The E-myth Revisited - Micheal Gerber (5/5)

The E-Myth Revisited is Gerber's classic book for small business owners, or those contemplating an entrepreneurial leap. In it Gerber discusses how most start-up businesses fail due to the owner working on the work, rather than working on the business itself. Gerber believes that you should be creating frameworks for business that you can hand over to other people, much in the way that McDonalds has successfully created franchises all over the world. This may not seem applicable to modern day start-ups, but a lot of it is and having worked at a successful consultancy where Gerber's approach is very much in evidence I have seen the value first hand. Inspirational and practical, the book is must read for anyone with an entrepreneurial business thought in their heads.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - by J K Rowling (4/5)

Harry Potter. Well, you probably aren't going to read this book unless you've read all the others - and if you've read all the others then you'll read this one too. That said it is definately the best of the series, and J K Rowling has grown with each book, as have her readers. Go back and read the first and you'll see what I mean. The Deathly Hallows ties up all the loose ends, kills off a few characters and keeps you on the edge of your seat in places. It's well written and for a book that comes in over 700 pages it's easy to read and finish in one sitting, just make sure you have a wrist support.

Thanks to Jess for lending this to me a few days after it was out - she, like most fans, had bought and read the book within a day. I just wonder if all the Harry fans will be suffering something akin to withdrawal soon.

This book will save your life - a.m. homes (4/5)

Another random purchase when back in the UK, mainly due to its upbeat donut cover (why do British editions still have the best covers?). This book is an interesting blend of contempory fiction based in LA, with under-currents of many self-help books. The story follows the transition of the main character from recluse to being fully engaged with his life after a near death experience. Luckily for him he's incredibly rich already, but those riches have come at the cost of living a life, so the story charts a trajectory that shows how having this money allows you to throw everything up in the air and see where it lands without worrying too much. Now that may sound like an un-sympathetic character, but surprisingly he's not and the story rarely stops for long enough to indulge in any deep character analysis anyway as it's a real page turner. It's a great book, very up-beat and almost inspiring in the same manner as Celestine Prophecy can affect you. Having said that I'd feel more personally engaged with the protagonist if he'd affected his life and those around him without the benefit of all the money he'd built up.

Survival in Auschwitz - Primo Levi (3/5)

Levi's book covers the year or so that the author was incarcerated in Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp. Luckily for Primo, he was taken there just before the camp was liberated so he escaped to tell the tale. This book covers that time in the camp, the machinations between the people inside, and those outside and it makes for interesting reading. We will hopefully never experience a situation like this ourself, and reading a first hand account of it should help us stop it happening again.

Screw It, Let's Do It - Richard Branson (5/5)

I picked up this offering from the famed entrepreneur owner of the Virgin Group at random and I'm glad I did. The book, written as part of a 'read a book' promotion, was designed to be short and easily digestible and it certainly is, however Branson's mix of life anecdotes and business 'rules' is highly enjoyable and uplifting. Every chapter has an example of how Branson has overcome one challenge or another, normally by setting his mind to a goal and going for it while returning a flexible outlook on how these goals are achieved. Screw it, go read it!

Barrel fever - david sedaris (4/5)

This book of collected short stories by David Sedaris is constantly amusing. The stories are mostly written from the first person viewpoint of different protaganists, from irate mothers to a hard working Elf at a department store, but each one shares Sedaris' off-beat, witty and sometimes slightly bitchy viewpoint. A good subway read. Oh, and if you want a great daily read in a similar vein then check out my friend Sandra's blog, especially now she's about to move to New York.

Margrave of the marshes - john peel (3.5/5)

John Peel is somewhat of a legend for anyone even slightly interested in music in England. His evening shows on BBC Radio presented an ecletic range of sounds depending entirely on what he liked and not what music company reps pushed on him. Peel is also credited with, if not launching, then accelerating the popularity of many new bands from the White Stripes to the Undertones (not alphabetically of course). So it came as somewhat of a shock when Peel died a relatively early death in his 60s whilst holidaying in Peru, and public mourning followed.

Margrave of the marshes is part autobiography from John himself, and part written by his wife Sheila based on his diaries and her recollections. The first half is pure Peel, the turn of phrase, the slight knowing rubs at fame - you can almost here his accent in every sentence. Although not an epic life by any means, Peel's life is full of interesting moments and it's fascinating to see how he came upon his final 'career', or his vocation really. It comes as a bit of a shock when you hit the second half of the book and leave the familiar waters of John's writing and continue the journey with Sheila, or 'The Pig' as she was affectionately known. Sheila's tone is slightly more matter of fact and dry, but the love between them both and their family is very apparent and it's great to have a different perspective.

This book isn't a must read unless you're even slightly into British music, in which case it's a great background to a great man. We miss you John!

Invisible armies - jon evans (4/5)

Exotic travel, international cartels, rogue French mercenaries and hackers - this potent blend comes together in Evans' capable hands to create his latest highly enjoyable novel. From the very beginning I found myself drawn into the story, following from India, through France then onto America with a cast of characters who leave you wanting to find out more at every twist and turn. And twist and turn the story does in a manner slightly reminiscent of a good Bond tale, with modern (read: not sexist) sensibilities. This is a solid, enjoyable romp of a book which would be enjoyed by anyone with a mind to adventure, travel of hacking - especially if you have a nice sunny beach to enjoy it on. Wait. Is that something happening in the tropical forest next to me? I must go and investigate...

Disclosure: Jon Evans is a friend of mine and a lovely chap he is to. That said I don't think that's coloured my review, especially since he didn't feature me in there as a cameo character unlike the best book in the world ever which for some reason is now out of print! Hmm. Guess I'm not the box office draw I thought I was.

Self - yann martel (5/5)

Having read Martel's very enjoyable Life of Pi a while back I was happy to find his latest in a Montreal second hand store. Turns out that synchronicity is relevant, as Martel is based in Montreal now as is a large chunk of this story of a boy who loses his parents, then one day wakes up as a woman. Martel writes with a sense of poignancy that grabs you and takes you underneath the skin of his main character. There is distance between the character and his/her life but over-ridingly a sense of joy and life. As she/he moves from place to place, person to person you get a sense of the slowness of life and growth as it can sometimes exist - a slowness that does not exist for the book, where every page pulls you forward to the next. A great book.

Blink - malcolm gladwell (4/5)

After reading the amazing Tipping Point, Gladwell's famous first book, I have been avidly waiting reading his latest. Having tackled the growth of information in social contexts, Gladwell now turns his incisive and explanatory mind to the subject of split-second judgements. That moment when you see someone and fall in love. The way you can prejudice your decisions from a glance. Why the Pepsi taste challenge could never be won by Coke. Every chapter offers a new set of stories backing up a central premise, and each story is fascinating and engagingly written. However at the end of the book I felt like I had eaten a light snack rather than something filling and satisfying. True, I now have a great set of stories to relate in marketing situations, but ultimately I was a bit disapointed. Still a must read book.