Maybe it’s just me, but yikes…. there are a lot of books being published. AND….. unfortunately many are, at best, mediocre. I get it, the world’s attention span is shrinking. Maybe, however, authors could take that into account and stop while they’re ahead. If you only have 85 pages worth of things to say, maybe your book should be 85 pages long.
ANYWAY…….. having said all of that. Here are five and a half not so bad books I read in 2018.
Becoming a Supple Leopard. (by Kelly Starrett). Some great ideas to enhance overall fitness, strength and flexibility. A BIG book with LOTS of info.
Crushing It. (by Gary Vaynerchuk). I listen to way too much GaryVee to feel like there was much in here that I hadn’t already heard/read. Some of the stories were interesting, but I have to confess that I’m not crazy about the case study/story type book. I buy the book to read what the AUTHOR has to say (a BIG problem in the last book mentioned for 2018).
Sales EQ and Fanatical Prospecting. (by Jeb Blount). Two for the price of one OR one and a half. Both of these were good sales books. Neither actually GRABBED me so that I just couldn’t put them down.
Shoe Dog. (by Phil Knight). Actually this might have been the best thing I read last year. Having been a Nike guy since ’75 and remembering the days when guys sold shoes out of the trunk of their cars at races, it was kinda of fun to read. Mostly, this is a solid entrepreneurial story about persistence and hard work.
The 5 Second Rule. (by Mel Robbins). After seeing the author speak at a convention and thoroughly enjoying it, I was anxious to read the book. Much to my dismay, LIVE was far better. Too many mini stories about how George used the 5 minute rule to get out of bed and cure himself of not being able to get out of bed. Could have been 85 pages.
Sorry, not very inspiring, huh? Maybe it’s just me. Maybe the bar is lower to publish. Maybe I’m right on. Don’t know. Things are looking up, however…..
Three books are sitting on my shelf awaiting my next flights. I’ve thumbed through each, hoping to get a glimpse into whether they will be disappointing, surprising, or absolutely great. So far the leader out of the clubhouse is….
This is Marketing. (by Seth Godin). I like Godin and I’m seeing his slightly off center thought patterns all over this one. He has a unique way of looking at things AND…… knows when to end a book (as you may have noticed, I’m into that).
The Power of Visual Marketing. (by Ekatarina Walter and Jessica Gioglio). I began this book and wondered, “why aren’t they talking more about Instagram.” Found that out quickly, the book was written in 2014. Still hoping to pick up some awesome theoretical things from these ladies.
Summits of My Life. (by Kilian Jornet). Can’t go wrong here, it’s Kilian.
Love to know what you liked this past year. Feel free to suggest some books in the comments below or drop me an email at richteaches@gmail.com.