Category: Book review

The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Finance, Reading1 Comment

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As a person who tries to be as efficient in my work as possible, The 4 Disciplines of Execution was a great read. The CEO of the company I work for had given it to me when I was added to a team in charge of one of our product lines and said “we try to incorporate these disciplines in this company.” So, naturally, it sat on my shelf for over a year. Shouldn’t have done that.

4DX outlines a thought process or behavior that many extremely successful companies have adopted over the years. The authors spent a long time implementing this process in companies both large and small before pinning this book. The basics are find a wildly important goal (WIG) that will impact your company the most, figure out what drives the success or failure of that goal, track that driver, and hold people accountable for the success or failure. Seems pretty simple but as you read, you’ll undoubtedly see and probably have experienced the challenges this simple process can run into but have no fear, they will guide you on how to overcome them.

A lot of thought and research went into this book making it very thorough and easy to understand. After reading it, I find myself trying to implement aspects of 4DX into various parts of my day both at work and at home. I will say that the second half of the book gets a bit repetitive when they go into how to scale the process from a team to a company to even at home. However, this book would be a great read for anyone who leads people both in and out of the office.

Click here to buy this book on Amazon!

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Finance, Reading, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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The Automatic Millionaire is a book I wish I would have read at a much younger age. David Bach’s book on how to automate your finances to financial security and freedom in the future is a valuable tool for anyone who has ever made even a dollar. Even if you don’t worry about money or don’t know anything about financial topics, this books breaks the fundamental knowledge every person should have about what you are probably working for, income, and what to do with it.

In case the title didn’t do it for you, the Automatic Millionaire primarily focuses on how to automate your finances. No one likes to worry about paying the bills or keeping a budget. Bach’s book teaches you how to not only get the time back you are spending on budgets and bills with the added benefit of preparing to be in a better place in the future as far as your finances go. With simple explanations and examples, anyone can understand and implement his suggestions easily.

As mentioned, I wish I would have read this book when I was in high school or early college. Though I am an accountant, there were still several ideas in The Automatic Millionaire I had never thought of and immediately put into place after reading this book. I think this book would be a great gift idea for any graduate. Hint. Hint.

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Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Finance, Reading, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad is a staple for anyone who is interested in investing, wealth building, or just finances in general. I guarantee if you look for books or YouTube videos on finances for very long someone will either reference or recommend this book and for very good reason. This book is a great read for anyone who wants to know more about wealth building or just doesn’t know what they want.

Rich Dad Poor Dad, unlike most financial related books, is actually a story of Robert Kiyosaki’s upbringing in Hawaii. His Rich Dad was the father of his best friend who was an entrepreneur. His Poor Dad was his biological father who took the more traditional route of working a regular job. Though one could argue they were both successful in different ways, the Rich Dad was more wealthy. As you read this book, you Robert Kiyosaki takes you through the life and professional lessons he learned from these two influences and how they shaped him into the successful person he is today.

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about reading this book. Though so many people, websites, YouTube channels, and even other books recommended it, I had seen videos of Robert Kiyosaki and he always gave me the impression of being quite arrogant. However, I read his book and I will say that it is one book that has give me more motivation in my professional and personal life than many others have.

Click here to buy this book on Amazon!

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Finance, Reading1 Comment

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The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason is a book I found by reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Published in 1926, I have since heard many people recommend this book. The added benefit is that it is really short at 144 pages and can be picked up fairly cheaply.

The Richest Man in Babylon is actually a book of short stories. Each story is about a different person in the ancient city of Babylon and the lessons they learned in business and wealth building either through trial and error or serendipity. These stories or parables were originally published in separate pamphlets by banks and insurance companies to educate their clients on financial matters.

This was a good, short read. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to educate themselves on how to build wealth or build a business. The old world language used in the book is a bit of a struggle to get over at first but before long, the extra -iths won’t bother you too much and the lessons will start to sink in.

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The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Finance, ReadingLeave a comment

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Ever thought about starting a business? Want to be your own boss? Thinking about making your hobby into something more? The $100 Startup is maybe the book for you. I’m not going to lie, I had a bit of a hard time finishing this one.

Chris Guillebeau spent time contacting and researching entrepreneurs and their businesses to come up a set of keys to success on starting your own business and not losing the farm, so to speak, in the process. He goes through tips on how to grow your business instead of trying to explode it so you don’t waste a lot of time and money and set yourself up for failure. He also goes through a step by step process from day one to getting your business out there which was very helpful.

Though I do greatly appreciate the content of this book and think it is extremely valuable, I thought the book itself was a bit cumbersome. Some people may enjoy the endless case studies and examples Chris Guillebeau provides but I thought they buried the actual content and made it more difficult to grasp. Some of his other books sound interesting but after reading The $100 Startup, it might take me awhile to get to them.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Fantacy, ReadingLeave a comment

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The first installment of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?! The third best selling book of all time, as reported by The Guardian, with over 4.2 million copies sold, it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t read the story of the boy who lived. But there are people out there that haven’t. I know a few and it blows my mind.

The beginning of the epic tale of a boy who was abandoned with his hateful aunt, uncle, and cousin in England, Harry Potter soon finds out he isn’t an ordinary 11 year old boy. From meeting a half giant to attending a secret school for witches and wizards, this book will keep you begging for more. And you’re in luck! There are 6 more of them, 3 side books, a play, and 8 movies to feed your Potterhead obsession.

I am so glad I was at the right age to read these books when they came out. Like millions of other children in the 90’s and 00’s, Harry Potter was a story we could all relate to growing up through the awkward years between the single digits and college. Now with a child entering that age, I have really enjoyed rereading and reliving the excitement and wonder with him. If you haven’t read this one, come on! Get on with it!

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets review

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Reading, Science FictionLeave a comment

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Ready Player One is by far the best science fiction book I’ve read in a decade or more. When my brother recommended it to me I thought it was just going to be a video game, nerd book but it is so much more. Having grown up watching Star Wars and reading books like Ender’s Game, Ready Player One is a modern day scratch for a sci-fi itch.

The story follows a young boy in a future where virtual reality takes up just about every aspect of a person’s day. From entertainment and leisure to work and education, everything takes place in the virtual universe called the Oasis. Throw in an abundance of 80’s pop culture references and a survival against “the man” action plot and anyone born since 1980 will be completely overtaken with nostalgia and excitement.

Written by screenwriter Ernest Cline, Ready Player One is an easy, enjoyable read and made for a very fun movie. Having said that, I would recommend reading the book over the movie because there are way more references and some of the ones in the movie are hard to spot because there are so many of them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but readers who were around in the 80’s and 90’s might find it more enjoyable.

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The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

On By J. Patrick LasherIn Book, Book review, Classic, Reading1 Comment

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Probably the longest book I have ever read, French writer Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo was well worth the 1,400 plus page marathon. The story, or how-to manual on revenge, follow Edmond Dantes and his life starting at ok, dropping to horrible, and his rise to greatness through the motivation of vengeance. Yes, this book is as epic as it sounds.

Edmond Dantes, a sailor, becomes captain of his ship and is about to marry his beautiful bride, Mercedes. Fernand Mondego, Edmond’s best friend, and Danglars, Edmond’s coworker, are jealous of this and plot to have Edmond, something of an ignorant, charged with treason. While sentenced to a prison island, Edmond befriends Abbe Faria, who teaches him to genius level intelligence which Edmond uses to plot the most elaborate revenge plan ever.

Though this book is quite long I have had no problem reading it twice. The plot and history are so exciting, you can’t wait to see what will happen next or to see if Edmond wins back his beautiful bride, Mercedes. Alexandre Dumas is definitely an author for the ages. I had to read The Three Musketeers after this and it was awesome too.

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The Three Musketeers review