Book Reflection: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

This book was published in 2011 but if the hold waiting list at the Toronto Public Library is any indication of a books popularity or interest level, then this book continues to have quite the following.

I finally got my hands on a copy after waiting a few weeks and I made sure to start reading it right away. I wasn’t disappointed at all.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

This book gives a fresh POV on our past -- both recent history and our evolutionary past.

Book Reflection: Frenemies by Ken Auletta

I finished reading this book more than a month back and what's the word kids now use? I am now WOKE.

All kidding aside, this is a must read book for anyone in the advertising industry!

Frenemies by Ken Auletta

Book Reflection: The Snowball by Alice Schroeder

This book was published a decade ago, in September 2008, and it took me a while to get to reading it. My good friend Johnson had been telling me about Warren Buffett for years but it wasn't until a few years ago that I really took the time to learn more about the man and his philosophy.

Better late than never right?

The Snowball by Alice Schroeder

There are a lot of lessons to learn from Warren Buffett and many books have been written about the man and his life.

I found this book really interesting because it was very comprehensive in writing about his early life and how he turned into the man now known as the Oracle of Omaha.

Book Reflection: The Upstarts by Brad Stone

Learning about the early days of Uber and Airbnb seems like a good follow up after reading about Amazon/Apple/Facebook/Google. "The Upstarts" is written by Brad Stone who also wrote "The Everything Store" - a book about Jeff Bezos and Amazon.

The book is very well researched and is written in a manner where it seems like you are reading a very long piece of investigative journalism - that is, it hooks you in and doesn't let you go until the end.

The Upstarts by Brad Stone

The author clearly had access to the founders and inner circles of both Uber and Airbnb. Not only that, he does a great job of getting the point of view of regulators and other relevant parties. He tries his best to approach the writing of the book with an open mind and tries to paint an unbiased picture of past events for readers.

Here are a few things I learned from the book.

Book Reflection: The Four by Scott Galloway

No introductions are needed for the four horsemen that take center stage in this book. As consumers, many of us consider the products and services that these four companies offer as integral in our daily lives. From using Google Maps to get to the nearest Wholefoods, to chatting with friends on WhatsApp using your iPhone.

The Four by Scott Galloway

Book Reflection: Originals by Adam Grant

I've been wanting to read this book for a while. I finally got around to reading it after I found a copy in the library.

Originals by Adam Grant

Some of the things that stood out to me include using the reverse elevator pitch to help you champion your own creative ideas, looking to hire people who will contribute to the culture instead of just someone who will fit the culture and how parents can help shape original thinking in their children. 

Book Reflection: Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella

I wanted to follow up my last book reflection with another one that focused on how culture can help shape a company. This book, written by Microsoft's current CEO Satya Nadella, talks about his vision for Microsoft and how he has helped lead the iconic company to turn around, "hit refresh" and look to the future.

Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella

Book Reflection: The Virgin Way by Richard Branson

My first time to borrow a book at the Toronto Public Library and I chose this book by Richard Branson. Mr Branson is definitely one of the more iconic business leaders of his generation and I knew very little about him so I thought it would be interesting to read his thoughts on leadership.

The Virgin Way by Richard Branson

There were a few things that stood out to me about "The Virgin Way".