Books I've Enjoyed
2008.10.04
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark
Twain
This is one of my favorite authors and though this book is
sometimes considered a "children's book" it is a
favorite of mine.
Twain is a clever writer who brings to life the personalities of
people living in a small village next to the Mississippi River
during the 1850s.
This book is special because as a young boy I read it
literally dozens of times. It was one of the few books in our family
bookcase
that was appealing, so when my stock of library books ran out I’d
revert to reading Tom Sawyer. Over and over and over...
it's been 40 years since then, but after reading it again I can
honestly say I really like this book – Mark Twain at his best!
[ more ]
2008.10.01
- The Art of War by
Sun Tzu
The Art of War is a classic which originated in China 2000 years
ago. The Sun Tzu family were considered masters in the
knowledge of warfare at a time when knowledge was not just a Google
click away.
I had my eye on this book for quite some time and while it certainly
lived up the reputation of a classic, after a while I realized it
was something that just didn't hold my interest. Strategy has never
been my forte, and many times while reading the thought occurred
that I would not make a very good general. [
more ]
2008.08.30 -
The
Brothers Karamazov by
Fyodor Dostoevsky.
This book amazed me on so many levels... without a doubt Dostoevsky is the master of identifying the
deeper thoughts and feelings which are common to all people, and
then putting them into a meaningful story.
In this passage he describes a poor man
struggling with pride after being offered a large charitable sum of
money - ecstatic at first, followed by indignant anger of facing
humility, and eventually rational acceptance of a gift which will
truly bless his family. [ more ]
2008.06.08 -
The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
Took a while but finally got thru it, and I'm still going to review
each habit to get a little more in depth. But the summary of the seven
habits is this:
HABIT 1 - BE PROACTIVE We are responsible for our own lives. We can make things happen
rather than passively accept the way we are. We can choose how to
spend our time. We can choose how we react to difficulties. We can
choose whether to grow or not grow from the issues we face every
day. [ more ]