Book Review Archives - Amber R Field

March 3, 2026February 27, 2026Book Review

Popsicle Sticks and Retros: The Surprising Parallels Between Pixar and Agile Software Development

Creativity, Inc book cover by Ed Catmull

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull has been on my reading list for an embarrassingly long time. It’s one of those books that everyone in both the creative and tech worlds raves about, and I finally made time to read it. Despite its length and age, it is a refreshing view of management and the parallels between how Pixar works and how software is built are uncanny.

February 17, 2026February 16, 2026Book Review

Why Every Technologist, Politician, and, Well, You Needs to Read Enshittification by Cory Doctorow

If you’ve had the sneaking suspicion that the internet is worse than it’s ever been, you’re not imagining it. Over time, your favorite app gets cluttered with ads or a platform you’ve invested years into suddenly locks you out or changes the rules. Cory Doctorow calls it “enshittification,” and his book is the most important tech policy book I’ve ever read.

January 13, 2026January 9, 2026Book Review

Stop Trading Your Life for Money: The 5 Types of Wealth Book Review

Bloom’s core mission in his book, The 5 Types of Wealth, is to break us from the singular focus of earning money. He argues that by obsessing over money, we often bankrupt ourselves in the areas that actually make life worth living. It’s time to focus on other areas like time wealth, physical wealth, mental wealth, and social wealth.

December 30, 2025December 29, 2025Book Review

My Favorite Books of 2025

This has become one of my favorite posts of the year, the one where I get to share my favorite books of the year. This is my Top 10 best books of 2025 list. Some of these books are brand new and some are old, but if you’re looking for a good read to get you through January, look no further.

December 16, 2025December 14, 2025Book Review, Habits

The Power of Focus: A Book Review of Gary Keller’s The ONE Thing

Last month, I read The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. It’s an older book (2013), but it had such an impact on the way I think about priorities that it’s worth reading and worth talking about here. I’ll give you my quick list of takeaways here.

May 6, 2025May 5, 2025Book Review

Just Keep Growing: 25 Servant Leadership Lessons Book

One of my good friends, Martha Boehm, just published her first book, Just Keep Growing: 25 Servant Leadership Lessons. I got to be one of her beta readers and if you’re a leader or aspiring leader, I highly encourage you to check it out.

March 18, 2025March 16, 2025Book Review, Women's Rights

Fair Play: Could It Save Your Marriage?

In a time where women’s rights and gender equality are seemingly moving backwards, I just read a book that could help women make space in their schedules for our brilliant and important contributions to society. A book that might have been able to save my first marriage. That book is called Fair Play by Eve Rodsky.

March 11, 2025March 10, 2025Book Review

The Anxious Generation: A Book Review

The Anxious Generation confirms what we might already suspect is going on with our kids and our society: too much time spent online is simply not good for us. It offers evidence for why a phone-based childhood is not good for kids as well as four, simple things we can do to address the situation.

January 7, 2025January 6, 2025Book Review

My Favorite Books of 2024

This year was an exceptional year of reading and I want to share just a few of my favorite books.

October 8, 2024October 2, 2024Book Review

Marty Cagan’s Transformed: A Guide to Product Operating Model Success

Marty Cagan’s new book, Transformed: Moving to the Product Operating Model, is a fantastic overview of how to move an organization to the product operating model. Let’s look at a few of its key points.