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Books read in August 2010

Pedro — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:43:16 +0000

August is usually a slow month in Lisbon. This year was no exception. People are on holidays, there’s almost no traffic, and the mood is much more relaxed. I got some sun, did some sports, got more involved with photography, and read a lot of course Here are the books I read in August 2010:

- The Elephant Vanishes, by Haruki Murakami
- Committed, by Elisabeth Gilbert
- Photo Nuts and Bolts: Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos, by Neil Creek
- Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
- On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan
- The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography

Books read in July 2010

Pedro — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:12:33 +0000

Last month I had a couple of weeks off. I had a chance to be in the Algarve for 10 days, where I rested, hit the beach and the pool, and read a lot. I would have read more, if the Larsson books (great reads, btw) hadn’t been over 600 and 700 pages long respectively Maybe this month I will choose shorter ones…

Here are the books I read in July 2010:
- The Wild Things, by Dave Eggers
- The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson
- Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Books read in June 2010

Pedro — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:56:12 +0000

Little by little, I’m picking up the rhythm once again. Three books this month. The goal is four a month, so there’s still some work to be done. I’m having the next couple of weeks off. Between the beach, photographing, taking walks, seeing the sights, and being with family, I’ll sure find time to read some more. Here are the books I read in June 2010:

- A Single Man (Vintage Classics), by Christopher Isherwood
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers

Books read in May 2010

Pedro — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:18:42 +0000

Well, it was better than last month, but still far from the usual average. I’m trying to do better this month

Here are the books I read in May:
- ReWork: Change the Way You Work Forever, by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
- Between the Assassinations, by Aravind Adiga

Books read in April 2010

Pedro — Fri, 21 May 2010 08:26:52 +0000

Well, last month I said my average for books read would drop, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Only one book read in April. Looks like I’ll have to catch up in May.

– The Lover, by Marguerite Duras

Books read in March 2010

Pedro — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:42:02 +0000

Another month, another five books read. The road to a book a week is well under way. In fact, I am doing better. I’ve read fifteen books so far this year. I don’t think this rate will keep up for the whole year, but I’m happy so far. Here are this months’ readings:

- Essays In Love, by Alain de Botton
- Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
- The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
- Hiroshima Mon Amour, by Marguerite Duras
- The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

Books read in February 2010

Pedro — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:23:04 +0000

Here are the books I read in February 2010. The goal of a book a week is still in place and well under control. This is the first time I’ve set a yearly goal, and it seemed like a very good one to start with. Here’s the list:

- The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
- What Matters Now
- How Proust Can Change Your Life, by Alain de Botton
- Dom Casmurro, by Machado de Assis
- The Schopenhauer Cure, by Irvin D. Yalom
- The Art Of Innovation, by Tom Kelley

Books read in January 2010

Pedro — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:42:21 +0000

Here are the books I finished in January 2010. Half as last month, but then again I had almost two weeks off in December. I believe a book a week is a very challenging and exciting goal. I’ll make it one of my goals for 2010. So far so good.

- When Nietzsche Wept, by Irvin D. Yalom
- Marketing School, by @ittybiz
- How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
- The Logic of Life, by Tim Harford

Books I’ve read in December 2009

Pedro — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:22:09 +0000

Now I’ve listed them I realize it’s more than I thought: Eight books in a month. This is a good rate to get rid of the pile I still have next to bed. Now if only I can control the “Buy Now” impulse…

Here is the list:
- A Whole New Mind, by Daniel H. Pink
- Up Till Now, by William Shatner
- The Medici Effect, by Frans Johansson
- “O Banqueiro Anarquista”, by Fernando Pessoa
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind
- “Leite Derramado”, by Chico Buarque
- “Uma noite não são dias”, by Mário Zambujal

Great campaign in praise of books.

Readings: A Whole New Mind – Chapter 06

Pedro — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:46:30 +0000

Symphony

“Symphony is the ability to put together the pieces. It is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.”

Pink distinguishes three kinds of people: The boundary Crosser, the Inventor, and the Metaphor Maker.

He advises us to listen to great symphonies, to go to the newsstand and get magazines in areas you wouldn’t normally buy, and to draw.

He also lets us know how to brainstorm, according to Tom Kelley:
1. Go for Quantity
2. Encourage Wild Ideas
3. Be Visual
4. Defer Judgment
5. One Conversation at a time

This is part of a series of posts I’m doing while reading Daniel Pink’s book A Whole New Mind.