Books I Read in January

I had a pretty productive month in terms of books read in January. My goal is to read two books a week and I was able to accomplish that in January. When I started riding the bus to work my productivity really increased and helped my catch up from the slow start to the month.

Books

Built to Last by Collins & Porras- The book compares visionary companies and other large companies that weren't able to succeed like the visionary companies. Collins and Porras compare like kind companies and point out what makes a visionary company. There are suggestion at the end of each chapters for CEOs, managers, and entrepreneurs on how to help transform your business into a visionary company. Overall easy and enjoyable read. If I had more desire to turn my business into a large visionary company I might have enjoyed it slighty more.

The Fellowship if the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien-By far my least favorite book of the month, but still better then the movie. I still think I'll read the next one, but not overally enthusiastic about it. Why do people love this so much?

Exit Ghost by Phillip Roth- I liked this a lot and going into it I wasn't sure since Ryan told me it was just ok and he had trouble relating to Zuckerman now that he is a 70 year old man. I might be a 70 year old man because I had no problems relating to him. I would recommend this.

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch- The principle is interesting and important to be aware of, but the book didn't really do it for me. Prior to reading this I've already had read a lot about the 80/20 principle and this book added little more to my knowledge and lack specific advise on how to impletement ideas based on the principle. If you don't know about the principle I'd say the book is worth reading. If you already know about the principle I'd skip the book.

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle- I really enjoyed this book. It made me want to move to France for a year. The book just made me feel good about people and life. I'd recommend this to anyway who likes traveling and going to new places.

Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez- Not as good as I was hoping for. The main theme of the book is figuring out how much of your life you are spending on working and material things, finding out the true cost of the things you do and your true hourly wage. It preaches to find out where your money is truly going and people need to stop spending more than they make. This is a good book, especially for people who currently don't think consciously about their financial behavior.

The Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon- In interesting tale of a immigrant writer from Chicago and his investigation of the death of an immigrant in the early part of the 20th century. This is a good book, the writing is stronger than the plot, but still worth a read.

What Customers Really Want by Scott McKain- This was okay, basically a repackage of ideas I've already heard.

I'm currently reading I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max and Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson.