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horiaconstantin

horiaconstantin@bookwyrm.social

Joined 2 years, 9 months ago

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George R. Stewart: Earth Abides (Paperback, 2006, Del Rey Books) 4 stars

The story of rebuilding civilization after a plague nearly wipes out the human race.

Ok, but not great

3 stars

If you're into SF, you're going to like this book. Personally, I wasn't amazed by the story: the pace is pretty slow and I wasn't really surprised by the way the plot unfolded. Then again... after covid19 it would be hard to write a book about a pandemic that's surprising.

Erin Meyer: The Culture Map (Hardcover, 2014, PublicAffairs) 4 stars

"As today's business world becomes ever-more global and virtual, executives and managers are expected to …

My first contact with the many differences between cultures

4 stars

And how they can play out to create misunderstanding (which I've experienced firsthand in the workplace). While very insightful, I found it a bit too long and I missed a clear section of action points after each chapter. To keep things easy, I used a summary website to get the main points of the book.

Will Larson: An Elegant Puzzle (2019, Stripe Press) 4 stars

A human-centric guide to solving complex problems in engineering management, from sizing teams to handling …

didn't resonate with me

3 stars

Just like with all my books, I tried listening to the audiobook (from audible) and I stopped after listening for an hour. For me, the narrator sounds like a robot at times, which somehow annoys me (I was surprised to see that it's actually a person, not a robot). When it comes to the actual content, I found that the narrative style is awkward and offputting. The techniques themselves might be useful for a manager of managers, but I'm already getting that information from other sources.

reviewed Managing Humans by Michael Lopp

Michael Lopp: Managing Humans (2007, Apress) 4 stars

Ok, but not great

3 stars

I'm a casual reader of the author's blog and I find the pieces there thoughtful and reasonable. This book (v3) was ok, practical at points, but also polarizing/ranty at moments. I can understand the culture where the author is focused on release or die, but that's far from the reality of most companies and people. There are successful companies out there where life-work balance is encouraged and respected. It's not Silicon Valley or bust. Also, a business/practical book without a cheatsheet falls short from becoming actionable, therefore useful.

Matthew Skelton, Manuel Pais, Ruth Malan: Team Topologies (Paperback, 2019, IT Revolution Press) 4 stars

Effective software teams are essential for any organization to deliver value continuously and sustainably. But …

Good reference book about organising product companies

4 stars

I enjoy the simplicity of the model: 4 types of teams with 3 types of behaviors. I suggest jumping to the conclusion and reading that and going into the chapters only if needed. (the book could have been shorter

Sharon Salzberg, Jon Kabat-Zinn: Lovingkindness (Hardcover, 2004, Shambhala) 4 stars

From 3 stars to 5 stars

5 stars

When I went through the book, I was mildly impressed by the writing and by the information contained in the book. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing. However, as I started doing the exercises and the meditations, things started to shift in me quite fundamentally. Definitely a great book to read and practice from.

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Dispossessed (1974) 5 stars

The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia is a 1974 utopian science fiction novel by American writer …

Pretty good SF with thought-provoking ideas

3 stars

Overall, a good book because I enjoy SF and I was mentally stimulated by some of the ideas about social structures. The reason why I give it 3 stars and not 4 is that it seemed to me that the author was trying too hard to describe the philosophy at the cost of the SF aspect.

Gene Kim: The Unicorn Project (2019, IT Revolution Press) 4 stars

This highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling title The Phoenix Project takes another look at …

If you've read the pheonix project, this is the same

2 stars

Content warning Spoilers ahead!

Robert M. Pirsig: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Paperback, 2006, HarperTorch) 4 stars

"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"One of the most important …

not a good bedtime read

3 stars

This is the second time that I stop reading this book. I really enjoyed the journaling of the motorcycle trip, but that's only half of the story. After a day at work, sitting in bed, trying to wind down, the whole discussion about classicism vs romanticism and rational analysis, etc is just too dry and tiring to follow.