Read more.
Over the Christmas break, I picked up the same book I had the previous two years.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the book, I did. I just realised that as soon as I returned to work, Netflix stole my attention during the evenings.
So I made a conscious effort to finish the book & then impulse bought a kindle.
I set a rough goal / New Years resolution to read more books this year. So this page will last as a form of ‘book club’ to keep me accountable.
Books I’ve read recently
Elon Musk:
Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
by Ashlee Vance
I've watched countless talks Elon has done over the years, so was naturally curious to know more. Although slightly outdated now (the last update was in 2017) the book display's Musks personality & way of thinking, along with some funny tidbits, such as the time Elon caught a Tesla employee talking to the press by copying the article into Word, sending it to the printer and looking for the same file size print jobs recently.
Books I want to read
Super Pumped:
The Battle for Uber
by Mike Isaac
I find Uber fascinating, it's a billion dollar company that has strong armed itself into a number of markets & still hasn't IPO'd. I recall reading that Travis Kalanick was removed from his CEO role after controversy surrounding Uber a couple years ago. This book delves into what happened around this time.
IBM:
The Rise and Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon
by James W Cortada
IBM - another interesting company I know too little about. They used to dominate the workplace however I'm not fully across where they've pivoted too or where they're headed next in this 'Cloud' world we're now in.
Steve Jobs
by Walter Isaacson
I, like alot of others saw the multiple Steve Jobs biopics when he passed. None of them sat well with me, they felt rushed, extremely biased and very 'Hollywood'. My hope is this book goes into more depth, I know the loose history of Steve Jobs & Apple but would love to know more about the days founding NEXT and the return to Apple.
Why We Sleep:
Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
by Matthew Walker
This book I came across after checking out Bill Gates reading list. He called it 'One of the most interesting & profound books I've read this year', with such high praise, I fell I have to check it out.
A River with a City Problem:
A History of Brisbane Floods
by Margaret Cook
A bit of a different book. I like to know more about the city I live in, Unlike the New York's or London's of the world, there isn't a huge amount of content that get's published for Brisbane. When this book came out last year, I bought a copy straight away, especially as I currently live on a floodplain...
Jony Ive:
The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products
by Leander Kahney
The second book about an Apple exec on my list. I've always been interested in Industrial Design and have watched several talks by Jony over the years. Although the majority of phones today are just black slabs of glass, I want to read about the iPod & first iPhone design process.
The Everything Store:
Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
by Brad Stone
Working with AWS (A subsidiary of Amazon) and being familiar with their Leadership principles, I want to know more about the early years of Amazon & Jeff's process to balance risk with long term strategy.