Miles:The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe

I’m on the verge of labeling this the best autobiography I’ve ever read. It’s kept me enthralled for over a month and I only paid $1 for it at what I have officially deemed The Best Book Sale Ever. If I had to rank the best entertainment for the money spent, this book would be right at the top of the list.

Personality is written all over this book. The writing is commendable and the content is captivating. I’ve read many autobiographies and it never seems like the entire story. True, a lifetime is a lot to capture in one book. But after reading Miles: The Autobiography, I feel there is nothing left to be said about Miles Davis.

There are many lessons in this book but due to the excitement and shock value, you’ll miss it if you aren’t paying attention. Davis discusses what it takes to start at the bottom and make it to the top. Then he discusses the transition from being a trailblazer to being someone that had to reinvent himself to stay relevant.

Seemingly the most transparent autobiography I’ve read, Davis comes clean on his uninhibited lifestyle and lifelong addiction with drugs and alcohol. He dishes the most intimate details on the biggest names in the music and entertainment industries, many still relevant today. He gives the play by play on what was really happening on stage and in the studio during the recordings of his most popular albums.

Something Davis emphasizes, indirectly, is the need for African Americans to write our own history. When we leave other people to tell our stories, it may or may not be the whole truth. This was also emphasized in Life Beyond Measure by Sidney Poitier and by the authors of “A Lie of Reinvention: Correcting Manning Marable's Malcolm X".

The book ends with an impressive 6 page discography which is a comprehensive list of Davis’ work from 1945-1989. A round of applause to Quincy Troupe for pulling together this brilliant account of the life of Miles Davis. I look forward to reading The Pursuit of Happyness, an autobiography he wrote with Chris Gardner which I’ve had for several years now.

“ I would go to the library and borrow scores by all those great composers, like Stravinsky, Alban Berg, Prokofiev. I wanted to see what was going on in all of music. Knowledge is freedom and ignorance is slavery, and I just couldn’t believe someone could be that close to freedom and not take advantage of it.”

Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis

April Books Galore!

I returned to the best book sale EVER over the weekend. This time I was armed with not only my list of books to be purchased but also my list of books that I own. I walked away with significantly less than I did last month but three of the books were on my list: Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph, The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett, and I Write What I Like by Steve Biko. The other two I picked up randomly, Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes and Our Kind of People Uzodinma Iweala.

Although I haven’t posted any reviews in a while I have finished a couple of books, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Man Who Lived in An Eggcup by John Gamel, MD. I’m currently delighting in Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis. It’s obvious why this one was a best seller!  

What have you been reading!?

Why We Make Mistakes by Joseph T Hallinan

Have you ever been reading a book and thought to yourself, “Why am I reading this?” For me, this was that book. I wasn’t particularly excited about it, but I was hooked enough keep picking it up. And for the first time in a long time, I was more excited about a book itself being over than I was about finding out what would happen at the end of it.

Since there are so many ways and so many areas in which we can make mistakes, the author had lots of latitude when writing this book. What it led to is a book that is overflowing with information, some of it interesting and some of it not so much.

I will admit that although it is a lot of information, much of it is eye opening and some of it is alarming. Someone told me that we should not be afraid to seek counsel because most mistakes are made by people that know what they’re doing. This book supports that notion.

In summation, if you’re human you will make mistakes. And this book has the potential to make you paranoid about that.

“Almost everyone is overconfident-except the people who are depressed, and they tend to be realists.”

Why We Make Mistakes

March Books Galore!

I attended the best book sale EVER over the weekend. With over 90,000 books, hardbacks $1.50 and paperbacks $1.00, sounds like a dream come true right..... but for one small problem; I don't have a list of the books I currently own. And one of my pet peeves is buying a book and discovering that I already have it.

 

So with that, I finally did it. I created a list of every book I own.

Which means my next trip to this book sale will be uninhibited

Here’s what I brought home from the first trip:

The Breakthrough by Ifill

The Autobiography of Miles Davis by Davis

Changes by Aidoo

Kaffir Boy by Mathabane

The Known World by Jones

Song Yet Sung by Mcbride

The Book of Night Women by James

Lasting Valor by Baker

Savage Inequalities by Kozol

The Color of Water by Mcbride

I also attended a book swap happy hour last week hosted by Terryn over at Dope Reads. I came away with The White Tiger by Adiga.

The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

Every now and then people decide they will use social media to distribute meaningful information. Fortunately, I was paying attention when one of my Facebook friends recommended The Greatest Salesman in the World.

Salesmen intrigue me, that is, when they’re not trying to sell me something. So I picked up this book hoping it would take me inside the mind of a salesman. Anyway, we all have to sell something to or sell someone on something eventually; even if it’s just an idea. What I learned was encouraging.

The book reveals that selling is about you, not the other person. And I guess it makes sense. Ultimately, we can only control ourselves. So the book is very much self-help. It’s even categorized that way, not sure how I missed that.

Much like The Four Agreements, many of the chapters focus on commitments that must be made to oneself. Even if you’re convinced you’ll never have to sell anything, many of the concepts can be applied when dealing with everyday rejection and disappointment.

It’s a small book and a quick read. Well worth the time if you need help eliminating the fear of hearing the word no.

“I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why should the miracle that produced me end with my birth?”

The Greatest Salesman in the World

February Books Galore!

I wasn’t paying much attention to commuters last month but I did see a few covers:

Mugabe: Power, Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe by M. Meredith

And You Call Yourself a Christian by E.N. Joy

Ms. Thang by Sonia Hayes

Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey

Books I Purchased in February

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies

Levittown: Two Families, One Tycoon, and the Fight for Civil Rights in America's Legendary Suburb by David Kushner

Kathy over at Bermuda Onion gave away a copy of

The Jane Austen Handbook and guess who won!

For those of you with little ones, I received a request to review Candy and the Cankersaur. I don't review children's books but you may be interested!

A synopsis of The Disillusioned by D.J. Williams found its way to my inbox  last month. Although though I decided not to read it, something about it did pique my interest.

Now what about you. Any bookish updates?

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

I had moved away from reading these types of books. As I noted in my As A Man Thinketh review, I had read so many from this genre that they all seemed to be some variation of the same thing. But for whatever reason, I couldn’t prevent myself from buying this one.

The Four Agreements is a tiny book that I read in 2 hours. The agreements, which you make with yourself, are 1) Be impeccable with your word, 2) Don’t take anything personally, 3) Don’t make assumptions, and 4) Always do your best.

The tenor of the narrative was somewhat surprising. Although the author states the book is not about religion, I believe it has religious undertones. Nonetheless, the agreements all seem pretty reasonable to me.

I found myself in agreement through much of the book as it was confirmation of what I already believe to be true. But the author makes a bold assertion which I’ve heard elsewhere and it was good to be reminded; challenge your beliefs because all of them aren’t yours. And in order to get anything out of this book, you will have to do exactly that.

I didn’t have any revelations while reading The Four Agreements but becuase it’s an easy read and one of the better written books on self-improvement, I’d recommend it to someone looking to delve into this genre.

"In your whole life nobody has ever abused you more than you have abused yourself. And the limit of your self-abuse is exactly the limit that you tolerate from someone else. If someone abuses you a little more than you abuse yourself, you will probably walk away from that person."

The Four Agreements

That’s Why We Read…



Hainey



Per my usual routine, I was watching Morning Joe on MSNBC before work. Today's guest was Michael Hainey, author of After Visiting Friends. The book is about his quest to find the true reason of his father's death.

I walked in on the conversation just in time to catch this classic exchange…….

Co-Host Mika: What an incredible story!

Hainey: Thank you

Co-Host Mika: I never knew!

Hainey: That’s why we read a book right?

Touché.

Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships by Marc Brackett

I told myself I wouldn’t read any more books covering this topic after reading The 5 Love Languages. But after a pleasant exchange with the author, a copy of Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships found its way to my mailbox.

I didn’t expect the book to start out as an evaluation with question and answer. I actually put it down until I was in the mood to respond to the questions. The author doesn’t delve into the content until page 25. It initially seemed as if this should be in the reverse order although I can see how the responses may be more genuine before becoming guarded, ready to analyze every question.

The book breaks down relationships into the little parts that can be managed. It’s filled with clever analogies that drive home the point. And in many places it’s just out right funny! I found the book to be very relatable and thoughtfully written. It read like it was written by a person living it every day.

The first section is for women and the second is for men. Although I think it is expected that women skip the section for men and vice versa, I was reviewing the book so I read it anyway. It was surprising how different the men’s guide is from the women’s guide. But it reinforces what should be common knowledge these days; men and women are different and not just physically.

Keeping Score is a very quick read, I finished it in a few hours. Even if you’re not in the mood to do an evaluation or take advice from someone whose name you may not know, the book reveals questions that should be addressed in any relationship.

For more information on the book, check out it’s website: http://www.keepingscorebook.com/

“Fights over financial matters are a leading cause of relationship failure, which is unfortunate, as solutions to financial problems are readily available.” Keeping Score by Marc Brackett

January Books Galore Part 2!

Here's what I spotted commuters reading over the past couple of weeks:

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Empire the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne

The Art of Fielding: A Novel by Chad Harbach

Added to my TBR list

Last week I saw the award winning Broadway musical FELA! Now I have to have this book!

FELA! is the true story of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, a civil rights champion who defied a corrupt and oppressive military government and devoted his life and music to the struggle for freedom and human dignity.

3 days into February and I bought 4 books. But at 50 cents each, they may as well have been giving them away! Stay tuned for February’s Books Galore to see what DC/Maryland/Virginia commuters are reading and my newest acquisitions.

You can find January Books Galore Part1 here.