The last thing anyone wants to hear about in July is a business book, right? To wit, below are a handful of books for pleasure I’ve found to be every bit worthwhile. May you enjoy any of them during your downtime. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett – As she proved again recently with her novel Commonwealth, Patchett is a…
Author: Chris Bond
Book Report – White Working Class by Joan C. Williams
On his first post-Beatles LP, John Lennon paid testimony to the “Working Class Hero,” those he told an interviewer he saw being “processed into the middle classes, or into the machinery.” In 1970, the year his song first hit the airwaves, nine in ten 30-year-olds earned more than their parents at that age; as of 2014, only half did. Over…
Book Report – Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener
The term “uncanny valley” was coined in the 1970s at the Tokyo Institute of Technology to capture the revulsion stirred in observers when robots start looking a bit too human (picture the range from cute to relatable to freakish). That Anna Wiener borrowed it to title her memoir demonstrates the intersection of intelligence and wit found across its 275 pages.…
Book Report – Beach Reads, Shelter Edition
Below are six non-business books I read pre-Coronavirus that might provide a cure for boredom as you lock down in place. American Cozy by Stephanie Pedersen – If there’s ever been a more appropriate time to make your home more comfortable, do tell. I’d never heard of hygge (pron. hyoo-guh), the Danish practice of blanketing a dwelling in contentment and…
Book Report – Elevate by Robert Glazer
Below are lessons from Elevate author Robert Glazer… and another guru. Use these wisely in business and life and when waxing classic cars. Capacity building – in short, the endless pursuit of innate potential – is not about doing more in general, rather doing more of the right things. Inspiration without follow-through and commitment may have some value but won’t…