GR Hansen

Okay, make it a 3.5. The book definitely got better as it moved along. At first, the author sounded like just another crabby old guy whining about change. But the tone of his sarcasm improved, became more humorous. As an American, I'm glad I read this book while visiting England. I'll read more of his work.

I'm a fan of Mr. Schaefer's ideas (though I wouldn't recommend his podcast - too much him trying to be funny and not enough sharing interesting ideas). And this book is filled with helpful ideas. I will keep it on my shelf for reference.

For a love of Elvis Costello and his music, I wanted to enjoy this book more. But the fragmented tales jump time and place faster than a Dick Dale guitar riff. Still, the book contains moments of magic for me. It was seldom easy to read, but I'm glad I read it.

Maybe I have just read too many books about trends lately. But this one just kinda left me hoping for more.

I both loved and hated this book. Which really means I loved it nearly as much as anything I've read. But still, yeah, okay, amazing. But ...

I could probably give it five stars, for the attention I paid to it and the longing to read more and for its creative formatting. This book expands any writer's ability and possibility. For that, five stars indeed.

Probably 3.5 stars, but that's okay. I enjoyed the language and style. Good characters that you could really get to know. Mystery? More of a twisting tale than traditional mystery book. An excellent summertime read.

After a slow and somewhat predictable start, this book became a compelling and informative read. While I'm tired of “business” books and rarely recommend them, I could argue that this book is less about business and more about effective communication. And I will endorse it and encourage friends and business associates to read it.

Amazing. I took notes and still couldn't capture all the learning in here. It's incredible how often this book applies to things I'm doing and to conversations I'm having. It will be read again and again.

While the ending might merit 4 stars, most of the book gets 3 from me. It takes a while for the story to grab attention, and the jumpy timeline gets tiring, distracting. But the end is great, honestly, and I often struggle with a book's ending.

I enjoyed the begging quarter and the end, but the majority of it seemed too long, often redundant, and a bit predictable.

Merged review:

I enjoyed the begging quarter and the end, but the majority of it seemed too long, often redundant, and a bit predictable.

The book was average, with some gems that made me earmark a few pages. Then the author quoted Hitler. Yes, that guy. And I'm thinking, seriously? You used a Hitler reference in this “business” book? Did that alone kill it for me? Yeah, pretty much.

Authors, don't quote Hitler. There are so many other quotable sources. Just don't. Unless you want to quote Hitler.

This book came to me highly recommended by several business professionals I admire. Is it a riveting piece of literature? No. But is it a great business book for professionals? Yes. Do I always ask questions? Yes, but usually not like this. Anyway, I have purchased a couple copies of this to give as gifts. Seems fitting. Oh, and the whole book requires about 2 hours of reading time. Well worth that time, and more.

So many people are talking about EOS, and maybe it's right for your organization. But if you're like me - an owner of a 1-person business - EOS and this book are just not needed. The book covers a small to mid-size business with a few employees, and it details the company's path into EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System). The story takes you through meetings and planning and restructuring the biz, and it's filled with acronyms and buzz phrases and all that I honestly dislike about big orgs. I did get some good info from it. But I had to talk myself into finishing this one.

Sometimes you have to read bad books, too. Here is one. This might have been an interesting tale, and started out that way, but it quickly became sophomoric, like reading Frat Party Hits of the 70s. Actually, after reading this, I'm undecided on which I dislike more, this book or Dangerfield himself.

Best Vonnegut ever? Is there such a thing, just one?

It's challenging to review a book of short stories. Some are amazing (Friend of My Youth, Five Points, Oranges and Apples) and others you struggle to get into (Differently, in particular). But you persist for individual bits of outstanding prose. Maybe a 3.5.

I wish the scale was 1 to 10. I would give this a 7 rating, so 3.5 here, which I can't do. A well-crafted story, interesting character development (that's important to me) and fun side action, with the wine and cigars and setting. And it's a quick escape kinda read. I will search for more in the series. Not perfect but enjoyable.

This book had everything I love. Character development and word choices and literary references and a bit of cultural history and relational suspense. One of my favorite reads this year.