I loved how the Foundation grew and evolved
359733
EDIT: somehow Amazon has combined the records for Foundation and Foundation and Empire. Foundation is one of the first science fiction novels I ever bought. I read it and reread it back in high school. Now, years later, I hoped it would hold up to my memories.

And it did! The concept of psychohistory is fascinating to me. I loved how the Foundation grew and evolved. I'm going to enjoy reading the next book in the series.

I will note there's not really a good strong woman in the book. I didn't mind that because I'm used to the SF of that period which was mostly written from the male viewpoint for other males.

if you like classic SF and haven't read this book, you need to. If you want to explore the roots of SF, this is a good choice. If you like cracking good stories, this is a good choice.

Foundation and Empire: This is another science fiction book that I first read decades ago. Even remembering the "reveal," I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I particularly liked Bayta, a very strong female character. Magnifico is one of those characters you will never forget.

However, the book is uneven. The first part was mostly of interest because it set up the last half. That part was worth the ride.

If you like science fiction and have read Foundation, I think you'll love this book. If you like SF but haven't read Foundation, start there.
204772
I was immersed in the story of these people from the first.  Sometimes I found it hard to follow because new characters would suddenly appear, but I was able to contruct the framework that held them all together.  A wonderful read!
306561
Currently I am participating in a BSF group and really enjoy it. Someone recommended this book and it was great. At first I did not care for the format of the writing but grew accustomed to person-person accounts. What an amazing person the founder and all the other early movers of BSF were. A true inspirational story.
4148773
This book was truly inspiring!  I've wanted to live abroad since a very young age but finding the path to getting there felt overwhelming.  I was only a few chapters in when I decided to take the 1st step in gathering information.  I applied for a few roles internally to start understanding what it would take and was completely surprised when both roles led to onsite interviews.  I received a trip to Europe completely paid for by my company.

Unfortunately because it happened so quickly I wasn't ready.  I was in the middle of planning my wedding and found out the relocation would be a bit more difficult on my soon to be husband and planning a wedding from across the ocean was a bit much.
I'm so thankful for the motivation to start though!  I would have never gotten the information I needed if it was for the push to start asking questions.  The stories shared were inspiring and put my mind in a place to think more broadly about my career in general.  Ultimately it led to me taking a roll locally that put me in a better position when I am ready to take that leap.  Now married and the wedding behind me, I'm excited for the next year and further exploring chasing my dream.  I'm also better prepared to face the challenges that relocation will bring.  I'll be reading the book again with a new perspective on taking from the stories and applying them to my plans to move abroad!
4275966
After Foundation that was interesting bit a bit all over the place, Foundation and Empire starts by following the same pace of looking at the evolution of a nation through the ages, but then, about halfway through, switches to more traditional storytelling by following a group of characters and their actions. While this makes the book feel like two different stories, that switch is for the better and helps a lot with comprehension of the story and attachment to the characters, which the first Foundation book lacked.

While this is not the very best of modern science-fiction, it is understandably one of the founding fathers, and worth a read.
4102930
Change can be a scary word. For many years I was stuck in the familiarity of stress and accepted it as normal. Now that I have dug deeply into the Emergence work with Derek Rydall my life is transforming. It turns out to be less about radical change and more about my life just becoming the way I always wanted it to be!

The Emergence message rings so true. I really like how Derek shares profound ideas but he also gives practical tools to step gracefully through the seven steps.

I would love to start an Emergence study group with friends. Going through the book together would be amazing.
4450373
I've been a grantmaker for approximately five years now. During the course of my on-the-job training, I've heard certain maxims over and over again until they've become ingrained in my mind and in my responses to applicants for grant funds -- now, after reading this book, I actually understand the philosophies behind them.
Every grantseeker who bemoans the fact that foundations don't want to fund ongoing operating expenses should read this book simply for the explanation of the difference between charity and philanthropy and where foundations fit in.
Likewise, the tips on meeting etiquette, attributes of a good grant proposal, and top four reasons proposals are denied will benefit professionals on both sides of the proposal.
Had the opportunity to see the author speak -- if you get the same opportunity, don't pass it by.
1300492
Steven Mandis does an excellent job of taking the reader through a time in Goldman Sachs history that demonstrates how organizational drift happens and why it is important to understand this drift. Mandis makes the book easy and fun to read, even for someone with no investment banking background. His professional experience also lends a lot of credibility to his thesis.

The book starts with a striking observation that captivates the reader  the firm that was revered as the Most Admired Investment Bank in 2006 was the subject of accusations, investigations and congressional hearings two years later. The excoriation made people wonder how something could be so wrong when they're doing so well  Goldman Sachs still maintained the highest market share and attracted the best talent from top MBA schools.

While Mandis does a great job explaining how small, incremental changes can be accepted as the norm and not get recognized... the logic is only used to highlight changes that led to riskier behavior at Goldman Sachs. One could argue that small, incremental changes are natural, while large, abrupt changes are called shock! In Organizational Change taught such small, incremental changes are more organic and sticky  smaller, incremental changes are needed to win the hearts and minds of employees. On the contrary, large, abrupt changes often fail to win the hearts and minds and are often taken when things have gone really very bad. However, it is very instructive to learn about the "unintentional drift" that even the most revered organizations can miss.

Mandis mentions in the book multiple instances when Goldman Sachs had to reinvent itself and also a couple of times when it came close to bankruptcy. However, the company adapted and innovated and became the top choice for all stakeholders  clients, employees and students.

Mandis explores the concept of Intentional organizational drift versus the unintended drift. It appears that there is a higher risk of crossing the legal line when organizations drift unintentionally under competitive, regulatory, technological or organizational pressures.

Mandis does a great job of explaining the consequences of unintentional organization drift. He writes about Goldmans risk appetite versus partnership structure approaching the legal line. This left quite an impact on me. Itll be hard to forget the inevitability of the risk path crossing the legal line. Additionally, it is prudent to remember that the legal line keeps changing  what may be acceptable by law today, may not be acceptable tomorrow. If we get too dependent on something for our profits (e.g. proprietary Foreign Exchange trading) thats not our core and that gets regulated tomorrow, it may leave us scrambling in the end. Mandis mentioned that John Weinberg had a strong moral compass  he saw right and wrong clearly, without any shades of gray. Meeting such a standard will not only energize the employees, but also keep the organizational drifting towards the legal line which is continuously adapting to reflect the legal standard.
2293046
Book 2 of the Graystone series showed nice improvement from book 1. I found the character development to be well done; for two people who have some weighty histories, change should not come easy and it doesn't for Loren and Soriya. In addition, I thought the plot moved more smoothly than the first book. It really drew me in and made me want to keep reading to know how everything would play out. The ending was unexpected and left me wondering about the goals of whoever was behind that plot twist. I'm looking forward to reading more books set in this world.
1424842
I was sad when this one came to an end. The way they evolved together was fantastic and I loved the way things were not as they seemed. Highly recommend.
3647621
There was always a part of me that loved the illuminati but after reading this my love grew a lot more and I dicided to support them. I highly recommend reading this book.
1086688
I read through this rather quickly because it was engaging and a very easy read. I appreciate the approach to the information and the story format. Filled with great knowledge,a rounding inspiration, and a strong desire to shift my paradigm... The characters are extremely lovable and I found it hard to out he book down. I hope it is not as hard to out these principles into practice.
1524365
I found it to be very inspiring. Mary seemed like a normal lady who worked hard to make her idea of the Book Mobile a successful reality. I loved that her efforts had such a big impact. I grew up in a more urban area without any knowledge of the book mobile. It was so interesting to learn about it and I will support it in my community whenever I have the the chance.

The book was well written and beautifully laid out. Its a fast read. I think it would be good for all adults and 3rd grade and older for children. I think it would be a great asset to libraries everywhere. Especially school libraries where children have to do biographies.
3465977
The title itself grabbed my attention from the get-go. Once I began reading, I could barely stop. The story is such an interesting idea. I liked how they explained the different ways marriage has changed in their current generation. There were different aspects of the whole government control on marriage. I loved that it kept building until the last chapter. Some of the story I could easily figure out as I was reading... in a sense too much foreshadowing at times. But then the author threw in some interesting story twists I wasn't expecting. Overall I loved the way it was written, its characters, and the plot. Nicely done. It makes me want to check out more of her work.
3228858
I liked the evolution of the characters as old people actually matured.
4830619
When I first started this book, I'm ashamed to say that I sorta discounted it, because it seemed to be just a lot of the original insight that we had back there in the Charismatic movement, much of which I still embrace in great measure, but with some adaptation - so, I was thinking of it like "old news."  But, as  I continued through the book, I started seeing the genius in Joel's genteel and uncomplicated approach to some very critical truths.  I began to see that those adaptations and clarifications that God had given me were being expressed in this book in a form so simple and absolute that no one could argue with them. Way cool.
4796586
This is a brand new book just published in August 2014 covering the Foundation 5 framework.  I've just started reading it, and I'm finding it very easy to follow and clear.  There are lots of small code examples which are not at all difficult to follow.  I'd recommend this book to anyone who is new with the Foundation framework.  If you're an advanced Foundation user, this book will probably be mostly review, but if you know CSS, HTML and some JavaScript and want to learn Foundation, this book is excellent.