en-US Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:56:35 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Friend1420715065 Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:56:35 -0700 ReadStatus9316684212 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:57:56 -0700 /review/show/7494017378 Jake wants to read Flock Not Clock: Align people, processes, and systems to achieve your vision by Derek Cabrera
]]> ReadStatus9316683572 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:57:44 -0700 /review/show/7494016937 Jake is currently reading Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School by Michelle Icard
]]> Review7491651062 Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:11:30 -0700 /review/show/7491651062 Jake gave 4 stars to Abundance (Hardcover) by Ezra Klein
The book was enjoyable - starting with a futuristic look at a utopia of abundance that is within our grasp, and then getting into the weeds for everything from sludge in contracting to the over complicated nature of health care, to the critique of liberalism without a focus on actual, functioning government to do the work it’s trying to do (like building affordable housing in blue wall, coastal cities).

Yet one thing that’s unmentioned here is � there’s a problem with abundance. Whether we call it “affluenza�
or “choice overload,� we have plenty of supply. Go to a dump � the one near my childhood home in Pen Argyl (it’s called Grand Central Landfill) or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and it’s easy to see that we already live in a land and time of abundance. While the authors may argue the abundance is a form of freedom, some of the happiest and SES flattest countries on the planet have some regulation. That’s why folks love Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Chick-Fil-A: they get exactly what they want and seek. ]]> Review7491643138 Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:07:57 -0700 /review/show/7491643138 Jake gave 3 stars to Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation (Hardcover) by Jim O’Heir
This was a cute book. I enjoyed Parks & Rec and O’Heir’s tome (who played Jerry/Gary on the show) was nostalgic. However, it became a bit more autobiographical than I was looking for - esp with the title. Still, I was glad for the book and to see O’Heir’s place in the program. Saddest was when he was excluded from People’s “men of Parks & Rec� and greatest was his description of working with Christie Brinkley. ]]> Review7491639187 Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:07:34 -0700 /review/show/7491639187 Jake gave 2 stars to Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future (Hardcover) by Jean M. Twenge
I read the first two generations and then had to put it down. The nearly exhaustive list of members to generations seemed to wash out the commonalities, which I thought was well researched. The introduction was almost longer than some books. ]]> Review7491639187 Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:06:15 -0700 /review/show/7491639187 Jake gave 2 stars to Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future (Hardcover) by Jean M. Twenge
I read the first two generations and then had to put it down. The nearly exhaustive list of members to generations seemed to wash out the commonalities, which I thought was well researched. The introduction was almost longer than some books. ]]> Review7443698091 Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:35:51 -0700 /review/show/7443698091 Jake gave 5 stars to Reset: How to Change What's Not Working (Hardcover) by Dan Heath
As someone who has worked on and is continually interested in change management, I came to this book with a leery eye. But I finished the book wanting to re read the stories over and again, simply to have them readily available for when I needed the narrative or the numbers. The items that stood out most for me were:
1. Go and see the work - a principal upset with her students performance trailed a struggling student for the day and was appalled by the learning conditions. Sometimes we think we know what it’s like to be on the ground floor, in the process. Most times we just need to place ourselves in there.
2. Target the constraint - I’ve long been absolutely blown away by how Chick-Fil-A handles a drive-thru. Heath really helps construct the narrative about this full on efficiency.
3. Tap motivation - I could never understand why teachers and L&D pros talked about what THEY needed to COVER, when instead the approach should be flipped: what is necessary to inspire the learner?!

We all work with change, and this read belongs on your bookshelf, full stop. ]]> Review7432463889 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 19:20:33 -0700 /review/show/7432463889 Jake gave 1 star to How to Work with (Almost) Anyone: Five Questions for Building the Best Possible Relationships by Michael Bungay Stanier
Mehhhh I don’t know if I could work with the editors who approved this tome. Not much new here for anyone who has a bit of conflict management and empathy. ]]> Review7432454462 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 19:20:05 -0700 /review/show/7432454462 Jake gave 2 stars to Heretic: The Many Lives and Deaths of Jesus Christ (Hardcover) by Catherine Nixey
An interesting read and concept that the story behind Jesus may be influenced by or a folded in compilation of other stories. However, it’s hard to corroborate or verify any of what’s presented to the reader. While I’m a Christian who finds it important to challenge and find the truth behind the stories we’ve been told for thousands of years, it’s hard to say that Nixey has found the grail. ]]>