Book 5 The Watchmen

Alright so don't knock me for having one of my 50 books this year be a comic book. Time magazine said it was one of the greatest 100 books. Well ok knock me if you want, but this book was recommmended to me, and I wanted to read it before I saw the movie (comes out in March).

The overall concept of the book is brilliant. The way themes, symbols, and philosophy are woven together in this book is really interesting. I felt like the book was some sort of 12 bar blues and that the author would just take the comic book medium and riff some really incredible solos in the most unexpected of places. I love how he portrayed the masked heroes and added background throughout the book.

I am interested in seeing the movie. However I am afraid that after the first 30 minutes of the movie everyone will be let down. I just don't see how this comic will translate to a fulfilling feature film. Especially with how some of the characters have been portrayed in the trailers. I enjoyed the comic a lot, but will be pleasantly surprised if everybody embraces the movie has a hit.

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

This was a great book. I recieved this book as a Christmas present from my parents. I had previously read Blink by Gladwell, which is also a great book.

This book inspects how we view success and its causes. Gladwell suggests that success is more the result of uncontrollable factors than it is anything a person does. He looks at how certain children born during certain months are more likely to succeed in sports. He also looks at how being a genius doesn't equal success. Instead you must have a high IQ with a socially enriched upbringing. The first 3/4 of the book are a must read. I think Gladwell is right on with 95 percent of what he says, and the way he says it is incredibly easy to read.

Book 3 The Dip

This book was given to me by a friend of mine. He is a pilot and he listened to it on his ipod in between flights. He sent it to me before I took a group of students skiing in Pennsylvania. I didn't get a chance to listen to it all until a got back though.

The concept of this book is a simple one. Most people quit before they ever get a chance to enjoy the results of their hard work. We begin something, are excited about it, and then things get tough and we quit. I like the way Seth Godin encouraged perserverance and seeing something through. I also liked the way he balanced the end result and the work to get there. If the reward for something isn't worth the work, then stop and switch gears. However if the reward is worth the hard work, then don't quit when you reach that tough spot.

Book 2: Chamber of Secrets

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I started reading the series so that I could have something easy and laid back, besides watching TV. I think Chamber of Secrets is better than the first book in the series. It was a little less predictable, and JK Rowlings had less explaining to do as well. She did a good job of wrapping up the story line, but the trend with the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor is frusterating for me. I think the biggest problem I have with this series, is that it makes all the adults/professors look out of touch, ignorant with what is going on. They are always making ridiculous decisions. Still a good book though.

Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton

I decided to try and read 50 books in 2009, and I started this one on New Year's Eve, and finished it around 2AM New Year's Day. I really enjoyed it. Josh has an incredible story. To grow up with incredible talent, be the #1 draft pick, and then recover from a huge addiction, would be one crazy story to tell. He has a great heart about it too.

The one downside of the book, is that sometimes it just doesn't flow well. The stories he tells in it are great, but they bounce around. It is hard to understand why some things are mentioned, and why other things aren't discussed in greater detail. The ending is kind of flat, but that is only because he is in like chapter one of his Major League Career.

On a whole this book was good. Any baseball player or fan would enjoy reading it too. My wife and I got to see Hamilton this past year in Baltimore. He is the real deal, a gifted athlete, and a sincere person. This book helps you know even more of his story and who he is.