During my cold flight back to Bagram I finished reading the Kite Runner. It is the best written book I have read in a long time, and you have to read it! It is the story of Amir, a young boy growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan who aspires to be an author. The book is fiction; however, you are left wondering if it might really be the story of Khaled Hosseini; almost wishing that to be the case.

It is certainly not a feel good story and it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending; however it is about honor, dishonor and redemption. It exposes the true human nature in us all. After you read this book you will understand how true Afghan people live and think and have a better understanding of what we are up against in our current war here. Check it out today!

You absolutely have to read this book!

Although I was planning to go to sleep about three hours ago, I couldn’t put the book down as I finished the final four chapters. Currently living about 100 yards south of where Marcus lived while he was here in 2005, I have a deep appreciation and understanding of everything he did. I have been to many of the locations he mentions, and I know very detailed and current intel on where his battle took place.

Marcus, Mikey, Axe and Murph are true examples of warriors; heroes in every sense of the word!

I know I haven’t written a book review in several months, so for those of you who think I may not be reading while I am here, that is not the case. Amy just sent me Lone Survivor for my birthday, and I have read the first chapter. It looks like it is going to be really good; however I wish he would leave the politics out and just tell the story; maybe he will later on. I am going to be out on mission for the next couple of days, so I may have it knocked out this week.

I have also recently read The Millionaire Next Door. This was a very good read although I have been listening to Dave so long I already knew just about everything in the book. Still worth the time.

Guerrilla Marketing for the New Millenium was a quick and good book; however, I would recommend the original. This book was an example of an author and publisher throwing together a quick overview of an original work in an attempt to sell to loyal customers. It worked as I bought the book, but you shouldn’t. You should buy Guerrilla Marketing if you are in business or ever plan to be, but skip this overview.

The Entrepreneurial Myth is a must read for anyone who wants to open a business. I read this before opening The Lazy Susan and read it again in recent months and think I did a decent job of avoiding the trap. Too bad I didn’t quite understand that debt thing back then

It seems like I have read a couple other books since I have been here; I just can’t recall them right now.

I will be gone here for a couple of days, but will return soon with more photos of yet another paradise from Afghanistan. I know you can hardly hold back your excitement and desire to come visit

I have mentioned it here before, but never really elaborated much about it; not only do I plan on writing a book about our debt and the recovery; I have already begun. In what free time I have over here that is the project that I work on most. I have three chapters complete; two that I am happy with my re-writes to this point. The tentative title I have in mind is Debt Reality.

Months or years away from being published, I have decided to post a teaser chapter here for you. It is the first chapter and it sets up our five year journey to opening the Lazy Susan. Chapter one tells a story most of you have heard me refer to but likely know few details about.

Disclaimer: the contents of this chapter are copyrighted and the property of Joel Maxwell and may not be reproduced without my express written consent.

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While time is something I am certainly short of, I did find enough?of it?recently to finish this book. Thank God for airplanes; if not for them, I wouldn’t get any reading done.

The introduction of this book started out rather cheesy, and I was worried it would follow that course for the whole book; however, I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the first chapter. This book is a must read for anyone in leadership.

Lincoln’s hard work, honesty, and openness to the public?are just amazing, and something we can all learn from. He allowed anyone that came to the White House to see him, yet so many of us don’t even return phone calls and emails. I think we can all learn something from Abraham Lincoln and this book. Enjoy!