your business is offering remarkable services.

A key quote for me is:

"The opposite of 'Remarkable' is 'Very Good'

Ideas that are remarkable are much more likely to spread than ideas that aren't. Yet so few brave people make remarkable stuff. Why? I think it's because they think that the opposite of 'Remarkable' is 'bad' or 'mediocre' or 'poorly done'. Thus, if they make something very good, they confuse it with being virus worthy.

Continue to read the my full review in a post at viewpoint.net.nz

Also read a great summary of 10 points about being remarkable from Seth's Blog. (the author)