Review: Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A book on how to not let your focus get distracted by what you don't want (like social media, TV etc).

There are several useful well-structured pieces of advice:
- timeboxing the time for what is important for you, including your relationships
- how to be efficient with your emails and messaging
- preventing distractions by the pacts (making it more difficult, losing something unless something else happens)

In particular, I liked the advice on spreading digital minimalism among the friends and others. We can motivate others by making it a taboo to check one’s phone when in the company of others. So, is you see someone on the phone during the social conversation, you can ask ‘I see you’re on the phone. Is everything OK?’

Overall, rather basic and little psychological research to provide substance to the "indistractable" model. Most of it was not novel to me. But the advice is good and useful.

Review: Sult

Sult by Martin Ernstsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Quite good graphic adaptation of the famous Norwegian novel by Knut Hamsun about a poor writer who is struggling with hunger and depressive thoughts.

Review: Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West

Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West by Catherine Belton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A former FT journalist in Russia, Catherine Belton, has done a formidable research for this book. Many interviews and documents have been worked through to depict how Putin and his men from ex-KGB have created kleptocratic and revanchist state such as Russia has become in 2000s-2010s - at the same time, securing an improved way of living for its residents to a certain degree.

I found interesting historical accounts of how Putin and KGB worked in the DDR of 1980s, how they siphoned money out of the USSR to useful allies in the West to discredit the system in the West - and how this eventually has continued after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It was also interesting to read the details of how it happened that a previously rather unknown uncharismatic person has become one of the most powerful statemen of the world - and how the independent large business, juridical and political systems have all been gradually suppressed.

At times, the number of names and connections was difficult to follow. The book could have some registry of key people to refer to.

It also felt too ideological at times - written not by an impassionate historian, but by a person referring to countless of stories to prove one main point - that ex-KGB is ruling Russia and is dangerous for the West. This could have been mentioned fewer times.

Review: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A one-time drummer for Nirvana (one of my favourite bands which was sort of formative to my teenage years) and a founder and the main figure behind Foo Fighters Dave Grohl tells stories from his life.

He starts with the description of his childhood and teenage years in suburbs of Virginia, near Washington - all via references his love for music. He then proceeds with how he has gotten in a punk rock band Scream and later to Nirvana. After the death of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl eventually re-invents himself in a band established by himself and some companions, Foo Fighters.

I loved reading about Grohl's passion for music. This is the main theme which flows throughout the whole book. Starting from how he was "playing" melodies with his teeth, then using pillows in his bedroom instead of the drums - then diving into the world of rock and roll concerts, first as a spectator, then as musician on the scene.

I particularly liked the first half of the book, learning about what the life was like in Virginia in the 1970s-1980s, what it meant to be touring around in the USA, Europe and Australia as part of a band in a van on very meagre means, how was it to be part of Nirvana and sharing the flat with Kurt Cobain.

The stories of his later life were also fun to read, but were more sporadically structured and presented.

Overall, Dave Grohl seems like a nice guy, someone you would like to have among your friends - principled, passionate, but easy-going lad. The book reads exactly like that.

Review: To Sell is Human: the Surprising Truth About Moving Others

To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although not as good book as Pink's classics "Drive", I still liked "To Sell is Human".

The first part about what sales was like before and what it means now was somewhat dubious, although I liked how Pink framed selling into "moving people" - this is something we all do.

But the subsequent parts were rather good. Like in "Drive", there are simple and short arguments supported by social studies and ample research. And I liked in particular various exercises to try and test various good practices. I have actually tested some of them on my team ("have a conversation with a time traveller" trying to explain a contemporary product to someone who lived few hundreds years ago; try one-word pitch, subject-line pitch or Pixar pitch) - it went really well.

Attune to your counterpart, try to really get into what they need.
Mimic strategically.
Don't be overly extraverted or introverted - being an ambivert is best.
Practice interrogative self-talk (Can I do it? Why?)
Be positive, but back up when needed.
Be clear.
Know how to pitch your idea - forget the elevator pitch, there are six innovative ways to structure your pitch.
Make your partner look good. Say "Yes and" (not an easy one in the real life!)
Most of all, make it purposeful.
Don't do upselling, do upserving instead.

I really liked the idea bout clarifying others’ motives with two “irrational” questions.

Suppose your daughter is delaying and denying, and generally resisting studying for a big end-of-the-year exam. You wouldn’t say, “Young lady, you must study,” or “Please, please study for the exam”. Instead, you could ask her two questions:
1. “On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 meaning ‘not the least bit ready’ and 10 meaning ‘totally ready’, how ready are you to study?”
After she offers her answer, ask
2. “Why didn’t you pick a lower number?”
This is an unexpected question, it is not a binary off-on, yes-no question. It can expose an apparent “No” as an actual “Maybe”. Even more important, as your daughter explains her reasons for being a 4 rather than a 3, she begins announcing her own reasons for studying. She moves from defending her current behaviour to articulating why, at some level, she wants to behave differently.

Review: A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories

A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A depiction of the life in Bronx, a suburb of New York inhabited mainly by the families of recent immigrants (many of them Jews) during the 1930s.

These are four separate stories, all of them quite dark, but with philosophical context.

The book really pictures well dull life of poorish suburb of New York of the 1930s. The hopes, disappointments and personal tragedies of its characters were all vividly depicted.

I personally would have preferred one longer story with several characters involved. The visual art is interesting, but too exaggerating to my taste.

Review: Ultimate Guide to Google Ads

Ultimate Guide to Google Ads by Perry Marshall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A solid introduction to the world of Google Ads. I liked the general principle that the book was preaching - how not to give away too much money to Google. At the same time, when relevant, it encourages to use Google's machine learning when picking the bidding strategies for various keywords.

I also liked that some general principles of marketing were well introduced in the context of Google Ads. Be sure you know what is your business' USPs. Follow the 80/20 rules - also in Google Ads, 20% of the keywords bring you 80% of profit. Measure relentlessly - most don't do that, so you can have an edge there.

Some chapters were somewhat superficial, some included a lot of self-promotion by the authors.

Overall, can recommend the book.

Review: Täiesti tavaline merereis

Täiesti tavaline merereis by Meelis Kupits
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mõnus lihtne lugu ühest ENSV kalurikolhoosile kuulunud laevareisist 1970-ndatel. Koomiksi visuaal on tore ja kena - sobib nii täiskasvanutele kui vanematele lastele.

Õpib üht-teist ajaloo kohta: kuidas tollal kalapüük käis, kus täpsemini Nõukogude Liidu laevad käisid, kuidas detailselt kogu see (plaani)majandus toimis. Hariv ja tore lugemine ning pildiline materjal!