Book No. 6 – Little House On The Prairie

Finished reading book no. 6 for 2012. Little House On The Prairie by Jaura Ingalls Wilder.

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A Late Evening Walk Through the Aisles

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On To A New Book

Hope to be done with this one in 3 or 4 days. It is a pretty easy read after the last book.

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The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle

I finished reading 1 whole book this month. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a hard book to talk about. I loved the writing style and most of what happened through out the story for the exception of the last 100 pages. It is a book that just might break a dog lovers heart.

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Book No. 3 – The Nasty Bits

The Book No. 3 – The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain. 

If your a fan of his show then the book is worth a read. It does not touch the success of Kitchen Confidential though.

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The Next Tower Records

A bit more than ten years ago I used to love spending time browsing through a store called Tower Records. Fast forward a few years the mecca of music retail is now nothing more then a memory. Apple’s innovative technology changed an industry for ever. As I wandered through the bookstore today with my wife I  realized this will all too be gone soon. The Ipad, Kindle and even the Nook are making it easier than ever to visualize a future with out books. Some day I will be considered old simply because I remember how it felt to turn a page and the musty smell of a book that had aged quietly on forgotten shelf. I think about novels like Fahrenheit 451 in which books are burned when found by the government. If the future of literature becomes entirely digital, history as we know it could be changed with the pull of a plug, or worse yet altered by anyone with access  as it happens is George Orwell’s 1941. I would be lying to you if I said this does not scare me.

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Book No. 1- The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes

I finally finished reading my first book for 2012. The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was not one of my favorite reads. With in the first few adventures I already had grown to dislike both Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing style and the Sherlock Holmes character altogether. Maybe as the repertoire of books I have read grows I will appreciate this at a later time.  None the less I can officially say I have read it. Moving on.

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Sherlock Holmes

I am painfully moving through book no. 1 for 2012. The adventures of Sherlock Homes. I dislike it more with almost every page I turn and yet I read on in hopes that the next page I  turn shall be the last. I will explain more why I dislike this book once I have reached its end.

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Book No. 51 – How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

The year is almost finished and I raced to cram one more book onto the year’s list. How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb. I had wanted to read this book after reading Brian Johnson summary of it in his Philosophers Notes series.  If you want to step up your self development game and get your mind right but aren’t sure where to begin I strongly suggest you check Philosopher’s Notes out. For me they were a perfect overview of 100 hundred self development and business books that helped me decide what I wanted to get into further. The best ideas of the book are in the first half. While some of the exercising can get a little “New Age” ish they are all more or less excellent had helping you gain insight to the way you think and more importantly how to become more aware of your surroundings in all aspects of life.  My favorite exercise was the “100 hundred questions”. In this exercise you free write a list of 100 hundred questions and then look back at the repeating themes. The other gem of the book is a section on mind mapping. Mind mapping is a visual way to take notes, brain storm, and empty your ideas onto the page with out being bound by expressing your self in a linear way. The technique is by no means new, but when I started using it to take notes a year or go a so I found it was much better way to get ideas down as they flow with out letting the paper get in the way. I have tried mind mapping with both computer software and jsut with pen and pencil on a large piece of paper. I love working my ideas and notes out on paper however I hate not being able to search then in the computer. A Program I  found online called mindnode allows you to mind map in the computer, maybe not as free as on paper but it is a sacrifice worth making for search ability.  There are other interesting chapters in the book but those were by far the most valuable to me. It’s a simple read and a good selection to add to your list.

Thats all I have to say.

Peter Weis

Other books I have read this past year

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How To Kick Start 2012

There are only 11 days left in 2011 and just 10 post’s left on my quest to post on my blog every day for 365 days straight with out stopping. With such a short time left in the year this is not the time to be thinking about what you didn’t accomplish for the year. The last two weeks of December should be all about the pre game.

To kickstart your 2012 this is the time of year that you should be: 

• Recapping all of the positive things you did this year.
• Take time to be grateful for all this year has brought you.
• Get motivated to take on next year proactively. I suggest taking the three or four things that motivate you the most and doing a cram session right before the new year.  My favorite books to read or just even skim through right before the new year starts are: 

• Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck. – If you Gary V, doesn’t motivate you, you might want to check your pulse. 
• I WIll Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi (If you want to get your financial life together YOU NEED THIS BOOK.  
• The Power Of Less by Leo Babauta This book is the essential guide to getting rid of the CRAP in your life. 

• Begin to think about your goals for next year.
• Make adjustments to any goals that may carry over from this year or didn’t quite go as planned.
• Get your fun stuff list together. I keep a list of cool things I want to try, books i might want to read, or places I might want to go. I go to this list through out they year when ever I have a bit of extra time or a few dollars to splurge on something fun.
• Reflect (Not dwell) on the few moments you may have had in the last year that sucked. If their are actionable items you can take to prevent things from sucking again, make a note. If not just keep it moving. DO NOT DWELL ON THE PAST, just LEARN what you can from AND MOVE ON.

Dont wait until New Years Eve to start making some bullshit resolutions. Start planning and focusing on what you want in your life so you can take action.

Thats all I have to say.

Peter Weis

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