Nine books I've recently purchased that I've read half through or haven't started at all. Here are some notes and previews:
1. Veronika Decides to Die
Perhaps this is one of Paulo Coelho's most depressing novels.
2. The Truth About Markets: Why Some Nations are Rich, but Most Remain Poor
Another economic book I bought to understand market economy and the have vs. have-not. Author: John Kay.
3. Seeing What's Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change
Clayton Christiansen co-authors with Anthony and Roth after his groundbreaking innovation theory in disruptive innovation from his successful book, The Innovator's Dilemma.
Part I of this book focuses on how to use theory to do your predictive analysis. in Part II, the authors applies these theories to predict the next changes in education, aviation, semiconductors, health care, corporate and country strategies, and telecommunications.
4. The World Is Flat: The Globalized World in The Twenty-First Century
Thomas Friedman definitely has got a lot to say about the flatteners that are flattening the globalized world. A great book to read to understand the current and future trends in economics and technologies. Lots of discussion on the emergence of new economic forces, India and China.
5. Death by PowerPoint: A Modern Office Survival Guide
Go read this book and you'll definitely identify your colleagues to the different characteristics Michael Flocker describe in this hilarious yet useful guide.
There are some useful descriptions of corporate lingo (e.g. circle back, engineering synergy, bridging synergy, drill down, mandatory fun), politics (perception,reality), etiqutte (e-mails, presentation), and others.
6. Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Skeptical Muslim
I'm still in the first couple of chapters in Ziauddin Sardar's memoir of journey in Islam in the late 20th century and the new millennium. I'm still at the part where Sardar left the Tabligh group with Sister Sofia and returned home.
I can't wait to continue finishing this exciting book as Sardar tells his stories and views from his extensive travels to Iran, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Turkey to name a few.
7. A Perfect Spy
After watching The Constant Garderner, I thought I should read John Le Carre's books. I haven't started on this book although I bought it few months back.
8. Everything Bad Is Good For You: Why Popular Culture is Making Us Smarter
You know this is a good book social commentary book when Malcolm Gladwell calls it 'Wonderfully Entertaining'. Steven Johnson will convince you that popular culture is making us more intelligent.
I like the chapter where he explores the multi-billion gaming industry - e.g. what makes people spend lots of money buying cheat sheet and spend hours of times getting from one level to another in video/PC/online gaming.
9. Making Globalization Work
I read Joseph Stiglitz's Globalization and Its Discontents during my MBA days and I'm a big fan of his ideas. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist lays out the process of reforming globalization after his widely accepted analysis (promise and perils) of globalization in his earlier book.
Hey Haxa! No, I'm not readin' your blog, I'm searchin' for Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud" n' I saw your blog. Where do ya from? I'm from Malaysia!
Posted by: Jack Raines | Monday, May 28, 2007 at 09:22 PM
You are amazing... how much you read. I wish I could keep up. Please let me know what you think of the "World is Flat" and "Everything Bad Is Good For You." I've often suspected that we are growing and adapting because of how we take in information and learn via the web (i.e. Youtube, Flickr, etc.)
Posted by: nkilkenny | Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 02:18 AM