Stylo à bille is a platform for book lovers. Stay tuned and get in touch with me, Joanna: aboujaoude.joanna@gmail.com
This post is written by my friend Ken Mckellar who is a frequent contributor to my blog. For new subscribers, my first language is not English. It is French hence the name of my blog. It is a reminder to myself about how writing and reading helped me sharpen my English without forgetting my French. Thank you Ken for reviewing a French book for the first time on this blog knowing that French is not your first language. Kudos!
The purpose of the blogpost is not to define success rather to understand - similarly to the objective of the book - how a novel is written, how a masterpiece is painted, and how a symphony is composed.
The book is quite brutal as the author dared to qualify Harvard as a "factory for unhappy people". He wrote long chapters about the burnouts, the booze-luge, and the high-flyer, and more.
For those who are new to my blog, my friend Ken Mckellar is a regular contributor whose generosity is quite disarming. He was keen to share with me another review for a book he has read. I happen to have watched the related movie. It was a British movie released in 2010. The story also inspired a series starring Suranne Jones: The Gentleman Jack. Enjoy the review and if you are a fan of this genre (Non Fiction. Biography. LGBT. History), you can purchase the book here.
Many people in my entourage will probably read this post with a lot of skepticism; some will probably not even read beyond the next paragraph.
Brain Rules is a book written by John Medina that speaks in a scientific way about the principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. The principles are based on research and case studies at the intersect of neuroscience, psychology, and biology.
Goodbye from Berlin teaches an important lesson for our times. Totalitarian regimes never burst on to the scene: they creep up stealthily, step-by-step, on a vulnerable population hungry for change. And before the population knows it, the dictator is in control. By the time Isherwood published his novel, seven years later, Europe was at war.
Obama chose to write her story in order to challenge readers to think through what she did as she was writing her book – answer two key questions: who we are and who do we want to become.
Some qualify this book as a meditation on the roots of international order and disorder. Kissinger, the author, is one of notable diplomats of the modern era. He was the security adviser for a number of presidents and he spent his life studying foreign policy events. In this book, Kissinger reveals the challenge of the twenty-first century: how to bring order into a world where perspectives are contradictory.
This is not a random book that fades away a few years later. Not only because it won the New York Times Notable Book for 2011, the Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and the Kirkus Reviews Best non-fiction all in the same year.
My friend Ken has been saving me from my complacency. I am not sure how neuroscience explains when we are behind, when we miss deadlines we put for ourselves, when we prioritize items at the expense of others, etc. I personally think that sleep deprivation impairs my productivity and most importantly my creativity. In an earlier post, I shared my thoughts about the fan #1 of sleep: Ariana Huffington. I was back then reviewing her book that focuses quite a lot on the importance of sleep in our life.
This book is almost like a transcript for Sinek’s TedTalk in 2009 (third most watched TedTalk to date). Since then, Sinek has created a movement. He aims to transform the way we work.
For those who do not know me, I have a peculiar relation with technology. This time, I decided to review reading Apps. For so many years, I have struggled reading using an Ipad, a Kindle, or any other technology. To be honest, I still do not. However I recently discovered a few interesting Apps that… Continue reading My top six reading Apps
I have been away for a few weeks. They were tough two weeks. I discovered that when I am not well I find no joy in writing. I thank God I have a friend like Ken. He contributed once again to my blog. He reviewed a book we both read and enjoyed. It is fitting… Continue reading A woman in Arabia: the writings of the queen of the desert By Gertrude Bell
To be completely honest, I have had a tough week at work. It was long, demanding, included travelling, and more. I did not have a chance to write a personal blog post. But, as usual, my dear and now standing contributor Ken saved me. It is not like something bad would happen if I do not blog once a week. However this is a level of consistency I am committed to. Also when you are so overwhelmed with the readers' reactions, comments, shares, and likes - you feel that you have no choice but honor every reader's expectations. Ken reviewed a book I have not read. His review will surely make me read it. I hope it does that to you too. Enjoy.
Dear book lovers This is to introduce my friend Ken again. This time, we decided to get out of the cliché and do a review for a book that is quite risqué. We hope you enjoy the review as much as I did. But I also hope you will read the book. This is an… Continue reading Venus in furs by Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch
Sapiens is a book that surveys the history of humankind. It covers the evolution of humans from the Stone Age through the 21st century.
I started to follow Joyce Meyer back in 2005. Since then I have read two of her books (Battlefield of the Mind and Making Good Habits). I also got addicted to her audio-book series around offense. I personally like Joyce Meyer for a very simple reason: she realized that the Bible is the best leadership book. She also activated this realization in her ministries, books, and other platforms. My friend Ken likes her as much as I do. He reviewed her flagship book, Battlefield of the Mind. I thank him for this; hoping Ken and I are able to inspire you in leading a life of love, respective, mindfulness, integrity, forgiveness, kindness, and joy.
My friend Ken McKellar was generous enough to contribute for the second time to my blog. I happen to have read this book. I would definitely not have been able to review this book as beautifully as Ken did hereunder. Enjoy reading!
Dear book addicts, I am so happy that the request from guest contributors is increasing. Here is a post by Farah Al Dabbagh. Farah is a very talented young Saudi woman who I got the chance to work with. She literally embodies a future thought leader. I am honored to have her write on my blog as we share a common passion: books. I wanted to make sure that she is given the space to express herself, freely. I am thrilled to have a woman guess contributor from the Kingdom.