Book Reviews

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

2/9/2016

By John Seabrook

I don´t remember the last time a book had me caught lately. Perhaps it has to do with my natural interest in the music industry. The Song Machine is a journey through the world of pop music, seen throughout the eyes of The New Yorker's journalist John Seabrook. It is certainly the book that I would have liked to read a few years ago, when my interest in the pop music's song-making process was at its peak.

Seabrook recounts the story of those who helped to create the modern global music industry, from producers Max Martin, Dr. Luke, The Matrix and more, artists such as Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Rihanna, to music executives such as Clive Calder, Lou Pearlman and many other institutions that comprise the very esence of what we hear today in commercial radio.

For those involved in music.

My Rating: 10/10
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Gorilla Mindset: How to Control Your Thoughts and Emotions to Live Life on Your Terms

11/5/2015

By Mike Cernovich

I returned this book since I didn't find that many things useful. I've got some nuggets of wisdom, anyway.

My Rating: 6/10
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Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World

9/13/2015

By Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler

Kind of a sui-generis business book which offers a how-to-guide on exponential thinking and entrepreneurship. The book is divided in three parts: part one covers exponential technology. Part two offers insight into the mindset of entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. And Part three covers crowdsourcing.

As you can see, nothing new if you are already familiar with all-things start-ups. But a great kick-start if you are new or plan to launch something in the future.

My Rating: 8/10
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Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business

8/19/2015

By Gene Simmons

Not that many people know that KISS's frontman and singer is a self-made millionaire and entrepreneur who has really good insights and advice regarding how to make money. His industry expertise includes restaurants, financial services, consumer goods and a whole array of things that you'd never consider before regarding an 80's rockstar.

Of course, not that many people will find some Simmons' comments on race and women in business easy to digest, but that is precisely his point; not to be politically correct about business and life; rather, to give the reader the facts in order for him/her to judge.

An entertaining and quick read. And I personally enjoy Simmons' writting style.

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My Rating: 6/10
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David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

8/7/2015

By Malcolm Gladwell

I am not that fan of Mr. Gladwell. And while his arguments and stories in favor of the underdog and the less favored are entertaining to read, I don't personally consider them groundbreaking.

For sure, Mr. Gladwell has a lovely writting style. But that's it.

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My Rating: 7/10
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Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life

8/4/2015

By Richard Florida

I don't know why I bought this book. It is not that you need to read a whole array of data and research in order to make up an argument in favor of moving out of your city if things are not working well there.

Urbanist and journalist Richard Florida posits that, contrary to the popular argument of the "World is Flat", despite hyperconnectivity, location matters more than ever, since resources and innovation tend to cluster in specific places; therefore, he decision where to live affects all of us in big ways, much more than our decision for a life partner or career. Besides, cities have personalities that could match ours or not.

And that's it; that's the only thing you need to know before saving yourself up your time to read this book. The rest is just research and data that supports these arguments. I really like Mr. Florida's works, but this was too much for too little.

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My Rating: 6/10
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The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

6/21/2015

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Simply wow!... a Master Piece.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, although insuferable and pretentious in his writing, and besides making The Black Swan the kind of difficult read, is still full of interesting, provocative and mind-engaging thoughts that are better to be read twice.

Simply stated; a Black Swan is a random and improbable event that has the power to cause massive consequences. These events can take place in history, society, economics, finance and many other fields. Taleb goes on to explain that forecasters, analysts and general public is blind to these events due to a set of fallacies that impair our judgement.

The Black Swan is proving to be challenging to digest and understand, yet I added this book for my personal library since it is one of the favorites of one of my all-time heroes, Jeff Bezos, and there is a reason why he made this book a mandatory read for his Amazon executives.

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My Rating: 9/10
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Investing: The Last Liberal Art

6/16/2015

By Robert G. Hagstrom

There is a recent trend regarding the importance of liberal arts in people's education, despite the triumph of STEM subjects (Science, Tech, Engineering and Math) in academic circles. "Investing: The Last Liberal Art" does justice to this movement.

Robert Hagstrom, portfolio manager of Legg Mason Capital Management, and a writer who has other books in the subject (Such as "The Warren Buffet Way"), explains fundamental investing principles and ideas in relation to other seemingly non-related liberal arts subjects such as sociology, physics, literature, biology and phsycology.

I'm particularly interested in this topic, since it intrigued me that much the story of Charlie Munger (Warren Buffet partner in Berkshire Hathaway) when he offered a lecture in which he talked about the importance of being a well-rounded investor, and one in which he talked about the similarities between adaptive systems such as ant colonies and the stock market. Hagstrom studied Munger's approach and called this "well-roundness" as "Latticework".

Actually, "Latticework" was going to be the original name of this book.

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My Rating: 9/10
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The McKinsey Way

5/20/2015

By Ethan M. Rasiel

Not only a book about McKinsey, but also an introduction to consulting in general. I don't see a reason why the wisdom contained in this book can't also be of a great use for managers, executives and researchers.

For anyone considering consulting as a career, this might be the starting point. Great insights from an insider.

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My Rating: 7 / 10
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Capitalismo a la española

5/5/2015

By Juan Pedro Velázquez

This is a portrait of the actual state of politics and economy in the present-day Spain, in which the author explains how high business powers are in complicity with those in politics and the state, and how this scenario poses an obstacle to society's development, the economy and the country in general.

The author also proposes that as a matter of survival, Spain does not have choice; the country needs to change its economic model.

While reading this book, somehow I had the sense at times that I was reading about my country, Mexico.

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My Rating: 8/10
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The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

4/7/2015

By Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird

Short and ridicously simple. I read it quick, since I didn't enjoy it fully; the insights and arguments contained here you would find them in other better books.

Nevertheless, good wisdom for managers, executives, researchers and anyone interested in learning fast and become better thinkers. But if you would like to explore more in depth, you better read others.

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My Rating: 6 / 10
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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

3/15/2015

By Susan Cain

Probably the most influential book I've read this year so far. Quiet helped me to understand myself and why act and think the way I do.

Simply stated, introversion does not equal shyness; rather, it is a person's inward focus. This inward focus fosters innovation, reflection and ideas. As Susan Cain says; there is a word for these people: Thinkers.

However, author Cain states that we live in a world that encourages extraversion as a medium for social advancement, disregarding the great qualities that introversion brings to the table. The challenge is to recognize the benefits of the introvert.

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My Rating: 10/10
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El Tigre: Emilio Azcárraga y su imperio Televisa

3/4/2015

By Andrew Paxman and Claudia Fernández

I'll repeat it again; a biography is not only the subject's story, but also, the story of the historical context (let's allow ourselves the benefit of redundancy) in which that person lived.

And that's precisely "El Tigre"; the story of Mexico after the second half of the XX Century, viewed by the lens of the most powerful organization in the country; Televisa.

Here in this book, you'll find a latticework of deals and agreements between the powers and elite, that shaped modern Mexico. And I'll be totally subjective with my final conclusion (That's the end, anyway); Emilio Azcarraga influenced and shaped the identity of the contemporary Mexican.

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My Rating: 8 / 10
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Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success

2/25/2015

By Shane Snow

Journalist Shane Snow debunks the myth that success takes time, and he presents a series of examples and real life cases of fast overachievers, from tech entrepreneurs to Skrillex, that embody the principles for taking smartcuts (as different from "shortcuts").

Among these smartcuts, Shane talks about changing (or "hacking") ladders as a way of growing and learning organically, the importance of mentors and rapid feedback, and the fact that there is virtually low competition at the top, as strategies for fast success.

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My Rating: 8 / 10
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Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist

2/1/2015

By Roger Lowenstein

I can make this review quick by saying that it is about Warren Buffet; enough said. But I would not make justice to the long hours reading this long-also book.

The Making of an American Capitalist is not only the story of Buffet; it is also a deconstruction of what makes value investing, whose insights come directly from one of the most admirable minds in the investing world.

And I personally believe (and I am not pretending to be objective here at all) that Buffet's way of living could be the most correct; measured, thoughtful and driven, with a sense of pourpose and minimalism.

While Lowenstein had the advantage of having direct access to Buffet, other reviewers say that The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life is better. But I don't have plans to read it. Too much Buffet for me by now.

Amazon Page for details
My Rating: 9 / 10
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