Books to Read – July 2012
After another extended break, the Books to Read list is back in time for the summer holiday season. I have tried to include something for everyone in this month’s list.
The Path Between The Seas – The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 by David McCullough
Regular readers of this blog and, more particularly those that follow my Books to Read lists, know that there is not a David McCullough book that I have not thoroughly enjoyed. My favorite is probably The Great Bridge, which recounts the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.
However, The Path Between the Seas is another amazing recounting of one of the largest construction undertakings in modern history. The story of Ferdinand De Lesseps’ quest for repeat glory (he was the mastermind behind the Suez Canal) is, as usual, masterfully told as only McCullough can do. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is my July must-read.
Platform: Get Noticed In A Noisy World by Michael Hyatt
If you write a blog, have a podcast, or otherwise produce content for which you would like to be recognized and / or be paid for, Michael Hyatt’s Platform is an excellent book chock-full of practical wisdom and guides for how to consistently produce great content for your audience to consume. This presumes, of course, that you have something worth saying and are prepared to put out the effort required.
Michael is, by any measure, a very successful content creator. His blog is one of the most popular around, and he regularly speaks at top conferences on the subject of leadership. The book is broken up into five parts, which each part having a number of chapters in it. Of particular interest to me were Part Three: Build Your Home Base and Part Four: Expand Your Reach. I am working on changes to my platform as a direct result of Michael’s advice in these two parts.
Michael does a great job of going from 50,000 feet to tactical, specific things to do. It’s an easy read, and well worth the investment. Make sure you have your highlighter and notebook before you start.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My kids are avid readers of the Harry Potter series. They have each read all of the books no less than five times. I have watched all of the movies with them (my wife read all of the books aloud before we would allow them to watch the movies) but had never read the books until a few months ago.
I particularly enjoyed the Goblet of Fire and, as such, it has made an appearance on the Books to Read list. Of course, if you have not read any of them, you should start at the beginning. The reason I am recommending this book is that, in my opinion, it was far better than the movie. For an easy summer time read, this is a great one to take out to the beach or out on the deck to enjoy intermingled with the occasional nap.