SW Reads

Charlotte’s Web has been a very moving story in the lives of many children. The book has been around for decades and everyone seems to love it. Award winning author E.B. White showcases his writing skills in this book, and it’s a must read for anyone who has not yet been able too.

The story takes place on a farm, and is about a girl who wants to save a pig from getting slaughtered by her father (Mr. Zuckerman). It all starts when the girl (Fern) sees her father about to kill a little runt pig (Wilbur). Fern feels bad for Wilbur and rushes to its aid. Ferns dad then lets her keep Wilbur as he sees that she is deeply concerned about the pigs well being. Fern and Wilbur become best friends, and start spending all there time together. As Wilbur grows up though it becomes clear to everyone that Mr. Zuckerman still plans on selling Wilbur. All the animals don’t want to see Wilbur being sold away, and this is where we are introduced to the spider (Charlotte). Charlotte comes up with a plan to try and save Wilbur, and it works perfectly. The plan drew attention from farmers all over the county and everyone wanted to see Wilbur.

Mr. Zuckerman thought he would take advantage of all the attention Wilbur was getting and decided to enter Wilbur into the fair. Wilbur ended up becoming the prize winning pig at the fair and went on to be one of the best pigs around.

The story is very touching, it shows how people can feel and act when they feel other people are in need. Although the author uses animals to show this it can be taken into real life practices as well. The book is highly rated in my opinion and a must read for anyone.

If you want to be inspired and motivated, ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson is a must read. The book is an art, it tackles the issues we face in our daily lives and how we can adapt to change in our work and in our life. This book will take you just a couple of minutes to read and you will not be bored one bit.

Johnson was inspired by a friend who told him the story which lead to him becoming co-author of the book “Who Moved My Cheese”. The book is about change that takes place in a maze where four characters portrayed as mice and little people who depict the characteristics of human beings. The story opens with the four characters in a maze where they search everyday for new, special and better tasting cheeses; remember your cheese can be different. The cheese in the story is a metaphor for what we want to have in life. So whether your aspirations in life are to get a good job after those strenuous years of college/university, a relationship, wealth, a big mansion, family, freedom, health, recognition/ status, spiritual peace or even to participate in a sport that you’ve always imagined yourself playing. The cheese, as Johnson would put it, can be whatever you want it to be. We all have different aspirations for our future. The maze portrays the different enjoyments of life, it is just for us to take risks and adapt to change. The way Spencer Johnson depicts the character and their encounter with their different challenges in life is incredible.

Johnson used pun as the main literary device as was seen in the names of the characters- Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry. The characters in this book are in all of us. When you read the book you will realize and compare yourself to either the mice- Sniff and Scurry- or the little people Hem and Haw. The characters learn to either adapt to changes or just give in. Sometimes we may act as Sniff who sees changes early, or Scurry who hurries into action or make hasty decisions without even thinking. Maybe you will see yourself in the little people’s shoes because mice are not that intelligent, Hem, who refutes and refuses to accept change as he is afraid of being out of his comfort zone or maybe you are a Haw, who learns to adapt in time and realizes that changing leads to something even better.

Spencer took us back to his high school class reunion. Reunions are a time when we get together, greet old friends and find out what your friends have made of their lives for the past 10 years. Spencer and his friends had their talk and then he shared the story of ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ to his colleagues. They were just as enthused as I was and I know you will be too. I leave this with you; an inscription found in the book by Haw, “if you do not change, you become extinct’. What is your cheese and who moved your cheese? Which characters are you? These are questions that you need to answer and how to find the answers? Read ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson.

The Four Hour Workweek is several books in one. Usually this would be very annoying, but Timothy Ferriss’s smooth conversational writing style makes the book an enjoyable romp through his unconventional life.

The book is part auto-biography. Timothy is a very odd fellow. He’s competed in, and won, martial arts tournaments in Taiwan and tango dancing contests in Buenos Aires. In between such adventures, he’s managed to build a successful business which pays for all of his fun.

Another major part of the book is about how Tim runs his business — and how you can run a similar business. Tim has published a lot of details, including URL’s of suggested web resources and business partners.

The last major part of the book is somewhat more philosophical. Tim writes quite a bit about how people struggle with all of the extra time that the books strategies can enable them to possess.

The book has a lot of flaws, but these flaws are somewhat endearing. All wildly successful people have their own unique personality quirks. The books flaws reflect Tim’s. Tim loves the travel and talks a lot about it in the book. If your dream life does not involve travel, then those portions of the book will not interest you.

Overall, the book is very much worth reading. Skip the parts that bore you, enjoy the parts that interest you, and perhaps learn some of the secrets of the “new rich.”