Overview:

If you’re interested in NFL football and curious about how the Patriots continues to be a great team this is a great book to start with. Covers how the dynasty was built and lasted for such a long time (over 2 decades!)

Here Is What The Book Was About:

Biographical story about Kraft, Belichick, and Brady, and how they built a dynasty in the form of the New England Patriots football team.

Rating: (1 to 5)

Based on the depth of storytelling, and unique perspectives, this book earned a solid 5 out of 5 rating. Similar to the in depth writing style that Benedict had with his other book on Tiger Woods.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

Very authoritative when considering other books on the topic; author had access to the players, coaches, and family members and tells a complete and comprehensive story that you can engage with. Football fans will love it as will those of us who are not fans of the sport, and merely seeking good books to read.

Link to Book

Overview:

For those of us who can appreciate good writing, poetry, and thinking about the world from different perspectives this book is for you. Petros draws parallels on work, life, and the universe in his book of short poems. You’ll leave the book with a great appreciation of what an incredible mind you have.

Here Is What The Book Was About:

Incredible mind is truly an incredible and one of a kind book. It is essentially about 30 poems on topics that will make you think deeper about the universe, spirituality, police brutality, how to think, and why you see the world the way that you do.

Rating: (1 to 5)

This book earns a 4 out of 5 rating based on the interesting perspectives and beautiful writing. Additionally, it gives you something to think about after you’re done reading.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

Not your typical poetry book; it stands out because of the style of writing, as well as the complex topics addressed.

Link to Book

Overview:

For those few of us who didn’t watch the first season of the Mandalorian, and do not plan to. This novel is a retelling of the show designed to be short and sweet with younger readers in mind.

Here Is What The Book Was About:

The adventures of a star wars character known as The Mandalorian, or Mando for short. Mando is a bounty hunter, hired to do an important job that takes him across the galaxy, meeting a few other interesting characters on the way. Schreiber adds depth to the story allowing you to visualize the scenery and be part of the action.   

Rating: (1 to 5)

This novel earns a 4.2 rating based on the interesting story and fun characters. Also it was a super quick read.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

There are so many Star Wars books available and it can be pretty overwhelming to choose one to start with. This book stands out because it is consistent with the series and doesn’t take you too far into the universe of Star Wars than you may like to go. Schreiber added just the right amount of information to complement the show.

Link to Book

Overview:

Timeless work by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer and poet that is inspiring and offers perspective on universal topics such as having children, friendship, life, and death.

Here Is What The Book Was About:

A series of poems about topics such as love, marriage, joy, friendship, sorrow all from the perspective of the main character Almustafa, the prophet.

Rating: (1 to 5)

Solid 4.6 rating based on the valuable life-changing perspectives on important topics. Beautifully written.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

Short but timeless read that you can share with your family as anyone can connect with at least a few of the poems. Those who love this book will be interested in a movie retelling of this story which was produced by Salma Hayak; it can be found on amazon.

Link to Book

Overview:

If you’d like to learn about the history of Instagram, and appreciate compelling journalism read on. Those of us who liked Nick Bilton’s “Hatching Twitter” will appreciate this current and relevant piece of work by Sarah Frier.

Here Is What The Book Was About:

Covers the lives of the Instagram founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, their respective backgrounds, motivations, how they got connected to start the company, as well as their journey through the startup capital raising process. Also covers Facebook acquisition, the founders departure from Facebook, and current events on the product impact on society at large. There are a ton of great examples of people whose lives changed dramatically because of how they managed their Instagram pages, making the case that this product is more than just social media for sharing pictures.

Rating: (1 to 5)

Solid 4.05 rating based on the excellent story telling, and journalism. You can tell it was well researched with Sarah having deep access across Facebook and Instagram. It was a little long though.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

It focused more on Kevin’s life and hobbies rather than Mike’s. For instance you learn that Kevin was an avid cyclist and even learned how to fly a plane. With Mike, you only learn that he became a father after leaving Instagram.

Link to Book

Overview

Essentially a creation myth story on the entire universe, its creator, and the beings created to govern the worlds which were created. A timeless classic that establishes stargates, as a means to connect to different worlds, which are governed by gods who meet regularly to discuss issues of inter galactical concern.

Here is what the book was about:

Stargate is a sci-fi adventure about the creation of the universe. It was written in the 1980s and has no relation to the Star gate movie or television series. A mysterious book is found, the leaders of the various worlds are tempted to read it. Some do, some choose not to. An interesting and engaging epic that builds upon itself, and creates curiosity as you progress.

Rating: (1 to 5)

3.85 based on its elaborate writing style that while beautiful, sometimes leaves you missing the point of what is trying to be conveyed. The ending seemed rushed, unclear, and abrupt.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

No relation to the stargate movie or TV series. The concept is very creative and those interested in studying religion will find some ideas relevant and well thought out.

Link to Book

Overview:

Sci-fans will enjoy this engaging story about a man compelled to follow his instincts on an adventure that takes him to interesting places while he finds inner peace and tries to save the planet along the way.

Here is What the Book Was About:

The main character Nathan has a strong instinct which takes him on a journey to meet Isha, where he has to master himself in order to become the person that the planet needs him to be, and save it from destruction. There is also some interesting history, and information about the solar system which was relevant to the main plot.

Rating: (1 to 5)

Solid 4 based on the engaging / entertaining story, and relatable main characters Nathan and Isha who both develop in important ways on their own paths. The book is not only entertaining but teaches you that you can do the same yourself. 

Other Thoughts on The Book:

Introduced me to an entirely new category of books to read, sci fi.

Link to Book

Overview:

For those of us interested in the back stories behind some of the biggest companies in the world Nick Bilton’s Hatching Twitter is a must read. This book tells the story of the 4 founders of twitter and the challenges they faced in shaping the company to the vision that they each had. Ultimately it’s the 4 founders vision that we see today as users of the product.

Here Is What The Book Was About:

Evan Williams, Noah Glass, Jack Dorsey, and Evan Stone are credited as founding twitter but how did they do it?  The book covers their respective backgrounds and tech careers, some of their personal interests as pertains to the founding of the company. It is truly an interesting story of 4 friends turned business partners.

Rating: (1 to 5)

Hatching Twitter earned a solid 4.2 based on how well it was written, researched, and the story was deeply engaging and entertaining. From the tales of the founders in the early days, the insightful anecdotes of celebrities visiting the Twitter offices in San Francisco, you could tell that Nick had done his homework and is an excellent story teller.

Other Thoughts on The Book:

When reading this book you get the impression that it would be a great movie; as it turns out the story is being turned into a TV series and will be available on the Peacock streaming network.

Link to Book

Overview:

Inspiring and engaging story of a woman who found strength through her faith, friendships, and family. Also a cautionary tale about what not to do as a married man of faith.

Here Is What The Book Was About:

Justyne, the main character is a business consultant, and involved at her church, with her family and friends. She is a type-a personality and wants to get married at just the right time, etc. She meets and marries a good guy who eventually turns out to be a villain in disguise. What happens next is what makes the book so interesting.  

Rating: (1 to 5)

Solid 4 based on the readability, engaging content. I literally had to know what happened next. It was fast paced and relatively short read on my Kindle. I often found myself thinking of how awful John was as a husband, and had to check myself a few times on things I’ve perhaps done to irritate my own wife. A good book does that, inspires you to check yourself and be a better person!

Other Thoughts on The Book:

An engaging read, one of those books that you have to keep reading out of curiosity of what will happen to the characters next. Coming from a consulting background in IT, the book was very relatable, inspiring, and I felt the thought questions were a very nice touch.

Link to Book

Overview: 

If you’ve ever been curious about Netflix as a company and how its culture enabled it to become one of the most important media companies in the world then you must read this book. While there are many presentations of the culture of Netflix online, and the company culture map is available for anyone to download, No Rules Rules is well worth the time as it is the definitive source, written by the company founder, and it goes deeper into the culture map presentation. 

Here Is What The Book Was About: 

The authors describe some of Netflix’ big successes, and how its culture evolved over time to enabled that success. From how it beat Blockbuster, to bringing the world “House of Cards” and how it approaches international expansion. A key aspect of its culture is candor, where employees are encouraged to voice concerns and provide feedback in a way that is actionable and will benefit the company.  Another one is to lead through context, rather than control as it encourages employees to make decisions themselves, rather than trying to please their bosses. Throughout the book, the perspectives of both co-author culture professor Erin Meyer, and CEO Reed Hastings is given and shared with the reader.  

Rating: (1 to 5) 

Rated 4.6 based on the readability, interesting valuable content that applies to my real life, great accolades from New York Times and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. It could have earned higher if the last chapter had been tied into the story better. 

Other Thoughts on The Book: 

As there are 2 points of view in the book, that of Reed Hastings, and Erin Meyer, I found it enjoyable that the audiobook used 2 different readers, male, and female to read the book. While this was a different approach than many audiobooks, it worked in this case.  

Link to Book: