This post essentially serves as a bundle of books I’ve read or audiobooks I’ve listened to, and which would’ve required a lot more effort on my part to do justice to in an analytical manner. So basically you’re going to read brief synopses/reviews. Enjoy!
*No copyright infringement intended for any of the book images in this post*
First up, the book Fear by Bob Woodward. For anyone who’s had to rid themselves of politics in order to lead a happy life and is now ready to grapple with what’s happened–here you go. The title was inspired by a statement made by Donald Trump as a presidential candidate: “Real power is–I don’t even want to use the word–fear.” Basically this book chronicles White House shenanigans that ensue as a result of a bunch of unqualified people driving either the quasi or the fully qualified few people bananas.
Some highlights include: Gary Cohn removing documents from the president’s desk that would negatively impact the country had he signed them; Rob Porter delicately explaining why certain presidential ideas weren’t the best; Steve Bannon’s realization that “I’m the director, he’s the actor” when describing his relationship with Trump; Trump’s advice to Porter amid allegations of domestic abuse, “You’ve got to deny anything that’s said about you. Never admit”; Trump complaining that the people in his orbit are unknowledgeable (which is ironic, because every time you point a finger there are three more pointing back at you buddy); Reince Priebus summing up the reason for the disfunction at the White House: “If you have natural predators at the table, things don’t move. Why? Because when you put a snake and a rat and a falcon and a rabbit and a shark and a seal in a zoo without walls, things start getting nasty and bloody. That’s what happens”; having to use adolescent level logic for Trump to understand; and of course the backstabbing, leaking, and general exasperation. I appreciated the fact that the book answered two questions I’ve had about the people still in the White House: what do you think of the President, and how can you still be working for him?
I remember my brother reading this book, and thinking–hey, I should read that. This was years ago and I finally got around to listening to the audiobook while commuting to and from work. Key concepts from this book include: simplifying life by focusing only on what is truly essential to free up more time–this is the Pareto principle also known as the 80-20 rule; Parkinson’s law which is the idea that we fill time at work (Ferriss calls this doing work for work’s sake); limiting the to-do list to just two things; limiting in person meetings, and a whole host of other strategies and concepts that if implemented with fidelity will lead (or so he says) to an NR (new rich) lifestyle where time is basically your bitch and you can go mobile. Honestly, I might have to just buy the book so I can follow the strategies; it’s kind of hard to take notes when driving.
Marie Kondo’s book The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up has been on my to read list for about a year, and I finally got around to it. Kondo outlines the steps one must take in order to make the permanent shift to living a tidy clutter-free life. The key to tidying up is in only keeping what sparks joy. This requires that a person who’s tidying physically holds each object which they possess. I plan on implementing Kondo’s strategies in December so I can ring in the new year in a tidy way.
A Higher Loyalty by James Comey and China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan, okay, so I haven’t read these two yet. But, they got loaned to me this week from the library. So, look out for my take on them. Stay blessed y’all.