chrisbrogan.com » bookreview

Little BIG Things – Tom Peters – Video Book Review

chrisbrogan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:30:43 +0000

I love Tom Peters. He’s gotten me in trouble for years. Well, his books have. I finally got to have lunch with him, and then see him keynote. The affair just grows and grows. And now, Tom’s done the whole “compile some good blog posts into a better book” thing. It’s awesome. His new book, The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE (amazon affiliate link), is just outright wonderfully STUFFED full of Tom Peters-ish things about pursuing excellence. Some of it is so simple you’ll kick yourself for not doing it already. The rest of it is thought-provoking and heart-felt. You’ll get something out of this book. And it’s HUGE. Almost 400 pages. Just a big giant helping of the man himself. Thanks, Tom.

Direct link to the video

People always ask which camera I used to shoot my video. I use the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (that’s a review of the camera).

Give Your Speech Change the World – Video Book Review

chrisbrogan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:30:22 +0000

My friend, Tim Sanders sent me this book by Nick Morgan, Give Your Speech, Change the World: How to Move Your Audience to Action (amazon affiliate link). I admit that as a pro speaker, I wasn’t sure what I’d take from it. Well, I took tons from it, and you might, too, either as a beginner or someone with some speeches under your belt. Here’s a quick video review:

Direct link to the video

Anyhow, it’s a keeper. Thanks Nick, and thanks Tim.

People always ask which camera I used to shoot my video. I use the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (that’s a review of the camera).

Linchpin by Seth Godin – Video Book Review

chrisbrogan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:30:34 +0000

Are you indispensible? That’s what Seth Godin asks in Linchpin, his new book about the future of work, the break with our industrial past, and what we need to do, individually, to measure up. It’s a Seth Godin book, so of course it delivers. It’s much more meaty than Tribes and more actionable than Meatball Sundae, and every bit as eye opening as his other books.

Here’s a quick video:

Direct link to the video

Drive – Video Book Review

chrisbrogan — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:30:48 +0000

I really enjoyed Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (amazon affiliate link), by Daniel Pink. Dan’s got a great style about him, and this book really shows off his storytelling-meets-research style very well. As you’ll see in the video, I took lots of notes while reading the book. It’s interesting that I wrote equally as many notes about the book’s points as I did ideas for New Marketing Labs. Anyhow, check out the video:

Direct link to the video

New Job New You – a Book Review

chrisbrogan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:30:24 +0000

Here’s a review of Alexandra Levit’s new book, New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career (amazon affiliate link). I really enjoy Alexandra’s style. She’s published many good books in the career space, and this is a very timely one for the displacement era that we find ourselves in. In the video, I mention also Pam Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation, because I could see this book pairing well with that one. Levit’s is tightly written and focuses strongly on helping one think through a career change. It’s a great read.

Direct link to the video

Switch- A Book Review

chrisbrogan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:04:45 +0000

First, thanks to Steve Garfield for recommending I use a stack of books and a tripod for shooting my video. His great advice shows up in his new book, Get Seen (amazon affiliate link).

So, this is about Chip and Dan Heath’s really amazing new book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (amazon affiliate link). It’s the best book about understanding the mechanics and switches of change that I’ve ever read. I loved MADE TO STICK, by the Brothers Heath, and this book is like that, only even better. The book has LOTS of how-to baked into it, and by the end, you’ll be re-assessing all kinds of projects in your life. Total must-buy. Here’s my review:

Direct link to the video

Get Switch:

Business Stripped Bare – Book Review

chrisbrogan — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:33:12 +0000

I love love loved Richard Branson’s Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur. It resonated with me as the owner of a small business, and also as someone who’s helping big businesses develop. His storytelling style is great, and the ideas that the book gives you are immediately applicable. I took tons of notes and have already started implementing them into how I do business. It’s much better written than Branson’s first two books, and has the benefit of time, too. Definitely worth reading.

Sorry for how I look in the video. This was yesterday, just before I realized I was coming down with a cold.

Confessions of a Public Speaker- Video Book Review

chrisbrogan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:18:14 +0000

While at Web 2.0 Expo, I was handed a copy of Scott Berkun’s great new book, Confessions of a Public Speaker (affiliate link). I’ve seen Scott speak a few times before, and he knows his stuff. Add to this his sense of humor, plus the fact that pretty much everyone can stand to learn some new ideas about speaking, and this book is a MUST for your collection. Here’s the video interview. (Click here if you can’t see the video.)

BAM- Customer Service Done Right- Review

chrisbrogan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:06:02 +0000

I started out in customer service. Lots of people passionate about social media have some customer service in their background. That’s why I really got into Barry Moltz’s and Mary Jane Grinstead’s book BAM!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World (amazon affiliate link). It’s a very readable book, broken into very useful chunks, with a recurring theme of “bust-a-myth,” ergo the BAM! I highly recommend this book if you’ve got something to do with customer service (Terry, I’m looking at YOU!).

**UPDATE: Scroll down for the “making of” video**

Here’s the video review:

Can’t see the video? Click here.

If you want to learn more:

New: Making-Of Video

As almost every comment presumed I was soon to kill every other person on the road, I thought I’d show you how I shot it. Still, was it safe? I’ve probably done safer things than shoot a video while driving, but hopefully, you’ll get a better sense of what I saw and what controls I had while shooting it. If you’re still not pleased, it’s okay. I do lots of things you don’t like. I just don’t usually film them.

Change by Design – a Book for You

chrisbrogan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:30:33 +0000

I LOVE this book by Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, one of those companies I get gushy thinking about working with (like when I think about XPlane). This book, Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation (amazon affiliate link), gave me immediate payback on how I view New Marketing Labs, and also how I plan to work with clients in the coming months. Check out the review: