Title : A Lifetime of Secrets: A Postsecret Book
Author : Frank Warren
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Simply inspiring
Unbelievable. Read this book in one sitting. This is the second book of the postsecret series that I have bought and it didn't disappoint. A complete rollercoaster ride of emotion pours out of this book. Secrets that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you wish you could just give someone a hug and let them know it will be ok. While not a short book, I read it through really quickly because I just wanted to read about more and more peoples' secrets. I've visited the website every week for a year and can't get enough of this. Hard to believe this world-wide phenomenon started off as a small community art project...
Title : Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Author : Robert Cialdini
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Good, but not totally convincing or that useful
I bought this book for two reasons - one to make myself more alert to sales techniques, and two to see if there are any useful insights to glean that could be applied to other areas of life.
On both counts the book delivers. Having recently been pitched to at work by a media tracking agency and nearly taken the bait (didn't in the end) I immediately recognised the use of reciprocity and scarcity to try and harry me into signing up. That alone was worth buying the book for, and I will definitely use that insight in future.
In addition, the chapter on consistency is also very useful. I've been involved in trying (and failing) to get people behind certain campaigns in the past. As such the discussion about getting people to make small commitments to establish a self image which they then feel the need to act consistently with both rang true on a personal level, and seems like something worth trying out in future.
So why only three stars? For one I did not find elements of the book convincing. The section dealing with newspaper coverage of suicides is the bit that really troubles me. Some of the data seems both to be limited and have been interpreted quite loosely. I would need a lot more convincing that the stats are being interpreted reasonably, it looks far too rough and ready. Given that this book is really about behavioural biases surely it should be extra careful about interpretaion of data as this is something we humans tend to be very bad at, always looking for patterns that aren't there and so on. That then leads me to query the hypothesis built on top of the data and to be honest I find myself not buying it. That also makes me query whether other chapters suffer from similar flaws.
Secondly, the book isn't actually that useful once you get your head around the key techniques because, as a previous reviewer says, simply having the knowledge that you have biases doesn't make them go away. To be really useful the book should have spent as much time reinforcing ways to resist the influence of biases as it does explaining what they are.
That said it is very readable, and I got what I wanted from it, but it could have been better.
Title : The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide
Author : Sean Covey
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Excellent
This book really is well written, and perfect for a teenager. Sean Covey has got it spot on, and it actually works. Its very easy to read, and also very enjoyable. I have recommended it to many friends, and they have taken a lot form it. This beek also makes a perfect gift. None of us seem to have much "life-management" in this day and age, so this beek can really change a person for the better, whilst they are in their youth. Its good to see that the writing skills were passed down in Stephen Covery's family.
Title : The Richest Man in Babylon
Author : George S. Clason
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Every teenager should be given this book at school.
With personal debt at it's highest ever level this book should be given to every child before they leave school and enter into the financial mine field and every adult should buy it. It is so simple to read, no jargon or complicated investment ideas, just good old common sense advice (which isn't common!). The best ever financial book you could buy.
Other Related Resources:
1: http://blog.beacontechnologies.com/other-stuff/website-content-design-goals-and-teamwork/
2: http://www.denisdesigns.com/blog/2009/03/inspiration-these-websites-are-not-black/
3: http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2009/01/07/mybarackobamas-for-life-not-just-for-christmas/
4: http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/fenwick-arms.html
5: http://www.publishingbasics.com/2005/08/11/e-mail-etiquette/
