Two Books

Read two new books this week -

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which I had to read for both work and school, and Monster Hunter Memoirs: Saints, written by John Ringo and Larry Correia both of whom I am normally fans of. 

Both books sucked, to be honest, but lets start with the Five Dysfunctions first.

I don't know why this book is so highly recommended but it is pure MBA psychobabble bullshit.  A failing company is turned around by CEO who comes in and leads a series of two day seminars in which feelings are explored and trust is built and suddenly all is right with the world.  CRAP! Oh, and it endorse the use of that steaming pile of excrement - The Meyers Briggs Personality Indicator.  This is my personal opinion but the way to build trust in a failing team is to hold people accountable for their work, deal with them honestly, and BE TRUSTWORTHY. 

My advice, if you are interviewing for a job and you see this on the managers bookshelf, excuse yourself, and run, don't walk, run out of the building.

OK, now for the bigger disappointment - Monster Hunter Memoirs: Saints.  As I said I generally like both authors, Ringo's Legacy of the Aldenata series and Troy Rising series are both a go to when I just need something enjoyable to read, so a re the mainline Monster Hunter International books and the Dead Six series, so I am not just hating on Ringo and Correia.  This book just sucked, the action was weak, one of the major plot points of the three book series of which this was a part was wrapped up halfway thru in a very unsatisfying manner, and it just felt phoned in to me.  That wasn't the worst part though, the main character is just a fucking douche.  He has been all through the series but it is especially pronounced in this book and it made it hard to even finish the book.  The only saving grace is the "afterword" in which one of the main characters from the mainline books explicitly says that the character was a fucking pretentious douche-bag, which kind of subverts the main character of the books story. But, that only partly makes up for it.  If this was my introduction to either author I would never read either one of them again.  Avoid this book and the Monster Hunter Memoirs series in general at all costs.  Do however read Monster Hunter International, Dead Six, Legacy of the Aldenata, and Troy Rising.