Enjoyable reads from 2017

This may seem like a fairly long list, but it is nothing to all the books I wished I could have read.  Some of the ones left out were just as worthy.  Maybe one or two might catch your fancy.

FICTION TITLES

"Underground Airlines" is alternate history with some thoughts to ponder.  It also is my most popular blog, including all topics this year.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/02/underground-airlines.html

"Homegoing" points out two ways Africans came to America, in this fictional case starting from Ghana.  One way was through slavery, but the other one was successful more modern immigrants.  A good read.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/01/homegoing.html

"The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon" is part of a series starting with the "The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."series by Alexander McCall Smith  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/01/the-minor-adjustment-beauty-salon.html

The Underground Railroad, won a Pulitzer Prize and is another interesting take on African Americans escaping the south.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/05/the-underground-railroad.html

"Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings" is historical fiction that fills in some very interesting speculation,  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/06/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-make.html

The Cuban Affair--family tradition I have been to Cuba as a Canadian tourist  friendly people, but in addition I married into a family related to the author.
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/05/tribute-to-nelson-demille-real-writer-i.html


"The Best Kind of People" was the selection for Hamilton Reads and had also been a Heather's Pick.  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/08/the-best-kind-of-people.html

"Indian Horse" is a book I read a second time as it become a selection of the Burlington Public Library  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/09/indian-horse-by-richard-wagamese.html

Jane Austen amazes me with her understanding of people, even if they are mainly land owners and respectable professionals.  I re-read "Northhanger Abbey" which like her other books are well worth reading.

"See you in September" by Facebook friend Charity Norman.  Hard to put down.  As in most books I enjoy very layered format where you learn details that explain events.  This one deals with how a cult recruits new members and how one family reacts.  Check out an update on Charity:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/02/charity-norman-discovery.html


NON FICTION SELECTIONS

"Homo Deus" one of the most profound books I have ever read.  Thank goodness it also comes with a good dose of humour. This book should be read by everyone who wants to understand where humans have come from and where we are headed.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/04/homo-deus.html


"White Trash" deals with racism, but also links it to America being a class society where everyone has someone to look down upon.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/02/white-trash.html

"Hillbilly Elegy" wrote about another minority group.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/03/hillbilly-elegy.html

"The Content Trap" provided a new slant on what makes a difference in disseminating ideas.  For those mystified about modern communications.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/04/the-content-trap.html

"The Political Mind" by George Lakoff reminds us of the power of words and how they can impact everyone.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/07/george-lakoff-wants-to-reform.html

"Old Age:  A beginner's guide" has a scary title, but the reality most of us wish to avoid is sometimes spurred by something unexpected.  The  author got Parkinson's at n early age and rethinks his view on life and death    http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/03/old-age-beginners-guide.html  Lots for everyone to ponder.

"We were Eight Years in Power." interprets American history as tinged with racism.  A lot of historical facts that are well worth considering:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/12/we-were-eight-years-in-power.html

"A World in Disarray" by Richard Haass gives a view of diplomacy and power in the wordl  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/06/a-world-in-disarray.html

"War" got my attention after watching Gwynne Dyer speak I wanted to read one of his basic books.  Most of his newer books are column based. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/06/war-as-explained-by-gwynne-dyer.html

Plum Johnson book, "They Left Us Everything' brought back some memories.  Many years ago I came across a newspaper, Kids Toronto and was impressed.  At the time I was working for a distribution company and I approached her to try to sell our services. She was too smart for me, but I came to respect her more.  Pleased to find she had written a book covering her life experiences and found her even more interesting.


The Happiness Hypothesis:  What could be more important?  The author is one of the best writers for really important issues.  If happiness is high on your priority list check this one out.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/10/are-you-interested-in-happiness.html

Born a Crime  If you have heard Trevor Noah's comedy routine this will give you a bit of his background and help explain where his sense of humour comes from:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/10/born-crime-beginnings-of-trevor-noah.html

The 100 Year Life  --the younger you are the more important are the issues presented in this book.  If you are pondering retirement it still is worthwhile to better understand how the future is shaping up.  Lynda Gratton has another winner.
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/11/the-100-year-life-how-to-make-most-of-it.html

A World of Three Zeros--may seem idealistic, but has some experience and should be discussed.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/12/a-world-of-three-zeros.html  

I am interested in what books other people (no one more worthy than my readers) think are worth reading.

To read the reviews from 2016 check here:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/12/books-i-am-glad-i-read-in-2016.html

The 100 Year life--how to make the most of it

Lynda Gratton got my attention with "The Shift" that contained a lot of provocative ideas, but as important had a unique presentation.  Trying to predict the future is a bit dangerous, but she developed a format that was helpful--she used fictional scenarios, but adjusted variables ranging from best to worst likelihood.  Here is a link for my review of her well worth reading book that is consistent with her latest endeavor.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/04/shift.html  I felt "The Shift" was the best book read in that year.

With "the 100 Year Life" she with co- author Andrew Scott are venturing onto new territory.  Longer life.  It is futuristic because it is still rare for humans to survive 100 years, but you may start to notice it is becoming more common  A great opportunity, but not without problems.

As in "The Shift" Lynda uses fictional characters to illustrate her points.  The first character born about the same time as me, like me has stumbled through life and with a little luck is set for a normal retirement.  The second character is younger and with a longer life expectancy and financial stresses will have to make adjustments.  Her third character, a younger girl knows she has a longer life expectancy and has to prepare for it well in advance.

The first concern for individuals is how to finance a retirement.  At one time few made it to retirement.  With life expectancy creeping up to 100 we have to consider how we can afford to live that long.  The two main ideas are to work longer and/or save more

At the same time the job situation is changing.  Technology threatens us in many ways.  The authors see some hope.

The authors see a need for people to change their job skills over the years.  Education can help, but needs to be flexible.  A long life with jobs can place stress on relationships and the authors believe everyone will need to spend time cultivating networks and to maintain intimate relationships.  It is important to realize that your reputation is your brand and that will be critical to make transitions.

With a long life and uncertain job prospects it is wise to keep consumption levels low as they tend to be maintained.  At times individuals will have to transition and will have to curb their spending.  Deferring gratification will be critical to learn new skills.

The core belief is that society will no longer function on the three stage life cycle of education then work then retirement.  The book is full of ideas of how to rethink the opportunities as well as the problems.

It is expected that there will be resistance from corporations and government.  The changes are most likely to come from people at the grassroots level.  What is needed is not just pension reform, but more flexibility.  We stand to not only allow more people a more enjoyable satisfying life but also to break down age barriers and segregation.  Part time education will increase to meet the demands of an ever changing economy.  The authors feel workers will have to not only develop specialized skills, but would also benefit for a liberal education that would encourage flexibility.

Many years ago I read the prologue to George Bernard Shaw's "Back to Methusalah" where he contended that if people lived much longer they would learn to organize government better and avoid violence.  Andrew and Lynda contend that issues like climate change will take a different perspective when we realize we and our children will have to live with the environment.

The authors admonish young people to get out to vote.  They are the ones who have the most years ahead of them and they need to be represented by people who understand the issues that help more people to be empowered by a longer life.

If you are younger than 50 this is a critical read for you.  If you are over 50 it is very useful to understand trends and survive more comfortably.  For more thoughts go to www.100yearlife.com

BOOKS I ENJOYED IN 2012

As you browse through a bookstore or the library you are dumbfounded at all the interesting books you don't have time to read.  The situation is only compounded by the availability of e books where you don't have to worry about locked doors.  My selection process is a lot of browsing, reading, listening and watching reviews or references, and listening to friends' advice.  As a result of all that I have spent hundreds of hours over the past year enriching and distracting myself.  Hopefully you might find a few gems.  I have read over 70 books in the past twelve months and these are the ones I remember the most.

I purposely minimize reading fiction books as they are very distracting for me.  One good example is "The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln" written by Stephen L Carter.  I had read an earlier book, "The Emperor of Ocean Park" by the same author and was very struck at his understanding of the law and legal matters while still writing in-depth characters and a clever plot.

Abraham's Lincoln's assassination is one of the pivotal moments of history, although the author believes there are stronger forces than any one man.  After Lincoln's death at the hands of John Wilkes Booth, Andrew Johnson tried to carry on the spirit of Lincoln's expressed intentions not to be too harsh on the southern rebels.  He was not as politically astute as Lincoln and soon generated a lot of resentment that resulted in his own impeachment trial.  One of the themes of this book is that even if Lincoln had survived and Johnson died the historical forces would have expressed themselves anyway. This book is a great mixture of plotting, characterization, political and legal subtleties.


The Burlington Public Library had their Burlington Reads selection "The Beauty of Humanity Movement" by Camilla Gibb and without knowing too much about it I reserved it.  It focused on Vietnam in modern times, but with a strong focus on the impact of the war.  It intrigued me enough that after reading it I visited a restaurant to try the soup that figured prominently in the book.  You can read about that adventure in one of my more popular blogs:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/09/the-willpower-instinct.html  The book was an enjoyable experience enhanced by physically following up one of the themes.

A book I would describe as one to take to the beach is "The Panther" by Nelson De Mille. He turns out a thriller about every 18 months after a lot of research.  There is an intricate plot, interesting information and a lot of humour.  The humour comes from sarcasm and perhaps the best of it is the internal thinking of the main character, John Corey.  I have covered in another blog about marrying into the De Mille family which you can read at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/05/tribute-to-nelson-demille-real-writer-i.html

Another mystery novel I read had a personal connection as I have known the author John Lawrence Reynolds through work.  He had written a number of mysteries set in Boston years ago, but when returning to mysteries he set his latest book on the "Beach Strip" in Hamilton and part of the joy was recognizing local places and history.  His characterizations are a big part of his writing.

Still with fiction I finally read my first Jane Urquhart book, "The Stone Carvers"  An enjoyable book which covered areas of Ontario I am familiar with.  Inspired by the Vimy Memorial.  I will be reading more of her books in the future.

A book that is still impacting me on a daily basis is "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigle.  Willpower is the one personal attribute that can make the most difference.  This is a how to book, but is only as good as the willpower you can put into it.  We all have some willpower, but the trick is how to stretch it and she offers a practical perspective.  A more detailed description by me can be found at  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/09/the-willpower-instinct.html

The Shift---future scenarios  My favorite non fiction book of 2012. We would all like to predict the future, but it is similar to jello. Lynda Gratton runs by a lot of possibilities and links them to trends that either can be encouraged or discouraged.  She gives herself the freedom of fiction to discuss many possibilities.  More details can be found at
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/04/shift.html






"Fairness and Freedom" denote compatible traits but there is an important distinction.  Freedom sounds so noble and everyone craves it.  We want to do what we want to do.  Capitalism thrives on freedom, but too often the levers get re-set and some people have more freedom than others.  For instance those who control capital can shift labour to slave wages and fewer safety and environmental restrictions with just a few key strokes.  Free trade is not free for everyone.  Fair trade is an attempt to  make sure everyone gets their "fair share."  New Zealand has a longer history of concern for this while America is convinced freedom is everything.  Having concrete examples helps clarify the distinctions.  More details can be found at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/06/fairness-and-freedom-book-review.html

Business   Demand is a book that gets right to the basic of business. Persuading people to buy something.  It has always been the case that if you make life easier for someone else to do something they want to do you can sell something.
Again, more details can be found at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/08/demand-book-review.html
Read about my favourite reads of 2011 at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/01/books-i-am-glad-i-read-in-2011.html

THE SHIFT

Predicting the future is pretty dangerous.  Lynda Gratton, the author of "The Shift" has tackled the challenge better than most.

She identifies key forces (admitting they could be configured differently) and applies them to key questions.   She then draws a range from the dark side to more positive. She maintains the dark side scenarios are more likely if we just let things continue, but that the brighter side can happen if humans intervene. The five forces are technology, globalization, demographics and longevity, society and natural resources. The trends within these forces will direct the future and to some extent we can shape them and with better understanding predict a more accurate (and better) future.

To make her points she describes different fictional people in different parts of the world and how the five forces have shaped them. We will live in an globalized world but also fragmented. Technology lets us do more things that we once only imagined, but more of us are isolated and many decisions are based on the very high cost of energy. Ironically transparency has caused us to trust politicians and business even less, but at the same time living our lives guided by corporate agendas even more.

A brighter future is possible if people work towards it. To survive in the future individuals will need to master a marketable skill. The author gives some guidelines to achieve that including of course lots of time devoted to it, but also to find an element of play. She suggests an individual develop a (figurative) signature that identifies them as unique.  Unfortunately no skill can guarantee a positive future so individuals also have to have the flexibility to develop and master new skills. Technology will likely continue to change with unpredictable effects.  It is also true that globalization ensures that competition will be pervasive.

A second shift is necessary. In a world of dispersed families and impersonal work places it will become important to build social networks. One network is of close friends that can be counted on to support you. A bigger network of experts that can help you with problems of work and leisure. Although much of this can encompass social media it is most important you need to have a feeling of a physical community.

A third shift is aimed to make it all meaningful. We have lived in a consumer oriented society. A quote that encapsulates her meaning comes from Robert Reich, "It is time for a longer discussion about what combination of economic dynamism and social tranquility we want for ourselves, our families and our society and about the public choices we need to make in order to achieve this balance."

In summary Lynda seems to be saying that the five forces she has identified are key to understanding the direction of the future and indicate where an individual should examine future options, both as an individual and as a member of society. These five forces are not static, some parts are beyond our control, but others that can be shaped by thoughtful humans.

As I said this book gives you a lot to think about. Your own future and that of your children and of society in general. And the choices you make can make a difference. To keep up to date and read more of Lynda visit her website: http://www.lyndagratton.com/

 

A more recent book about adjustments for increased longevity  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/11/the-100-year-life-how-to-make-most-of-it.html