My book journey continues on. I was able to knock these two+ books out while cleaning the house. I forgot to mention in the last post that I consume books in three ways--physical books, kindle and audio. I will try to note this for each book from now on.
All book links provided (in the sidebar) are from Amazon where I am an affiliate, but please support the book seller of your choice.
A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel
I first became aware of Bethenny through the Real Housewives of New York. She is an amazing business woman and I enjoy listening to her speak. She has a sense of humor that really meshes with me and, like me, she has a bit of a potty mouth. You can’t fault a woman for that! Actually, she more inappropriate than potty but depending on the crowd, that could be the same thing. I really like her Place of Yes attitude and her tips for getting everything you want are principles that should be incorporated into everyone’s life, especially for us women. There is no limit to what we can do and she is definitely a woman who will make it happen. Although she has managed to live an affluent life, she did not come from great means. Check her out and you will definitely be inspired. I listed to this in audio read by Bethenny.
Public Parts by Jeff Jarvis
This is a great read for any of you that have blogs, post on Facebook or send out the occasional twitter. We are sharing our lives more and more online and that has started to blur the lines between what is to be considered public and private. What you once considered private about yourself may not be so private anymore. This is a very intellectual view of how the public/private conversation has evolved over time and continues to change with each new technology. If you are a regular listener to any of the TWIT network podcast shows, then you are familiar with Jeff and will recognize his voice. I listed to this in audio read by Jeff. The book gets a little too much into politics but let’s face it, our politicians are now threatening our way of “internet” life and we have to know what going on and get involved before they destroy the true nature of what makes the internet such an amazing tool. Read the book. You will be enlightened.
Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
From the beginning, I did not like this book. I got this book free through my membership with Audible. I wish I had not taken it. But news about the book was buzzing. Every time you turned around someone was talking about Thomas Friedman. I didn’t want to miss out on the greatness. I could have done without it. Audiobooks can be made or broken by the person that reads them. When I am buying a book, I always listen to the sample to see if its a voice I can tolerate. When I really love the voice, I will follow them to see what else they have read, it doesn’t even need to be in the same genre or by the same author. I just like a good voice. The “voice” of Hot, Flat and Crowded is a good voice but an overly trained one. He’s reading the book in a tone and manner that is much too happy and optimistic. And that took away from Friedman’s writing. But, if I was reading the book I wouldn’t make it far before throwing it against the wall. Friendman’s writing is disjointed. He gives examples of his points that seem to have nothing to do with what is speaking about. You often don’t get the point until much later. What does America building walls around consulates have to do with America needing to invest in clean energy? He talks about these side by side as if the connection is obvious. All in all, the Earth is Hot because of global warming. The Earth is Flat because our use of importing, exporting, technology and internet has connected us in such a profound way. And the Earth is Crowded just because its crowded (too many people using too much stuff). He doesn’t present the science behind his points in a way that allows you to absorb and understand the impact. He presents everything in a sensationalist, fear mongering fashion that frankly turned me off. I love science, I believe in global warming, I believe that we need to change how we live. But constant fear is not the way to do it. He even went so far as to say Hurricane Katrina was the product of global warming and an example of how we are not ready for what he calls “unmanageable climate change”. We have a whole season that rolls around every year that we call “Hurricane Season”. Every year, we watch storms form to determine their strength and their path. We get small hurricanes, we get big hurricanes and we respect the damage they can do. None of them are manageable. Katrina was a big storm, no doubt. But the true damage from Katrina didn’t come from the storm itself but from policies and infrastructure that had not been maintained. If those levies had not breeched, we would be having a much different discussion about Katrina. Granted, global warming could have contributed to the strength of Katrina, but the damage of Katrina was man made.
I did not finish Hot, Flat and Crowded. I do not recommend it at all. There are plenty of sources out there that will give you the facts and not incite unnecessary fear.
