I have read a ton of books since I’ve been "not-blogging" and I want to make sure that I have them logged. So here goes.

First up we have what was labeled on audible.com as a "speech". In reality, it’s a telephone conversation that was recorded. So right off the bat I was a little dissapointed. I downloaded the program because it semi-applies to website marketing, which is basically what I spend my time doing during the week. It was so basic though that it didn’t help out at all. For what it is I guess it’s alright, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has a decent amount of knowledge in web marketing. Oh, the name is Create One-Page Web Sites for a Steady Income Stream and it’s by Jeanette Cates.

Next up is a truly remarkable book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Second Coming of steve Jobs is about… well… the second coming of Steve Jobs and Alan Deutschman did an excelent job putting it together.

Steve Jobs is a charasmatic innovator who I would love to one day hear speak. He is a true innovator and risk taker unlike anyone I have ever read about. The book details the life of Steve… good and bad. Highly reccomended. If you have any interest in business at all, this is a great story. I think it’s so important in business to create remarkable products and that is what Steve does best.

That’s all for now… I’ll update more book stuff soon. 

I have a goal to read two books a month in 2006. It’s something that I’ve never had the time to do… but now with the amazing technology of the Treo and downloadable audio books from audible.com… I do.

The book I’ve now started is eboys. I think I’m going to love it, but am a bit disapointed with the language. There are times when necessary not necesary to curse… and Randall Stross doesn’t hold back… at all.  Other than that, though.. the book is filled with stories of unlikely success.  The kind that goes against the statistics.  I’m in to that.

I realized today that Books are wonderful.  The only problem is that they end.  Sitcoms are great because they continue for a long time.  Well, except the ones that I fall in love with.  Books can’t be cancelled… it seems that no matter what you’re looking to read, it’s around somewhere on Amazon.com.

I’m rambling.  Probably because I’m exauhsted.  So anyway, I’ll let you know how eboys goes.  It’ll be book number three for 2006.

Oh!  I forgot… the whole reason I wanted to write this post was to recommend the book Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey.  It offers a great way to generate wealth and payoff debt.  Dave is a multi-millionaire who made millions, went bankrupt, and made millions again.  It’s a neat story.  He actually shares some of the concepts that were in Millionaire Next Door, but without the "you can’t ever spend any money on anything cool… ever… that’s right… EVER" attitude.  I’m not a fan of Millionaire Next Door… as I stated in an earlier post.

It’s been a while. I don’t know why I just can’t sit down once in a while and update this thing. It’s not a lack of time, because as you know there’s always time to do something. You can steal it from somewhere. Life is so overwhelming right now. I feel like I’m drowning in never ending to do lists, projects, deadlines, and problems and excitement all at the same time. There seems to be no end to the insanity. But there’s no one to blame but myself and I know it. I’m not complaining or attempting to be negative. I know that I am… I’m just not trying it.

I’m listening to this great book right now. That’s right… "listening". I don’t read anymore. Just don’t have time (Well.. I dooo have time… I just don’t want to steal it from anything else) I listen to books… in the car and while I’m cleaning (which isn’t often) Anyway… it’s by Stanley Bing and it’s called "The Big Bing". It’s actually nothing like I thought it would be. The description that I read was this:

Stanley Bing knows whereof he speaks. He has lived the last two decades working inside a gigantic multinational corporation, kicking and screaming all the way up the ladder. He has seen it all: mergers, acquisitions, layoffs, the death of the three-martini lunch; and has himself been painfully re-engineered a number of times. He has eaten and drunk way too much, stayed in hotels far too good for him, waited for limousines in the pouring rain, and enjoyed it all. Sort of. Most importantly, Bing has seen management at its best and worst, and has practiced both as he made the transition from an inexperienced player who hated pompous senior management to a polished strategist who kind of sees its point of view now and then.

In one essential volume, here is all you need to know to master your career, your life, and when necessary, other weaker life forms.

Now that I re-read it I realize that I should have assumed that it would be more about corporate life as a middle manager than it was of business in general. It is very funny… just be opened minded. Bing has an extremely sarcastic point of view and dry delivery… Very funny though.

I know this is getting long, but I must also let you know that I finished reading (listening to) The Google Story. It was one of the most incredible Corporate Biographies I have EVER READ. It really put a life behind the story that we all know so well. You find yourself learning the details bout how Google grew from nothing to everything in a matter of 9 years. In reading it you really get to know the company and it’s founders Larry and Sergey.

So what else… Oh… another book… (Boy, it’s been a long time)… Major dissapointment. The Millionaire Next Door. In this book Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D. and William D. Danko, Ph.D. do a "study of the rich in america". Their bottom line is this… if you hoard your money and never buy anything… you’ll become wealthy. Page after page talks about how you should never spend money… take the majority of your paycheck and save it for a rainy day. I don’t know… just seems so boring. I believe that if your goal in life is financial independence… their are ways to achieve it outside of sticking money in your savings account… Have fun with your money! Instead of a bank about… get a rental property! Learn something new! Buy some stocks and play the market a little. Invest in a new business venture that a friend is doing… Money isn’t the world… but it has the ability to make the world more fun. Just have fun.

Wait a minute… I just realized something. I’m not financially independent or I wouldn’t go into the office every day… so I really don’t know what I’m talking about… hmmm…