“The Double Life of Bob Dylan: A Restless, Hungry Feeling” by Clinton Heylin

Far from the best Bob Dylan biography, in my opinion. To me the writing seems rushed and shallow, as the author rarely gets into the details of Dylan’s character, songwriting, and the notable events in his life and career. At least, the book redeems itself by providing some interesting new information, as it came about recently after Dylan gave away his personal archives. However, the author does come across as an arrogant sack of shit. I found myself skipping certain parts, especially the Introduction, in which most of it is dedicated to trash-talking other Dylan biographers.

 

 

“Blue Ocean Shift” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

Blue Ocean Strategy was one of the first Marketing books I ever read. It definitely opened me up to how game-changing, and fun, Marketing could be. The idea is that really great businesses thrive not by swimming in “red oceans” where competition is vicious, but by creating “blue oceans” where competition is irrelevant. The sequel, Blue Ocean Shift, fleshes this idea out further by providing a detailed roadmap on creating blue oceans. It’s definitely not a sequel to be missed. 

 

 

“The Bookseller’s Tale” by Martin Latham

Funny how I came across this book when I was casually browsing at a bookstore. This is one of the many beauties about books (and bookstores): the right read has its way of finding you at the right time. The author of this book, who is a bookseller, discusses at length about why we relate with books in the ways that we do. A large part of this book reads as a literature review of sorts, which you might enjoy if you’re interested in learning the history and philosophies behind our love for books. Anyhow, books about books are never not fun to read. 

 

 

“Becoming Supernatural” by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Dr. Joe Dispenza has been making waves in the self-help space. This is one of his most popular books, in which he shares about how our thoughts and imagination can deeply affect the quality of our daily lives. Despite the scientific research that he puts into his work, much of it is dismissed by critics as pseudoscience and spiritual woo. But honestly, I’ve started to open my mind more towards self-help content such as Dispenza’s. If I personally find even some of the content useful, and if it gets me out of bed in the morning, then that is what matters most to me. And this book is fine by me. 

 

 

“The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin

One of my biggest reader’s daydreams (wow, I just amazed myself with how geeky this sounds) is that John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers would write a book detailing his life and his approach to creativity. I’ve learned a great deal from poring over his interviews, and he’s been one of my longtime creative inspirations. This book is the closest thing to that happening, as it was written by Rick Rubin, who has worked closely with the Chilis for decades, and has produced many of their best work. This was my second read, and I enjoyed it even more than before. You might either love or hate the spiritual angle of this book. But if you can keep an open mind, this might turn out to be one of the best books on creativity you’ll ever read.