Working: Robert Caro’s New Memoir
I love the thrill of finding a great author. Of reading a book and knowing that you will love any other book this author writes. When I was in high school, Kurt Vonnegut was the author I most admired. I read every book he ever published. Recently, I felt this…
Notes from ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’
Written in 1961, The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs is a foundational and important work on city planning. Jacobs was the Anti-Robert Moses. This book has many deep and thought-provoking ideas. I haven’t really read any other urban planning books to know how her ideas…
Notes from ‘The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother’
Here are my notes (there are a lot of them) from reading The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, by Lucy Mack Smith. My notes consist of direct quotes from the book and some of them may not have much context. But those who are familiar with the history…
The Blessing Way: Notes From the Book
I just finished The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman. I wanted to read this book because it is about Native Americans and the Navajo Nation. It was a gripping mystery novel. I really enjoyed reading it and I’m planning on reading more of the Leaphorn and Chee books. Below are…
What I Learned From Sam Walton’s ‘Made in America’
I just finished Sam Walton: Made In America. Thank you, Jeff Bezos, for the recommendation. This is a very inspiring book. If you’ve ever had the desire to start your own business this is a must-read. Sam Walton created the wealthiest family in the world through the creation of his…
David McCullough’s John Adams – Thoughts and Notes
“The problem with Adams is that most Americans know nothing about him.” David McCullough I just finished John Adams by David McCullough. It is the first time I have read one of McCullough’s books. I have been making an attempt to read more Pulitzer winning biographies and I saw this…
Disney’s Greatest CEO Bob Iger and ‘The Ride of a Lifetime’
How can you not like the Walt Disney Company? In the fall of 2018, I went to Disneyland for the first time since my childhood. I was totally captivated by the Disney experience. For almost one hundred years, Disney has been creating great family experiences. In the last 15 years,…
The Power Broker: Robert Moses the Most Powerful Park Commissioner of All Time
Confession: I have never been to New York City. But I just finished my second book about urban planning in and around New York City. The first book I read was The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. A few days ago I finished the Pulitzer…
Books Read in September 2019
I was only able to read six books in September 2019. This is partly due to me starting Robert Caro’s tome The Power Broker (I can’t wait to talk about this one). This 1000+ page book is taking time to read through and slowed the number of books read this…