Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Book Club

What I’m Reading: October 2015

image

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 

Because I'm thinking so much about my own next book, I find myself avoiding other business-y non-fiction, and instead reading more fiction and books in a totally different genre than what I normally pick.

What I read

  • Creativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull – So GOOD. Aimed at business owners who want to create a culture of creativity and innovation, the insights into how Pixar was built and runs are totally fascinating, even if you're not managing thousands of artists.
  • Essentialism, by Greg McKeon – Eh. I strongly agree with the message of this book, and I think I live by it (as explained here!)…but after a while it felt a bit long and all of his examples are exceedingly impractical for the average person (I.e., taking time off work to heal from a disease).
  • My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante – Ignore the cover. This book is much darker than it looks. It had been recommended by just about every podcast I listen to, so I decided to try it. The author does a great job of exploring the kind of love/obsession/jealousy relationship between girls in childhood. I'm not so in love that I'm diving into the second one, though.
  • The Secret Place, by Tana French – I'm kinda crushed that I've now read all the books in this murder mystery series. I would LOVE a recommendation of something similarly well-written.
  • Y: The Last Man, by Brian K Vaughn – Super fascinating graphic novel about the, well, last man. After an unknown event wipes all men from the planet except for this one, ordinary 20 year old dude….he has adventures as the only survivors (women!) have to figure out how to run the world. This one's not for kids (in case the premise didn't inform you!), and is well-written and gripping.

 

What I’m reading

 

What I read last October

What are you reading?

 

 

 

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

 

What I’m Reading: September 2015

Reading September

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

What I read

  • Landline, by Rainbow Rowell – As you might have noticed, I've been loving Rainbow Rowell. This one is definitely not a YA book – it's a great look at what it feels like to be married for years.
  • The Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkin – This book has been recommended by so many (male) podcasters I listen to, and while I liked it, it was far less about how to learn, than how this particular person learned chess and martial arts. He shares a bit of his story (which is interesting!) and then  tries to break it down into something you can apply to learning anything … but with more chess and martial arts metaphors. In other words, I enjoyed it, but I would like a much more direct book about learning, or one that used metaphors I actually understood.
  • The Martian, by Andy Weir – With all the intense work and CreativeLIVE prep, August was a month full of novels! This one was fun + quick, and although heavy on the science and math, it had a propulsive force that kept me reading. Can't wait for the movie!
  • The Faithful Place, by Tana French – Still loving this series from this author. Basically what I said last month.
  • Broken Harbor, by Tana French – Ditto above.
  • Your Perfect Presentation, by Bill Hoogterp – Read this in preparation of CreativeLIVE and while I was already implementing a lot of his tips (focus on value for the audience, tell stories, ask the audience to respond), it challenged me to make my class even better.
  • Ms. Marvel – Oh man, this comic is GREAT. If you haven't been reading it, go out and grab the first volume, especially if you love empowering stories for young girls (It's totally appropriate for any girl 10+)
  • Manage Your Day to Day –  This was this quarter’s Starship Book Club pick, but I waited to read it until after I finished writing my class!

 

What I’m reading

 

What I read last September

What are you reading?

 

 

 

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

What I’m reading: August 2015

 I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

image

Looking at the list of this month's reads made me think about why I choose to read what I read. I realized it might help you in your own choices if you understood what I'm hoping to get out of the books I read. Sometimes it's just for pure fun and relaxation (novels), sometimes it's to learn something I don't know, or because I want different perspectives on an issue I deal with/teach in my work (many of this month's reads), and sometimes it's just to learn from the structure  or style of the book. As I work on my own book proposal, I need to understand what already exists in the market so my book is different and complimentary. Often I'll read a book for my clients or students, to see if it answers their questions (and then I'll recommend it to them!).

No matter why I'm reading a book, if I find myself avoiding it or just not moving forward through it quickly, I put it down. I'm a big fan of quitting (wow, I wrote that post 5 years ago!). If I don't like a book, I don't put it on the list here (or if I do, I'll tell you why I didn't like it).

 What I read

  • Landline, by Rainbow Rowell – Oh man. This is the book that solidified my love for Rainbow Rowell. While her other books are categorized YA, this is definitely adult. It's full of moments I've recognized in my own marriage, and insights into what it's like to spend a lifetime with someone. Totally recommend.
  • Radical Self Love, by Gala Darling – This isn't available anymore, but I think it's because she got a traditional book deal to release it. Fun, sweet, full of the kind of stuff you'll find in her best blog posts … but it could definitely use an editor for structure.
  • The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield – I heard the author on a podcast, and he seemed smart (he's a multi-time best-seller author!), so I picked up the book. At its core, it talks about the same kind of thing as Gala's book (above), but in a more structured format. If you have NO idea what you want to do with your life, and you're very very stuck, I recommend it.
  • Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell – Loved it!
  • The Soul of Money, by Lynn Twist – The title turned me off, but the author worked as a fundraiser for The Hunger Project and has used her experience in the third world and the super-rich fundraising world to explore our relationship with money. The book is much more about our cultural relationship than your personal relationship, but I'll be using some of the insights I gathered in the updated version of Pay Yourself.

What I’m reading

 

What I read last year

 

What I’m Reading: July 2015

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.
image

 What I read

  • Better than Before, by Gretchen Rubin – This was this quarter’s Starship Book Club pick and I learned so much I recorded a podcast episode about part of it!
  • Eleanor + Park, by Rainbow Rowell – This was my favorite novel of the year (so far). I read it one long Saturday and it had me both giggling and in tears. Eleanor's home life just hit home for me.
  • The Likeness, Tana French – I'm not much a mystery novel reader, but this author was suggested to me after I liked Gone Girl. And I'm so glad because I've loved both books (I read the first one last month). It's not just mystery, it's got a lot of good character development and insights into the human psyche. But, ya know, it's still fun 🙂
  • The Sculptor, by Scott Cloud -I loved this. It's different from the usual, because it's not a series of individual episodes collected together – it's just one cohesive story (like a normal novel, but with visual storytelling!)

What I’m reading

What I read last year

What are you reading?

 

 

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

What I’m Reading – June 2015

WARNING: Lift Off closes today!
My bedside reading stack. I've got links to everything I read in May and everything I'm currently reading, on the blog! #fridayreads

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 What I read

  • Playing Big, by Tara Mohr. This book guides you through the process of finding and stepping into the next stage in your life. Whether that's massive business growth or changing careers or starting a non-profit or..anything – this book is filled with insight into what you're going to encounter and journaling exercises to help you move past it. Considering the “guided meditations” in a few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised by how full of applicable, pragmatic advice it was. It was exactly what I needed for where I was this Spring.
  • War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. HOLLA! I finished a big one, yo! I read this all through my trip to Oregon and although I felt self-conscious (What's that you're reading? Oh, WAR AND PEACE, no big deal.), I think it was easier to stick with when I didn't have anything else. Surprisingly – it was actually compelling and interesting (if you let yourself get sucked in and don't worry too much if you really know who is who in the beginning.) It all comes together!
  • In the Woods, by Tana French. After W+P, I needed something fun. And well, this novel isn't fun as in happy, but it's definitely engrossing and thrilling. I read it all in a day and I have the second one waiting for me this weekend.
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman, by Jill LaPore. This is more of a history of the creators of Wonder Woman than an actual look at the comics itself. But the creators, they were colorful, so their story is an interesting one. (By the way, I was bummed by Dr. LaPore's article in the New Yorker, it just didn't provide any cultural context. I highly recommend this response if you're interested in feminism + comics.)
  • Season 8 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I didn't love it, but I loved parts of it. I was totally over the “slayer army” in Season 7, so I waited a long time to read this. But now I'm hooked!

What I'm reading

What I read last year

What are you reading?

 

 

 

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

What I’m Reading: May 2015

What I'm Reading May 2015

 I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 What I'm reading

First of, let's just get this out of the way – I finished very little in April. I made good progress through some dense books, but so much of my month was spent in non-reading situations (you know, those in which you're face to face with a real! live! person!), that I really never had a full-on reading binge like I normally do at least once a month. So, here are the books I've either just finished or am in the middle of:

  • Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me, by Ellen Forney. Oh man, this was an amazing graphic memoir. If you know and love anyone who suffers from, well, any mental illness, read this. Her graphic representations of both mania and depression were the best, most human, caring, most understandable anything, I've ever read about it. This page, in particular, cracked me up.
    (If this book was a movie it would have an R rating for some bits about her sex life. If that'll offend you, skip it. But if it won't, READ THIS.)
  • Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama, by Alison Bechdel. This memoir-ish look at the comic's relationship with her mother (and therapists) doesn't have the same coherence as her first, Fun Home (which I read last month), but I enjoyed it.
  • Playing Big, by Tara Mohr. I'm in the last chapter, and I'm gathering my thoughts about it.
  • War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. Is there any way to tell you that I found this for $2  at a used book store in Carlsbad and since it's on my Great Books  list, I immediately started reading it and I'm halfway through and finding it surprisingly enjoyable, without sounding completely pretentious? No? I thought not.
  • The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. Only a chapter in, because it's not a read-before-bed read. Definitely requires some brain cells to process. (That said, it's probably already made me a better writer. Can't ya tell?)
  • I also read a lot of comics I LOVE this month: Thor*, Saga, Jem (!) and this one (our new favorite!). (If you don't want comics piling up, but want to try some of these, get 'em digitally at Comixology.)

*In case you don't keep up with comics, Thor is a lady now! And she's not Lady Thor or Thor Girl – she's full-on Thor, goddess of Thunder and she's bringing it.

 

What are you reading?

 

 

PS. What I was reading last year.

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

What I’m Reading: April 2015

What I'm Reading April 2015

 I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 

 What I read

 

  • Zero to One, by Peter Theil – This is a book about how to create something from scratch (through the lens of a venture funded tech start-up). Even though you probably don't have investors to please, the book is filled with smart advice for how to think of your tiny business and the mindset that's required to make something completely new (to go from 0 to 1).
  • The Saga series, by Brian Vaughn –  So good. I read a lot of comics and I don't know why I don't talk about them here, but I love this one. Also, the new Thor is fantastic and Hawkeye has beautiful art (and one of the best female characters in I've read anywhere, in a while).
  • Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel – Oh man. This is one of the best memoirs I've read. Ever.
  • Funny Girl, by Nick Hornby – Funny! I was obsessed with I Love Lucy as a kid (I've read all of Lucy's biographies and watched all the episodes multiple times, thanks to my local library), so this book was right up my alley. I notice that in months where I have a LOT of work (I wrote 6 weeks worth of class content and 4 weeks worth of blog content in 2.5 weeks in March!), I tend to stick with fiction. Non-fiction (especially about business!) gives me so many ideas and sparks so many new projects, that I have to avoid it if I'm going to follow-through on months that are already packed.

What I’m reading

Find of the month: Love Gilmore Girls and reading? Olive made an awesome Rory Gilmore Reading List! LOVE!

What are you reading?

 

PS. What I was reading last year.

 

 

 

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

 

 

 

What I’m reading: March 2015

 I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

What I'm reading in March

 What I read

  •   Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer – This book was recommended to me a million times, and then a thread popped up in the Starship where Captains started reading it together. Oh man, it is just so good if you're an artist or maker who has a hard time with the exchange of your art for money. Amanda built her tribe, person by person, hug by hug, at hundreds of shows and she shares in this book about how she built the relationships. I highly recommend it (if you're not easily offended!).
  • The Art of the Book Proposal, by Eric Maisel – I've been working on a proposal all quarter, and this book is keeping my company. Unlike a lot of other books about the parts of a proposal, he digs into how to think about it, which I love.
  • The 4 Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss – I read this waaay back in 2009 when I first left my day job. I wanted to revisit it to see if it's a good resource for my clients, and this time I took completely different lessons from it. It's a classic and bestseller for a reason.
  • It's Not About The Money, by Brent Kessel – I talk a lot with my students about their issues with money, and this book, which identifies different archetypes that we approach money with, provided a great new perspective at these issues we all have.

What I’m reading

What are you reading?

 

 

 

 

 

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies! 

What I’m Reading: February 2015

 I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list in the comments and find all the posts here.

 What I read

What I’m reading

What are you reading?

 

11 best books of 2014

my 11 favorite books of 2014For the past two years I've been sharing my monthly reading lists and holding an informal “book club” in the comments each month. I absolutely love the suggestions you make, and I've found many new authors thanks to your ideas!

Each month I say a bit about the books and might mention if I really liked it, but if you were looking for books I wholeheartedly recommend, it's not so easy to find the best. (This is on purpose, as I can't tell how much I want to recommend a book until I've pondered it for a while after reading it.) So today I'd like to narrow down the 72 books I read in 2014 into my very favorites. These are the books I would wholeheartedly recommend that you pick up and read this year! I've split them into most-favorite (you should read them no matter who you are!), starting a craft business (especially useful if you're just getting started or want a refresher), and fiction, because we all need more fiction!
(Note: most of these books were published long before 2014, but I read them in 2014.)

My most-favorite

  1. 10 years in the Tub: a Decade of Soaking in Great Books, by Nick Hornby. I picked this up randomly from the Reading section of my library (geek alert!) and I am so happy with it. It’s a collection of Hornby’s “What I’m Reading” articles (you know I love that!) for the Believer magazine, which he wrote for 10 years. The articles are funny, memorable, and perfectly express what it is I love about reading. (Warning: It caused me to add over a dozen books to my To Read list. Beware!)
  2. Make it Mighty Ugly by my pal Kim Werker. I’m actually still reading this book, because I'm doing all the exercises in it. I've discovered quite a bit about myself and feel myself becoming braver in my creative endeavours.
  3. The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg – This was so great! I find myself applying this to my own life and my work with clients all the time. If you want to get stuff done or lead a life you love, you need to develop habits that make things happen. This book teaches you how.
  4. If You Can Talk, You Can Write, Joes Saltzman. The title says it all…and I'd add: If you have a business, you can (and do!) write!  I used the prompts to keep up with my 1,000 words a day and found myself quoting it to the writing-scared. Pick it up if you think you “can't” write.
  5. Show Your Work, by Austin Kleon. I wanted to post almost every page of this book and say: Yes! Yes! If you don’t know how to start sharing your work or using social media, read Austin’s book. It’s more on the inspirational, just-get-going side than my book, but has the same message: Share your work and keep sharing it.

Starting a Craft Business

6. The Eventual Millionaire: How Anyone Can Be an Entrepreneur and Successfully Grow Their Startup, by Jamie Tardy – Despite the title, this book is less about being a millionaire and more about starting a business and growing, based on how millionaires have done it. I tend to avoid “get rich” books, and this book is far from it. Jamie has a great podcast with interesting interviews, and she’s taken all she’s learned and turned it into a great getting-started guide. I recommend this to anyone who doesn't know where to start.

7. $100 Start-up by Chris Guillebeau. As I hoped, this is going to the top of my to-recommend list for those where-to-start questions. This is for you if you’re not sure how to get started and if you are seriously excited to start a business. Even though I’m 8 years past “start-up”, I still learned stuff – I used the Launch Checklist while opening Pay Yourself (and had my biggest class launch ever!).

Want my all-time favorite small business books? I've collected all 28 of them in the Bibliography of this class. You only get it when you buy the bundle.

Fiction

I find reading fiction to be as important as any non-fiction, business-y, or educational reading I do. It improves my ear (and hopefully, pen) for great turns of phrase, interesting language usage, and metaphor. Plus, it's fun. And we need fun.

8.  Ready Player One, by Earnest Cline. SO GOOD. I devoured it.

9. Hotel New Hampshire, by John Irving. I went through an Irving spell several years ago and I don’t know how I missed this one. A great novel, recommended by Kim.

10. The Magician’s Land, by Lev Grossman. This is the last book in the three-book series, so you definitely need to start with the first!

11. The Odyssey, by Homer – I’m sure I read parts of this in High School, but as part of my Great Books Project I wanted to read the whole thing. I was completely shocked by how gripping and … modern it all felt, especially if you read any sci-fi. I wholeheartedly love it, recommend it, and can’t believe it took me so long.

My favorite reading this year was inspired by my desire to read all those books I missed and developed into my Great Books Project. I shared the seeds of this idea back in July and then I really started reading in earnest in October.

 

What were your favorite books of 2014? What are you adding to your list?

 

 

Disclaimer-y Disclaimer!  Or course I’m biased when my friends write a book, but I don’t mention things I don’t like. Also, I'm an Amazon affiliate and I get a tiny percent when you buy a book through my links. Read the usual disclaimer here.

1 … 3 4 5 6 7 8