yesterday, i reviewed 5 fiction books. today, it’s general non-fiction. remember, i allow myself one sentence for summary and one sentence for opinion.
Kicking Ass and Saving Souls: A True Story of a Life Over the Line, by David Matthews
4.5 stars
Amazing selfish-to-selfless true story of a guy who lives more adventure in a decade than anyone else in their lifetime, told by his nerdy middle school buddy. Fantastic stories and good writing, but the main character’s transformation – while beautiful – left me wanting a bit more exploration.
We Are All Weird, by Seth Godin
4 stars
The ‘normal distribution’ has flattened, leaving a higher percentage of people outside the norm. As seems to be the case with all of Godin’s new mini-books, this is a brilliant insight, worth reading, that still only warrants half as many words.
Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction, by Matthew Kelly
4 stars
The idea of work/life balance is a joke: satisfaction is a better goal in work and personal life. I wish the book had more stories (it gets very dry); but I completely resonate with the thrust of this well-worth-reading book.
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, by Michael Lewis
5 stars
A country-by-country romp through the global financial crises of the past few years, addressing the question, “if a country were found themselves in the dark with a pile of cash, what would they do with it?” True storytelling at it’s best, and full of insight, even though it’s a tad depressing at times.
(thanks to luke macdonald for sending me this as a christmas gift!)
