While not as productive in terms of the number of books I read in July, my August reading list for 2024 featured several life-changing books. My August reading list includes The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, Driven from Within, A Death in Cornwall: A Novel, and Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life. For all of the books I have read this year, check out my reading lists [HERE].
The August reading list includes books covering entrepreneurship, self-help, and a spy novel. I learned a ton reading each of these books. In The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company I learned how Bob Iger created enormous value for the Disney Brand. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout taught me that I need to slow down in my work. Driven from Within gave me the motivation I needed to continue striving to be great. A Death in Cornwall: A Novel changed the pace by offering an escape to fiction. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life is a cautionary tale of what happens when a parent does not support their kid’s dream. With that backdrop, it’s time to jump into the August reading list.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company is a fantastic, candid auto-biography from Disney CEO Bob Iger. It shocked me how open Iger was about his career, the relationships and interactions he’s had along the way, and the corporate battles he faced throughout his career. When Iger became CEO, he pitched the Disney board on three goals: focus on branded content, utilize technology, and grow globally. It’s fair to say after the Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Films, and 21st Century Fox Acquisitions, Iger was able to pull off these goals.
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout is yet another book in the Newport list of books I connected with on a deep level. And how could you not after reading this book? Newport is talking about productivity and burnout, two issues successful people think about all the time. Newport argues that our current definition of productivity is to treat busyness as a proxy for productivity. This leads to endless to-do lists and meetings which leads to overwhelm which leads to burnout. Newport argues that modern knowledge workers should look to the past for answers – “history’s most successful philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers who had staying power.” Slow Productivity gives knowledge workers step-by-step advice such as “introducing seasonal variation and shifting your performance toward long-term quality.”
Driven from Within
Driven from Within is Michael Jordan in his own words on what led to his “six NBA Championships and some of the most spectacular performances in sports history.” Jordan makes it clear in Driven from Within that his success came from those around him, primarily his parents. He then added his “skill, work ethic, philosophy, personal style, competitiveness, and presence” to the mix to become a force and ultimately one of the greatest basketball players of all time. I love the way Jordan thinks, the way he works and prepares, the way he treats people, and how he motivates himself every day. For more on Jordan check out Michael Jordan (The Life), Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan In His Own Words, Michael Jordan, and Michael Jordan: Most Inspirational Speech Ever.
A Death in Cornwall: A Novel
Daniel Silva is out with the 24th book in the Gabriel Allon series, A Death in Cornwall: A Novel. I started reading this series in early 2020. I can’t get enough of the characters. A Death in Cornwall starts when legendary spy Gabriel Allon is contacted by an old friend with the Devon and Cornwall police seeking his help in a murder investigation. The killer’s identity appears to be the work of a serial killer in the area. However, Allon discovers the professor who was killed was looking for a stolen Picasso. Allon helps the case by forging six Impressionist paintings and putting together a team of operatives to solve the professor’s murder taking him to the gates of 10 Downing Street. Pair this book with the podcasts Murder, Greed, and Power with Daniel Silva, #1 NYT bestseller Daniel Silva explains how he keeps it fresh with book 24 of his Gabriel Allon series, and Daniel Silva on his latest novel “A Death in Cornwall”.
Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life
Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life by Steve Martin walks you through the hilarious and at times sad story of Martin starting his career in the mid-seventies when he exploded onto the comedy scene. Fast forward to the early 80’s and Martin quits stand-up forever. Martin starts the book at age 10 when he sells guidebooks at Disneyland, at the time a newly opened theme park. After his time at Disneyland in the magic shop, Martin next worked at the Big Cage Theatre where he performed his first comedy/magic act working and honing his craft that would last a lifetime. Two things are clear in this book. One, the incredible sacrifices and discipline required to hone your comedic craft. Two, how hard Martin’s father was on him by never acknowledging his work.
