audio book - Jason’s Feed

Book Review | Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time

I listened to the audio format of Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time in March of this year. It has been some time since I listened to this book but I still remember, how enlightening it was to learn about Scrum. My work has been using this for some time now. Not my department specifically, but the IT departments that we interface with utilize it as well as JIRA.

I like to read business books mixed in with reading for enjoyment whenever I can find a good business book to slip into my to be read list. Which is not hard for me since I have just over 700 books on the Want to Read list on goodreads.

Jeff Sutherland the author of the book is the co-creator of Scrum, so who better to explain how it works and not just that but why Scrum was created in the first place. You not only get a great understanding of Scrum, but in this book you also get a behind the scenes history of its development.

If you are looking for something to get you acquainted with SCRUM this is where to start.

Book Review | Wheat Belly

My first audiobook of 2018. And I read/listened to this book mostly while at the gym! What a great way to get through your TBR! In Wheat Belly Dr. Davis convinces us all that wheat is not what it used to be and the new altered commercially created wheat is not good for a waistband. I enjoyed reading this book. I have been very focused on my fitness lately. I’ve gone vegetarian, since September of last year. I tried vegan, but I missed breakfast with eggs. So I compromised and I am eating egg whites.

Dr. Davis succeeded in convincing me that I need to reduce the amount of wheat that I am eating. I have eaten far too much. He argues that in fact, it can be addictive. This I very much agree with. I find myself craving a muffin, English muffin or just a slice of bread. Even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be very nice. Bread is “ingrained” in us! It is in every meal we have.

My family loves eggs in a basket, many people love to have a bagel or just some toast. Lunch is often a sandwich or a burger with a big fat yummy bun! Dinner always comes with a dinner roll. Its everywhere!

This book and Grain Brain have taught me about the glycemic index and many other ways that wheat negatively impacts our health. Grain Brains extends what I learned in Wheat Belly and speaks about how wheat negatively impacts our cognitive ability.

I liked Wheat Belly and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about eating healthy and being healthy. It is a great listen.

Review: The Secret Garden

This children’s classic is about a girl orphan and a little sickly boy who strike up a friendship because of their similar disposition and their shared interest in a secret garden. Through their friendship and plenty of play in the secret garden the sickly boy regains his health. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic The Secret Garden is a great book. Thats what makes it a classic. Like everyone else I have heard of this book and I also knew that it was a 1993 movie of the same title.

I didn’t start listening to this book for any of those reasons though. I did start listening to it because it is on my BBC 100 list. That makes it part of one of a few challenges I am completing in this year. I downloaded this book on my iPhone via overdrive and listened whenever I had a moment. It is well read by Johanna Ward aka Jennifer Mendenhall. I’m very confused as to why these narrators keep different names. I’m sure its all due to how “show business” works. David Case did the same thing.

This was the 23rd book I’ve read thus far this year. I’m about 10 books ahead of my goal of 100 books. Plus this means I have another book off the BBC 100 list. At sometime I would really like to be able to watch the movies that all these books have associated with them, but I can’t keep myself from picking up a book instead of watching television.

I liked this book. It wasn’t amazing, but again is a children’s story. It is a sold 3 star book in my opinion and I am glad I have read it. I can see why it is a classic.