- The Search: How Google and its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, by John Battelle. Fascinating listening. Battelle knows his stuff, and presents a thoughtful, well-rounded look at search that ranges from the theoretical to the historical, anthropoligical, technological, and literary aspects of search. He starts his book by examining what he calls the database of intentions. This is the aggregate or click-stream that comes from people’s searching habits. What people are searching for is what they care about. You can see a snapshot of this at Google Zeitgeist. For some damn reason, Battelle occassionally uses profanity when it’s probably not needed. I found that *%^&ing odd. In the epilogue, he lays out a brilliant narrative of the human search for immortality, drawing from the Epic of Gilgamesh, mankind’s earliest known writing. Overall, this book is moderately recommended. I really enjoyed it, but I think most of my readership would just kinda’ enjoy it.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. For some reason, I felt a little cheesy listening to this as an audio book. I felt like I was back in the 80’s, listening to self-help literature on a cassette tape as I rush from one big-city sales meeting to another. But the material itself was decent. I’ve read the book twice previously, so it was mostly review for me. But the author, who was also the reader, did throw in some new material by way of examples and such. Covey’s psuedo-Christian Mormon-ness emerges pretty strongly. Good concepts, though. The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, he sets up principles on which he bases the habit. In the second part, he enumerates the habits themselves. I found the second part particularly useful.
- The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown. I’ve read the book, and I really enjoyed it. I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that an anti-Christian book?” Well, sorta. It’s more anti-Catholic than anything. It kind of promotes goddess worship and pagan practices. By now you might think I’m looney or have turned from my faith or something because I said I enjoyed the book. I assure you, I haven’t turned from my faith. (I may be a little looney, though. I’ll let you judge that for yourselves.) The reason I enjoyed the book is that it’s darn good fiction. It’s a fun read, and I’ve always been a sucker for a fun read. Also, I have the ability to read critically. I don’t believe or buy into everything I read. I’m not going to read the DaVinci code and worship goddesses any more than I’m going to read it and start searching for the holy grail (also featured). You see, Brown starts from a flawed premise: that right religion worships equal parts male and female god, and the Catholic church has been suppressing the female side of that equation for centuries. He also has a bit of a flawed assumption that the (pre-Christian) ancients know more than we do today. To assume such is to deny both the power of revelation and the wisdom gathered through a long lilterary tradition of philosophers, scientists and Christistian thinkers. I’m able to enjoy the book because I can take the entire work as fiction and enjoy the story while analyzing and walling off the mistruths, flawed premises, and outright fabrications. I listened to 6.25 hours of the audio book yesterday, so compelling is the storytelling.
If anyone wants to borrow any of these audio books, I have CDs of them.