Last year I made a goal to basically read a book a week throughout the entire year. The idea behind this is that I would write a review for each book I read on this blog. While I did read a LOT of books last year, the reviews sadly didn’t happen as originally intended. I discovered it was a lot easier to take time to read over taking time to write. With that in mind, I’m going to give an overview of my books from the last year (some of which you can find I did end up reviewing on DAPS MAGIC) and share some of my highlights.

The top book of 2019 for me was written by Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company is as much a book on leadership as a look at the career of Bob Iger at ABC and then Disney. It gives some tangible tips that can be used in leadership and also pulls back the curtain of the man at the helm of the biggest entertainment company in the world. 

Throughout the course of of this book Iger takes a hard look at the lessons he learned as he went through the ranks of ABC and then Disney. It isn’t just a book that trumpets his successes. It also shares some of the challenging moments he faced as he made his way through his career. It was nice to see the candor that he shared about the pros and cons of his career.

This is a book I would suggest that anyone who aspires to be a better leader reads. It is also a great book for any Disney fan looking to learn more about the leader of the house of mouse!

Continuing on with the Disney theme, I also read several books by current and former Imagineers, a book that was released leading up to the opening of Epcot, multiple books about Disney movies released in 2019, and several historical books from different figures in The Walt Disney Company. Of all of these, Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career by Kevin Rafferty was definitely my favorite. In fact, it ranks right up there after the Bob Iger book.

I also read some history books throughout the course of last year and some other leadership books. While most of these were good, there were definitely several duds as well that were hard to finish. Just before the end of the year I read Rejection Proof twice with a leadership group I lead. It was a fun and interesting book but probably doesn’t go in my top five leadership books to date. That will have to be another blog at another date though. In the fiction realm, I did read some Star Wars books, mainly due to my friend Chris giving me some for my birthday. I found myself really enjoying them though and wouldn’t mind reading more of them in the future!

In 2020 I intend to continue on reading and learning new ideas. As I pondered 2019 and the leaders I’ve known that went before me, I continued to recognize the important of taking time to both read and think. New ideas (that are sometimes even awesome) come out of these important times. I’m hoping to not only continue to read more books this year, but also read some books I wouldn’t normally read as well. If you have any suggestions for favorite books I should read, please let me know in the comments below! I’m always looking for more books to read and books that come with a recommendation would be even better!

What are you looking forward to read in 2020?

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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Recently I was able to meet and interview Simon Majumdar. You may recognize him from several different Food Network channels. He was a guest at the Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller and absolutely fascinating to talk with. Not only a food connoisseur, but he is also a food historian. This wasn’t always his life though.

Simon Majumdar has always had a love of food, but not the career that was centered around it. In Eat My Globe, Majumdar shares how he ended up pursuing his passion and building a career in the food industry. Burnt out in the book business, Majumdar quit his job and then went on a grand adventure pursuing the different foods of the world.

This food adventure around the globe not only changed Majumdar’s career but also his life. This book shares about his adventures around the globe trying foods that many would try, and other foods that few would. Each chapter focuses on a specific place or country that he visited and shares some experiences and reviews of the food had while there. The book moves at a nice pace, has an amusing wit to it, and gives a good look at the world through the lens of food.

Perhaps the best part of Eat My Globe is the messages it communicates. Eat My Globe isn’t just about an adventure around the world. Instead, it is about pursuing passions and taking responsibility to make your dreams become a reality. Simon Majumdar has done what few people dare to do. He dared to leave one life behind that was comfortable and safe and instead pursue the life he dreamed of without knowing how it would turn out or where it would go. It really is an inspirational (and for some I daresay terrifying) story.

Eat My Globe is a very enjoyable book for people who love to travel, love to eat, or just like to read a story about someone who does. I would not be surprised if I read this book again as it really was enjoyable. It also has made watching the Food Network even more fun as I see Simon Majumdar judging on different programs there frequently. This is definitely a book worth reading. Go out and get it today. You’ll enjoy it!

You can purchase Eat My Globe here. 

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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The second book I finished on my road to completing the 52 book challenge left me quite caffeinated. The Devil’s Cup, by Stewart Lee Allen, is a journey the follow the history of the world as told by coffee. In the book, Allen pursues the discovery and development of coffee followed by its expansion throughout the years.

The book is told in story form as Allen travels around the world tasting coffee and learning from locals about their traditions regarding it. He does this chronologically, starting with the oldest versions of coffees and then moving forward in time. As he followed the story of coffee’s expansion around the globe, he also followed what was going on in history around the same times. Some interesting correlations are made as this happens. Whether they are completely factual or not will probably be confirmed or denied by scholars.

The Devil’s Cup is a fun read for any coffee lover or anyone who likes a historical journey. It’s a good adventure that Stewart Lee Allen goes on and it is fun to follow. It is an easy read that picks up the pace as the book progresses. The end left me hanging a little bit as I felt like it just suddenly was done. However, it was still a very fun book and I learned a lot while reading it. I’d have no problem giving this book my recommendation.

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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My adventure through reading this year began with a book about writing. You Are A Writer (so start ACTING like one) is written by Jeff Goins. In this book he encourages the aspiring writer to step forward boldly and write.

While this book isn’t specifically about how to write, it is about how to write. When I say that I mean that this isn’t a book about how to construct a poem, blog, essay, or book. What it is about is how to get into the business of writing.

The book talks about the different writers, the way they write, and where they go. Then it goes into specifics of how to get from beginning writer to published author. Along the way, Jeff Goins shares tips about the different aspects of the business of writing. This goes from suggestions on how to start a blog to networking help for once you are to the point that you are pitching articles and then books.

Overall, this was a fun and empowering book to read. It is a fairly quick read that offers practical advice that is definitely useful. I took notes while reading it and found myself putting things on my whiteboard for later reference.

This is an easy book to recommend for anyone wanting to get into the writing business. I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5. It is a quick read, I enjoyed it, but I definitely could use more!

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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