Book Review | John Gallagher

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Book Review – The Traveler’s Gift

November 28th, 2011 by John Gallagher 2 Comments

Just recently completed The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews. This was given to me as a gift…twice. I must say that I enjoyed this book.

There are so many books out there with “numbers”. 21 ways to do this, 5 ways to become a millionaire in 3 minutes a day. So, when I read the subtitle, “Seven decisions that determine personal success”, I will admit that I was a little skeptical at first. But, when 2 people give you a book, it is kind of like when someone offers you a stick of gum or a mint…there is a reason!!

This was the first Andy Andrews book I read. I was intrigued by his writing. His vivid imagery made it easy for me to follow the story of a man visiting several (seven!) leaders of the past, including Abraham Lincoln, Joshua Chamberlain, among a few others. So, not only did I get 7 choices that may help me to determine success, I got a history lesson! Now, one can skip to the end of the book to get the answers, but the author’s method of getting you to each decision was engaging. It won’t ruin the book if I give you the 7 decisions:

1) The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future

2) I will seek wisdom.

3) I am a person of action

4) I have a decided heart

5) Today, I will choose to be happy

6) I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit

7) I will persist without exception

Several memorable quotes from this book as well. “The only sure way to avoid criticism is to do nothing and be nothing!”

I think this was a great book. Want a copy? Comment on this post and tweet the link to this post. Let me know which of the 7 decisions you struggle with the most. How are you going to overcome that struggle? I will choose one winner from the responses and send a copy to you via mail.

Posted in Book review | 2 Comments »

Can books REALLY save us?

May 15th, 2011 by John Gallagher 1 Comment

Today, I read a post from Mark Sanborn titled Books Can Save Us. I posted a lengthy comment as it generated a lot of thoughts in my head. Then, I read a post, Seven Types of Blog Comments and How to Respond to Them, and found I was guilty of #2 – being long-winded. Oddly, I had just minutes before thought it was long-winded and I should post about it, so…here I am!

Now, I don’t know that books will really ‘save’ us, but I do find books to be therapeutic, thus, I believe they have a way of extending our lives. So, here was what I expressed to Mark, and now to you, about books:

1) I envy personal libraries with the wood paneling to the ceiling and the walls of books, including out of print, first editions, and favorites that have been read. While I stop short of making this type of personal library a ‘goal’, it would definitely be nice to have. I would want it to be interactive, though. When friends come over, I want them to pull the books off the shelf, read through my notes, and generate discussion/fellowship for the content as well as the aesthetics!

2) I think that books can be ’attractive’. When I finish reading a book, I remove the fancy cover and see how attractive the book’s binding is. Then, it goes on my ‘shelf’.

3) Touring of bookstores is something I often do. I wish I had the time to read all of the wonderful books that are there.

4) Life is too short to read a bad book(or drink a bad wine). I will stop reading a book part of the way through. I don’t do this often as most of the books I read are suggestions from trusted sources.

These are a couple ways that books are therapeutic to me. What about you?

Posted in Book review, Relationships | 1 Comment »

My Nook after 90 days…

March 5th, 2011 by John Gallagher No Comments

Because I travel regularly and I normally have a few books going at once, I decided to purchase the Barnes and Noble Nook. Here are my observations after the first 90 days I have had it.

Pros:

I only have to carry one ‘book’ to have all of my books on it. I have read 3 books so far and I have my Bible on it as well.
The screen is clear and easy to read
It has Sudoku on it as well!
The highlighting and note features are both easy to use after a short training period.
Love the ‘Lookup’ feature for when I don’t know what a word means. This was VERY important when I read ‘Mojo’ by Marshall Goldsmith. A really good read, but some of the vocabulary he used was well-advanced!

Cons:

The web browser is just OK. Of course, I am not a fan of touch screen keypads due to my large fingers.
When using on an airplane, my reading time is reduced since I must turn my ‘electronic device’ off during takeoff and landing. I cringe when seeing other people continue to read their print books!
While I find the note taking feature easy to use, I find it very difficult to navigate through the notes after I am finished. On the ereader vserion on my laptop, I can easily see the comments, but am unable to copy and paste them into Evernote.

So, after a few months, I am still not ready to completely retire my hardback books. Until Barnes and Noble is able to make it easier to manage the notes and highlights (as the Kindle IS able to do), then I will only consider the Nook an OK tool for the novel reader, but it lacks the necessary tools for a business book reader looking to add to their personal development.

Do you have an ereader? What do you consider to be the best and worst features of your ereader? Have you completely switched away from print?

Posted in Book review, Leadership, Productivity | No Comments »

Book Review – Leadership Gold

July 24th, 2010 by John Gallagher No Comments

Recently, I completed Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading by John C Maxwell. This book took me over a year to complete. Not because it wasn’t a good book, quite the contrary. This is a book that you can pick up, scan the table of contents, and go to a specific lesson without the need to complete the book front to back. There will be times you are on your leadership journey that some of the lessons may impact you more or less, but clearly, this is a valuable resource for leaders. As valuable as ‘Gold’? I will let you decide!

There were a few topics of the 26 lessons that have struck a chord with me recently that I will share here: (more…)

Posted in Book review, Leadership | No Comments »

Book Review – 90 Minutes in Heaven

July 20th, 2010 by John Gallagher No Comments

Recently, I completed 90 Minutes in Heaven, a true story about Death and Life by Don Piper. This book was not on my reading stack for 2010, but was a gift from a friend…and what a gift it was.

I read this book while on vacation and it was hard to put down once I got started. Even my mother borrowed it from me during vacation and finished it in just a couple sittings! (She gave it back with a gift of a bookmark – Thanks, Mom!)

The title depicts the time Don Piper spent in heaven after a severe accident where he had been pronounced dead and 90 minutes later, he returned to life. The book jumps immediately into this event and details the agonizing AND rewarding recovery process. There were a few great takeaways for me: (more…)