What I’m reading…
One silver lining of working for myself has been that I finally had time to tackle the massive pile of books sitting by my living room chair. I love to read, I am a very fast reader and I buy tons of books. But like many of you, my insane life often derails my intentions to expand my horizons by reading. No more!
So in the interest of having some fun on Friday, here’s what I’m reading. (I also am one of those people who likes to read several books simultaneously.)
Branches by my former Cargill teammate Adam Johnson. Even though I almost exclusively read nonfiction, I of course picked up this book because my friend wrote it. But I would recommend it without reservation even if I didn’t know the author personally. It’s a Sci-Fi/fantasy type story. I’ll let the blurb do the talking: “2021. The pandemic never happened here. That’s the bad news. Now there are tanks in the streets. The good news is that there’s a way out. Amid the chaos, one man is given the chance to escape his dystopian reality. But what will he find on the other side?”
I will add that I found this novel so darn compelling that I read the entire thing cover to cover in two sittings, in under 24 hours, and I truly enjoyed it. Maybe I should read more fiction. Buy Branches here.
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke. I saw a LinkedIn post from Holly Adams five months ago about this book and thought it sounded really intriguing. I bought the book the same day. Like many entrepreneurs and many social media pros, I am constantly making decisions without a 100 percent clear picture of a situation. I’m a few chapters in and so far enjoying this one tremendously. I will also say that the first chapter completely changed my view of how decisions are made. Can’t wait to read the rest. Buy Thinking in Bets here.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. Recommended to me by my good friend Sarah Shehata, this one is pretty self-explanatory. As I have already started my business, I am sure I’ve already done something that Mr. Ries would advise against. But I am hoping to learn some more about how I can move forward with my company in a smart and lean way! So far, my favorite nugget: “Planning and forecasting are only accurate when based on a long, stable operating history and a relatively static environment. Startups have neither.” Preach. Buy The Lean Startup here.
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. This was recommended to me by my friend and amazing brand consultant Angela Divine (who also took all the photos on my website and social profiles). This book is a very fast read and I am enjoying it tremendously. It has made me really pause to think about my messaging, my marketing and what I can be doing better. Mr. Miller correctly calls out how easy it is to vomit words everywhere (my phrase, not his). He points out that most consumers need you to clearly tell them what’s in it for them, and many businesses spend a lot of time, words and money explaining things that ultimately don’t matter to consumers and confuse them. “How many sales are we missing out on because customers can’t figure out what our offer is within five seconds of visiting our website?” Hmmmm. Buy Building a Story Brand here.
Images of America: Duluth, Minnesota, by Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Norton. As many of you know, I am in love with Minnesota’s North Shore and especially Duluth. So I’ve picked up a number of books about the history of Duluth. This one is amazing because it talks about the history of many of the old historic buildings in Duluth that are still standing today. Given the amount of time we spend up there, I am looking forward to driving by all of these amazing buildings and understanding their history. Buy Duluth, Minnesota here.
Got a good reading recommendation? I’m all ears. Leave it in the comments!