Thursday, June 27, 2019

Walking, Living, Learning!




A book review by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, June 25, 2019




“Page after page of golden mental snacks!”  Gymbeaux

Definition: 
CliffsNotes (formerly Cliffs Notes, originally Cliff's Notes and often, erroneously, CliffNotes) are a series of student study guides. The guides present and create literary and other works in pamphlet form or online. Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature.  (Note by me, the Detractors were right.  I can honestly say and contrary to what most of the students around me were doing, that I used the Cliffs Notes only once and it involved something written by Shakespere.  I could not get into the book of which I had no interest and the Cliffs Notes on the book was the ONLY way I could get through it.)

If this is a book review, why do I begin the report with a definition of CliffsNotes?  The book IS a form of Cliff’s Notes on some of the most famous and beneficial books anyone could read regarding sales, leadership, motivation, goal setting, resolving conflicts, etc. etc.  I am sure you have seen the posts on LikedIn and Facebook that provides a quote used by an author.  You can find such worthy quotes on every page of this book, EVERY PAGE!  In my opinion, it would be impossible NOT to learn something discussed on every page that could/should enhance your attitude and your future.  If that is the case and I believe it is, why would you not want to read this gem?

Al Argo begins his book with an explanation as to why everyone should make it a habit of walking for exercise and for good long term health.  There can be little argument with that premise.  Then the book gets really interesting when Argo talks about listening to books while he walks that he did for one hour a day, EVERY DAY, FOR A YEAR!  The book covers a year of his walking and he provides the critical elements of each of the books he listened to while walking.  That makes it a form of CliffsNotes where you are provided with “the meat” of a book without reading the entire book referenced.  I must provide this disclaimer that everyone should read.  What should people read?  You can obviously read fiction but in most cases, I find reading fiction is a case of using your time for enjoyment as compared to reading to learn and improve.  The books discussed in this book are books designed to learn and improve.

I was shocked at how many of the books Argo references that I have also read.  That is either a coincidence or I have selected some really good books to read as confirmed by the author’s choice to read them as well.  It also gives me a great list of books that I can still read.  Great minds…..

Here us a list of books discussed in Walking, Living, Learning!  By Al Argo   When possible they appear in BLUE meaning you can click on a link that will take you to a location for more information.



No comments: