Nicholas Bate

Material Witness

helps you with your choices of reading.

Stock Up on Good Thrillers for Your Commute

with Material Witness.

It's Amazing

what you can discover in an Abu Dhabi book-shop. There, at the back of a shelf: something in English. And an absolute gem: David Guterson, The Other. Marvellous: a man who can handle his prose with dexterity.

How to Read More Non-Fiction Books 7

And absorb more from that reading, too.

1. Pick up pace. Just read a little more quickly. After a couple of minutes of adjustment you'll have a new reading speed.
2. Take notes. Keep summarising (bullets/mind-maps: whatever works for you) at regular intervals.
3. Multi-book. Have several books on the go at the same time. The more diverse the better.
4. Team up. Set up a learning team: three is good who meet to share ideas and materials.
5. Seek out inspiring books which 'pull' you thorough them. Look at the reading lists of books you enjoy, provided by bloggers you read.
6. Always have a book with you. Read while waiting to board a plane.On the train. At the dentist.
7. Which three non-fiction books are you reading at the moment? 

Boost Your Reading Pile

with RealSmartNow.

Yet More Great (fiction) Holiday Reading

from Material Witness.

Summary of Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod

If you’ve not yet discovered Hugh MacLeod's site you’ll have the joys of plenty of archives to explore and you’ll be able to see at work the mind behind his splendid book: Ignore Everybody. Hugh pursues many avenues and makes money at several of them; he practises what he preaches. There are many books on creativity and they tend to fall into two camps. The first is dominated by Edward de Bono and is the technique camp (Thinking Hats, po etc); these are certainly useful. The other is the ‘we are all creative‘ camp which tends often to lack substance. Hugh’s book is much more of the second camp but does what has been generally lacking in the past: he gives hard-hitting substance. Hard-hitting in that much of our concern about creativity is addressing out views of ourselves; Hugh doesn’t mess around and helps us (re-) realise that fundamental truth: the only real blocker to what we want is ourself. Hugh lightens the load by telling his own story which is a roller-coaster ride in itself. There are 40 excellent points in the book: get you own copy, mark it up and create your own cartoons. In the mean time, here’s my micro-summary. The seven point summary is my own and is not Hugh authorised nor approved. The quotes are his and the numbers refer to the relevant chapters in the book. Get it now.

MacLeod Creativity Rocks 7

1. You’re on your own. “The price of being a sheep is boredom. The price of being a Wolf is loneliness” (1,2,6,9,10,11,12,23,26,28,32);
2. Work hard. “If someone in your industry is more successful than you , it’s probably because he words harder at it than you do” (3,4,5,16,37,40);
3. Creativity is in your genes.  “go ahead and make something. Make something really special. Make something amazing that will really blow the mind of anybody who sees it.” (7, 17, 29, 31);
4. Understand ‘Sex & Money’. "the tense duality will always play centre stage. It will never be transcended" (8, 14, 16, 24, 34, 35);
5. Accept the Pain, then it cannot hurt you . “The pain of making the necessary sacrifices always hurts more than you think it’s going to….that being said, doing something seriously creative is one of the most amazing experiences one can have….(13, 25, 30);
6. Change The World. “Merit can be bought, passion can’t” (18, 38);
7. Do it your Way. “Quality isn’t job one. Being totally f*cking amazing is job one” (20, 21, 22,27, 39);

 

14 Reasons For Reading Books

1. It is inspirational. A good book will take you out of a rut, help you re-focus and remind you that Life is OK.
2. It is a teacher. A great book can teach you so much, so quickly.
3. It is incredible value. A used book may just be a matter of £/$s and yet might save your business. Or health. Or both.
4. It's cooking compatible. You can read while the risotto comes together.
5. It heals. A book can take you into its own world which becomes your world. And you feel healed.
6. It gives knowledge. On which you can base fundamental decisions.
7. It's portable and unbreakable. Room to room. Home to Office. Home to Base Camp.
8. It's reassuring. To have a familiar book with you.
9. It's kinaesthetic. It simply feels solid and dependable.
10. It's travel compatible. You can take it any time, any place, anywhere.
11. It's a component of any great plan.
12. It's easy. No electricity. No added water,
13. It's small-chunks-of-time compatible. You can do it while waiting to see the dentist.
14. It's a characteristic of those who have changed the planet for the better.

A Reading List and a Half

with top author Steven Pressfield.

What Are The Top Bloggers Reading This Summer?

Start with these posts from Execupundit and Cultural Offering which will lead into many other lists, too. And two books I have enjoyed recently: How The States Got Their Shapes and anything (he has three) by thriller writer John Hart, his first being King of Lies.