Brian's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 05 Apr 2025 06:55:08 -0700 60 Brian's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Usual Desire to Kill 214151924 An often hilarious, surprisingly moving portrait of a long-married couple, seen through the eyes of their wickedly observant daughter—for fans of A Man Called Ove and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Miranda’s parents live in a dilapidated house in rural France that they share with two llamas, eight ducks, five chickens, two cats, and a freezer full of food dating back to 1982.

Miranda’s father is a retired professor of philosophy who never loses an argument. Her mother likes to bring conversation back to the War, although she was born after it ended. Married for fifty years, they are uncommonly set in their ways. Miranda plays the role of translator when she visits, communicating the desires or complaints of one parent to the other and then venting her frustration to her sister and her daughter. At the end of each visit, she reports “the usual desire to kill.�

A wry, propulsive, exquisitely observed story of a singularly eccentric family and the sibling rivalry, generational divides, and long-buried secrets that shape them. This is an extraordinary debut novel from a seasoned playwright with a flare for dialogue and, in the end, immense empathy.]]> 256 Camilla Barnes 1668062836 Brian 0 to-read 3.69 2025 The Usual Desire to Kill
author: Camilla Barnes
name: Brian
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Orbital 123136728 207 Samantha Harvey 0802161545 Brian 3
I kind of get the rhythm of the novel is supposed to feel like the rapid orbits of the earth, and the astronauts are likely captivated (maybe more so the first month or so rather than third or sixth?) by the land the see—or don’t—“below� them. It gets repetitive to read about this or that continent, these land features, those cities. It may capture life up there well, but doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a novel-worthy experience.

And one more thing on that note…I kept feeling like we were getting a pinpoint view, not the whole of the vast view I would expect. We do get a few descriptions of the horizon/atmosphere, butch those again are their own pinpoints, not integrated with the entirety of the view I would expect from the space station. But what do I know? ;)

In between the descriptions of orbital paths, we do get some insight into our characters, but even then it felt like from a distance. Large passages are general impressions of astronauts up there, not individual events or experiences. And the experiences we do read are often jarring jumps into second person. Not sure why this choice was made when the rest of the novel emphasizes the distance between these six souls and everything else?

A few interesting philosophical moments, including the notion that anyone who sees the earth from space suddenly sees clearly the futility and inanity of politics, war etc., which makes “you� (ok this might not have been a second person passage but it feels like it in retrospect) both at peace and despondent.

Was expecting the lunar mission to play some more significant role here. I guess they’re just meant to feel old and of an earlier era on the space station (soon to plunge into the earth below), doing their part to allow humanity’s next steps.

I just dunno. Given that it won the Booker, pretty sure I’m missing some of the enlightening experience better readers had.]]> 3.57 2023 Orbital
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Brian
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves:
review:
(3.0) Narrative seemed (probably intentionally) far removed

I kind of get the rhythm of the novel is supposed to feel like the rapid orbits of the earth, and the astronauts are likely captivated (maybe more so the first month or so rather than third or sixth?) by the land the see—or don’t—“below� them. It gets repetitive to read about this or that continent, these land features, those cities. It may capture life up there well, but doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a novel-worthy experience.

And one more thing on that note…I kept feeling like we were getting a pinpoint view, not the whole of the vast view I would expect. We do get a few descriptions of the horizon/atmosphere, butch those again are their own pinpoints, not integrated with the entirety of the view I would expect from the space station. But what do I know? ;)

In between the descriptions of orbital paths, we do get some insight into our characters, but even then it felt like from a distance. Large passages are general impressions of astronauts up there, not individual events or experiences. And the experiences we do read are often jarring jumps into second person. Not sure why this choice was made when the rest of the novel emphasizes the distance between these six souls and everything else?

A few interesting philosophical moments, including the notion that anyone who sees the earth from space suddenly sees clearly the futility and inanity of politics, war etc., which makes “you� (ok this might not have been a second person passage but it feels like it in retrospect) both at peace and despondent.

Was expecting the lunar mission to play some more significant role here. I guess they’re just meant to feel old and of an earlier era on the space station (soon to plunge into the earth below), doing their part to allow humanity’s next steps.

I just dunno. Given that it won the Booker, pretty sure I’m missing some of the enlightening experience better readers had.
]]> <![CDATA[Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism]]> 228578720 #1 New York Times Bestseller

�Careless People is darkly funny and genuinely shocking...Not only does [Sarah Wynn-Williams] have the storytelling chops to unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods." -Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

“When one of the world’s most powerful media companies tries to snuff out a book � amid other alarming attacks on free speech in America like this � it’s time to pull out all the stops.� –Ron Charles, The Washington Post

An explosive memoir charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.

From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.

Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg’s reaction when he learned of Facebook’s role in Trump’s election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace, all while Sheryl Sandberg urges her and others to “lean in.�

Careless People is a deeply personal account of why and how things have gone so horribly wrong in the past decade—told in a sharp, candid, and utterly disarming voice. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.]]> 385 Sarah Wynn-Williams 1250391245 Brian 0 to-read 4.57 2025 Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
author: Sarah Wynn-Williams
name: Brian
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Thinker's Guide for Students on How to Study & Learn a Discipline]]> 40893171 64 Richard Paul 1632340003 Brian 0 to-read 4.20 The Thinker's Guide for Students on How to Study & Learn a Discipline
author: Richard Paul
name: Brian
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Dream Hotel 218695937 A novel about one woman’s fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.

Sara has just landed at LAX, returning home from a conference abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.

The agents transfer Sara to a retention center, where she is held with other dreamers, all of them women trying to prove their innocence from different crimes. With every deviation from the strict and ever-shifting rules of the facility, their stay is extended. Months pass and Sara seems no closer to release. Then one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and leading Sara on a collision course with the very companies that have deprived her of her freedom.

Eerie, urgent, and ceaselessly clear-eyed, The Dream Hotel artfully explores the seductive nature of technology, which puts us in shackles even as it makes our lives easier. Lalami asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are.]]> 336 Laila Lalami 0593317602 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 3.70 2025 The Dream Hotel
author: Laila Lalami
name: Brian
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> The Colony 214203940 A mega best-seller in Sweden, with rights sold to over a dozen countries and a TV adaptation underway, Annika Norlin’s debut novel The Colony is the biggest Swedish literary phenomenon since Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove.

Winner of the Vi Literature Award and Swedish Radio’s Novel Prize, two of Sweden’s biggest literary awards, The Colony is a gripping portrayal of contemporary society and its alternatives.

Burnt-out from a demanding job and a bustling life in the city, Emelie has left town to spend a few days in the country. Once there, in the peaceful, verdant hills, down by the river she encounters a mysterious group of seven people, each with personal stories full of pain, alienation, and the longing to live differently. They are misfits, each in their own way, and all led by the enigmatic and charismatic Sara.

How did they end up there? Are they content with the rigid roles they’ve been assigned? And what happens when an outsider appears and is initially drawn to their alternative lifestyle but cannot help but stir things up?

A masterful blend of humor, emotion, unforgettable characters, and sharp social commentary, The Colony is a magnetic and deeply touching story about love, community, and the unfathomable power we other others and that others have over us.]]> 464 Annika Norlin Brian 0 to-read 3.99 2023 The Colony
author: Annika Norlin
name: Brian
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan]]> 6547829 304 Jonathan Manthorpe 0230614248 Brian 5 favorite-book-read-each-year
As ignorant as I was, I could only detect a strong (pro-independence) bias in the historical chapters that established a long history of separateness from the Chinese dynasties and esp Communist Party. Undoubtedly more bias exists, as a mainland point of view would not have produced such a book. :)

But so much history and context is packed into these pages, including colonialism up through US-Chinese relations from late 90s through early 2000s. Well written and consumable, and shorter than it could have easily been to write this scope of history.

I hope I retain at least 5% of this book to put all news from the Taiwan Strait (and indeed Japan, as well as any international moves by China) into context.

Only criticism is that endnotes were unenlightening citations of secondary (or tertiary?) sources, even historical quotations. Would be nice to connect the threads back to their sources. And eliminate quotations from modern historians entirely, which happens a few times.]]> 3.82 2005 Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan
author: Jonathan Manthorpe
name: Brian
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: favorite-book-read-each-year
review:
(5.0) Learned a ton from this

As ignorant as I was, I could only detect a strong (pro-independence) bias in the historical chapters that established a long history of separateness from the Chinese dynasties and esp Communist Party. Undoubtedly more bias exists, as a mainland point of view would not have produced such a book. :)

But so much history and context is packed into these pages, including colonialism up through US-Chinese relations from late 90s through early 2000s. Well written and consumable, and shorter than it could have easily been to write this scope of history.

I hope I retain at least 5% of this book to put all news from the Taiwan Strait (and indeed Japan, as well as any international moves by China) into context.

Only criticism is that endnotes were unenlightening citations of secondary (or tertiary?) sources, even historical quotations. Would be nice to connect the threads back to their sources. And eliminate quotations from modern historians entirely, which happens a few times.
]]> <![CDATA[The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation]]> 75327979 john lancasteer Brian 4 favorite-book-read-each-year
Account of the daring, dangerous race intended to boost aviation in the US. Very surprising it was as ‘successful� as it was. Yes, several made it there (and back) but it took its toll in life and machine. Must have been exciting to follow in newspapers and in towns where they were landing.]]> 3.75 The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation
author: john lancasteer
name: Brian
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/04
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: favorite-book-read-each-year
review:
(4.0) Following the transcontinental air race in 1919

Account of the daring, dangerous race intended to boost aviation in the US. Very surprising it was as ‘successful� as it was. Yes, several made it there (and back) but it took its toll in life and machine. Must have been exciting to follow in newspapers and in towns where they were landing.
]]> <![CDATA[The Good Hand: A Memoir of Work, Brotherhood, and Transformation in an American Boomtown]]> 54599078
“Beautiful, funny, and harrowing.� � Sarah Smarsh, The Atlantic

� Remarkable . . . this is the book that Hillbilly Elegy should have been. � � Kirkus Reviews

A vivid window into the world of working class men set during the Bakken fracking boom in North Dakota

Like thousands of restless men left unmoored in the wake of the 2008 economic crash, Michael Patrick Smith arrived in the fracking boomtown of Williston, North Dakota five years later homeless, unemployed, and desperate for a job. Renting a mattress on a dirty flophouse floor, he slept boot to beard with migrant men who came from all across America and as far away as Jamaica, Africa and the Philippines. They ate together, drank together, argued like crows and searched for jobs they couldn't get back home. Smith's goal was to find the hardest work he could do--to find out if he could do it. He hired on in the oil patch where he toiled fourteen hour shifts from summer's 100 degree dog days to deep into winter's bracing whiteouts, all the while wrestling with the demons of a turbulent past, his broken relationships with women, and the haunted memories of a family riven by violence.

The Good Hand is a saga of fear, danger, exhaustion, suffering, loneliness, and grit that explores the struggles of America's marginalized boomtown workers—the rough-hewn, castoff, seemingly disposable men who do an indispensable job that few would exalt: oil field hands who, in the age of climate change, put the gas in our tanks and the food in our homes. Smith, who had pursued theater and played guitar in New York, observes this world with a critical eye; yet he comes to love his coworkers, forming close bonds with Huck, a goofy giant of a young man whose lead foot and quick fists get him into trouble with the law, and The Wildebeest, a foul-mouthed, dip-spitting truck driver who torments him but also trains him up, and helps Smith "make a hand."

The Good Hand is ultimately a book about transformation--a classic American story of one man's attempt to burn himself clean through hard work, to reconcile himself to himself, to find community, and to become whole.]]> 464 Michael Patrick F. Smith 1984881515 Brian 4 favorite-book-read-each-year 4.08 The Good Hand: A Memoir of Work, Brotherhood, and Transformation in an American Boomtown
author: Michael Patrick F. Smith
name: Brian
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/01
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: favorite-book-read-each-year
review:
(4.0) As far as I could tell, a sincere attempt to join the community, build friendships and prove himself. Book might have been a little more than the afterthought it comes across as, but felt as true to his experiences as one could tell from afar. Last few pages lose the thread a bit trying to be too broad and reflective, but most of the book is real, concrete, great storytelling/retelling.
]]> <![CDATA[Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding]]> 51207425 This highly engaging landmark work, a natural history of exercise--by the author of the best seller The Story of the Human Body --seeks to answer a fundamental question: were you born to run or rest?

The first three parts of Exercised roughly follow the evolutionary story of human physical activity and inactivity, even as each chapter shatters a particular myth about exercise. Because we cannot understand physical activity without understanding its absence, Part One begins with physical inactivity. What are our bodies doing when we take it easy, including when we sit or sleep? Part Two explores physical activities that require speed, strength, and power, such as sprinting, lifting, and fighting. Part Three surveys physical activities that involve endurance, such as walking, running, or dancing, as well as their effect on aging. Part Four considers how anthropological and evolutionary approaches can help us exercise better in the modern world. How can we more effectively manage to exercise, and in what ways? To what extent, how, and why do different types and durations of exercise help prevent or treat the major diseases that are likely to make us sick and kill us?]]> 573 Daniel E. Lieberman 1524746991 Brian 4 favorite-book-read-each-year 4.29 2021 Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding
author: Daniel E. Lieberman
name: Brian
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/30
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: favorite-book-read-each-year
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5) (Silo series)]]> 53606010
This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.]]> 0 Hugh Howey Brian 0 to-read, on-kindle 4.00 2012 Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5) (Silo series)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read, on-kindle
review:

]]> Dune (Dune, #1) 43419431 Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice� melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 883 Frank Herbert Brian 0 on-kindle, to-read 4.44 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Brian
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: on-kindle, to-read
review:

]]> Thirteen Ways of Looking 26082086 Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic, National Book Award–winning author Colum McCann has transfixed readers with his precision, tenderness, and authority. Now, in his first collection of short fiction in more than a decade, McCann charts the territory of chance, and the profound and intimate consequences of even our smallest moments.

“As it was, it was like being set down in the best of poems, carried into a cold landscape, blindfolded, turned around, unblindfolded, forced, then, to invent new ways of seeing.�

In the exuberant title novella, a retired judge reflects on his life’s work, unaware as he goes about his daily routines that this particular morning will be his last. In “Sh’khol,� a mother spending Christmas alone with her son confronts the unthinkable when he disappears while swimming off the coast near their home in Ireland. In “Treaty,� an elderly nun catches a snippet of a news report in which it is revealed that the man who once kidnapped and brutalized her is alive, masquerading as an agent of peace. And in “What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?� a writer constructs a story about a Marine in Afghanistan calling home on New Year’s Eve.

Deeply personal, subtly subversive, at times harrowing, and indeed funny, yet also full of comfort, Thirteen Ways of Looking is a striking achievement. With unsurpassed empathy for his characters and their inner lives, Colum McCann forges from their stories a profound tribute to our search for meaning and grace. The collection is a rumination on the power of storytelling in a world where language and memory can sometimes falter, but in the end do not fail us, and a contemplation of the healing power of literature.

Praise for Colum McCann

Let the Great World Spin
Winner of the National Book Award

“One of the most electric, profound novels I have read in years.�—Jonathan Mahler,The New York Times Book Review

“Stunning . . . [an] elegiac glimpse of hope.��USA Today

“There’s so much passion and humor and pure life force on every page that you’ll find yourself giddy, dizzy, overwhelmed.�—Dave Eggers

TransAtlantic
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prizeand the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

“Reminiscent of the finest work of Michael Ondaatje and Michael Cunningham.��O: The Oprah Magazine

“Here is the uncanny thing McCann finds again and again about the miraculous: that it is inseparable from the everyday.��The Boston Globe

“Another sweeping, beautifully constructed tapestry of life . . . Reading McCann is a rare joy.��The Seattle Times


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 238 Colum McCann 0812996739 Brian 3
Title novella was my favorite in the book. We kept revisiting moments of Mendelssohn’s last day. His experience, others� observations, surveillance cameras, absence of surveillance coverage. Little ambiguous ending but not much.]]> 4.07 2015 Thirteen Ways of Looking
author: Colum McCann
name: Brian
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:
(3.5) Longer the story, the more I enjoyed.

Title novella was my favorite in the book. We kept revisiting moments of Mendelssohn’s last day. His experience, others� observations, surveillance cameras, absence of surveillance coverage. Little ambiguous ending but not much.
]]> <![CDATA[Advances in Behavioral Finance, Volume II (The Roundtable Series in Behavioral Economics)]]> 173934


Advances in Behavioral Finance, Volume II constitutes the essential new resource in the field. It presents twenty recent papers by leading specialists that illustrate the abiding power of behavioral finance--of how specific departures from fully rational decision making by individual market agents can provide explanations of otherwise puzzling market phenomena. As with the first volume, it reaches beyond the world of finance to suggest, powerfully, the importance of pursuing behavioral approaches to other areas of economic life.


The contributors are Brad M. Barber, Nicholas Barberis, Shlomo Benartzi, John Y. Campbell, Emil M. Dabora, Daniel Kent, François Degeorge, Kenneth A. Froot, J. B. Heaton, David Hirshleifer, Harrison Hong, Ming Huang, Narasimhan Jegadeesh, Josef Lakonishok, Owen A. Lamont, Roni Michaely, Terrance Odean, Jayendu Patel, Tano Santos, Andrei Shleifer, Robert J. Shiller, Jeremy C. Stein, Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, Richard H. Thaler, Sheridan Titman, Robert W. Vishny, Kent L. Womack, and Richard Zeckhauser.]]> 744 Richard H. Thaler 0691121753 Brian 0 to-read 4.36 2005 Advances in Behavioral Finance, Volume II (The Roundtable Series in Behavioral Economics)
author: Richard H. Thaler
name: Brian
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Il senso del dolore: L'inverno del commissario Ricciardi]]> 9679357 247 Maurizio de Giovanni 8860440734 Brian 0 to-read 3.83 2006 Il senso del dolore: L'inverno del commissario Ricciardi
author: Maurizio de Giovanni
name: Brian
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Overtaxed Investor: Slash Your Tax Bill & Be a Tax Alpha Dog]]> 51057276 156 Phil DeMuth Brian 0 to-read, on-kindle 4.30 The Overtaxed Investor: Slash Your Tax Bill & Be a Tax Alpha Dog
author: Phil DeMuth
name: Brian
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read, on-kindle
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Asset Allocation: Balancing Financial Risk: 3rd (Third) edition]]> 157038871 0 unknown author Brian 0 to-read 0.0 Asset Allocation: Balancing Financial Risk: 3rd (Third) edition
author: unknown author
name: Brian
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stocks for the Long Run: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns & Long-Term Investment Strategies, Sixth Edition]]> 62086463 The long-awaited revised edition of the stock trading classic gets you fully up to date on value investing, ESG investing, and other important developments

The definitive guide to stock trading, Stocks for the Long Run has been providing the knowledge, insights, and tools that traders need to understand the market for nearly 30 years. It's been updated with new chapters and content on:


The role of value investing The impact of ESG―Environmental/Social/Governance―issues on the future of investing The current interest rate environment Future returns investors should expect in the bond and stock markets The role of international investing The long-run risks on equity markets The importance of black swan events, such as a pandemic and the financial crisis You'll also get in-depth discussions on the big questions investors face: Is international Investing dead? What do global changes like climate change mean for markets wo0rldwide?Consult this classic guide to master the stock market's behavior, past trends, and future forecasts, so you have all the tools you need to develop a powerful long-term portfolio that's both safe and secure.]]> 512 Jeremy J. Siegel 1264269803 Brian 0 to-read 4.55 1994 Stocks for the Long Run: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns & Long-Term Investment Strategies, Sixth Edition
author: Jeremy J. Siegel
name: Brian
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success (The Retirement Researcher Guide Series)]]> 124387796
- Understand your personal retirement income style , which can then help you navigate through the conflicting opinions about retirement strategies to choose your right path.

- Learn about investment and insurance tools that may best resonate with your personal style.

- Determine if you are financially prepared for retirement by quantifying your financial goals (annual spending, legacy, and reserves for the unexpected) and comparing them to your available assets.

- Make smart decisions for when to start Social Security benefits , which could potentially support an additional $100,000 or more of lifetime income from Social Security.

- Develop a plan for making the best initial and ongoing choices from the alphabet soup of Medicare options , as well as how to find health coverage if you retire before Medicare eligibility.

- Assess where you wish to live in retirement and whether there are helpful ways to incorporate housing wealth into your retirement strategy.

- Decide how to manage your long-term care risk between self-funding, Medicaid, or private insurance, and take steps to support living at home for as long as possible.

- Understand how to manage your taxes to pay less , to avoid common pitfalls, and to have more for your lifetime and your legacy. You will be able to apply tax diversification, asset location, tax bracket management, and Roth conversions to enhance the sustainability of your retirement assets.

- Get your finances organized and understand how to get your estate and incapacity planning documents in order, including your will, account titling, beneficiary designations, financial power of attorney, and advance health care directives.

- Identify whether there is a role for trusts in your estate plan for reasons related to avoiding probate, controlling how and when assets are disbursed, obtaining creditor protections, or helping to manage estate taxes.

- Prepare for the non-financial aspects of retirement , including the need to find purpose and passion, to understand if there is a role for work in retirement, to enhance relationships and social connections, and to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Retirement has an entire vocabulary associated with it. We'll demystify the 4% rule, sequence-of-return risk, time segmentation and buckets, reverse mortgages, income annuities, variable annuities, fixed index annuities, long-term care insurance, living trusts, irrevocable trusts, budgeting, the funded ratio, Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplements, diversified investment portfolios, Roth conversions, the hazards of the Social Security tax torpedo and increased Medicare premiums, buffer assets, 401(k) plans and IRAs, the rollover decision, distribution options for defined-benefit company pensions, required minimum distributions, qualified charitable distributions, aging in place, cognitive decline, and so much more.

The Retirement Planning Guidebook does not let important matters fall through the cracks. This is a comprehensive look at the key retirement decisions to achieve financial and non-financial success. You will have the foundation to make the most of your retirement years, and I hope you'll be able to do something great !]]> 507 Wade Pfau 1945640154 Brian 0 to-read 4.33 Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success (The Retirement Researcher Guide Series)
author: Wade Pfau
name: Brian
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz]]> 51187948
On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold the country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally-and willing to fight to the end.

In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless." It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it's also an intimate domestic drama set against the backdrop of Churchill's prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London.

Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports-some released only recently-Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela's illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the cadre of close advisers who comprised Churchill's "Secret Circle," including his lovestruck private secretary, John Colville; newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook; and the Rasputin-like Frederick Lindemann.

The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today's political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when-in the face of unrelenting horror-Churchill's eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together."--]]> 546 Erik Larson 038534872X Brian 0 currently-reading 4.30 2020 The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
author: Erik Larson
name: Brian
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career]]> 65215677 Nothing Good Can Come from This.

What would you sacrifice for your career? All your free time? Your sense of self-worth? Your sanity?

In 2006, Kristi Coulter left her cozy but dull job for a promising new position at the fast-growing Amazon, but she never expected the soul-crushing pressure that came with it.

In no time she finds the challenge and excitement she'd been craving―along with seven-day workweeks, lifeboat exercises, widespread burnout, and a culture driven largely by fear. But the chase, the visibility, and, let's face it, the stock options, proved intoxicating, and so, for twelve years, she stayed―until she no longer recognized the face in the mirror or the mission she'd signed up for.

Unsparing, absurd, and wickedly funny, Exit Interview is a rare journey inside the crucible that is Amazon. An intimate, surprisingly relatable look at the work life of a driven woman in a world that loves the idea of female ambition but balks at the reality.]]> 384 Kristi Coulter 0374600902 Brian 5
Coulter employs several different styles in this book.

One is first-person narrative. Believable, well written humorous. Doesn’t *feel* embellished.

Another style is second person how-to for women in corporate (“Professional Help�). Actually starts as first person “I should…� that is split into dozens of what could be bulleted list of behaviors/anti-behaviors. Seamlessly transitions to increasingly difficult/contradictory/impossible commandments

Another is cynically humorous play on the ever forward progress timeline trope. She mixes history and personal history, including events at Amazon.

Overall just well written. Employees and alumni/ae will likely identify. Outsiders feel her bewilderment, perhaps respect and abhor Amazon (if they didn’t already). Prospective employees might want to study up.

And one thread here is how important it is to pick your boss when you can. It matter way more whether they and the people around you actually care about you than what you’re actually working on. Don’t stick around on a sinking ship because promo is close. Because it probably won’t be anymore in six months anyway.]]> 4.15 Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career
author: Kristi Coulter
name: Brian
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:
(5.0) I love her styles.

Coulter employs several different styles in this book.

One is first-person narrative. Believable, well written humorous. Doesn’t *feel* embellished.

Another style is second person how-to for women in corporate (“Professional Help�). Actually starts as first person “I should…� that is split into dozens of what could be bulleted list of behaviors/anti-behaviors. Seamlessly transitions to increasingly difficult/contradictory/impossible commandments

Another is cynically humorous play on the ever forward progress timeline trope. She mixes history and personal history, including events at Amazon.

Overall just well written. Employees and alumni/ae will likely identify. Outsiders feel her bewilderment, perhaps respect and abhor Amazon (if they didn’t already). Prospective employees might want to study up.

And one thread here is how important it is to pick your boss when you can. It matter way more whether they and the people around you actually care about you than what you’re actually working on. Don’t stick around on a sinking ship because promo is close. Because it probably won’t be anymore in six months anyway.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook]]> 191746386
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution . Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?

Hampton Sides� bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.

Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook’s intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook’s overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter.

At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.]]> 408 Hampton Sides 0385544766 Brian 0 to-read, on-kindle 4.47 2024 The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
author: Hampton Sides
name: Brian
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read, on-kindle
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City]]> 123760191
No city stirs the imagination more than Venice. From the richly ornamented palaces emerging from the waters of the Grand Canal to the dazzling sites of Piazza San Marco, visitors and residents alike sense they are entering, as fourteenth-century poet Petrarch remarked, "another world." During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Venice was celebrated as a model republic in an age of monarchs. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it became famous for its freewheeling lifestyle characterized by courtesans, casinos, and Carnival. When the city fell on hard times following the collapse of the Republic in 1797, a darker vision of Venice as a place of decay, disease, and death took hold. Today tourists from around the globe flock to the world heritage site as rising sea levels threaten its very foundations.

This comprehensive account reveals the adaptations to its geographic setting that have been a constant feature of living on water from Venice's origins to the present. It examines the lives of the women and men, noble and common, rich and poor, Christian, Jew, and Muslim, who built not only the city but also its vast empire that stretched from Northern Italy to the eastern Mediterranean. It details the urban transformations that Venice underwent in response to environmental vulnerability, industrialization, and mass tourism. Alongside the city's commercial prominence has been its dramatically changing political role, including its power as a city-state, regional stronghold, and overseas empire, as well as its impact on the development of fascism. Throughout, Dennis Romano highlights the city's cultural achievements in architecture, painting, and music, particularly opera.

This richly illustrated volume offers a stunning portrait of this most singular of cities.]]> 800 Dennis Romano 0190859989 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 3.99 2023 Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City
author: Dennis Romano
name: Brian
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wild and Beautiful is the Night]]> 34957281
Paulette is a seasoned sex worker, supporting herself and her drug use. She is a reluctant and unlikely mentor to Danni, who is new to the street and whose crack use has set her on a similar path. Despite their differences, or perhaps because of them, they develop a difficult and troubled friendship that sees Paulette begin to pull herself together while Danni manages to survive everything that comes her way. Will her luck run out? Has Paulette learned to make her own luck?]]> 296 John Miller 1770865101 Brian 0 to-read 4.11 2018 Wild and Beautiful is the Night
author: John Miller
name: Brian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War]]> 51770358
Unfolding the delicious three-way gamesmanship between America, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and culminating in the gripping cinematic beat-by-beat of Gordievsky's nail-biting escape from Moscow in 1985, Ben Macintyre's latest may be his best yet. Like the greatest novels of John le Carré, it brings readers deep into a world of treachery and betrayal, where the lines bleed between the personal and the professional, and one man's hatred of communism had the power to change the future of nations.]]> 364 Ben Macintyre 1101904216 Brian 0 to-read 4.49 2018 The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
author: Ben Macintyre
name: Brian
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Design Of Future Things 6922903 The Design of Future Things, best-selling author Donald A. Norman presents a revealing examination of smart technology, from smooth-talking GPS units to cantankerous refrigerators. Exploring the links between design and human psychology, he offers a consumer-oriented theory of natural human-machine interaction that can be put into practice by the engineers and industrial designers of tomorrow’s thinking machines. A fascinating look at the perils and promise of the intelligent objects of the future, The Design of Future Things is a must-read for anyone interested in the dawn of a new era in technology.]]> 239 Donald A. Norman 0465002285 Brian 3 The Design of Everyday Things

Feels fluffier, less concrete, more repetitive (e.g. keeps coming back to autonomous driving (well, makes sense, he's funded/paid by Ford and Toyota at time of writing) and doesn't really add more as he does so). Feels like a rehashing of Everyday Things with just the added complication that the technology/devices/products now are "intelligent" and help automate things that humans would otherwise have to do (or couldn't possibly do) on their own. This does present design challenges, but we stay way too high-level for this to carry much weight. I do give him credit for keeping it relatively short. Some journalists I've read would've dragged this on 50% longer.]]> 3.87 1988 The Design Of Future Things
author: Donald A. Norman
name: Brian
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2012/12/10
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves:
review:
(3.0) Not as educational as The Design of Everyday Things

Feels fluffier, less concrete, more repetitive (e.g. keeps coming back to autonomous driving (well, makes sense, he's funded/paid by Ford and Toyota at time of writing) and doesn't really add more as he does so). Feels like a rehashing of Everyday Things with just the added complication that the technology/devices/products now are "intelligent" and help automate things that humans would otherwise have to do (or couldn't possibly do) on their own. This does present design challenges, but we stay way too high-level for this to carry much weight. I do give him credit for keeping it relatively short. Some journalists I've read would've dragged this on 50% longer.
]]> Patriot: A Memoir 210943348
Alexei Navalny began writing Patriot shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020. It is the full story of his life: his youth, his call to activism, his marriage and family, his commitment to challenging a world super-power determined to silence him, and his total conviction that change cannot be resisted—and will come.

In vivid, page-turning detail, including never-before-seen correspondence from prison, Navalny recounts, among other things, his political career, the many attempts on his life, and the lives of the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime.

Written with the passion, wit, candor, and bravery for which he was justly acclaimed, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.

“This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship—a fight he gave everything for, including his life. Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply—a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage. Sharing his story will not only honor his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.� —Yulia Navalnaya]]> 496 Alexei Navalny 0593320964 Brian 0 to-read 4.55 2024 Patriot: A Memoir
author: Alexei Navalny
name: Brian
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Economics Explains the World: A Short History of Humanity]]> 203746822 “If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh's clear, insightful, and remarkable (and short) work.� —Claudia Goldin, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics and Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University

A sweeping, engrossing history of how economic forces have shaped the world—all in under 200 pages

In How Economics Explains the World, Harvard-trained economist Andrew Leigh presents a new way to understand the human story. From the dawn of agriculture to AI, here is story of how ingenuity, greed, and desire for betterment have, to an astonishing degree, determined our past, present, and future.

This small book indeed tells a big story. It is the story of capitalism � of how our market system developed. It is the story of the discipline of economics, and some of the key figures who formed it. And it is the story of how economic forces have shaped world history. Why didn’t Africa colonize Europe instead of the other way around? What happened when countries erected trade and immigration barriers in the 1930s? Why did the Allies win World War II? Why did inequality in many advanced countries fall during the 1950s and 1960s? How did property rights drive China’s growth surge in the 1980s? How does climate change threaten our future prosperity? You’ll find answers to these questions and more in How Economics Explains the World.]]> 240 Andrew Leigh 0063383802 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 3.96 How Economics Explains the World: A Short History of Humanity
author: Andrew Leigh
name: Brian
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age]]> 205309521 How did a shaky startup that barely got its first rocket off the ground defy expectations to become the world’s leading spaceflight company? Get the untold story of the team of game-changers, led by a well-known billionaire, who are sending NASA astronauts to space—and just might carry the human race to Mars.In the 21st century, space travel has become a commercial venture. And one company dominates the modern space SpaceX, founded by controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk in 2002, and now sending more payloads into Earth orbit than the rest of the world combined.But Musk didn’t do it alone. The saga of SpaceX is the story of a diverse cadre of true believers in the limitless potential of space travel. For the first time, Reentry relates the definitive chronicle of how this daring team of risk-takers was able to redefine what it takes to reach the stars.With Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Eric Berger, author of Liftoff, as your guide, you’ll accompany SpaceX’s innovative thinkers during their toughest trials and most audacious moments, Creating the first orbital rockets that can land by themselves and fly againTransporting a 120-ft rocket from Texas to Florida by truck via back roadsFixing a cracked engine nozzle using hand tools, just days before liftoffSending a wheel of cheese into orbitSearching the ocean for the first rocket that splashed down intactBeing in the room where it happened—when SpaceX nearly lost big to BoeingIdentifying the $4 part that led to a rocket exploding in flightModifying a Tesla to prevent implosion in spaceFrom launchpad explosions to a pernicious cricket infestation to the harsh management style of Musk himself, the rise of SpaceX was beset with challenges and far from inevitable. Find out how a start-up that no one thought could get off the ground flew high enough to outpace their rivals . . . and where they’re going next.]]> 450 Eric Berger 1637745273 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 4.44 2024 Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age
author: Eric Berger
name: Brian
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> Looking for Jane 61343733 #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

This “powerful debut� (Hello! Canada) for fans of Kristin Hannah and Jennifer Chiaverini about three women whose lives are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose—inspired by true stories.

2017: When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code Jane.

1971: As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen� women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.

1980: After discovering a shocking secret about her family, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane� and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.

Looking for Jane is “a searing, important, beautifully written novel about the choices we all make and where they lead us—as well as a wise and timely reminder of the difficult road women had to walk not so long ago� (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).]]> 384 Heather Marshall 166801369X Brian 3
Or: if Cider House Rules were written by a woman.

She combined multiple experiences with pregnancy and motherhood into a few characters, showing how their experiences, needs, motivation etc change with their life and external circumstances.

Laughed and cried at the appropriate times and literally wrote “audience applauds� at the big scenes/reveals/womyn power moments.

There was some serious corner cutting in the narrative at times though, speeding through a character’s or a relationship’s trajectory/motivation etc when we would have loved to see it play out in dialogue, interactions or at least inner monologue.

Couple of beatings of the reader over the head on the big ideas and the double meaning of the novel’s title (including a reprise in the author q and an after the novel!). She wrote this well on the whole, could’ve left some of those bits out.

About the “almost all�: I wish she had tried to include a character who fell on both sides of choice/abortion, who transformed one way or the other through tje course of her life. Try to understand and connect with those who seem to fundamentally disagree with you, surprise yourself when you find the common foundation that both beliefs are built from. Fight and hate are tools, but empathy can build even better bridges.]]> 4.39 2022 Looking for Jane
author: Heather Marshall
name: Brian
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:
(3.5) Love that she looked at motherhood, womanhood, pregnancy, abortion from all angles. Almost all angles.

Or: if Cider House Rules were written by a woman.

She combined multiple experiences with pregnancy and motherhood into a few characters, showing how their experiences, needs, motivation etc change with their life and external circumstances.

Laughed and cried at the appropriate times and literally wrote “audience applauds� at the big scenes/reveals/womyn power moments.

There was some serious corner cutting in the narrative at times though, speeding through a character’s or a relationship’s trajectory/motivation etc when we would have loved to see it play out in dialogue, interactions or at least inner monologue.

Couple of beatings of the reader over the head on the big ideas and the double meaning of the novel’s title (including a reprise in the author q and an after the novel!). She wrote this well on the whole, could’ve left some of those bits out.

About the “almost all�: I wish she had tried to include a character who fell on both sides of choice/abortion, who transformed one way or the other through tje course of her life. Try to understand and connect with those who seem to fundamentally disagree with you, surprise yourself when you find the common foundation that both beliefs are built from. Fight and hate are tools, but empathy can build even better bridges.
]]> <![CDATA[30 Interactive Brainteasers to Warm up your Brain]]> 25997437

This little fun book is ideal for teens and adults who look for some creative ways to spend their free time, entertain their mind or simply keep themselves busy while waiting in public locations!


The difficulty level of the brainteasers in this mini collection is appropriate for beginner teens or adults, and even for smart kids.


This book is specially formatted to provide clues, simply with a click, before providing the answer! You can ask for a clue before seeing the answer which is really great and makes the game a lot more fun!


Download your Copy today and start having fun right away!]]> 88 Puzzleland 1311715681 Brian 2
A few too many “A gives a thing to B and they have the same number of things. If B gave one to A then A would have N times as many as B� type puzzles, a few old classics (two 60 minute ropes...how do you measure 45 minutes), and kind of randomly, some plexers (at least that’s what my second grade teacher Mrs. Emanuels called them) like poFISHnd .

But hey I think it was free? Probably good for primary schoolers.

Merged review:

(2.5) Meh okay.

A few too many “A gives a thing to B and they have the same number of things. If B gave one to A then A would have N times as many as B� type puzzles, a few old classics (two 60 minute ropes...how do you measure 45 minutes), and kind of randomly, some plexers (at least that’s what my second grade teacher Mrs. Emanuels called them) like poFISHnd .

But hey I think it was free? Probably good for primary schoolers.]]> 3.77 2015 30 Interactive Brainteasers to Warm up your Brain
author: Puzzleland
name: Brian
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2020/01/06
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves:
review:
(2.5) Meh okay.

A few too many “A gives a thing to B and they have the same number of things. If B gave one to A then A would have N times as many as B� type puzzles, a few old classics (two 60 minute ropes...how do you measure 45 minutes), and kind of randomly, some plexers (at least that’s what my second grade teacher Mrs. Emanuels called them) like poFISHnd .

But hey I think it was free? Probably good for primary schoolers.

Merged review:

(2.5) Meh okay.

A few too many “A gives a thing to B and they have the same number of things. If B gave one to A then A would have N times as many as B� type puzzles, a few old classics (two 60 minute ropes...how do you measure 45 minutes), and kind of randomly, some plexers (at least that’s what my second grade teacher Mrs. Emanuels called them) like poFISHnd .

But hey I think it was free? Probably good for primary schoolers.
]]> <![CDATA[This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race]]> 49247043 From The New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, the untold story of the cyberweapons market-the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market on earth-and a terrifying first look at a new kind of global warfare.

Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break into your devices and move around undetected. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to silently spy on your iPhone, dismantle the safety controls at a chemical plant, alter an election, and shut down the electric grid (just ask Ukraine).

For decades, under cover of classification levels and non-disclosure agreements, the United States government became the world's dominant hoarder of zero days. U.S. government agents paid top dollar-first thousands, and later millions of dollars- to hackers willing to sell their lock-picking code and their silence.

Then the United States lost control of its hoard and the market.

Now those zero days are in the hands of hostile nations and mercenaries who do not care if your vote goes missing, your clean water is contaminated, or our nuclear plants melt down.

Filled with spies, hackers, arms dealers, and a few unsung heroes, written like a thriller and a reference, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is an astonishing feat of journalism. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, The New York Times reporter Nicole Perlroth lifts the curtain on a market in shadow, revealing the urgent threat faced by us all if we cannot bring the global cyber arms race to heel.]]> 528 Nicole Perlroth 1635576059 Brian 4
Quote as summary: “‘The NSA’s fatal flaw is that it came to believe it was smarter than everyone else,� Peter G. Neumann, one of America’s sages of cybersecurity [said]�

Detailed and frightening accounts of what’s been going on behind all the public (and nonpublic) security events. How the US opened Pandora’s box and how we’ve so far been lucky that the full potential of the US arsenal being turned over to the shadow world has not been unleashed.

One of the blurbs claims this reads like a LeCarre novel. Hardly. Though the events are dramatic, the book reads like a narrative of reporting: “we broke this story� and “i interviewed these guys over salmon� etc. Intrleresting and frightening nonetheless but it’s been easy to put down when needed ;)]]> 4.31 2021 This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race
author: Nicole Perlroth
name: Brian
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
(4.0) Catalog of events in computer security and vulnerability marketing/exploitation

Quote as summary: “‘The NSA’s fatal flaw is that it came to believe it was smarter than everyone else,� Peter G. Neumann, one of America’s sages of cybersecurity [said]�

Detailed and frightening accounts of what’s been going on behind all the public (and nonpublic) security events. How the US opened Pandora’s box and how we’ve so far been lucky that the full potential of the US arsenal being turned over to the shadow world has not been unleashed.

One of the blurbs claims this reads like a LeCarre novel. Hardly. Though the events are dramatic, the book reads like a narrative of reporting: “we broke this story� and “i interviewed these guys over salmon� etc. Intrleresting and frightening nonetheless but it’s been easy to put down when needed ;)
]]> <![CDATA[Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election: Volume II of II (Redacted version)]]> 45295225
"The Mueller Report: Volume II" features the redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s counterintelligence investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The scope of the investigation included allegations that there were links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, as well as matters that arose directly from the investigation.

During the course of the two-year investigation, the Special Counsel and his staff employed 19 lawyers who were assisted by a team of approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff. The Special Counsel issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, issued almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses. Volume II of the resulting report has been carefully preserved in this publication.]]> 242 Robert S. Mueller III 1095274570 Brian 0 to-read 4.38 Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election: Volume II of II (Redacted version)
author: Robert S. Mueller III
name: Brian
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election: Volume I of II (Redacted version)]]> 45286534
"The Mueller Report: Volume I" features the redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s counterintelligence investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The scope of the investigation included allegations that there were links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, as well as matters that arose directly from the investigation.

During the course of the two-year investigation, the Special Counsel and his staff employed 19 lawyers who were assisted by a team of approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other professional staff. The Special Counsel issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, issued almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses. Volume I of the resulting report has been carefully preserved in this publication.]]> 207 Robert S. Mueller III 1095274562 Brian 0 to-read 4.50 Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election: Volume I of II (Redacted version)
author: Robert S. Mueller III
name: Brian
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Report on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election (Part 2 of 2): Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities]]> 55110819
This edition by Quid Pro Books is Part 2 of 2 , dividing the August 2020 report in half. Although volumes issued earlier by the committee covered other aspects of the Russian operation, such as its "efforts against election infrastructure" and its "intentions," this Volume 5 is the virtual culmination of the committee’s investigative and reporting work for the U.S. Senate. Reports issued before August 2020 lack the breadth, depth, and insight into interactions between the foreign interference program and U.S. participants. Thus this book, with its particular subtitle and divided into two parts, is not to be confused with the earlier and more tentative volumes sharing the same main title.

Part 1 includes introductory material and pages 1�463 of the Select Committee on Intelligence’s report. Part 2 excerpts pages 464�952, beginning with the involvement of George Papadopoulos and Carter Page and ending with the separate views of several Senators, including Sen. Wyden's assessment of the redactions and issues remaining.

As the New York Times immediately concluded upon its release, this report “provided a bipartisan Senate imprimatur for an extraordinary set of The Russian government disrupted an American election to help Mr. Trump become president, Russian intelligence services viewed members of the Trump campaign as easily manipulated, and some of Mr. Trump’s advisers were eager for the help from an American adversary.�

Quid Pro Books is an academic publisher of classic and modern nonfiction books on law, history, political science, and the social sciences.]]> 500 1610274210 Brian 0 to-read 4.00 Report on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election (Part 2 of 2): Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities
author: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Report on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election (Part 1 of 2): Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities]]> 55110820
This edition by Quid Pro Books is Part 1 of 2 , dividing the August 2020 report in half. This first part adds a Foreword by Steven Alan Childress, a senior law professor at Tulane University.

Although volumes issued earlier by the committee covered other aspects of the Russian operation, such as its "efforts against election infrastructure" and its "intentions," this Volume 5 is the virtual culmination of the committee’s investigative and reporting work for the U.S. Senate. Reports issued before August 2020 lack the breadth, depth, and insight into interactions between the foreign interference program and U.S. participants. Thus this book, with its particular subtitle and divided into two parts, is not to be confused with the earlier and more tentative Volumes sharing the same main title. Moreover, the printing by Quid Pro is not affiliated with garbled Kindle versions that may have low reviews for their poor quality. And this paperback is printed in 7.4x9.6" format so as to fit a normal size for a book, unlike other publishers' letter-size reprintings, yet it retains the committee's pagination.

Part 1 includes introductory material and pages 1�463 of the Select Committee on Intelligence’s report. Part 2 excerpts pages 464�952, beginning with the involvement of George Papadopoulos and Carter Page and ending with the separate views of several Senators, including Sen. Wyden's assessment of the redactions and issues remaining. Part 2 is sold separately on this site, with a blue cover.

As the New York Times concluded upon its release, the report “provided a bipartisan Senate imprimatur for an extraordinary set of The Russian government disrupted an American election to help Mr. Trump become president, Russian intelligence services viewed members of the Trump campaign as easily manipulated, and some of Mr. Trump’s advisers were eager for the help from an American adversary.�

Quid Pro Books is an academic publisher of classic and modern nonfiction on law, history, political science, and the social sciences. Prof. Childress has taught at Tulane since 1988, earned his law degree at Harvard and a PhD in social policy from Berkeley, and is the author of books on federal courts and the legal profession.]]> 490 1610274202 Brian 0 to-read 4.50 Report on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election (Part 1 of 2): Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities
author: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
name: Brian
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)]]> 32758901 "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.� Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.]]> 144 Martha Wells Brian 0 to-read 4.11 2017 All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)
author: Martha Wells
name: Brian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions]]> 35068849 Kari Byron—former host of the wildly popular, iconic cult classic MythBusters—shows how to crash test your way through life, no lab coat required.

Kari Byron’s story hasn’t been a straight line. She started out as a broke artist living in San Francisco, writing poems on a crowded bus on the way to one of her three jobs. Many curve balls, unexpected twists, and yes, literal and figurative explosions later, and she’s one of the world’s most respected women in science entertainment, blowing stuff up on national television and getting paid for it! In Crash Test Girl, Kari reveals her fascinating life story on the set of MythBusters and beyond. With her signature gusto and roll-up-your-sleeves enthusiasm, she invites readers behind the duct tape and the dynamite, to the unlikely friendships and low-budget sets that turned a crazy idea into a famously inventive show with a rabid fanbase.

The truth is, MythBusters was never meant to be a science show. But attaching a rocket to a car, riding a motorcycle on water, or lighting 500 pounds of coffee creamer on fire requires a decent understanding of chemistry, physics, and engineering. Thus, the cast and crew brought in the scientific method to work through each problem: Question. Hypothesize. Analyze. Experiment. Conclude. And as Kari came to learn in her own life, not only is the scientific method the best approach for busting myths, it’s also the perfect tool for solving everyday issues, including:

Career · Love · Creativity · Setbacks · Money · Sexuality · Depression · Bravery

Crash Test Girl reminds us that science is for everyone, as long as you’re willing to strap in, put on your safety goggles, hit a few walls, and learn from the results. Using a combination of methodical experimentation and unconventional creativity, you’ll come to the most important conclusion of all: In life, sometimes you crash and burn, but you can always crash and learn.]]> 254 Kari Byron 0062749781 Brian 4 3.92 2018 Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions
author: Kari Byron
name: Brian
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/02
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The Circle 18659415 The Circle is the exhilarating new novel from Dave Eggers, best-selling author ofA Hologram for the King, a finalist for the National Book Award.

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users� personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.]]> 524 Dave Eggers 0385351402 Brian 2 on-mbs-ibooks
This reminded me far more of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore than What is the What or Zeitoun (loved both of those).

Eggers seems to be attempting something cool here. There've already been plenty of big bother dystopian novels written of course, but Eggers tries to show how we could've gotten there more or less voluntarily. In 1984 we may have to assume that the government imposes totalitarianism, but Eggers suggests that we might actually bring it upon ourselves via Facebook, Google(+) etc. I think that's a cool angle, and he may be right that it would happen via corporations and not governments...or even that governments will become less and less powerful/relevant as corporations gain more control over our lives to the point that government may just outsource its role to these corporate giants.

However, he makes it contrived, nearly farcical. The naive Mae is somehow at the center of this transformation, a few months after joining the Circle she's the critical cog in the handing over of all privacy to the Circle. Very few people even say the word privacy and gladly accept secret cameras hidden everywhere broadcasting unfiltered video feeds to everyone. The other characters who either oppose or endorse the movement are laughably one dimensional. The suspense about who this Kalden character is is silly as well.

I'm really not sure where this came from. Dave is capable of much, much better. I do admit that if this were written by Robin Sloan or the like, I might've enjoyed it a bit more. I just have certain expectations from Mr Eggers.]]> 3.59 2013 The Circle
author: Dave Eggers
name: Brian
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2013/12/26
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: on-mbs-ibooks
review:
(2.5) This is not Dave Eggers' writing

This reminded me far more of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore than What is the What or Zeitoun (loved both of those).

Eggers seems to be attempting something cool here. There've already been plenty of big bother dystopian novels written of course, but Eggers tries to show how we could've gotten there more or less voluntarily. In 1984 we may have to assume that the government imposes totalitarianism, but Eggers suggests that we might actually bring it upon ourselves via Facebook, Google(+) etc. I think that's a cool angle, and he may be right that it would happen via corporations and not governments...or even that governments will become less and less powerful/relevant as corporations gain more control over our lives to the point that government may just outsource its role to these corporate giants.

However, he makes it contrived, nearly farcical. The naive Mae is somehow at the center of this transformation, a few months after joining the Circle she's the critical cog in the handing over of all privacy to the Circle. Very few people even say the word privacy and gladly accept secret cameras hidden everywhere broadcasting unfiltered video feeds to everyone. The other characters who either oppose or endorse the movement are laughably one dimensional. The suspense about who this Kalden character is is silly as well.

I'm really not sure where this came from. Dave is capable of much, much better. I do admit that if this were written by Robin Sloan or the like, I might've enjoyed it a bit more. I just have certain expectations from Mr Eggers.
]]> <![CDATA[Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting]]> 12576523
When American journalist Pamela Druckerman has a baby in Paris, she doesn't aspire to become a "French parent." French parenting isn't a known thing, like French fashion or French cheese. Even French parents themselves insist they aren't doing anything special.

Yet, the French children Druckerman knows sleep through the night at two or three months old while those of her American friends take a year or more. French kids eat well-rounded meals that are more likely to include braised leeks than chicken nuggets. And while her American friends spend their visits resolving spats between their kids, her French friends sip coffee while the kids play.

Motherhood itself is a whole different experience in France. There's no role model, as there is in America, for the harried new mom with no life of her own. French mothers assume that even good parents aren't at the constant service of their children and that there's no need to feel guilty about this. They have an easy, calm authority with their kids that Druckerman can only envy.

Of course, French parenting wouldn't be worth talking about if it produced robotic, joyless children. In fact, French kids are just as boisterous, curious, and creative as Americans. They're just far better behaved and more in command of themselves. While some American toddlers are getting Mandarin tutors and preliteracy training, French kids are- by design-toddling around and discovering the world at their own pace.

With a notebook stashed in her diaper bag, Druckerman-a former reporter for "The Wall Street Journal"-sets out to learn the secrets to raising a society of good little sleepers, gourmet eaters, and reasonably relaxed parents. She discovers that French parents are extremely strict about some things and strikingly permissive about others. And she realizes that to be a different kind of parent, you don't just need a different parenting philosophy. You need a very different view of what a child actually is.While finding her own firm "non," Druckerman discovers that children-including her own-are capable of feats she'd never imagined.]]> 298 Pamela Druckerman 1101563141 Brian 0 3.98 2012 Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting
author: Pamela Druckerman
name: Brian
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: considering-rec-if-ill-like-it, from-the-economist, parenting
review:

]]> The Submission 11842458 Entertainment Weekly’s Favorite Novel of 2011 Esquire’s 2011 Book of the Year
A New York Times Notable Book for 2011A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book for 2011One of NPR’s 10 Best Novels of 2011
Ten years after 9/11, a dazzling, kaleidoscopic novel reimagines its aftermath

A jury gathers in Manhattan to select a memorial for the victims of a devastating terrorist attack. Their fraught deliberations complete, the jurors open the envelope containing the anonymous winner’s name—and discover he is an American Muslim. Instantly they are cast into roiling debate about the claims of grief, the ambiguities of art, and the meaning of Islam. Their conflicted response is only a preamble to the country’s.

The memorial’s designer is an enigmatic, ambitious architect named Mohammad Khan. His fiercest defender on the jury is its sole widow, the self-possessed and mediagenic Claire Burwell. But when the news of his selection leaks to the press, she finds herself under pressure from outraged family members and in collision with hungry journalists, wary activists, opportunistic politicians, fellow jurors, and Khan himself—as unknowable as he is gifted. In the fight for both advantage and their ideals, all will bring the emotional weight of their own histories to bear on the urgent question of how to remember, and understand, a national tragedy.

In this deeply humane novel, the breadth of Amy Waldman’s cast of characters is matched by her startling ability to conjure their perspectives. A striking portrait of a fractured city striving to make itself whole, The Submission is a piercing and resonant novel by an important new talent.]]> 352 Amy Waldman 1429958286 Brian 4 on-nook
I give her so much credit for coming up with the premise. I just thought it was brilliant and when I heard just that much about this novel, I knew I had to read it (even though it was reviewed by Maureen Corrigan, who I really have trouble listening to, let alone taking book advice from). I enjoy her characters and the struggles they go through (though I think Claire vacillated a bit too frequently and widely to be believed, it served the plot well). I recommend reading it.

I thought the plot stagnated for a bit and we turned in small circles after all of the initial fallout (public protests, violence, threats etc.) has occurred. We're just kind of waiting for something to actually happen, someone to make a decision or declaration. In the mean time we just keep visiting each of the principal characters and check in on them while the memorial competition is in limbo. This was probably deliberate, as it was frustrating to read. The characters certainly felt a similar frustration. I just wonder if there could've been a slightly more enjoyable to read way to convey this.

The only other real criticism was the way she chose to close the novel. [spoilers removed]. I didn't have a problem with the actual outcome, just the way we learn of the final decision.

I think the only typo-ish errors I found here were probably specific to the ebook edition (lots of double-spaces between words for some reason...seem to see that a lot in some books. I wonder if it has anything to do with hyphenated line breaks in the original text?).]]> 3.82 2011 The Submission
author: Amy Waldman
name: Brian
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/05/16
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: on-nook
review:
(4.0) Good stuff, brilliant premise: a Muslim wins a blind competition for 9/11 memorial, largely due to widow's support

I give her so much credit for coming up with the premise. I just thought it was brilliant and when I heard just that much about this novel, I knew I had to read it (even though it was reviewed by Maureen Corrigan, who I really have trouble listening to, let alone taking book advice from). I enjoy her characters and the struggles they go through (though I think Claire vacillated a bit too frequently and widely to be believed, it served the plot well). I recommend reading it.

I thought the plot stagnated for a bit and we turned in small circles after all of the initial fallout (public protests, violence, threats etc.) has occurred. We're just kind of waiting for something to actually happen, someone to make a decision or declaration. In the mean time we just keep visiting each of the principal characters and check in on them while the memorial competition is in limbo. This was probably deliberate, as it was frustrating to read. The characters certainly felt a similar frustration. I just wonder if there could've been a slightly more enjoyable to read way to convey this.

The only other real criticism was the way she chose to close the novel. [spoilers removed]. I didn't have a problem with the actual outcome, just the way we learn of the final decision.

I think the only typo-ish errors I found here were probably specific to the ebook edition (lots of double-spaces between words for some reason...seem to see that a lot in some books. I wonder if it has anything to do with hyphenated line breaks in the original text?).
]]> <![CDATA[More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite]]> 10493808 The New York Times bestseller“The bright light shed by More Money Than God is particularly welcome. Mr. Mallaby . . . brings a keen sense of financial theory to his subject and a vivid narrative style.”—Wall Street Journal“Splendid . . . the definitive history of the hedge fund history, a compelling narrative full of larger-than-life characters and dramatic tales of their financial triumphs and reversals.”—The Washington Post The first authoritative history of hedge funds-from their rebel beginnings to their role in defining the future of finance, from the author of The Power LawWealthy, powerful, and potentially dangerous, hedge fund moguls have become the It Boys of twenty-first-century capitalism. Beating the market was long thought to be impossible, but hedge funds cracked its mysteries and made fortunes in the process. Drawing on his unprecedented access to the industry, esteemed financial writer Sebastian Mallaby tells the inside story of the hedge funds, from their origins in the 1960s to their role in the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009�and explains why understanding the history of hedge funds is key to predicting the future of finance.]]> 653 Sebastian Mallaby 110145721X Brian 0 to-read 4.23 2010 More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite
author: Sebastian Mallaby
name: Brian
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Zeitoun 8503590 279 Dave Eggers 0307739430 Brian 4
Zeitoun is a Syrian-American who runs a house painting business with his Southern born wife, Kathy. He decides to stay during Hurricane Katrina to care for the business, their properties and their clients' hosues, but Kathy and the kids flee the city. For a while he's a hero, helping to save people and pets stranded in their own homes. But he is later picked up and thrown in jail, assumed to be a looter and then a terrorist. Much of the narrative is his experience in a makeshift prison erected just post Katrina. You'll tear through this because it's just so well told. You may find renewed faith in humanity, though probably not in government. :(]]> 4.11 2009 Zeitoun
author: Dave Eggers
name: Brian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/11/27
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: awesome-narrative-non-fiction, favorite-book-read-each-year
review:
Just a very well-told story

Zeitoun is a Syrian-American who runs a house painting business with his Southern born wife, Kathy. He decides to stay during Hurricane Katrina to care for the business, their properties and their clients' hosues, but Kathy and the kids flee the city. For a while he's a hero, helping to save people and pets stranded in their own homes. But he is later picked up and thrown in jail, assumed to be a looter and then a terrorist. Much of the narrative is his experience in a makeshift prison erected just post Katrina. You'll tear through this because it's just so well told. You may find renewed faith in humanity, though probably not in government. :(
]]> The Brothers Karamazov 5961529

From the Paperback edition.]]> 1072 Fyodor Dostoevsky 0553898094 Brian 4
Well, it was quite an undertaking, begun largely by circumstance. MB and I were taking a whirlwind Thanksgiving tour to visit friends and family at the far ends of the continent and I finished all the books I had brought along. We were in the RDU airport and I spotted a used book seller and decided if I found anything on my want-to-read list, I'd do it. Well, I scoured, and the only one I could find was Brothers.



So I got a fair bit into it during Thanksgiving, but had about one month reading-free :( , so picked it up again and tore through it this past January. Interestingly, this didn't really detract from the experience. It's certainly a lot to consume, as it's essentially a novel(la) for each of the brothers, with extensive monologues on the topic of The Existence (Or Not) of God. Time was also devoted to the question of whether Man can be moral if God does not exist--or if He does not believe that God exists.



Not astute, educated or scholarly (or patient?) enough, I couldn't actually tell from the path the plot takes whether Dostoyevsky has answered these questions for himself. I can't tell that the cynical view of Ivan or the pious view of Father Zossima 'wins' out. Though the amoral and immoral characters suffer (death, suicide, conviction--though it appears there may be an escape after the final page), both justice and injustice under Man has been done.



What I loved about Crime & Punishment was of course the psychological torment. There is a fair amount of that in Brothers, but mostly confined to Dmitri and to some extent Alyosha.



I'm sure there's some terrific symbolism of Humanity through Dmitri, Smerdykov, Ivan and Alyosha, though I haven't really dwelt upon that.



So I enjoyed the plot (was a little concerned there wasn't going to be any murder or intrigue, but fortunately that changes along the way) and some of the theological--though in no way would I expect the novel to change anyone's mind in that regard--and philosophical diversions. Recommend in particular reading the famous chapter, "The Grand Inquisitor," in which God returns only to be imprisoned for fear of how disruptive he could be to the religio-political establishment. It could probably be read on its own, though it does only represent one side of Dostoyevsky's debate. The other half might be the story of Father Zossima and how he became a religious man (sorry, forgot which chapter that was).



But again, you've got to really commit to be able to crank through this baby.]]> 4.42 1880 The Brothers Karamazov
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Brian
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1880
rating: 4
read at: 2010/02/12
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
A classic but make sure you can make the commitment

Well, it was quite an undertaking, begun largely by circumstance. MB and I were taking a whirlwind Thanksgiving tour to visit friends and family at the far ends of the continent and I finished all the books I had brought along. We were in the RDU airport and I spotted a used book seller and decided if I found anything on my want-to-read list, I'd do it. Well, I scoured, and the only one I could find was Brothers.



So I got a fair bit into it during Thanksgiving, but had about one month reading-free :( , so picked it up again and tore through it this past January. Interestingly, this didn't really detract from the experience. It's certainly a lot to consume, as it's essentially a novel(la) for each of the brothers, with extensive monologues on the topic of The Existence (Or Not) of God. Time was also devoted to the question of whether Man can be moral if God does not exist--or if He does not believe that God exists.



Not astute, educated or scholarly (or patient?) enough, I couldn't actually tell from the path the plot takes whether Dostoyevsky has answered these questions for himself. I can't tell that the cynical view of Ivan or the pious view of Father Zossima 'wins' out. Though the amoral and immoral characters suffer (death, suicide, conviction--though it appears there may be an escape after the final page), both justice and injustice under Man has been done.



What I loved about Crime & Punishment was of course the psychological torment. There is a fair amount of that in Brothers, but mostly confined to Dmitri and to some extent Alyosha.



I'm sure there's some terrific symbolism of Humanity through Dmitri, Smerdykov, Ivan and Alyosha, though I haven't really dwelt upon that.



So I enjoyed the plot (was a little concerned there wasn't going to be any murder or intrigue, but fortunately that changes along the way) and some of the theological--though in no way would I expect the novel to change anyone's mind in that regard--and philosophical diversions. Recommend in particular reading the famous chapter, "The Grand Inquisitor," in which God returns only to be imprisoned for fear of how disruptive he could be to the religio-political establishment. It could probably be read on its own, though it does only represent one side of Dostoyevsky's debate. The other half might be the story of Father Zossima and how he became a religious man (sorry, forgot which chapter that was).



But again, you've got to really commit to be able to crank through this baby.
]]> <![CDATA[Merlin's Tour of the Universe: A Traveler's Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far]]> 209566762
In Neil deGrasse Tyson's delightful journey through the cosmos, his fictional character Merlin responds to popular questions asked by adults and children alike. Merlin, a timeless visitor from Planet Omniscia in the Andromeda Galaxy, has observed first-hand many of the major scientific events of Earth's history. Merlin's friends include the most important scientific figures and explorers of all time--da Vinci, Magellan, Newton, Einstein, and Hubble. While Merlin occasionally recounts playful conversations with these luminaries, all questions are answered with authentic science, infused with wit, wisdom, and an occasional rhyme. With the help of intermittent humorous cartoons, Merlin clarifies the details of familiar phenomena like gravity, light, space, and time, and travels to distant stars and galaxies to describe what makes them tick, rotate, explode, and collapse.

Merlin's Tour of the Universe is perfect for anyone who harbors burning questions on how the cosmos works.]]> 304 Neil deGrasse Tyson 1665019859 Brian 0 to-read 3.89 1989 Merlin's Tour of the Universe: A Traveler's Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far
author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
name: Brian
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Naked 6567989 300 David Sedaris 0316073628 Brian 3
I've realized that I can only take reading an entire Dave Sedaris book about once every couple of years. Any more frequent and his preposterous stories of his precocious cynicysm make my eyes sore from all the rolling they do. But this was definitely enjoyable, especially the longer essay at the end about a nudist colony that lends the book its title. It's more interesting and less hyperbolic and a little more detailed.]]> 4.11 1997 Naked
author: David Sedaris
name: Brian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2009/07/16
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves:
review:
Funny (of course)

I've realized that I can only take reading an entire Dave Sedaris book about once every couple of years. Any more frequent and his preposterous stories of his precocious cynicysm make my eyes sore from all the rolling they do. But this was definitely enjoyable, especially the longer essay at the end about a nudist colony that lends the book its title. It's more interesting and less hyperbolic and a little more detailed.
]]> Where Good Ideas Come From 9366948 A fascinating deep dive on innovation from theNew York Timesbestselling author ofHow We Got To NowandUnexpected LifeThe printing press, the pencil, the flush toilet, the battery--these are all great ideas. But where do they come from? What kind of environment breeds them? What sparks the flash of brilliance? How do we generate the breakthrough technologies that push forward our lives, our society, our culture? Steven Johnson's answers are revelatory as he identifies the seven key patterns behind genuine innovation, and traces them across time and disciplines. From Darwin and Freud to the halls of Google and Apple, Johnson investigates the innovation hubs throughout modern time and pulls out the approaches and commonalities that seem to appear at moments of originality.]]> 340 Steven Johnson 1101444207 Brian 4
Somewhat entertaining. An attempt to abstract the conditions in which innovation thrives, along the way making many analogies to nature (e.g. sex is good for innovation because it brings disparate 'ideas' together and allows for a small amount of error).

But there are the seeds of good recommendations here, tied to each of the environmental factors he identifies that encourage innovation:

The adjacent possible: innovation usually (perhaps tautologically in my opinion) in small leaps from current thinking and technology. We don't innovate totally out of nowhere, and ideas may be 'begging' to be discovered, but only can when the world is 'almost there'. Primary evidence is "the multiple"--simultaneous inventing of things--(e.g. calculus, electric battery, isolation of oxygen)
Liquid networks: having lots of 'spare parts' to tinker with lots of mixing and opportunities for good ideas (or people with good ideas) to come together
The slow hunch: People often have ideas stewing in their heads for a long time, only to be solved or result in practical application when the timing or inspiration is right. It's good to find people who have several diverse interests that are marinating and to find good ways to let slow hunches converge. Infrequent brainstorming sessions aren't effective, he argues, but frequent collaboration between diverse minds can...or even better a mind-mapping semantically aware database that will allow different threads or slow hunches from different people to collide.
Serendipity: Luck certainly plays a role in innovation. Sorry, can't remember at this time how to 'foster' serendipity...
Error: innovation sometimes comes directly out of error (e.g. penicillin), or comes after a series of mistakes errors (webspeak: "fail faster"), so embrace errors, certainly don't punish them or strive to remove all possible errors.
Exaptation: From Stephen J. Gould in its evolutionary context, the fact that many innovations come from repurposing existing technology to do something totally different (and novel). An example: Gutenberg's printing press is an exaptation of the screw press used in winemaking
Platforms: Build an open platform that others can build on top of and innovation will flourish. Analogy here is the coral reef. Recent innovations on the Web scream this: facebook, twitter, google(maps/mail...). Open platforms that allow innovators to quickly take advantage of what you've built and take it in new directions accelerates innovation incredibly. Cool example was a Washington, D.C. contest for the best app use of government data. Thousands of apps were created to compete for prizes; the apps would've taken orders of magnitude more money (if not time) had the government endeavored to build them itself. This may be a very interesting trend in the near future: innovation within government (but of course, coming from without).


Oh, and I did like the following quotation from the conclusion:
"You may not be able to turn your government into a coral reef, but you can create comparable environments on the scale of everyday life: in the workplaces you inhabit; in the way you consume media; in the way you augment your memory. The patterns are simple, but followed together, they make for a whole that is wiser than the sum of its parts. Go for a walk; cultivate hunches; write everything down, but keep your folders messy; embrace serendipity; make generative mistakes; take on multiple hobbies; frequent coffeehouses and other liquid networks; follow the links; let others build on your ideas; borrow, recycle, reinvent. Build a tangled bank."
]]> 4.08 2010 Where Good Ideas Come From
author: Steven Johnson
name: Brian
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/03/06
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
(4.0) Analogies to the natural world aside, some interesting insight actionable advice for fostering innovation

Somewhat entertaining. An attempt to abstract the conditions in which innovation thrives, along the way making many analogies to nature (e.g. sex is good for innovation because it brings disparate 'ideas' together and allows for a small amount of error).

But there are the seeds of good recommendations here, tied to each of the environmental factors he identifies that encourage innovation:

The adjacent possible: innovation usually (perhaps tautologically in my opinion) in small leaps from current thinking and technology. We don't innovate totally out of nowhere, and ideas may be 'begging' to be discovered, but only can when the world is 'almost there'. Primary evidence is "the multiple"--simultaneous inventing of things--(e.g. calculus, electric battery, isolation of oxygen)
Liquid networks: having lots of 'spare parts' to tinker with lots of mixing and opportunities for good ideas (or people with good ideas) to come together
The slow hunch: People often have ideas stewing in their heads for a long time, only to be solved or result in practical application when the timing or inspiration is right. It's good to find people who have several diverse interests that are marinating and to find good ways to let slow hunches converge. Infrequent brainstorming sessions aren't effective, he argues, but frequent collaboration between diverse minds can...or even better a mind-mapping semantically aware database that will allow different threads or slow hunches from different people to collide.
Serendipity: Luck certainly plays a role in innovation. Sorry, can't remember at this time how to 'foster' serendipity...
Error: innovation sometimes comes directly out of error (e.g. penicillin), or comes after a series of mistakes errors (webspeak: "fail faster"), so embrace errors, certainly don't punish them or strive to remove all possible errors.
Exaptation: From Stephen J. Gould in its evolutionary context, the fact that many innovations come from repurposing existing technology to do something totally different (and novel). An example: Gutenberg's printing press is an exaptation of the screw press used in winemaking
Platforms: Build an open platform that others can build on top of and innovation will flourish. Analogy here is the coral reef. Recent innovations on the Web scream this: facebook, twitter, google(maps/mail...). Open platforms that allow innovators to quickly take advantage of what you've built and take it in new directions accelerates innovation incredibly. Cool example was a Washington, D.C. contest for the best app use of government data. Thousands of apps were created to compete for prizes; the apps would've taken orders of magnitude more money (if not time) had the government endeavored to build them itself. This may be a very interesting trend in the near future: innovation within government (but of course, coming from without).


Oh, and I did like the following quotation from the conclusion:
"You may not be able to turn your government into a coral reef, but you can create comparable environments on the scale of everyday life: in the workplaces you inhabit; in the way you consume media; in the way you augment your memory. The patterns are simple, but followed together, they make for a whole that is wiser than the sum of its parts. Go for a walk; cultivate hunches; write everything down, but keep your folders messy; embrace serendipity; make generative mistakes; take on multiple hobbies; frequent coffeehouses and other liquid networks; follow the links; let others build on your ideas; borrow, recycle, reinvent. Build a tangled bank."

]]> <![CDATA[The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness]]> 8122942 The Spiral Staircase is an extraordinary account of an astonishing spiritual journey.


From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 338 Karen Armstrong 0307429393 Brian 4
I read A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam a while back and really enjoyed it, learned a ton. And only toward the end of reading The Spiral Staircase did I come to the conclusion that this book was demonstrating all of the experiences that led her to the creation of that book (which almost didn't happen--nearly everyone tried to discourage Armstrong from writing it).

So I really think you should read A History of God first. If you're turned off, I don't think there's much point in reading this one. But if you did, I think it provides wonderful insight into Armstrong's past, her thinking and what has become her life's work.

---

And as a total aside, as I was reading this, I was struck by an idea. I'm interested in the melting pot of deities and religion that formed in the Indian subcontinent: why didn't the religions supplant one another? Why was there such a commingling of beliefs? (This in contrast to what took place over much of Europe). And I wonder if there's a game theoretic aspect that can explain some of this. In an environment where there are a handful of competing beliefs/religions, the optimal strategy may just be to destroy The Other. On the other hand, where there are so many beliefs/religions in such close proximity as in India, any sects attempting to destroy all others will be reduced in numbers through fighting and fall out of existence. The only ones to survive will be those that are more tolerant, accepting and open to compromise or new ideas. I also wonder if this is just as true in political beliefs/parties. In the US we've got just a few parties whose primary goal is to put one another down. This is a successful strategy in such an environment. In other more multipartisan political systems, there may be a lot more compromise out of necessity: any party focused on destroying another simply won't survive. Dunno, I could be spewing gibberish here. Thesis, anyone, though?]]> 4.30 2004 The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness
author: Karen Armstrong
name: Brian
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2011/08/03
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
(4.0) Excellent to read after The History of God

I read A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam a while back and really enjoyed it, learned a ton. And only toward the end of reading The Spiral Staircase did I come to the conclusion that this book was demonstrating all of the experiences that led her to the creation of that book (which almost didn't happen--nearly everyone tried to discourage Armstrong from writing it).

So I really think you should read A History of God first. If you're turned off, I don't think there's much point in reading this one. But if you did, I think it provides wonderful insight into Armstrong's past, her thinking and what has become her life's work.

---

And as a total aside, as I was reading this, I was struck by an idea. I'm interested in the melting pot of deities and religion that formed in the Indian subcontinent: why didn't the religions supplant one another? Why was there such a commingling of beliefs? (This in contrast to what took place over much of Europe). And I wonder if there's a game theoretic aspect that can explain some of this. In an environment where there are a handful of competing beliefs/religions, the optimal strategy may just be to destroy The Other. On the other hand, where there are so many beliefs/religions in such close proximity as in India, any sects attempting to destroy all others will be reduced in numbers through fighting and fall out of existence. The only ones to survive will be those that are more tolerant, accepting and open to compromise or new ideas. I also wonder if this is just as true in political beliefs/parties. In the US we've got just a few parties whose primary goal is to put one another down. This is a successful strategy in such an environment. In other more multipartisan political systems, there may be a lot more compromise out of necessity: any party focused on destroying another simply won't survive. Dunno, I could be spewing gibberish here. Thesis, anyone, though?
]]> <![CDATA[The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents]]> 61195313
In teenagers, powerful emotions come with the territory. And with so many of today’s teens contending with academic pressure, social media stress, worries about the future, and concerns about their own mental health, it’s easy for them—and their parents—to feel anxious and overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Parents who read this book will
� what to expect in the normal course of adolescent emotional development and when it’s time to worry
� why teens (and adults) need to understand that mental health isn’t about “feeling good� but about having feelings that fit the moment, even if those feelings are unwanted or painful
� strategies for supporting teens who feel at the mercy of their emotions so they can become psychologically aware and skilled at managing their feelings
� how to approach common challenges that come with adolescence, such as friction at home, spiking anxiety, risky behavior, navigating friendships and romances, the pull of social media, and many more
� the best ways to stay connected to their teens and how to provide the kind of relationship that adolescents need and want

With clear, research-informed explanations alongside illuminating, real-life examples, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers gives parents the concrete, practical information they need to steady their teens through the bumpy yet transformational journey into adulthood.]]> 229 Lisa Damour 0593500016 Brian 0 to-read 4.47 The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents
author: Lisa Damour
name: Brian
average rating: 4.47
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College]]> 19196132 320 Sandra Aamodt 1608197409 Brian 4
If interested, strongly recommend What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life, which I thought was even better...though more nerdy and more focused on the science than on recommendations for parents. This book is certainly more focused on giving parents actionable advice. In fact, they call out tips for parents in specific sections so they're easy to see (probably even easier in the paper version I imagine). I found these helpful and always justified with research in nearby text (though footnotes would be a LOT better here than the annoying notes at the end that refer back to text in the chapter...no page numbers, no notation in text to indicate there are citations available :( ).

The book debunks 'myths', shares interesting tidbits and has lots of DOs and DON'Ts that should be easy to understand and follow for any parent interested enough to read the book. And everything's backed up by research (I'm taking this a little on faith because of bad citation scheme--see above).

The only things I didn't like (except bad science--see below for that):
* the magazine-like quotation snippets injected in the middle of text. at least in ereader. they're really disruptive and don't help at all. We're already reading the book: don't need teasers!
* the cartoon figures. they don't add much, though i kinda like the style. but they just feel like fillers like we were trying to hit a certain page count (same with the teaser quotations).

But onto the good stuff!

Some of the corrections to misconceptions (kinda don't like using myth to mean that :( ):
* eating low-mercury sushi isn't bad for baby: freezing kills parasites and the omega 3s are so good for their developing brains!
* small amounts of caffeine are actually fine--they say up to equivalent of 3 cups of coffee per day!
* crawling is not prerequisite to walking (1/3 of jamaican babies don't; 100 years ago, 40% of american babies didn't)
* birth order correlation with personality type bunk when you control for family size and socioeconomic status

Some of the tidbits I liked:
* ages 3-8, children's brain tissue uses twice as much energy as adult (per gram tissue i think?). 5 year old: 1/2 of caloric needs go to brain
* 14 month old start to understand others' intent...will mimic intent (adult had hands wrapped up and tapped head to a box to get reward...toddler will use hands)
* seems children under 7 can pretty much learn to speak a language as well as a native. after that, decays till about 17, when ability is about the same through adulthood
* children don't really dream like adults till age six, and not till 8 or 9 do they reach frequency of adulthood
* even though boys get better math scores on SAT, women earn better grades in college math courses
* outdoor play significantly decreases chance of nearsightedness in children
* newborns see better in peripheral than foveal/central region!
* babies who are fed bitter non-milk (soy or non-soy formula) like broccoli more later on
* children can't recall prior mental states (e.g. hungry child once fed can't remember being hungry before) (age 3?)
* drama classes strongly correlated with better social adaptation and other social skills. perhaps due to trying to 'inhabit the character of another person'
* reminding people of stereotypes can affect performance: if they're included in positive stereotype they do better, if negative, they do worse
* testosterone improves mental rotation skills (even as short term as a testosterone injection in women!)

DOs:
* massaging, stretching, bathing infants, swinging, tossing, wearing in sling: sensory input and lots of muscle adjustments make stronger
* spinning infant in a chair speeds motor development
* can 'teach' sitting by putting child in sitting position, propping up
* when reading, ask open-ended questions (not just yes/no or pointing questions) and respond to baby's best attempts to communicate (whatever form they take) encourage communication/language skills
* have "conversations" with baby...taking turns, responding with comment or touch. this encourages baby to keep trying to communicate
* introduce children to secondary languages early (best is before 7)
* eat veggies during pregnancy (babies will like it more). mothers who drank carrot juice had babies who liked carrots more than those who didn't
* eat fish during pregnancy!
* combine new flavors with flavors baby likes (e.g. mix in with yogurt). they'll like the new flavors more eventually. or can give preferred flavor first, then the other within 9 seconds, but mixing seems easier. ;)
* work on multi-step tasks/games with children to help them learn self-control, planning, thinking about future, ignore/recover from distractions
* teach children to exercise self-control through structured games (e.g. board games) that force certain behavior to be fun
* play, enjoy what they do, get excited and engaged in certain activities, whatever they are helps them learn to self-regulate
* exercise at least 1 hour per day, moving around (active kids have higher IQs, not to mention health benefits)
* dora, blues clues for preschoolers okay, helps with language
* explicitly coach children on emotions: label and validate their emotions when they have them, suggest constructive ways to cope with them...these children are much better at regulating emotions later in life
* encourage frequent breaks during studying, vary times and places of study...learn much more that way. note: might do worse on practice problems/tests if spacing out, but more learning is taking place.
tie success/failure to effort, not innate characterstics. tell them they tried hard, studied hard, worked for it...rather than that they're so smart/athletic. they'll deal better with setbacks and try harder, be more successful
* TIME OUTs: studies of behavior extinction in lab animals. remove all attention so children don't associate bad behavior with getting more attention. immediately follow behavior with the time out. no lecturing (that's attention).
* small, consistent rewards for small achievements (pat on back, words of encouragement better than money, cookies). also give them control over parts of their lives: decide what's for dinner, stay up a few minutes late one night, pick destination for family outing.
* ignore unwanted behavior: ignore it and it will go away. if she whines, pretend you didn't hear. but you HAVE to stick with the approach and don't give in, they'll just learn to be persistent.

DON'Ts:
* chronic moderate noise during pregnancy can actually cause hearing loss (e.g. living near freeway)
* offer dessert as reward for eating well. they just prefer the dessert over whatever they have to eat
* even tease girls about weight: way more likely to be overweight have eating disorder
* encourage overly ambitious tasks/games, lest child become frustrated rather than feel achievement
* TV before 2.5: poor language development (babies/infants need interaction), and even then pick the right shows: dora, sesame street, blues clues good; teletubbies BAD
* be overprotective. overly protective parents of high-reactive children interfere with children's development of coping skills

Okay, unfortunately, there were some pretty bad math/science errors:
* "Imagine that genetic and environmental influences were independent of one another. In that case, you could guess the likelihood that a child born to criminal parents /and/ raised in a bad environment would commit a crime, simply by adding the two percentages to get 18.8 percent." They should know better...you kidding me? consider if it was 75% and 75%....easy probability stuff here
* "...sound, a set of pressure waves [good] that move through th air the way a splash ripples across a pond" you've got to be kidding me. those are actually two classic examples of two different kinds of waves, pressure vs transverse!
* had some cool figures, but they weren't all appropriate to this text (or were missing valuable captions...one in particular showing touch recepters but doesn't say what each one does (Meissner's corpuscle, Merkel's disk, Ruffni's ending, Pacinian corpuscle--what are they?)
* [talking about how play is fun in many species, and it wouldn't be that way unless it provided some advantage] "On these grounds, it seems that play must have an adaptive purpose, providing some survival advantage"...gets natural selection wrong: might be a reproductive advantage rather than survival!]]> 3.91 2011 Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College
author: Sandra Aamodt
name: Brian
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/05/22
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: on-nook, parenting, recommended-parenting
review:
(4.0) Good stuff, fairly well researched, more actionable and less nerdy than What's Going on in There

If interested, strongly recommend What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life, which I thought was even better...though more nerdy and more focused on the science than on recommendations for parents. This book is certainly more focused on giving parents actionable advice. In fact, they call out tips for parents in specific sections so they're easy to see (probably even easier in the paper version I imagine). I found these helpful and always justified with research in nearby text (though footnotes would be a LOT better here than the annoying notes at the end that refer back to text in the chapter...no page numbers, no notation in text to indicate there are citations available :( ).

The book debunks 'myths', shares interesting tidbits and has lots of DOs and DON'Ts that should be easy to understand and follow for any parent interested enough to read the book. And everything's backed up by research (I'm taking this a little on faith because of bad citation scheme--see above).

The only things I didn't like (except bad science--see below for that):
* the magazine-like quotation snippets injected in the middle of text. at least in ereader. they're really disruptive and don't help at all. We're already reading the book: don't need teasers!
* the cartoon figures. they don't add much, though i kinda like the style. but they just feel like fillers like we were trying to hit a certain page count (same with the teaser quotations).

But onto the good stuff!

Some of the corrections to misconceptions (kinda don't like using myth to mean that :( ):
* eating low-mercury sushi isn't bad for baby: freezing kills parasites and the omega 3s are so good for their developing brains!
* small amounts of caffeine are actually fine--they say up to equivalent of 3 cups of coffee per day!
* crawling is not prerequisite to walking (1/3 of jamaican babies don't; 100 years ago, 40% of american babies didn't)
* birth order correlation with personality type bunk when you control for family size and socioeconomic status

Some of the tidbits I liked:
* ages 3-8, children's brain tissue uses twice as much energy as adult (per gram tissue i think?). 5 year old: 1/2 of caloric needs go to brain
* 14 month old start to understand others' intent...will mimic intent (adult had hands wrapped up and tapped head to a box to get reward...toddler will use hands)
* seems children under 7 can pretty much learn to speak a language as well as a native. after that, decays till about 17, when ability is about the same through adulthood
* children don't really dream like adults till age six, and not till 8 or 9 do they reach frequency of adulthood
* even though boys get better math scores on SAT, women earn better grades in college math courses
* outdoor play significantly decreases chance of nearsightedness in children
* newborns see better in peripheral than foveal/central region!
* babies who are fed bitter non-milk (soy or non-soy formula) like broccoli more later on
* children can't recall prior mental states (e.g. hungry child once fed can't remember being hungry before) (age 3?)
* drama classes strongly correlated with better social adaptation and other social skills. perhaps due to trying to 'inhabit the character of another person'
* reminding people of stereotypes can affect performance: if they're included in positive stereotype they do better, if negative, they do worse
* testosterone improves mental rotation skills (even as short term as a testosterone injection in women!)

DOs:
* massaging, stretching, bathing infants, swinging, tossing, wearing in sling: sensory input and lots of muscle adjustments make stronger
* spinning infant in a chair speeds motor development
* can 'teach' sitting by putting child in sitting position, propping up
* when reading, ask open-ended questions (not just yes/no or pointing questions) and respond to baby's best attempts to communicate (whatever form they take) encourage communication/language skills
* have "conversations" with baby...taking turns, responding with comment or touch. this encourages baby to keep trying to communicate
* introduce children to secondary languages early (best is before 7)
* eat veggies during pregnancy (babies will like it more). mothers who drank carrot juice had babies who liked carrots more than those who didn't
* eat fish during pregnancy!
* combine new flavors with flavors baby likes (e.g. mix in with yogurt). they'll like the new flavors more eventually. or can give preferred flavor first, then the other within 9 seconds, but mixing seems easier. ;)
* work on multi-step tasks/games with children to help them learn self-control, planning, thinking about future, ignore/recover from distractions
* teach children to exercise self-control through structured games (e.g. board games) that force certain behavior to be fun
* play, enjoy what they do, get excited and engaged in certain activities, whatever they are helps them learn to self-regulate
* exercise at least 1 hour per day, moving around (active kids have higher IQs, not to mention health benefits)
* dora, blues clues for preschoolers okay, helps with language
* explicitly coach children on emotions: label and validate their emotions when they have them, suggest constructive ways to cope with them...these children are much better at regulating emotions later in life
* encourage frequent breaks during studying, vary times and places of study...learn much more that way. note: might do worse on practice problems/tests if spacing out, but more learning is taking place.
tie success/failure to effort, not innate characterstics. tell them they tried hard, studied hard, worked for it...rather than that they're so smart/athletic. they'll deal better with setbacks and try harder, be more successful
* TIME OUTs: studies of behavior extinction in lab animals. remove all attention so children don't associate bad behavior with getting more attention. immediately follow behavior with the time out. no lecturing (that's attention).
* small, consistent rewards for small achievements (pat on back, words of encouragement better than money, cookies). also give them control over parts of their lives: decide what's for dinner, stay up a few minutes late one night, pick destination for family outing.
* ignore unwanted behavior: ignore it and it will go away. if she whines, pretend you didn't hear. but you HAVE to stick with the approach and don't give in, they'll just learn to be persistent.

DON'Ts:
* chronic moderate noise during pregnancy can actually cause hearing loss (e.g. living near freeway)
* offer dessert as reward for eating well. they just prefer the dessert over whatever they have to eat
* even tease girls about weight: way more likely to be overweight have eating disorder
* encourage overly ambitious tasks/games, lest child become frustrated rather than feel achievement
* TV before 2.5: poor language development (babies/infants need interaction), and even then pick the right shows: dora, sesame street, blues clues good; teletubbies BAD
* be overprotective. overly protective parents of high-reactive children interfere with children's development of coping skills

Okay, unfortunately, there were some pretty bad math/science errors:
* "Imagine that genetic and environmental influences were independent of one another. In that case, you could guess the likelihood that a child born to criminal parents /and/ raised in a bad environment would commit a crime, simply by adding the two percentages to get 18.8 percent." They should know better...you kidding me? consider if it was 75% and 75%....easy probability stuff here
* "...sound, a set of pressure waves [good] that move through th air the way a splash ripples across a pond" you've got to be kidding me. those are actually two classic examples of two different kinds of waves, pressure vs transverse!
* had some cool figures, but they weren't all appropriate to this text (or were missing valuable captions...one in particular showing touch recepters but doesn't say what each one does (Meissner's corpuscle, Merkel's disk, Ruffni's ending, Pacinian corpuscle--what are they?)
* [talking about how play is fun in many species, and it wouldn't be that way unless it provided some advantage] "On these grounds, it seems that play must have an adaptive purpose, providing some survival advantage"...gets natural selection wrong: might be a reproductive advantage rather than survival!
]]> <![CDATA[The Calculus of Friendship: What a Teacher and a Student Learned about Life while Corresponding about Math]]> 6017518

Like calculus itself, The Calculus of Friendship is an exploration of change. It's about the transformation that takes place in a student's heart, as he and his teacher reverse roles, as they age, as they are buffeted by life itself. Written by a renowned teacher and communicator of mathematics, The Calculus of Friendship is warm, intimate, and deeply moving. The most inspiring ideas of calculus, differential equations, and chaos theory are explained through metaphors, images, and anecdotes in a way that all readers will find beautiful, and even poignant. Math enthusiasts, from high school students to professionals, will delight in the offbeat problems and lucid explanations in the letters.


For anyone whose life has been changed by a mentor, The Calculus of Friendship will be an unforgettable journey.]]> 184 Steven H. Strogatz 0691134936 Brian 0 from-radiolab, to-read 3.83 2009 The Calculus of Friendship: What a Teacher and a Student Learned about Life while Corresponding about Math
author: Steven H. Strogatz
name: Brian
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: from-radiolab, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities]]> 6691186 400 John Cassidy 0374173206 Brian 0 to-read 4.04 2009 How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities
author: John Cassidy
name: Brian
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Station Eleven 23995368 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 336 Emily St. John Mandel 0804172447 Brian 0 to-read 4.14 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Brian
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Struggle for Taiwan: A History of America, China, and the Island Caught Between]]> 198493976
As tensions over Taiwan escalate, the United States and China stand on the brink of a catastrophic war. Resolving the impasse demands we understand how it began. In 1943, America declared that Japanese-held Taiwan would return to China at the conclusion of World War II. The Chinese civil war led to a change of plans. The Communist Party came to power in China and the defeated Nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan, where he was afforded US protection. The specter of conflict has loomed ever since.

In The Struggle for Taiwan , Sulmaan Wasif Khan offers the first comprehensive history of the triangular relationship between the United States, China, and Taiwan, exploring America’s ambivalent commitment to Taiwan’s defense, China’s bitterness about the separation, and Taiwan’s impressive transformation into a flourishing democracy. War is not inevitable, Khan shows, but to avoid it, decision-makers must heed the lessons of the past.

From the White Terror to the Taiwan Straits Crises, from the normalization of Sino-American relations to Trump-era rising tensions, The Struggle for Taiwan charts the paths to our present predicament to show what futures might be possible.]]> 336 Sulmaan Wasif Khan 1541605047 Brian 0 to-read 3.90 The Struggle for Taiwan: A History of America, China, and the Island Caught Between
author: Sulmaan Wasif Khan
name: Brian
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Software Security: Building Security In]]> 760789 --Bruce Schneier, CTO and founder, Counterpane, and author of Beyond Fear and Secrets and Lies "McGraw's book shows you how to make the 'culture of security' part of your development lifecycle."
--Howard A. Schmidt, Former White House Cyber Security Advisor "McGraw is leading the charge in software security. His advice is as straightforward as it is actionable. If your business relies on software (and whose doesn't), buy this book and post it up on the lunchroom wall."
--Avi Rubin, Director of the NSF ACCURATE Center; Professor, Johns Hopkins University; and coauthor of Firewalls and Internet Security Beginning where the best-selling book Building Secure Software left off, Software Security teaches you how to put software security into practice.The software security best practices, or touchpoints, described in this book have their basis in good software engineering and involve explicitly pondering security throughout the software development lifecycle. This means knowing and understanding common risks (including implementation bugsand architectural flaws), designing for security, and subjecting all software artifacts to thorough, objective risk analyses and testing. Software Security is about putting the touchpoints to work for you. Because you can apply these touchpoints to the software artifacts you already produce as you develop software, you can adopt this book's methods without radically changing the way you work. Inside you'll find detailed explanations of In addition to the touchpoints, Software Security covers knowledge management, training and awareness, and enterprise-level software security programs. Now that the world agrees that software security is central to computer security, it is time to put philosophy into practice. Create your own secure development lifecycle by enhancing your existing software development lifecycle with the touchpoints described in this book. Let this expert author show you how to build more secure software by building security in.]]> 448 Gary McGraw 0321356705 Brian 0 to-read 3.68 2006 Software Security: Building Security In
author: Gary McGraw
name: Brian
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)]]> 26082916 An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after winning Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.]]> 370 Ernest Cline 1524761338 Brian 4
Lots of telling not showing, overuse of adjectives (classic, modern/ultra-modern, vintage�) and adverbs. Teenage geek-boy fantasy etc. but the nostalgia just can’t be beat.

I think the quests in first book were more enjoyable, he actually needed to work at them more. This iteration, there were 6 to overcome in 12 real-time hours so things were a bit more rushed. And Wade and his friends had all the answers right away, it was more speed-run than beating the game for the first time.

So only read if you devoured the first one and want some more candy.

[spoilers removed]]]> 3.39 2020 Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Brian
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves:
review:
(4.0) Similarly adolescent writing but still fun to consume

Lots of telling not showing, overuse of adjectives (classic, modern/ultra-modern, vintage�) and adverbs. Teenage geek-boy fantasy etc. but the nostalgia just can’t be beat.

I think the quests in first book were more enjoyable, he actually needed to work at them more. This iteration, there were 6 to overcome in 12 real-time hours so things were a bit more rushed. And Wade and his friends had all the answers right away, it was more speed-run than beating the game for the first time.

So only read if you devoured the first one and want some more candy.

[spoilers removed]
]]> Madrid: A New Biography 210129465 The miraculous story of Madrid—how a village became a great world city

For centuries Madrid was an insignificant settlement on the central Iberian plateau. Under its Muslim rulers the town was fortified and enlarged, but even after the Reconquista it remained secondary to nearby Toledo. But Madrid’s fortunes dramatically shifted in the sixteenth century, becoming the centre of a vast global empire.

Luke Stegemann tells the surprising story of Madrid’s flourishing, and its outsize influence across the world. From Cervantes and Quevedo to Velázquez and Goya, Spain’s capital has been home to some of Europe’s most influential artists and thinkers. It formed a vital link between Europe and the Americas and became a cauldron of political dissent—not least during the Spanish Civil War, when the city was on the frontline in the fight against fascism.

Stegemann places Madrid and its people in global context, showing how the city—fast overtaking Barcelona as a centre of international finance and cultural tourism—has become a melting pot at the heart of Europe and the wider Hispanic world.]]> 480 Luke Stegemann 0300276338 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 3.80 2024 Madrid: A New Biography
author: Luke Stegemann
name: Brian
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
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]]> <![CDATA[Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It]]> 75293505
“The dystopian future portrayed in some science-fiction movies is already uponus. Kashmir Hill’s fascinating book brings home the scary implications of this new reality.”—John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood

Longlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award

New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill was skeptical when she got a tip about a mysterious app called Clearview AI that claimed it could, with 99 percent accuracy, identify anyone based on just one snapshot of their face. The app could supposedly scan afaceand, in just seconds, surface every detail of a person’s online their name, social media profiles, friends and family members, home address, and photos that they might not have even known existed. If it was everything it claimed to be, it would be the ultimate surveillance tool, and it would open the door to everything from stalking to totalitarian state control. Could it be true?

In this riveting account, Hill tracks the improbable rise of Clearview AI, helmed by Hoan Ton-That, an Australian computer engineer, and Richard Schwartz, a former Rudy Giuliani advisor, and its astounding collection of billions of faces from the internet. The company was boosted by a cast of controversial characters, including conservative provocateur Charles C. Johnson and billionaire Donald Trump backer Peter Thiel—who all seemed eager to release this society-altering technology on the public.Google and Facebook decided that a tool to identify strangers was too radical to release, but Clearview forged ahead, sharing the app with private investors, pitching it to businesses, andoffering it to thousands of law enforcement agencies around theworld.
 ĂĂĂĂ�
Facial recognition technology has been quietly growing more powerful for decades. This technology has already been used in wrongful arrests in the United States. Unregulated, it could expand the reach of policing, as it has in China and Russia, to a terrifying, dystopian level.
 ĂĂĂ�
Your Face Belongs to Us is a gripping true story about the rise of a technological superpower and an urgent warning that, in the absence of vigilance and government regulation, Clearview AI is one of many new technologies that challenge what Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called “the right to be let alone.”]]> 352 Kashmir Hill 0593448561 Brian 3
Lengthened article from back when, plus some additional background from later interviews with Ton-That. Some elucidating connections among right-side Silicon Valley types.]]> 4.13 2023 Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It
author: Kashmir Hill
name: Brian
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/19
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:
(3.5) Story of Clearview AI

Lengthened article from back when, plus some additional background from later interviews with Ton-That. Some elucidating connections among right-side Silicon Valley types.
]]> <![CDATA[The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts]]> 43615455 A groundbreaking study of the first Black female novelist and her life as an enslaved woman, from the biographer who solved the mystery of her identity, with a preface by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

In 1857, a woman escaped enslavement on a North Carolina plantation and fled to a farm in New York. In hiding, she worked on a manuscript that would make her famous long after her death. The novel, The Bondwoman's Narrative, was first published in 2002 to great acclaim, but the author's identity remained unknown. Over a decade later, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the mystery of the author's name and, in The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, he finally tells her story.

In this remarkable biography, Hecimovich identifies the novelist as Hannah Bond "Crafts." She was not only the first known Black woman to compose a novel but also an extraordinarily gifted artist who honed her literary skills in direct opposition to a system designed to deny her every measure of humanity. After escaping to New York, the author forged a new identity--as Hannah Crafts--to make sense of a life fractured by slavery.

Hecimovich establishes the case for authorship of The Bondwoman's Narrative by examining the lives of Hannah Crafts's friends and contemporaries, including the five enslaved women whose experiences form part of her narrative. By drawing on the lives of those she knew in slavery, Crafts summoned into her fiction people otherwise stolen from history.

At once a detective story, a literary chase, and a cultural history, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts discovers a tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and violence set against the backdrop of America's slide into Civil War.]]> 304 Gregg Hecimovich 0062334751 Brian 0 3.81 2023 The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts
author: Gregg Hecimovich
name: Brian
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever]]> 59644256
Backdoor access to Anom and a series of related investigations granted American, Australian, and European authorities a front-row seat to the underworld. Tens of thousands of criminals worldwide appeared in full view of the same agents they were trying to evade. International smugglers. Money launderers. Hitmen. A sprawling global economy as efficient and interconnected as the legal one. Officers watched drug shipments and murder plots unfold, making arrests without blowing their cover. But, as the FBI started to lose control of Anom, did the agency go too far?

A painstakingly investigated exposé, Dark Wire reveals the true scale and stakes of this unprecedented operation through the agents and crooks who were there. This fly-on-the-wall thriller is a caper for our modern world, where no one can be sure who is listening in.]]> Joseph Cox Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 3.97 2024 Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever
author: Joseph Cox
name: Brian
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics]]> 199798813 This tour de force of investigative journalism—in the vein of The Next Civil War and Why We’re Polarized—depicts the United States of America as a country at a crossroads with the battle between the right and left spilling out from the darkest corners of the internet into the real world with often tragic consequences. Award-winning journalist and CNN correspondent Elle Reeve was not surprised by the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. With years of in-depth research and probing interviews under her belt, Reeve was aware of the preoccupations of the online far right and their journey from the computer to QAnon, militias, and racist groups. At the same time, Reeve saw a parallel growth of counterforces, with citizen vigilantes using new tools and tactics to take down the far right. This ongoing battle, long fought mainly on the internet, has spilled out into the real world with greater and greater frequency, culminating in the attempted coup on January 6th. Combining her years of on-the-ground reporting, Reeve clearly illustrates this shocking sweep of violence, where this cultural shift came from, and where it is going. She also introduces us to a shocking but powerful cast of characters, such as the creator of 8chan—an online hub for conspiracies and misogynistic rhetoric—and the white power leader who is still pulling the strings from a prison cell. Uncovering the hidden links between these events and how we can prevent further upheavals of this nature, Black Pill is a necessary read for any supporter of democracy.]]> 304 Elle Reeve 1982198885 Brian 0 to-read 4.18 2024 Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics
author: Elle Reeve
name: Brian
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[At Home: A Short History of Private Life]]> 9471932 At Homeone of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.]]> 512 Bill Bryson 0385533594 Brian 0 to-read 4.12 2010 At Home: A Short History of Private Life
author: Bill Bryson
name: Brian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> And the Mountains Echoed 17609271 140 Khaled Hosseini 1101626275 Brian 4 on-mbs-ibooks
I like to see a well executed novel take events from the distant past and let the direct consequences unfold over the characters' lifetimes. Hosseini also leaves us in a bit of suspense at times as we pick up threads of these lives without knowing exactly how the younger characters relate to the original village in Afghanistan, but we quickly learn through conversation or reference to uncles, aunts etc.

Really beautifully written.]]> 4.29 2012 And the Mountains Echoed
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Brian
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/12/30
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: on-mbs-ibooks
review:
(4.5) Fantastic read, weaves multiple storylines spanning decades well

I like to see a well executed novel take events from the distant past and let the direct consequences unfold over the characters' lifetimes. Hosseini also leaves us in a bit of suspense at times as we pick up threads of these lives without knowing exactly how the younger characters relate to the original village in Afghanistan, but we quickly learn through conversation or reference to uncles, aunts etc.

Really beautifully written.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I]]> 101160707 This instant New York Times bestselling “dynamic detective story� (The New York Times) reveals the hidden history Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I.

September 29, 1913: the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.

After rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world.

The Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of the world.

Now, New York Times bestselling author Douglas Brunt reopens the case and provides an “absolutely riveting� (Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author) new conclusion about Diesel’s fate. Brunt’s book is “equal parts Walter Isaacson and Sherlock Holmes, [and] yanks back the curtain on the greatest caper of the 20th century in this riveting history� (Jay Winik, New York Times bestselling author).]]> 378 Douglas Brunt 1982169907 Brian 0 to-read 4.21 2023 The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
author: Douglas Brunt
name: Brian
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Art of War 181037657

From esteemed translator Thomas Cleary and including commentary from philosophers such as Cao Cao, Du Mu, and Du You, this timeless Chinese classic captures the essence of military strategy used in ancient East Asia, with lessons on how to handle conflict confidently, efficiently, and successfully. As Sun Tzu teaches, aggression and response in kind can lead only to destruction—we must learn to work with conflict in a more profound and effective way. Crucial to this strategic vision is knowledge—especially self-knowledge—and a view of the whole that seeks to bring the conflicting ideas around to a larger perspective.
The techniques and instructions discussed in The Art of War apply to competition and conflict on every level, from the interpersonal to the international. A study of the anatomy of forces in conflict, it has been discovered by modern businesspeople who understand the principles it contains are as useful for understanding the interactions of modern corporations as they are for understanding the tactics of ancient Chinese armies. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through an understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.
Thomas Cleary’s translation is a breakthrough achievement that has been a gold standard among translations for three decades, offering the complete text in eminently readable prose with short commentaries by other ancient Chinese strategists and philosophers interwoven throughout. Cleary’s work allows innumerable insights to be discovered through this translation millennia after this oral teaching was first set down.]]> 192 Sun Tzu 1645472833 Brian 0 to-read 3.61 -400 The Art of War
author: Sun Tzu
name: Brian
average rating: 3.61
book published: -400
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Brian 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Brian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Three Assassins (Assassins, #1)]]> 60310785 By the internationally bestselling author of Bullet Train, the high-octane new thriller, set in Tokyo’s criminal underworld, pits an ordinary man against a group of talented and very unusual assassins.

Three Assassins is the high-stakes, high-style, and utterly propulsive follow-up to Kotaro Isaka’s international bestseller,Bullet Train, a Crime Reads"Most Anticipated Book of 2021."

Suzuki is an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. To get answers and his revenge, Suzuki abandons his law-abiding lifestyle and takes a low-level job with a front company operated by the crime gang Maiden, who are responsible for his wife’s death. Before long, Suzuki finds himself caught up in a network of quirky and highly effective assassins:

The Cicada is a knife expert.
The Pusher nudges people into oncoming traffic.
The Whale whispers bleak aphorisms to his victims until they take their own lives.

Intense and electrifying, Three Assassins delivers a wild ride through the criminal underworld of Tokyo, populated by contract killers who are almost superhumanly good at their jobs.]]> 272 Kōtarō Isaka 1419763857 Brian 0 to-read 3.68 2004 Three Assassins (Assassins, #1)
author: Kōtarō Isaka
name: Brian
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Chinese Typewriter: A History (Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University)]]> 34540042
The earliest Chinese typewriters, Mullaney tells us, were figments of popular imagination, sensational accounts of twelve-foot keyboards with 5,000 keys. One of the first Chinese typewriters actually constructed was invented by a Christian missionary, who organized characters by common usage (but promoted the less-common characters for "Jesus" to the common usage level). Later came typewriters manufactured for use in Chinese offices, and typewriting schools that turned out trained "typewriter girls" and "typewriter boys." Still later was the "Double Pigeon" typewriter produced by the Shanghai Calculator and Typewriter Factory, the typewriter of choice under Mao. Clerks and secretaries in this era experimented with alternative ways of organizing characters on their tray beds, inventing an input method that was the first instance of "predictive text."

Today, after more than a century of resistance against the alphabetic, not only have Chinese characters prevailed, they form the linguistic substrate of the vibrant world of Chinese information technology. The Chinese Typewriter, not just an "object history" but grappling with broad questions of technological change and global communication, shows how this happened.]]> 481 Thomas S. Mullaney 0262036363 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 4.16 2017 The Chinese Typewriter: A History (Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University)
author: Thomas S. Mullaney
name: Brian
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/21
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> The Castle 333538 Translated and with a preface by Mark Harman

Left unfinished by Kafka in 1922 and not published until 1926, two years after his death, The Castle is the haunting tale of K.’s relentless, unavailing struggle with an inscrutable authority in order to gain access to the Castle. Scrupulously following the fluidity and breathlessness of the sparsely punctuated original manuscript, Mark Harman’s new translation reveals levels of comedy, energy, and visual power, previously unknown to English language readers.]]> 328 Franz Kafka 0805211063 Brian 0 to-read 3.97 1926 The Castle
author: Franz Kafka
name: Brian
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1926
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Trial 17690 The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.]]> 255 Franz Kafka Brian 0 to-read 4.00 1925 The Trial
author: Franz Kafka
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1925
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts]]> 201187766 An innovative investigation of the five strange worlds that worship women’s chests

After years of biopsies, best-selling author Sarah Thornton made the difficult decision to have a double mastectomy, but after her reconstructive surgery, she was perplexed: What had she lost? And gained? An experienced sleuth, she resolved to venture behind the scenes to uncover the social and cultural significance of breasts.

Tits Up reveals the diverse truths of mammary glands from the strip club to the operating room, from the nation’s oldest human milk bank to the fitting rooms of bra designers. Thornton draws insights from plastic surgeons, lactation consultants, body-positive witches, lingerie models, and “free the nipple� activists to explore the status of breasts as emblems of femininity.

She examines how women’s chests have become a billion-dollar business, as well as a stage for debates about race, class, gender, and desire. Everywhere she turns, Thornton encounters chauvinistic myths that quietly justify restrictions to women’s bodily autonomy and diminish women's political status.

Blending sociology, reportage, and personal narrative with refreshing optimism and wit, Thornton has one overriding ambition―to liberate breasts from centuries of patriarchal prejudice.]]> 336 Sarah Thornton 0393881024 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 3.69 2024 Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts
author: Sarah Thornton
name: Brian
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 13484101 ~scholastic.com]]> 10 Suzanne Collins Brian 2 on-audiobook-audible (2.5) 4.19 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Brian
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2016/07/11
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: on-audiobook-audible
review:
(2.5)
]]> Polostan (Bomb Light, #1) 199793426 Polostan follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora. She spends her early years in Russia but then grows up as a teenager in Montana, before being drawn into gunrunning and revolution in the streets of Washington, D.C., during the depths of the Great Depression. When a surprising revelation about her past puts her in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organization that later becomes the KGB.]]> 303 Neal Stephenson 0062334492 Brian 0 to-read 3.70 2024 Polostan (Bomb Light, #1)
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Brian
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)]]> 203164357 The stage is set. Marooned overnight by a snowstorm in a grand country house are a cast of characters and a setting that even Agatha Christie might recognize � a vicar, an Army major, a Dowager, a sleuth and his sidekick - except that the sleuth is Jackson Brodie, and the ‘sidekick� is DC Reggie Chase.

The crumbling house - Burton Makepeace and its chatelaine the Dowager Lady Milton - suffered the loss of their last remaining painting of any value, a Turner, some years ago. The housekeeper, Sophie, who disappeared the same night, is suspected of stealing it.

Jackson, a reluctant hostage to the snowstorm, has been investigating the theft of another The Woman with a Weasel, a portrait, taken from the house of an elderly widow, on the morning she died. The suspect this time is the widow’s carer, Melanie. Is this a coincidence or is there a connection? And what secrets does The Woman with a Weasel hold? The puzzle is Jackson’s to solve. And let’s not forget that a convicted murderer is on the run on the moors around Burton Makepeace.

All the while, in a bid to make money, Burton Makepeace is determined to keep hosting a shambolic Murder Mystery that acts as a backdrop while the real drama is being played out in the house.

A brilliantly plotted, supremely entertaining, and utterly compulsive tour de force from a great writer at the height of her powers.]]> 320 Kate Atkinson 0385547994 Brian 0 to-read 3.70 2024 Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)
author: Kate Atkinson
name: Brian
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Firm 7877935 The Firm and an excerpt from John Grisham's The Litigators.

When Mitch McDeere signed on with Bendini, Lambert & Locke of Memphis, he thought that he and his beautiful wife, Abby, were on their way. The firm leased him a BMW, paid off his school loans, arranged a mortgage, and hired the McDeeres a decorator. Mitch should have remembered what his brother Ray–doing fifteen years in a Tennessee jail–already knew: You never get nothing for nothing. Now the FBI has the lowdown on Mitch’s firm and needs his help. Mitch is caught between a rock and a hard place, with no choice–if he wants to live.]]> 384 John Grisham Brian 3 3.74 1991 The Firm
author: John Grisham
name: Brian
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at: 1993/01/01
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Retirement Unplanned: An expert guide for navigating the crossroads of retirement with confidence.]]> 196029522 Having no plan is still a plan. Just not a good one."
-R. Bryan Cannon

Are you envisioning the day of your retirement? Do you picture yourself exploring the world, cherishing quality time with your grandchildren, or perhaps pursuing a unique passion? Everyone harbors their own retirement aspirations, yet a common thread binds our readiness for retirement likely falls short of its potential.

For more than a quarter century, Bryan Cannon, a distinguished Certified Financial PlannerTM, has been instrumental in guiding individuals toward realizing their dream retirements. Throughout his extensive career, Bryan has advised countless clients, bearing witness to both triumphant successes and far less fortunate outcomes - outcomes that were shaped by decisions made along their journey. Recognizing that decisions are made, yet consequences are lived, inspired Bryan to summarize his most memorable experiences, stories and examples, so that others may take the right path at each crossroad. While saving money is certainly a key factor, Bryan has seen even wealthy clients ill-prepared for the social, mental, and financial challenges brought on by retirement.

Drawing from real-life examples, Retirement Unplanned provides a straightforward look at specific strategies that will stack the “retirement cards� in your favor. The book includes thought-provoking and engaging exercises designed to stimulate thinking about the right retirement for you.

The time to avoid un-planning your retirement begins now!]]> 0 Bryan Cannon Brian 0 to-read 4.00 Retirement Unplanned: An expert guide for navigating the crossroads of retirement with confidence.
author: Bryan Cannon
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers]]> 182484307 An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us

Clayton Stumper might be twenty-six years old, but he dresses like your grandpa and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton's life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. As Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve—and it's a secret that has the potential to change everything.]]> 362 Samuel Burr 0593470095 Brian 0 to-read 3.79 2024 The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
author: Samuel Burr
name: Brian
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Farm 41398025
Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines and a struggling single mother, is thrilled to make it through the highly competitive Host selection process at the Farm. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her own young daughter's well-being, Jane grows desperate to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she'll receive on delivery—or worse.

Heartbreaking, suspenseful, provocative, The Farm pushes our thinking on motherhood, money, and merit to the extremes, and raises crucial questions about the trade-offs women will make to fortify their futures and the futures of those they love.]]> 327 Joanne Ramos 1984853759 Brian 0 to-read 3.46 2019 The Farm
author: Joanne Ramos
name: Brian
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour]]> 59080523
"Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is more ambitious than the average memoir. It’s informed by Galina’s and her parents� lessons on the value of art and culture and enriched by Alëna’s beautifully constructed images and Galina’s poetry." � Herb Randall, LA Review of Books

Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour traces Yelena Lembersky’s childhood in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in the 1970s and �80s. Her life is upended when her family decides to emigrate to America, but instead her mother is charged with a crime and unjustly incarcerated.

Told in the dual points of view, this memoir is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, giving us an insider’s perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. It is also a coming-of-age story, heartfelt and funny, a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art.]]> 220 Yelena Lembersky 164469669X Brian 4
Soviet Russia from the inside, a very personal family history. I tore through this. Mother and daughter do what it takes to survive with their safety, family and morality as best they can.]]> 4.34 Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour
author: Yelena Lembersky
name: Brian
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/20
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves:
review:
(4.0) Leningrad in and out of detention from a Russian Jewish mother and daughter.

Soviet Russia from the inside, a very personal family history. I tore through this. Mother and daughter do what it takes to survive with their safety, family and morality as best they can.
]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Form and Emptiness]]> 57004637 A brilliantly inventive new novel about loss, growing up, and our relationship with things, by the Booker Prize-finalist author of A Tale for the Time Being

After the tragic death of his beloved musician father, fourteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices. The voices belong to the things in his house--a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Although Benny doesn't understand what these things are saying, he can sense their emotional tone; some are pleasant, a gentle hum or coo, but others are snide, angry and full of pain. When his mother, Annabelle, develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous.

At first, Benny tries to ignore them, but soon the voices follow him outside the house, onto the street and at school, driving him at last to seek refuge in the silence of a large public library, where objects are well-behaved and know to speak in whispers. There, Benny discovers a strange new world, where "things happen." He falls in love with a mesmerizing street artist with a smug pet ferret, who uses the library as her performance space. He meets a homeless philosopher-poet, who encourages him to ask important questions and find his own voice amongst the many.

And he meets his very own Book--a talking thing--who narrates Benny's life and teaches him to listen to the things that truly matter.

With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions, The Book of Form and Emptiness is classic Ruth Ozeki--bold, wise, poignant, playful, humane and heartbreaking.]]> 548 Ruth Ozeki 0399563644 Brian 4
Benny hears things speaking to him, including this book itself. The book is narrative and a conversation between Benny and the Book, as well as his mother and the author of a tidying book. Convincing and touching.

p.490]]> 4.01 2021 The Book of Form and Emptiness
author: Ruth Ozeki
name: Brian
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves:
review:
(4.5) Excellent read, still sorting out the real vs the crazy, an intentional theme.

Benny hears things speaking to him, including this book itself. The book is narrative and a conversation between Benny and the Book, as well as his mother and the author of a tidying book. Convincing and touching.

p.490
]]> <![CDATA[Waves in an Impossible Sea: How Everyday Life Emerges from the Cosmic Ocean]]> 182761740
In Waves in an Impossible Sea , physicist Matt Strassler tells a startling tale of elementary particles, human experience, and empty space. He begins with a simple mystery of motion. When we drive at highway speeds with the windows down, the wind beats against our faces. Yet our planet hurtles through the cosmos at 150 miles per second, and we feel nothing of it. How can our voyage be so tranquil when, as Einstein discovered, matter warps space, and space deflects matter?

The answer, Strassler reveals, is that empty space is a sea, albeit a paradoxically strange one. Much like water and air, it ripples in various ways, and we ourselves, made from its ripples, can move through space as effortlessly as waves crossing an ocean. Deftly weaving together daily experience and fundamental physics—the musical universe, the enigmatic quantum, cosmic fields, and the Higgs boson—Strassler shows us how all things, familiar and unfamiliar, emerge from what seems like nothing at all.

Accessible and profound, Waves in an Impossible Sea is the ultimate guide to our place in the universe.]]> 384 Matt Strassler 154160329X Brian 0 to-read 4.21 2024 Waves in an Impossible Sea: How Everyday Life Emerges from the Cosmic Ocean
author: Matt Strassler
name: Brian
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1) 50520939
Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.]]> 376 Olivie Blake Brian 0 to-read 3.56 2020 The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1)
author: Olivie Blake
name: Brian
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism]]> 199798144
The relatively new judicial philosophy of textualism dominates the Supreme Court. Textualists claim that the right way to interpret the Constitution and statutes is to read the text carefully and examine the language as it was understood at the time the documents were written.

This, however, is not Justice Breyer’s philosophy nor has it been the traditional way to interpret the Constitution since the time of Chief Justice John Marshall. Justice Breyer recalls Marshall’s exhortation that the Constitution must be a workable set of principles to be interpreted by subsequent generations.

Most important in interpreting law, says Breyer, is to understand the purposes of statutes as well as the consequences of deciding a case one way or another. He illustrates these principles by examining some of the most important cases in the nation’s history, among them the Dobbs and Bruen decisions from 2022 that he argues were wrongly decided and have led to harmful results.]]> 368 Stephen Breyer 1668021536 Brian 0 to-read 3.93 Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism
author: Stephen Breyer
name: Brian
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection]]> 157981748 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593243916.

Who and what are supercommunicators? They're the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. They are able to talk about difficult topics without giving offence. They know how to make others feel at ease and share what they think. They're brilliant facilitators and decision-guiders. How do they do it?

In this groundbreaking book, Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art - and the science - of successful communication. He unpicks the different types of everyday conversation and pinpoints why some go smoothly while others swiftly fall apart. He reveals the conversational questions and gambits that bring people together. And he shows how even the most tricky of encounters can be turned around. In the process, he shows why a CIA operative was able to win over a reluctant spy, how a member of a jury got his fellow jurors to view an open-and-shut case differently, and what a doctor found they needed to do to engage with a vaccine sceptic.

Above all, he reveals the techniques we can all master to successfully connect with others, however tricky the circumstances. Packed with fascinating case studies and drawing on cutting-edge research, this book will change the way you think about what you say, and how you say it.]]> 320 Charles Duhigg Brian 0 to-read 4.00 2024 Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Sum of Her Parts: Essays 59745550 The Sum of Her Parts explores how women’s body parts and the roles/parts that women play have been deployed toward political ends. One essay examines Sarah Winchester and the lore that sprung up around her most famous―and most falsely mythologized―home, the Winchester Mystery House, to suggest that the woman and her house have been used as vessels to hold the nation’s ongoing gun guilt. Another essay springboards from a personal encounter into etymological history, tracing how the word “cunt� went from being a relatively benign description of a body part to the word the Oxford English Dictionary cites as the most vile invective in the English language. Connecting topics as diverse as bra shopping, Wonder Woman, and a Metallica rockumentary, Griffiths explores what women’s parts mean in contemporary America.

Griffiths uses humor and sincerity to approach the topic of the female body through a wide variety of essay forms, blending lyric and narrative modes. Using fragmentation as well as traditional argumentation, the collection invites the reader to think ambiguously and explosively, allowing complication rather than easily connected dots. The result is a discussion of the female body that is varied, complex, nuanced, and thoughtful.]]> 144 Sian Griffiths 0820362336 Brian 0 to-read 4.35 2022 The Sum of Her Parts: Essays
author: Sian Griffiths
name: Brian
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deutsch: Na Klar! An Introductory German Course]]> 26795405 Deutsch: Na klar! engages students with its unique integration of authentic materials and targeted listening and speaking activities, contemporary culture and communicative building blocks, providing the tools they need to build a solid foundation in introductory German.
Communicative Competence: The program supports the communicative goals of the course by engaging students with authentic materials in print, audio, and video and puts the students into the kinds of situations they would encounter in any German-speaking environment. The program has been carefully designed to get students to communicate in a controlled way at first, then in a progressively more open-ended fashion, on a variety of topics that affect their own lives. In Connect German, students have full access to the digitally enhanced eBook, the online Workbook/Lab Manual activities, LearnSmart, and all of the accompanying audio and video resources, giving them the ability to interact with the materials as often as they wish.
Cultural Competence: Deutsch: Na klar! engages students in cross-cultural comparisons and analysis- express opinions, summarize, and synthesize texts, and narrate events- throughout the program. The cultural program s meaningful and extensive exploration of the German-speaking world is fully supported in Connect German through audio and video resources and interactive activities.
Mobile Tools for Digital Success: Connect German, McGraw-Hill s digital teaching and learning environment, is now mobile enabled for tablets, allowing students to engage in their course material via the devices they use every day. The digital tools available in the Connect German platform facilitate student progress by providing extensive opportunities to practice and hone their developing skills. These learning opportunities include online communicative activities, instant feedback, peer-editing writing tools, sophisticated reporting, and a complete e-book with embedded audio, video, and grammar tutorials. Connect is the only integrated learning system that empowers students by continuously adapting to deliver precisely what they need, when they need it, and how they need it, so that your class time is more engaging and effective.

*Connect German, including but not limited to the workbook/lab manual, LearnSmart, the video program, and chat tools, is sold separately and does not come automatically with the purchase of the textbook."]]> 512 Robert Di Donato 0073386359 Brian 0 currently-reading 4.00 1990 Deutsch: Na Klar! An Introductory German Course
author: Robert Di Donato
name: Brian
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leadership: In Turbulent Times]]> 48512932 In this culmination of five decades of acclaimed studies in presidential history, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin offers an illuminating exploration into the early development, growth, and exercise of leadership.

Are leaders born or made? Where does ambition come from? How does adversity affect the growth of leadership? Does the man make the times or do the times make the man?

In Leadership, Goodwin draws upon four of the presidents she has studied most closely—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson (in civil rights)—to show how they first recognized leadership qualities within themselves, and were recognized by others as leaders.

No common pattern describes the trajectory of leadership. Although set apart in background, abilities, and temperament, these men shared a fierce ambition and a deep-seated resilience that enabled them to surmount uncommon hardships. At their best, all four were guided by a sense of moral purpose. At moments of great challenge, they were able to summon their talents to enlarge the opportunities and lives of others.

This seminal work provides an accessible and essential road map for aspiring and established leaders in every field. In today’s polarized world, these stories of authentic leadership in times of apprehension and fracture take on a singular urgency.]]> 497 Doris Kearns Goodwin Brian 3
Goodwin tried to extract some of the key leadership characteristics, strategies, decisions that were key to success but they mostly get lost in the narrative. Probably better that way: trying to extract the lessons and principles to apply would result in more of a business section book, which are often not useful nor entertaining.]]> 4.56 2018 Leadership: In Turbulent Times
author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
name: Brian
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
(3.5) Watering down of her works on the individuals, at least when I recall Team of Rivals.

Goodwin tried to extract some of the key leadership characteristics, strategies, decisions that were key to success but they mostly get lost in the narrative. Probably better that way: trying to extract the lessons and principles to apply would result in more of a business section book, which are often not useful nor entertaining.
]]> <![CDATA[Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things]]> 75302294 “In this thoughtful, moving, and well-written book, Dan Ariely narrates his personal and professional journey to understand the world of misbelievers and conspiracy theories, and offers insights and tips that will hopefully help all of us protect our fragile social fabric from being torn apart by disinformation and distrust.”—Yuval Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens

�Misbelief is an urgent examination of the human attraction to misinformation. This timely book can provide a crucial foundation for building a more empathetic and informed society.”—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret

The renowned social scientist, professor, and bestselling author of Predictably Irrational delivers his most urgent and compelling book—an eye-opening exploration of the human side of the misinformation crisis—examining what drives otherwise rational people to adopt deeply irrational beliefs.

Misinformation affects all of us on a daily basis—from social media to larger political challenges, from casual conversations in supermarkets, to even our closest relationships. While we recognize the dangers that misinformation poses, the problem is complex—far beyond what policing social media alone can achieve—and too often our limited solutions are shaped by partisan politics and individual interpretations of truth.

In Misbelief, preeminent social scientist Dan Ariely argues that to understand the irrational appeal of misinformation, we must first understand the behavior of “misbelief”—the psychological and social journey that leads people to mistrust accepted truths, entertain alternative facts, and even embrace full-blown conspiracy theories. Misinformation, it turns out, appeals to something innate in all of us—on the rightandthe left—and it is only by understanding this psychology that we can blunt its effects. Grounded in years of study as well as Ariely’s own experience as a target of disinformation, Misbelief is an eye-opening and comprehensive analysis of the psychological drivers that cause otherwise rational people to adopt deeply irrational beliefs. Utilizing the latest research, Ariely reveals the key elements—emotional, cognitive, personality, and social—that drive people down the funnel of false information and mistrust, showing how under the right circumstances, anyone can become a misbeliever.

Yet Ariely also offers hope. Even as advanced artificial intelligence has become capable of generating convincing fake news stories at an unprecedented scale, he shows that awareness of these forces fueling misbelief make us, as individuals and as a society, more resilient to its allure. Combating misbelief requires a strategy rooted not in conflict, but in empathy. The sooner we recognize that misbelief is above all else a human problem, the sooner we can become the solution ourselves.]]> 320 Dan Ariely 0063280426 Brian 0 3.92 2023 Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things
author: Dan Ariely
name: Brian
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/12/03
date added: 2023/12/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do]]> 8288287 A renowned Harvard professor's brilliant, sweeping, inspiring account of the role of justice in our society--and of the moral dilemmas we face as citizens What are our obligations to others as people in a free society? Should government tax the rich to help the poor? Is the free market fair? Is it sometimes wrong to tell the truth? Is killing sometimes morally required? Is it possible, or desirable, to legislate morality? Do individual rights and the common good conflict? Michael J. Sandel's "Justice" course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Up to a thousand students pack the campus theater to hear Sandel relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day, and this fall, public television will air a series based on the course. Justice offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students. This book is a searching, lyrical exploration of the meaning of justice, one that invites readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways. Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, patriotism and dissent, the moral limits of markets—Sandel dramatizes the challenge of thinking through these con?icts, and shows how a surer grasp of philosophy can help us make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well. Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise—an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the hard questions of our civic life.]]> 322 Michael J. Sandel 1429952687 Brian 0 to-read 4.34 2007 Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do
author: Michael J. Sandel
name: Brian
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Handmaid's Tale 222326 A gripping vision of our society radically overturned by a theocratic revolution, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid's Tale has become one of the most powerful and most widely read novels of our time.

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She may go out once a day to markets whose signs are now pictures because women are not allowed to read. She must pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, for in a time of declining birthrates her value lies in her fertility, and failure means exile to the dangerously polluted Colonies. Offred can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name. Now she navigates the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life in breaking the rules.

Like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Handmaid's Tale has endured not only as a literary landmark but as a warning of a possible future that is still chillingly relevant.

]]> 395 Margaret Atwood Brian 4
My main reason for enjoying this novel so much was the storytelling, how we learn what's going on, piece by piece, much like it must have been for Offred. If we knew too much too early, this would've been a lot more disappointing. So if you haven't read this and are considering it, do yourself a favor and stop reading this review (though it's been out for a while, so I'm probably on the tail end of readers among my peers).

One example was how we learned the naming system for the handmaids. I didn't catch on at first with Offred (that sounds like a plausible futuristic name), but did wonder about it. Later we enter into a discussion about Ofwarren and Warren (her commander) is mentioned and it clicked. Just a minor example of almost everything that is unexplained but feels relevant early eventually does get explained (I had the very opposite experience with Neuromancer, for example--I couldn't tell what was unknown but relevant, and often things that were relevant weren't ever really explained...but I digress).

I was also trying to pin down the core of this novel, what the motivation was. I've also read Oryx and Crake, which felt like a cautionary tale: don't mess with genetic engineering. I feel there's a little bit here as well (we're killing the environment, we're going to poison ourselves with chemistry and nuclear waste and threaten the propagation of the species, we're destroying the world's fisheries), though the way I interpreted it was that these events were just a pretext for the Moral Majority (making some serious inferences here, but this was written in the 80s) to be taken to the logical conclusion, establishing a (more) paternalistic theocracy. Jews, Catholics and Quakers were called out as being nonbelievers and needing 'conversion' (or in the case of Jews, the opportunity to emigrate to Israel, which many took). Abortion and adultery are among the greatest sins to be committed. It felt a bit political in this right, but perhaps that was entirely her intent.

I've heard that researchers have determined that the number one way to bring birth rates down in developing countries is to educate their girls. But in a world in which most women are sterile (because of pollution, radiation etc.), I suppose the opposite may be true. Is that why girls and women are barred from ever reading (the markets they go to to buy groceries are all in pictures, for example)? Horrible, but this world is at least consistent. Which reminds me that there is a tiny bit of humor: in a discussion of not letting women read, one of the "Aunts" is said to have claimed, "Pen Is Envy!". Not sure what role she things penis envy plays in this world, but it is one example of many in which this nation has completely misinterpreted or redefined words, phrases, parables from the past. (Another funny for me was the use of "compu-" as a futuristic/technical prefix. Sounds very dated now. Ah, well.)

Another touch I liked was Soul Scrolls: pay to have machines print and 'read' prayers for you...sounds like Catholic indulgences or a Douglas Adams invention).

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum (Don't let the bastards grind you down)]]> 4.13 1985 The Handmaid's Tale
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Brian
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/03
date added: 2023/11/22
shelves:
review:
(4.0) I loved how Atwood allows this dystopia to unfold for us

My main reason for enjoying this novel so much was the storytelling, how we learn what's going on, piece by piece, much like it must have been for Offred. If we knew too much too early, this would've been a lot more disappointing. So if you haven't read this and are considering it, do yourself a favor and stop reading this review (though it's been out for a while, so I'm probably on the tail end of readers among my peers).

One example was how we learned the naming system for the handmaids. I didn't catch on at first with Offred (that sounds like a plausible futuristic name), but did wonder about it. Later we enter into a discussion about Ofwarren and Warren (her commander) is mentioned and it clicked. Just a minor example of almost everything that is unexplained but feels relevant early eventually does get explained (I had the very opposite experience with Neuromancer, for example--I couldn't tell what was unknown but relevant, and often things that were relevant weren't ever really explained...but I digress).

I was also trying to pin down the core of this novel, what the motivation was. I've also read Oryx and Crake, which felt like a cautionary tale: don't mess with genetic engineering. I feel there's a little bit here as well (we're killing the environment, we're going to poison ourselves with chemistry and nuclear waste and threaten the propagation of the species, we're destroying the world's fisheries), though the way I interpreted it was that these events were just a pretext for the Moral Majority (making some serious inferences here, but this was written in the 80s) to be taken to the logical conclusion, establishing a (more) paternalistic theocracy. Jews, Catholics and Quakers were called out as being nonbelievers and needing 'conversion' (or in the case of Jews, the opportunity to emigrate to Israel, which many took). Abortion and adultery are among the greatest sins to be committed. It felt a bit political in this right, but perhaps that was entirely her intent.

I've heard that researchers have determined that the number one way to bring birth rates down in developing countries is to educate their girls. But in a world in which most women are sterile (because of pollution, radiation etc.), I suppose the opposite may be true. Is that why girls and women are barred from ever reading (the markets they go to to buy groceries are all in pictures, for example)? Horrible, but this world is at least consistent. Which reminds me that there is a tiny bit of humor: in a discussion of not letting women read, one of the "Aunts" is said to have claimed, "Pen Is Envy!". Not sure what role she things penis envy plays in this world, but it is one example of many in which this nation has completely misinterpreted or redefined words, phrases, parables from the past. (Another funny for me was the use of "compu-" as a futuristic/technical prefix. Sounds very dated now. Ah, well.)

Another touch I liked was Soul Scrolls: pay to have machines print and 'read' prayers for you...sounds like Catholic indulgences or a Douglas Adams invention).

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum (Don't let the bastards grind you down)
]]> The Breakaway 85175319
Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead of a career, and the apartment where she’s lived since college still looks like she’s just moved in. But she’s got good friends, her bike, and her bicycling club in Philadelphia. She’s at peace with her plus-size body—at least, most of the time—and she’s on track to marry Mark Medoff, her childhood summer sweetheart, a man she met at the weight-loss camp that her perpetually dieting mother forced her to attend. Fifteen years after her final summer at Camp Golden Hills, when Abby reconnects with a half-his-size Mark, it feels like the happy ending she’s always wanted.

Yet Abby can’t escape the feeling that some­thing isn’t right...or the memories of one thrilling night she spent with a man named Sebastian two years previously. When Abby gets a last-minute invi­tation to lead a cycling trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, she’s happy to have time away from Mark, a chance to reflect and make up her mind.

But things get complicated fast. First, Abby spots a familiar face in the group—Sebastian, the one-night stand she thought she’d never see again. Sebastian is a serial dater who lives a hundred miles away. In spite of their undeniable chemistry, Abby is determined to keep her distance. Then there’s a surprise last-minute addition to the her mother, Eileen, the woman Abby blames for a lifetime of body shaming and insecurities she’s still trying to undo.

Over two weeks and more than seven hundred miles, strangers become friends, hidden truths come to light, a teenage girl with a secret unites the riders in unexpected ways...and Abby is forced to reconsider everything she believes about herself, her mother, and the nature of love.]]> 400 Jennifer Weiner 1668033429 Brian 0 to-read 3.65 2023 The Breakaway
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Brian
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When We Cease to Understand the World]]> 62069739
Shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize and the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature

A fictional examination of the lives of real-life scientists and thinkers whose discoveries resulted in moral consequences beyond their imagining.

When We Cease to Understand the World is a book about the complicated links between scientific and mathematical discovery, madness, and destruction.

Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger—these are some of luminaries into whose troubled lives Benjamín Labatut thrusts the reader, showing us how they grappled with the most profound questions of existence. They have strokes of unparalleled genius, alienate friends and lovers, descend into isolation and insanity. Some of their discoveries reshape human life for the better; others pave the way to chaos and unimaginable suffering. The lines are never clear.

At a breakneck pace and with a wealth of disturbing detail, Labatut uses the imaginative resources of fiction to tell the stories of the scientists and mathematicians who expanded our notions of the possible.]]> 193 Benjamín Labatut Brian 0 to-read 4.10 2020 When We Cease to Understand the World
author: Benjamín Labatut
name: Brian
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/10/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mountains of Fire: The Menace, Meaning, and Magic of Volcanoes]]> 123226982
In Mountains of Fire , Clive Oppenheimer invites readers to stand with him in the shadow of an active volcano. Whether he is scaling majestic summits, listening to hissing lava at the crater’s edge, or hunting for the far-flung ashes from Earth’s greatest eruptions, Oppenheimer is an ideal guide, offering readers the chance to tag along on the daring, seemingly-impossible journeys of a volcanologist.

In his eventful career as a volcanologist and filmmaker, Oppenheimer has studied volcanoes around the world. He has worked with scientists in North Korea to study Mount Paektu, a volcano name sung in national anthems on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone. He has crossed the Sahara to reach the fabled Tiéroko volcano in the Tibesti Mountains of Chad. He spent months camped atop Antarctica’s most active volcano, Mount Erebus, to record the pulse of its lava lake.

Mountains of Fire revealshow volcanic activity is entangled with our climate and environment, as well as our economy, politics, culture, and beliefs. These adventures and investigations make clear the dual purpose of volcanology—both to understand volcanoes for science’s sake and to serve the communities endangered and entranced by these mountains of fire.]]> 352 Clive Oppenheimer 0226826341 Brian 0 to-read, from-the-economist 4.06 2023 Mountains of Fire: The Menace, Meaning, and Magic of Volcanoes
author: Clive Oppenheimer
name: Brian
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves: to-read, from-the-economist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America]]> 64005215
America has relied on public schools for 150 years, but the system is increasingly under attack. With declining enrollment and diminished trust in public education, policies that steer tax dollars into private schools have grown rapidly. To understand how we got here, The Death of Public School argues, we must look back at the turbulent history of school choice.    �
  �
Cara Fitzpatrick uncovers the long journey of school choice, a story full of fascinating people and strange political alliances. She shows how school choice evolved from a segregationist tool in the South in the 1950s, to a policy embraced by advocates for educational equity in the North, to a conservative strategy for securing government funds for private schools in the twenty-first century. As a result, education is poised to become a private commodity rather than a universal good.  �

The Death of Public School presents the compelling history of the fiercest battle in the history of American education—one that already has changed the future of public schooling. ]]> 384 Cara Fitzpatrick 1541646770 Brian 0 to-read 3.36 2023 The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America
author: Cara Fitzpatrick
name: Brian
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/09/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)]]> 36506438 293 Terry Pratchett Brian 0 goodreads-deals, on-kindle 4.03 1983 The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Brian
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/17
date added: 2023/08/17
shelves: goodreads-deals, on-kindle
review:

]]> <![CDATA[American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics]]> 60021128 The extraordinary story of an unjustly forgotten group of Black men in Pittsburgh who became the first paramedics in America, saving lives and changing the course of emergency medicine around the world

Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. A 9-1-1 call might bring police or even the local funeral home. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America’s first paramedics and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world, only to have their story and their legacy erased—until now.

In American Sirens, acclaimed journalist and paramedic Kevin Hazzard tells the dramatic story of how a group of young, undereducated Black men forged a new frontier of healthcare. He follows a rich cast of characters that includes John Moon, an orphan who found his calling as a paramedic; Peter Safar, the Nobel Prize-nominated physician who invented CPR and realized his vision for a trained ambulance service; and Nancy Caroline, the idealistic young doctor who turned a scrappy team into an international leader. At every turn, Freedom House battled racism—from the community, the police, and the government. Their job was grueling, the rules made up as they went along, their mandate nearly impossible—and yet despite the long odds and fierce opposition, they succeeded spectacularly. Never-before revealed in full, this is a rich and troubling hidden history of the Black origins of America’s paramedics, a special band of dedicated essential workers, who stand ready to serve day and night on the line between life and death for every one of us.]]> Kevin Hazzard 1549163175 Brian 0 to-read 4.55 American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics
author: Kevin Hazzard
name: Brian
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League]]> 19789595 *Now a major motion picture—Rob Peace—starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, and Chiwetel Ejiofor* *Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, and more* The New York Times bestselling account of a young African-American man who escaped Newark, NJ, to attend Yale, but still faced the dangers of the streets when he returned is, “nuanced and shattering� (People) and “mesmeric� (The New York Times Book Review).When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, trying to fit in at Yale, and at home on breaks. A compelling and honest portrait of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It’s about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds—the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and the slums of Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It’s about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all this “fresh, compelling� (The Washington Post) story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and “a haunting American tragedy for our times� (Entertainment Weekly).]]> 417 Jeff Hobbs Brian 4
I appreciated Hobbs� humility, but I preferred the earlier portion of the narrative that he wasn’t a part of. He seemed to insert more of himself into Rob’s story than necessary, certainly mentioned his other writing projects more than necessary—felt a little like using this book to sell the others, including future works.

I actually enjoyed reading the book club questions and the quick Q&A with Jeff Hobbs at the end. Gives some perspective on the book, Rob’s life, and what the narrative-gathering experience was like.]]> 4.21 2014 The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
author: Jeff Hobbs
name: Brian
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves:
review:
(4.0) Mostly for the subject itself.

I appreciated Hobbs� humility, but I preferred the earlier portion of the narrative that he wasn’t a part of. He seemed to insert more of himself into Rob’s story than necessary, certainly mentioned his other writing projects more than necessary—felt a little like using this book to sell the others, including future works.

I actually enjoyed reading the book club questions and the quick Q&A with Jeff Hobbs at the end. Gives some perspective on the book, Rob’s life, and what the narrative-gathering experience was like.
]]> <![CDATA[Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure]]> 12382143
On multiple forays launched into east and central Africa, the travelers passed through almost impenetrable terrain and suffered the ravages of flesh-eating ulcers, paralysis, malaria, deep spear wounds, and even death. They discovered Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria and became the first white people to encounter the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro. Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.]]> 528 Tim Jeal 0300149352 Brian 0 to-read 3.79 2011 Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure
author: Tim Jeal
name: Brian
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Caribou Island 8584946 On a small island in a glacier-fed lake on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, a marriage is unraveling. Gary, driven by thirty years of diverted plans, and Irene, haunted by a tragedy in her past, are trying to rebuild their life together. Following the outline of Gary's old dream, they're hauling logs to Caribou Island in good weather and in terrible storms, in sickness and in health, to build the kind of cabin that drew them to Alaska in the first place.

But this island is not right for Irene. They are building without plans or advice, and when winter comes early, the overwhelming isolation of the prehistoric wilderness threatens their bond to the core. Caught in the emotional maelstrom is their adult daughter, Rhoda, who is wrestling with the hopes and disappointments of her own life. Devoted to her parents, she watches helplessly as they drift further apart.

Brilliantly drawn and fiercely honest, Caribou Island captures the drama and pathos of a husband and wife whose bitter love, failed dreams, and tragic past push them to the edge of destruction. A portrait of desolation, violence, and the darkness of the soul, it is an explosive and unforgettable novel from a writer of limitless possibility.

]]> 293 David Vann 0061875724 Brian 0 to-read 3.45 2010 Caribou Island
author: David Vann
name: Brian
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The New Financial Order: Risk in the 21st Century]]> 3656491 In his best-selling "Irrational Exuberance," Robert Shiller cautioned that society's obsession with the stock market was fueling the volatility that has since made a roller coaster of the financial system. Less noted was Shiller's admonition that our infatuation with the stock market distracts us from more durable economic prospects. These lie in the hidden potential of real assets, such as income from our livelihoods and homes. But these ''ordinary riches, '' so fundamental to our well-being, are increasingly exposed to the pervasive risks of a rapidly changing global economy. This compelling and important new book presents a fresh vision for hedging risk and securing our economic future.
Shiller describes six fundamental ideas for using modern information technology and advanced financial theory to temper basic risks that have been ignored by risk management institutions--risks to the value of our jobs and our homes, to the vitality of our communities, and to the very stability of national economies. Informed by a comprehensive risk information database, this new financial order would include global markets for trading risks and exploiting myriad new financial opportunities, from inequality insurance to intergenerational social security. Just as developments in insuring risks to life, health, and catastrophe have given us a quality of life unimaginable a century ago, so Shiller's plan for securing crucial assets promises to substantially enrich our condition.
Once again providing an enormous service, Shiller gives us a powerful means to convert our ordinary riches into a level of economic security, equity, and growth never before seen. And once again, what Robert Shiller says should be read and heeded by anyone with a stake in the economy.
]]> 384 Robert J. Shiller 0691091722 Brian 0 3.85 2003 The New Financial Order: Risk in the 21st Century
author: Robert J. Shiller
name: Brian
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves: considering-rec-if-ill-like-it
review:

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