This Month In Books (Jan. 2019)

This new year, I made a commitment to read more books instead of watching mindless Youtube videos and television. This happened back in November and ever since I received my Kindle and got bored with browsing videos to watch, I realized my mind was telling me something: I need a change.

And so begins the results.

I say results instead of resolutions because resolutions are imaginary not put forth into practice. You think you can build five pounds of muscle in a week when you hardly got to the door of the gym, feeling overwhelmed by what to do first. Same goes with reading books. Results are what you earn because you are seeking a change in life, whether it's in business, productivity or education.

The following are a list of books I've read at the beginning of January and my thoughts on the overall content. I'm not ranking any books based on how well they are, what I'm going to describe are the themes, the writing style, and the main message (this also includes fiction and I will keep them SPOILER-FREE). If anyone is interested, I'll provide a link to each book.

NORWEGIAN WOOD by Haruki Murakami

Kicking off the new year I decided to read Norwegian Wood first since it was on my wish list. I first read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage sometime last year and I wanted to know more about Murakami's writing style. Norwegian Wood is a tragic love tale about a man who explores love, sexuality, and loss as he remembers the fond memories he had with two different women - the beautiful but mentally unstable Naoko, and the outgoing, lively Midori. Instead of a story about star-crossed lovers or the glamorous tale of youth like most young adult novels, Murakami shows the reader a realistic side through dialogue and scene descriptions. He owns his words as he sees them than any other writer would. The idiosyncrasies of the characters are established well and I felt like I have known them for a long time; the way they talk about their lives and philosophies and invoked curiosity and a sense of belonging. The descriptions Watanabe, the protagonist, says give a dream-like quality, of course. Murakami has a gift similar to what Carver or Dickens would write. Since the novel goes for realism, Murakami is able to write scenes that have a burning desire to know more, yet some of them can be difficult to understand. It's almost as if you have to take a moment to imagine them and once you deconstruct them there's this stunning realization that hits you. Other times I found the prose to flow into oversimplification and easy to read.

This is a novel about finding a true "yes" and in return, recapturing lost moments of youth that cannot be gained again. The melancholy stems deeply and darkly, and like I said this is not for those who are looking for a happy love ending. This is an honest account about what it's like to feel "true" love, loneliness, and sex (which, by the way, there are plenty of graphic sex scenes that are very descriptive but do not go overboard).

Favorite quotes:

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking." - Page 41

"When you're surrounded by endless possibilities, one of the hardest things you can do is pass them up." - page 46

"Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of life." - page 360

EXTREME OWNERSHIP: HOW U.S. NAVY SEALS LEAD AND WIN by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Cover and move, Simple, Prioritize and Execute, and Decentralized Command. These are the laws of combat U.S. Navy Seals follow. Same goes in the business world. Some may know who Jocko Willink and Leif Babin are with The Jocko Podcast and other guest appearances on the internet. These two retired U.S. Navy Seals talk about the importance of leadership and how to complete a mission, whatever that might be, through their four laws of combat as mentioned in the beginning. They give real accounts of their tours in Ramadi Iraq, the situations they've witnessed and the lessons learned. Then they give examples of working with various business owners through consultation, and the solutions they provide.

This book has far to cover than any other leadership book I've read. It's about building a mindset for success in all ventures of life through harden principles. One of Jocko's popular quotes is "Discipline equals freedom." It sounds hardcore in a finger-wagging sort of way and the experiences they share are intense and unique, but once you understand the principles that are applied it becomes fulfilling. I will say, however, it got kind of repetitive after a while. The authors share the same story but in different contexts towards their seal team or business executives.

I'm glad I learned more about developing a mindset for discipline and success. It gave me energy afterward to start doing things now rather than later; to complete my mission in life and inspire those to join me.

Favorite quotes:

"Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame." - page 14

"When it comes to standards, as a leader, it's not what you preach, it's what you tolerate." - page 54

"In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, a leader must be a true believer in the mission." - page 76

THE ENCHANTED by Rene Denfeld

This novel is a haunting, yet beautiful piece of literature that reminded me of Stephen King's The Green Mile and other stories that have a magical feel to them. The Enchanted is one of those tales compared to anticipated movies that come out at the end of the year, a form of escapism at it's finest. This form of escapism is evident through the unnamed protagonist who is on death row and uses books as a way of developing his imagination. There are names for this prison: Dungeon, old, stone prison, this enchanted place. The narrator also talks about various characters, from the other prisoners, the guards, the warden, the priest, and the lady.

The prose is poetic at describing disturbing and appalling scenes. It traps you in with agony and wonder, and yet you have to realize it is part of the enchanted place. I too started to create my own little wonders as the narrator described every character and the upcoming dates towards execution. It changes your outlook on life when all things seem like they are crashing down. I did find that the first act was a bit slow, but not to the point of annoyance. Once half of the second act builds up, I was immersed and I felt myself cheering for everyone in the prison as "this enchanted place" grows until the very end. This is a short story and you can read through it in about four hours, and this is a mature novel that stays with you after reading.

Favorite quotes:

"How odd it is, that the dead weigh more than the living. You would think it would be the opposite, but it isn't. I think it is because souls give bodies lightness and air." - page 39

"What matters in prison is not who you are but what you want to become. This is the place of true imagination." - page 77

"Ideas are powerful things; we should take care of them...You can get a taste of an idea inside you, and the next thing you know, it won't leave. Until you do something about it." - page 148-149

THE PRINCE by Niccolo Machiavelli

How does one become a prince? It’s hard and different to determine the best answer for this. Learning about past successors and keeping moral principles in check when serving the people is essentially what I got out of reading The Prince. However, it wasn’t without its difficulties. The controversy behind this book is how it exposes and analyzes certain powers governments and states have, and does not align with its citizens who want a fair society. Machiavelli provides examples of this such as Castruccio Castracani of Lucca, Duke Valentino and even Alexander The Great. He also argues why it is better to be feared than to be loved by all and traits such as desire and power are to be earned. To put it simply, it’s as if Quentin Tarantino wrote a book about political power.

Being a “Machiavellian” not only means it’s just about being driven towards power and ruthless ambition, but about what we are as humans. A prince (or average person in this case) must be virtuous in his interests without conflicting those against him or her.

The prose is cut and dry and will take time to understand, but Machiavelli sums up each essay in the end. Also since I mentioned how controversial the book is, The Prince has been likened by many leaders on both sides of the political spectrum in the past. There are many definitions on what constitutes being you’re own prince or president. So, I would say it’s best to look at The Prince as how it forms the human condition.

Favorite quotes:

“You must never fail to respond to trouble just to avoid war because in the end, you won’t avoid it, you’ll just be putting it off to your enemy’s advantage.” - page 14

“A king who comes to power with the help of the rich nobles will have more trouble keeping it than a king who gets there with the support of the people, because he will be surrounded by men who consider themselves his equals, and that will make it hard for him to give them orders or manage affairs as he wants.” - page 38

“A ruler in power and a man seeking power are two different things. For the ruler already in power generosity is dangerous; for the man seeking power it is essential.” - page 63

Building A Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller

It’s hard to start off as a freelance writer. Getting your point across or understanding what your clients want is like driving down a road without GPS. But what this book offers is not about knowing that a client is just another client, it’s about the hero in a story. I never expected someone like Donald Miller or any other marketer to use the Hero’s Journey method because I only thought of it for just fiction writing. Now I know better.

One of the important tips Miller points out is you cannot be the hero of your story when it comes to selling a product or a service. You have to be a sage offering the hero advice and help complete their quest. Obi-Wan to Luke Skywalker or Haymitch to Katniss or Gandalf to Frodo. Also, if there’s no danger, there’s no story. You first have to understand what potential risks are involved when you come up with an idea for your service. Your mission statement also plays a key role in maintaining your business. The best way to clarify your message is to paint a mental image of your logo and make it your own unique trademark (Minds: Your Social Network, Allstate, protect yourself from mayhem, etc.)

Miller has translated his version of storytelling into an easy-to-read guide with no jargon or fancy terms. It’s effective in communicating what you should start off doing if you’re stuck in getting your business running.

Since this is a business book, I’ll replace some quotes with three questions to ask yourself:

What do you offer?

How will it make my life better?

What do I need to do to buy it?  

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