Year in Review: 2017

2017: An interesting year. Started out promising reading/blog wise. Then made a big move. I was still reading, but Good Calories, Bad Calories was a very, very slow read. After that I did not read much. With that being said, I still read some really good books this year.

I read and reviewed 17 books in 2017. I also wrote a post on the Netflix show Narcos and wrote a summary of some classic movies I watched at the beginning of the year. Given that I only read 17 books, here are my top 3 books of 2017, along with 2 honorable mentions.

Top 3 Books of 2017:
Quench Your Own Thirst by Jim Koch
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Honorable Mentions:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Good to Great by Jim Collins

This is usually where I set some goals for the blog and/or reading. I am not going to go crazy for 2018. I will read as I have time and try to consistently write on the blog. It is wild to look back and see posts from 2011. Eventually I want to make an easier way to sort through everything I read. Other than that, let's shoot for 24 books.

Lastly, and what gives me the most joy, is my Christmas book giveaway. This year I only gave away 8 books. But it was still a success. Next year hopefully I read more books so I have a wider selection to give away. It got tough for some of my friends (I try to match each person with a book they would personally enjoy). Happy holidays and a healthy new year! Onto 2018!

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

I had a sour taste after reading Victoria & Abdul. As I mentioned in previous posts, I did not read much towards the end of this year. The holidays were approaching and my Christmas book giveaway was shaping up to be weak. I decided to wander Barnes and Noble for some inspiration. I saw Being Mortal on the first table of books I walked by.

The word "mortal" caught my attention because of my day job. I read the back cover and it sounded interesting. The subtitle of the book sums it up perfectly: what matters in the end. Atul Gawande is a doctor at one of the hospitals in Boston. He writes about how Americans care for people as they age. He looks at this from a doctor's perspective, but also from a patient perspective as his father his aging.

In the old days, as parents aged, they would move in with their kids and grandkids. The families stayed together to care for the elderly, who were seen as wise and knowledgeable. The premise is we have shifted to a place where we want our elders to be safe, even if it means taking away their cars, putting them in nursing homes, giving them countless meds. Besides the financial cost, it takes a toll mentally and physically, to the point where one asks what is the point of living? What matters in the end?

The author does not have an answer, as it will vary from person to person. He suggests it is more about having that conversation than what the answer is. Some will want to take care of themselves; others will be happy as long as they can still eat ice cream. Hospice seems like a reasonable happy-medium for many at the end of the road (something I did not know much about).

It is a very insightful book and I think it is spot on. I had my dad read the book and then shared it with an old college professor. They used words like "sobering" and "dark" but at the same time they agreed the author was spot on and it was good to think about.

My rating for Being Mortal: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu

This is a filler post. I saw a preview at the cinemas for a movie about the friendship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant towards the end of her life. It was not coming out for another month or so, but I like to read the book first anyways (the movie was obviously based on a book). Unfortunately, I only read about 75 pages before giving up. And I never saw the movie ha.

At a high level, the story seems interesting. In reality, the writing was dry and nothing exciting actually happens. It has more of a historical feel rather than a story (i.e. no conversations). In this sense, the movie would probably be more entertaining.

Not a great post but I felt like writing about it since I gave it a chance. Sometimes you do not strike gold.

My rating for Victoria & Abdul: 1 star out of 5. Get it here!

1984 by George Orwell

Another back-dated post (see the intro in the Good Calories, Bad Calories review). This was the third book club book. Sadly, this was the last book club book of 2017. We tried to read The Leftovers, but we couldn't find a time to meet. Good news is we are hoping to start up again in 2018.

I have to admit after reading Catch-22 I was a little hesitant to read another classic. But 1984 was much better. It was an easier read and the storyline was entertaining. 1984 takes place in a country that is perpetually in war, monitored by the government, and where pretty much everything in life is manipulated. There are social classes, propaganda, and more. The story is about a man who rebels and tries to find out the truth.

With these classic books, I like to comment on how suitable each is for high school kids. I do not remember reading 1984 in high school, but this is one of the rare classics I have come across where I believe kids should be reading it as part of the curriculum. It is readable, relevant, and significant. 

The most fascinating thing to me is this book was written in 1949. It is still relevant today (maybe even more so than back then). It definitely makes the reader think. I cannot get over how relevant it still is today.

My rating for 1984: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes

This post is back-dated. Here's the deal. I moved in July and had a lot to do related to that. Frankly, I did not read much in the second half of 2017 (the move, football season, coaching basketball). Excuses excuses. I did read a few books, but I never got around to writing posts about them. It is now early January and I am finally writing on the blog. I think it is worth back-dating them because I like to know when I read books, and writing these posts won't be too hard because I actually jotted down notes in the Note app on my phone (dorky I know). Without further ado...

I stumbled upon Good Calories, Bad Calories when I was searching for books on Amazon. It seemed controversial but very interesting. I have always been interested in nutrition so this was clearly right up my alley. The author attacks many common notions in nutrition - fats are bad, carbs are better, eat less, exercise more. Yet despite all this, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases are more prevalent than ever.  The author's opinion is that refined carbs (think white bread) and sugar are to blame, and that it is the kind of calories you consume rather than the amount.

He goes very in depth about the history of nutrition and where many common "facts" come from. He points out inconsistencies and controversies. Things like how Ancel Keys wiggled his way into the American Heart Association to push his theory that low-fat, low-cholesterol would reduce the risk for heart disease. His studies were inconclusive, but he was able to persuade the country. The author also points out many islands that had no diabetes, obesity, cancer, appendicitis, or other "western" diseases until those countries met traders who brought them sugars and refined carbs.

You can see how this can be controversial. I can see some bias as he tries to prove his point. That being said, this is probably the best nutrition book I have ever read. Very enlightening. However, it gets too detailed at times and is very technical later in the book. In fact, I could only read 15-20 pages at a time and I did not make it all the way to the end. This is not a book for the casual reader. For those in the nutrition field or who are genuinely interested, it is a worthwhile read. I wish he wrote this book in a more casual way.

My rating for Good Calories, Bad Calories: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Quench Your Own Thirst by Jim Koch

One of my co-workers mentioned this book. I like Sam Adams and always admired the little I knew about the company. This book seemed like a perfect opportunity to learn more about Jim Koch and Sam Adams.

The book is about how Jim Koch started Sam Adams. It was a time before craft beer was even a thing. He left a successful career to brew his own beer (well, his grandfather's recipe). The story goes through the highs and lows as the business grew to become what it is today (1% of all beer sales).

I loved this book. Like could not put it down. I love business start-up books and Jim Koch had so many cool stories. There is so much that I did not know and it made me like Sam Adams even more. He still does things the right way. It is a very light read too. Highly recommended to anyone.

My rating for Quench Your Own Thirst: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven

A Father's Day special here. My dad asked for this book as a Father's Day gift. Not knowing anything about it, I figured I would read it before giving it to him next week. This task was made even easier once the book arrived from Amazon and it was the size of a card with pretty big font and only 100 pages. Also good for those who don't really like to read : )

Admiral William H. McRaven had a long career in the Navy. A few years ago, he gave the commencement speech at the University of Texas. It went so well that his speech was turned into this book. Make Your Bed, with the subtitle "little things that can change your life...and maybe the world", expands upon the stories and ten lessons shared during the commencement speech. The lessons are simple, but we often forget the most simple principles to live by.

The first point in the book is to make your bed. He explains the tradition of making your bed in the military, which I'm sure many people know. The message is not about actually making your bed, but accomplishing a small task first thing in the morning. Starting your day on the right foot. Taking pride in even the most simple tasks. And if you have a bad day, at least your return to a bed well made.

In my opinion, the "make your bed" lesson was the best one of the ten lessons in the book. The book ends with the script from his commencement speech. Truthfully, I liked that better than the expanded version in the book. That being said, the book is selling very well and I recognize this is a way to capitalized off of a successful viral moment (although I am sure he was paid handsomely as the speaker).

In summary, not the best book but also not the worst book. I do think it makes for a good Father's Day gift. I hope my dad enjoys it!

My rating for Make Your Bed: 2.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Book #2 for the book club I am in. We wanted to read a classic, one that none of us had read yet. We settled on Catch-22. I feel like everyone has heard the phrase "catch-22", but when I tried to explain what the book is about to friends, I struggled.

Catch-22 is a satire military book. Set during World War II, Yossarian is a bombardier. He must fly a certain number of missions in order to complete his service. But every time he comes close to the required number of missions, the military increases the number of missions. Yossarian is trapped by catch-22: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

The beginning of the book was slow. I fell asleep numerous times trying to read it. It did end up picking up with some more interesting characters. Each chapter is about a character. There are A LOT of characters. And they don't necessarily interact. Each character provides an avenue to make satirical points about war. There is a lot of weird humor, double meanings, and sarcasm.

I have to admit I did not finish the book. In fact, no one in the book club did. I know this book is a classic, and truthfully it was not that bad. You have to read it slow and really pay attention. High schools and curriculums that force kids to read books like Catch-22 are the reason kids do not like to read. If your first few experiences reading "adult" books are like this, then I can understand why you would hate reading. It's sad, because there are so many good books out there. Imagine if high schoolers were required to read Harry Potter and write papers about him. Their interest in reading would skyrocket and things would be so different.

My rating for Catch-22: 1 star out of 5. Get it here!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

The third book in the Harry Potter series. Sirius Black, an old friend of Lord Voldermort, has escaped from Azkaban, which is the prison for wizards. He is on the loose and dangerous. Even the muggle world knows Sirius Black has escaped from prison and is dangerous. Dementors, which are prison guards in the wizard world, are searching for Sirius.

Everyone seems to be nervous, even back at Hogwarts, but the school year goes on. Towards the end, Ron gets dragged towards the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione follow. Sirius is there, along with Professor Snape (Harry's nemesis) and Professor Lupin (Harry's friend). The crazy thing is some of these wizards can turn into animals. After a lot of talking, it turns out that Sirius is actually innocent and is in fact Harry's godfather. Harry and Hermione are able to travel back in time to help Sirius escape the Dementors and get away from Hogwarts.

The animal thing was a bit far-fetched for me, even for a magical world. Same with traveling back in time. With that being said, the book was still really good. The development of characters was good, the twist at the end was good. I'm excited to see what happens in the next book. I'm sure Sirius will make a comeback.

My rating for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Sooo I actually read the first two Harry Potter books in the same week! The first one had me addicted. The second one did not let me down.

In year two of the Harry Potter series, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, which allows a Slytherin heir to kill students who do not come from all-magical families. Students who come across the heir end up frozen in place because they are so petrified. Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigate the attacks and eventually find the Chamber of Secrets. Once again, Dumbledore comes to the rescue as his phoenix provides a sword which allows Harry to succeed.

J.K. Rowling does a great job at keeping the reader entertained. The beginning of the book does a great job recapping some of the basic wizard terms (for example, explaining the rules of Quidditch) without forcing it. She also does a good job recapping where the first book left off. The characters intertwine and the twist at the end is good too. It builds off of the first book, with more magical things and the plot thickening.

If you haven't read the Harry Potter series I strongly recommend it!

My rating for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

You may have noticed I have not posted anything recently. I have been spending a lot of time helping my cousin finish his basement. I know that's not a good excuse to not be reading. So I figured I needed something to jump start my interest again. And one of my goals for the summer is to read the Harry Potter series as I only read the first two books when they came out. What better time to start than right now.

A little history lesson first. The first Harry Potter book came out in 1999. I didn't realize it has been almost 20 years. As I mentioned earlier I only read the first two books, although I do own the entire series as my mom bought them when I was a kid. I have never seen any of the movies. I figure most people who care have already read the books, so my blogs on the Harry Potter books will include spoilers and be more reactionary.

Harry Potter thinks he is a normal kid being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle (Muggles), but he is actually a legendary wizard. He attends his first year of school (essentially 6th grade) at Hogwarts and quickly learns the wizard life and of his past. Hogwarts is protecting the Sorcerer's Stone, which provides eternal life. Lord Voldermort is trying to get the stone, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide they need to get to the stone before Lord Voldermort does. Harry almost makes it, but is saved by Dumbledore.

The first Harry Potter book is the definition of a page turner. J.K. Rowling does a great job of creating a magical world, using new words that are somehow memorable and feel like regular English. It is easy to read and can be entertaining for teenagers or adults. For the most part, the reader feels like it is somewhat believable. I'm looking forward to reading the next book!

My rating for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr

I love to pick books off of friends' shelves. I get to learn what types of books they like to read. Often times these books are older so I can either reminisce about something I read or find a hidden gem. When I was over my cousin's house I found The Brothers Bulger, which sounded like it would be right up my alley.

The Brothers Bulger is a documentary-like book detailing the rise and fall of the Bulger brothers in Boston. Whitey Bulger was a vicious criminal of every sorts who was on the FBI's most wanted list. His brother Billy was a powerful politician as the president of the Massachusetts State Senate. Howie Carr, the author, was a reporter in Boston who often wrote about both men. He tells tales of Whitey and Billy, FBI investigations, cover-ups, political wrangling, gangs, crime, and everything in between.

Being from Massachusetts, I knew about Whitey Bulger, but I didn't really know all the details. I knew his brother was a typical politician, but once again I didn't really know all the details. It made for a very interesting read for me, especially as I recognized many names that eventually became involved in politics or other roles in Massachusetts. I could not believe the involvement of the FBI, state police, and local police. My one issue with the author is once in a while he would slip in a personal comment rather than simply presenting facts and remaining unbiased. I should also point out the book was written in 2003, which means Whitey was not yet captured.

Older folks who lived through the Bulger era will know the story but may not know all the details. The younger generation probably has an idea of Whitey from The Departed, the movie loosely based on Whitey Bulger. No matter what one knows or does not know, the reader will find The Brothers Bulger to be a fascinating read.

My rating for The Brothers Bulger: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

ESPN: Those Guys Have All The Fun by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

This was a behemoth. 778 pages. Definitely the longest book I have ever read. I have seen this book laying around many places, and often times I have heard people mention it. I wanted to read it when it came out, but truthfully I saw the length and passed. One of the guys I work with mentioned something from the book a few weeks ago so I decided to give in and read it. It took me nearly a month.

ESPN: Those Guys Have All The Fun documents the history of ESPN. It starts with how the idea blossomed. As a start up, they were blazing their own path. There were no rules. Soon the creators were pushed out as more experienced TV people took over. They kept gaining momentum and eventually became who they are today.

The entire book is interviews. That' right - the history is told through various people's perspectives. When there is a transition, there may be a paragraph or two to give some background, but over 95% of the book is direct quotes. It almost has a documentary type feel, which kind of goes with the ESPN way of storytelling. The downside to all these interviews is it can become wordy and is one of the reasons the book is so long. The upside is you get to hear both sides of controversial stories.

I thought it was hard to keep track of who was actually in charge. People were at different companies, different titles, moving up/down the ranks, mergers and acquisitions. It was tough to follow. But, it didn't really take away from the stories. Also, people did not hold back - they criticize each other. This is refreshing and feels real, but as the authors mentioned in the afterword, many apologies were needed afterwards.

A few interesting things I wanted to share...

• At the beginning, satellites were just becoming a thing. When ESPN began negotiating, the price was actually cheaper to use the satellite 24 hours a day than it was for 4 to 5 hours. They were the first customer to purchase it for 24 hours a day. The satellite provider wasn't sure if it would work 24/7.
• Even with the satellite, they still had to bring all the tapes back to their Bristol, CT location and then send up to the satellite. This literally meant filming a game in California and flying it back to Connecticut.
• In the beginning, they did not have rights to any popular sports. So they covered obscure sports to fill air time.  This would come in handy later (next bullet). At the same time, they really developed anchor personalities and capitalized on that.
• Stations made money by selling advertisements. ESPN was the first station to negotiate a fee from cable providers. At the start, they were asking for 2 cents a subscriber. Cable providers pushed back and threatened to take the channel off the air, but customers complained. It wan't the football or basketball fans complaining, but the bowling and sailing fans because there was no other channel they could watch their sports. The subscriber fee is now something like $6 per subscriber.
• The dynamic between sports leagues and ESPN is interesting. The NFL forced ESPN to shut down shows that the league did not like (for example, Playmakers was a hit show but pulled after one season). ESPN low bid for the NHL because the NHL did not want to do things ESPN requested, such as having players take their helmets off on the bench (this would help fans recognize players and build them into stars for ESPN).
• When a new head took over at ESPN, he was a soccer fan and really pursued the World Cup in 2010. The influence of ESPN is fascinating as soccer has become more popular in the last 5-10 years.

I enjoyed the stories and learning about the history of ESPN. I grew up watching SportsCenter, so clearly I found the book very interesting. But I think it can be very insightful for those in media or running a company. My only complaint is the book is too long for the casual reader.

My rating for ESPN: Those Guys Have All The Fun: 3.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Classic Movies

Somewhat of a filler post as I am reading ESPN: Those Guys Have All The Fun, which is nearly 800 pages. Here is the background on why I'm posting a review on "Classic Movies". At work I'm on the younger side and my co-workers often reference movies from the 80's and 90's, many of which I have never seen. Last year for my birthday they each made a list of their top 5 classic movies.

There were a few I had already seen, but I had my work cut out. Over the last year, I have been watching movies whenever I had time, either on TV or Netflix. Some movies were hard to find (not surprising given many of them are nearly 30 years old). I've made one final push as my birthday is approaching. Here are the classic movies I've watched in the last year:

Dazed and Confused - A movie about nothing (ok, really about high school kids on the last day of school). The coolest thing about this movie was seeing the start of famous actors - Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Milla Jovovich to name a few. Also a great soundtrack.

Office Space - Hating your job, doing nothing, and still getting promoted?! Seeing all the old technology (floppy disks!) made me laugh.

Reservoir Dogs - Reminded me of The Usual Suspects. Good movie with a great twist at the end.

Good Will Hunting - Solid movie all around. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were kids in this one.

Pulp Fiction - The dialogue is good, but the story is bleh. I'm surprised this is a classic movie - it's good, but doesn't knock my socks off. It did have many great actors.

Caddyshack - A fun, goofy movie. I have never seen a caddy in my life ha. I think it would be cool to use a caddy. I can see how this is a classic, although I may be biased because I golf.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Smart aleck who skips school and cons his way through a memorable day. Some parts were a little over the top, but this was my favorite "classic" I watched.

E.T. - I have to admit I probably saw this as a kid. Obviously knew what it was about. After watching, this definitely formed stereotypes of space and aliens for many years.

Grosse Pointe Blank - This was a crime comedy, which is a weird mix, starring John Cusack. One of the few on the list that I had not heard of.

That's what I was able to find and watch in the last year. If you're bored on a rainy day or just want to stay in for a night, put on a classic.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

So I hinted last week that I started a book club with my cousins. A few friends have been in book clubs and I always thought it would be cool to be part of one. The first book we selected was The Rosie Project. I paced myself to read to read most of the book shortly before our first meeting, which was today. More on that below. First, the normal review.

The book is about Don, a middle-aged man with Asperger's, who designs "The Wife Project" to find a suitable woman to marry. Don narrates the story, with many typical Asperger mannerisms dominating his life. Don is friendly and easy to like. Rosie crashes into his life, throwing off his rigid schedule. Rosie is clearly not a match for Don based on the questionnaire he designed to weed out incompatible women, but her desire to find her real father captivates him.

Pretty soon Don is acting out of character trying to help Rosie find her father. At the same time, he is enjoying basic dating activities with her, even if he does not recognize them as such. I started to fall off the wagon a bit here as parts seemed too out of character. Then I was almost certain I knew who Rosie's father was, although I ended up having this wrong. The ending goes fast - I did not even realize what was happening - although it is a tad on the unrealistic, fairy-tale side.

There were a couple of personally neat underlying themes...finding someone who accepts you for you and never seeing what is in front of you even when everyone else can see it. I also think it's noble to have a protagonist with Asperger's, although the caveat is it can be conflicting to some because in reality there is a spectrum.

Now for the good stuff: my thoughts on the book club. First, the neighbor knew we were having a book club meeting cause we were carrying in our books. Nerdy cool. We had a nice lunch to catch up on on things then we focused on the book. We followed the discussion questions in the back of the book, although they were not great. I thought it was fun to apply themes and situations from the book to our lives. Overall, it was a good experience and I am looking forward to the next meeting!

My rating for The Rosie Project: 3.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies was recommended by a female friend a few months ago. I had it on my bookshelf for a while but it was never at the top of my list. Then I read an article last week that it was going to be adapted as a television series on HBO, starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman (it actually debuts tonight). Whenever books intertwine with the mainstream I like to post a review about the book. So I had to read Big Little Lies. Remember that this review is from a guy's perspective, although I will try to be open minded.

The book starts six months prior to a murder that has occurred in a small, competitive town where the moms are way too into themselves. I have never seen it, but think Sex in the City. There are a lot of characters at the beginning, but it becomes easy to catch on. The twist with the murder is the reader does not know who has been killed (we do not find out until the end).

At the end of each chapter - the chapters are short - there are interviews and statements made to police after the murder, although it sounds more like gossip. As you read, you learn more about the relationships and motivations, as well as how easily things can be misconstrued. You are trying to figure out who was murdered and who was involved. The style and layout made for a great murder mystery feel where you do not want to stop reading.

The middle goes a little on the dark / heavy side. I guess I can understand since it's a chick book. The author does a good job keeping it relevant to the story. I have to give credit where credit is due: I did not see how everything would come together. I definitely did not predict who did it. The only part I did not like was the very end (biting my tongue so I do not spoil anything).

Some chicks are definitely like the characters in the book. In fact, I know a few ha. Most women will like this book (a good beach read). Guys, I'm not so sure this one is for them.

My rating for Big Little Lies: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Next week will be a unique blog. Two of my cousins and I started a small book club. First meeting is next Sunday. I'll provide my normal review of the book we read as well as my thoughts on participating in my first book club. Exciting stuff!

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

Full disclosure up front: Mitch Albom is one of my favorite authors. I love all of his books. Mitch is known for Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Usually deep, hopeful, positive themes with life lessons and good morals to strive towards. His books are on the shorter side and to the point, which I like.

The Magic Strings of Frankie Pesto is the story of a made up musician going through the ups and downs of life. What makes this unique and interesting is the entire book is woven through real life musicians and events. Think Forest Gump-esque. I recognized some of the names, but I spent time googling to see if things actually happened as described in the book (a lot of it was true). In turn I learned about music events since the 1940s. Some of the most popular real-life musicians share stories of encounters with Frankie Presto. I thought this was a really cool touch and gave more credence to the realness of Frankie Presto.

The other very unique aspect to the book is that it is narrated by Music. Almost in a God-like tone. Now you might say this sounds ridiculous. But having Music narrate the book makes perfect sense and actually works really, really well. You have to believe me.

If you're into music you will love this book. Even if you aren't, you will still appreciate the highs and lows Frankie Presto goes through. I really liked how the story progressed. I can see some people saying it seems too impossible for everything to be true. Or that the ending was cliche. Maybe so, but given how impossible Frankie Presto's life was, I thought the ending was fitting.

My rating for The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. I am predicting that this will be a top 5 book of 2017. Highly recommended.

After You by Jojo Moyes

Funny story. On Christmas, I received a gift from my cousin - Me Before You. I had just read it a few weeks before and posted a review. I was appreciative of the gift, but I immediately told her I had just read the book. I would have been happy keeping it and possibly giving it away next Christmas, but she insisted on me returning it and getting After You, which is the sequel to Me Before You.

After You follows Lou's life after her work with Will (trying really hard to not give any spoilers on Me Before You). I was skeptical how the story could be continued, but I have to say I was impressed by the first character who is introduced into Lou's life. While it was a stretch, it was still believable. From there, I thought the story was pretty good. More characters come into Lou's life and help her move forward and grow. The story didn't slow down; rather, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

I felt like ending was written like a movie script or something you would see in a movie. That being said, I still enjoyed the ending. It was shocking at first, but I was happy with the very end. It certainly opens the door for the third book to the series.

I realized it is really hard to review a sequel without giving anything away on the first book. Probably won't do this again.

My rating for After You: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Nicholas Sparks will be speaking in Springfield, Mass. on March 31st at a Women's Leadership Conference. If you read this blog you know I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan. Plus I try to stay in the loop when a famous author comes to the area.

Good to Great by Jim Collins

This has been on my shelf for as long as I can remember. I have probably read it three or four times over the years. In my mind, it is one of the best business / leadership books out there. It looks at public companies in the Fortune 500 that beat the market and its competitors over a sustained period of time. The book analyzes those companies and tries to explain why they went from good to great. It is not necessarily the smoothest read, but the lessons in the book are invaluable.

Rather than over scrutinize the book on this blog, I am going to change it up and share some of my favorite points / takeaways / stories. Here we go:

Getting the right people on the bus - You can teach farmers how to make steel, but you can't teach a "farmer work ethic" to people who don't have it in the first place (page 50).

Building red flag mechanisms - A company used a system called "short pay" to allow customers full discretionary power to decide whether and how much to pay on an invoice based on his own subjective evaluation of how satisfied he feels with a product or service...this allowed for an early warning system that forces an adjustment, long before they would lose that customer (page 79).

The Stockdale Paradox - Admiral Stockdale was a prisoner of war for eight years during the Vietnam War. When asked who didn't get out, he responded "The optimists. The ones who said 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart." He followed up by saying "You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end - which you can never afford to lose - with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality." (page 85)

Culture of discipline - Most companies build their bureaucratic rules to manage the small percentage of wrong people on the bus, which in turn drives away the right people on the bus, which then increases the percentage of wrong people on the bus, which increases the need for more bureaucracy to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline, which then further drives the right people away (page 121).

Stop doing list - Many of us have ever-expanding "to do" lists, but good-to-great companies made as much use of "stop doing" lists as "to do" lists. Unplug from the extraneous junk (page 139).

Have a core ideology - In a truly great company, profits and cash flow become like blood and water to a healthy body: they are absolutely essential for life, but they are not the very point of life (page 194).

Coaching example - A cross-country coach was burdened with expectations to do "fun programs" and "rah-rah stuff" to motivate the kids and keep them interested - parties, special trips, inspirational speeches. She quickly put an end to nearly all that distracting and time-consuming activity. Her program was build on the idea that running is fun, racing is fun, improving is fun, and winning is fun. If you're not passionate about what we do, then go find something else to do (page 206).

Why greatness? - The question is not why, but how. If you have to ask the question, "Why should we try to make it great? Isn't success enough?" then you're probably engaged in the wrong line of work. What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness? (page 209)

A long list, but very thought provoking and applicable to many phases of life, not just business.

My rating for Good to Great: 4.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Throughout this year, I am going to re-read some of the best books on my bookshelf that have not appeared on the blog.

Narcos on Netflix

I have been conflicted about posting reviews on TV shows, but my thought is I am spending time watching shows instead of reading. And I don't watch that many shows. So when I find a good one then I might as well share it. Narcos fits that bill.

Narcos is a two season series on Netflix, basically reenacting the life of Pablo Escobar. If you don't know who he was, then google him. His life was incredibly fascinating as at one point he was one of the richest men in the world from leading a drug cartel. It is not necessarily his wealth, but how he did it. I was first introduced to his story in a 30 for 30 on ESPN (The Two Escobars). Since then, I have read articles and heard stories that only increased my fascination with his life.

The show is narrated from the viewpoint of an American DEA agent who goes to Columbia to help apprehend the drug cartels. He is partnered with a local detective. We get to see both sides - the detective's pursuit and Pablo's dealings. Season 1 goes really fast as the detectives get closer and closer. Season 2 slows down a bit and you can probably guess the ending since there are only two seasons.

The last thing I need to mention is a lot of this is in subtitles, as they are in Columbia and most of the characters speak Spanish. I know this can be a turnoff for some people, but there is really no way around it given the story. I would still highly recommended Narcos if you are interested in this kinda thing.

Year in Review: 2016

I re-launched the blog in July 2016. I had started reading again and was enjoying the books. I felt like I was going to keep reading, which means I could start blogging again. I managed to sustain it through the end of the year. Missed a few weeks, but I made it. I read 13 books in the second half of 2016. Add in a movie review, a tv show review, and a book I did not finish and we can call it a successful year. Only doing the top 3 books since this was really half a year.

Top 3 Books of 2016:
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
To Pixar and Beyond by Lawrence Levy
The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi

Honorable Mention:
Narconomoics by Tim Wainwright
When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

The Future:
1) Update the "Blast from the Past" on the right side of the page each week
2) "Top Lists" to recap the best books in the 5+ years of the blog (example: top 5 books for the beach)
3) Other fillers for the weeks I do not finish a book (example: podcasts? audio books?)

Lastly, I am proud to say I did the Christmas giveaway again, where I give away books I previously read to friends who I think will enjoy them. I spend more time than I probably should trying to match up each friend with a book. I wrap them and deliver each book in person or by mail. This year I gave away 10 books. Believe it or not this is something I really enjoy, even if all my friends don't read all that much.

I look forward to what 2017 will bring!