Matthew Fenton

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The 20 Best Books I Read in 2018

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Here are the 20 best books I read in 2018.  These books weren’t necessarily released in 2018.  And they’re not just business books, because there’s more to life than business.

Instead, these are the 20 books, of the 38 I completed in 2018, that I’d recommend to a friend or colleague.  My hope is that you’ll find a few of these intriguing enough to check out.

I read several of these for the third or fourth time.  Given the oppressive awfulness of the daily news, this is one way I sought out “comfort food.”  (Another: Plenty of ambient music.)

They’re listed alphabetically by author.  And I’ve provided links to Amazon for each.  This is for your convenience – I’m not an Amazon affiliate and I’m not here to make money off your clicks.

With that, here are the 20 books that moved me, changed me or comforted me in 2018: [Read more…]

Two-Minute Book Review: Bad Blood

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Bad Blood John CarreyrouThe story of Theranos, the one-time unicorn with the $9 billion valuation, has already entered the ranks of legendary cautionary tales.  In “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup,” Wall Street Journal writer John Carreyrou puts together all the pieces behind its rise and swift decline.

It’s a fascinating, scary read.

Carreyrou is an investigative journalist, and his take is fact-driven, not character-driven.  (Expect more character development in the upcoming movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.)  But the facts speak for themselves, and will keep you engrossed. [Read more…]