Riku's bookshelf: read en-US Mon, 05 May 2025 01:03:08 -0700 60 Riku's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Death in Venice and Other Tales]]> 53064 384 Thomas Mann 0141181737 Riku 4 nobel-winners 3.92 Death in Venice and Other Tales
author: Thomas Mann
name: Riku
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2011/07/28
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: nobel-winners
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wealth of Nations, Books 1-3]]> 115596
The publication of The Wealth of Nations in 1776 coincided with America's Declaration of Independence, and with this landmark treatise on political economy, Adam Smith paved the way for modern capitalism, arguing that a truly free market - fired by competition yet guided as if by an 'invisible hand' to ensure justice and equality - was the engine of a fair and productive society. Books I - III of The Wealth of Nations examine the 'division of labour' as the key to economic growth, by ensuring the interdependence of individuals within society. They also cover the origins of money and the importance of wages, profit, rent and stocks; but the real sophistication of his analysis derives from the fact that it encompasses a combination of ethics, philosophy and history to create a vast panorama of society.

This edition contains an analytical introduction offering an in-depth discussion of Smith as an economist and social scientist, as well as a preface, further reading and explanatory notes.]]> 544 Adam Smith 0140432086 Riku 0 on-a-break 3.88 1776 The Wealth of Nations, Books 1-3
author: Adam Smith
name: Riku
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1776
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: on-a-break
review:

]]> Charles Dickens 13646454 101 George Orwell 3257213980 Riku 5 4.03 Charles Dickens
author: George Orwell
name: Riku
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2015/09/21
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: lit-crit, essays, great-critics
review:
If every critical essay was as good, I would be reading only those all the time. Orwell gets into Dickens with such surgical precision, it is a delight to be on the sidelines and observe.
]]> A Secular Age 824412 874 Charles Margrave Taylor 0674026764 Riku 0 to-read 4.28 2007 A Secular Age
author: Charles Margrave Taylor
name: Riku
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service]]> 219551344 Who works for the government and what do they do? A timely and absorbing civics lessons from an all-star team of writers and storytellers.

The government is a vast, complex system that Americans pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss, and celebrate. It’s also our shared resource for addressing the biggest problems of society. And it’s made up of people, mostly unrecognized and uncelebrated, doing work that can be deeply consequential and beneficial to everyone.

ĚýĚýĚýĚýMichael Lewis invited his favorite writers to find someone doing an interesting job for the government and write about them. The stories they found are unexpected, riveting, and inspiring, including a former coal miner devoted to making mine roofs less likely to collapse, saving thousands of lives; an IRS agent straight out of a crime thriller; and the manager who made the National Cemetery Administration the best-run organization, public or private, in the entire country. Each essay shines a spotlight on the essential behind-the-scenes work of exemplary federal employees.

ĚýĚýĚýĚýWhether they’re digitizing archives, chasing down cybercriminals, or discovering new planets, these workers are committed to their work and universally reluctant to take credit. The vivid profiles in On Duty blow up the stereotype of the irrelevant bureaucrat. They show how the essential business of government makes our lives possible, and how much it matters.]]> 272 Michael Lewis Riku 0 to-read 4.19 2025 Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service
author: Michael Lewis
name: Riku
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.

In 2019, John Green met Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone while traveling with Partners in Health. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal and dynamic advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, treatable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing 1.5 million people every year.

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 208 John Green 0525556575 Riku 0 to-read 4.49 2025 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
author: John Green
name: Riku
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health]]> 196848596 A bold new vision for optimizing our health now and in the future.

What if depression, anxiety, infertility, insomnia, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, dementia, cancer and many other health conditions that torture and shorten our lives actually have the same root cause?

Our ability to prevent and reverse these conditions - and feel incredible today - is under our control and simpler than we think. The key is our metabolic function - the most important and least understood factor in our overall health. As Dr. Casey Means explains in this groundbreaking book, nearly every health problem we face can be explained by how well the cells in our body create and use energy. To live free from frustrating symptoms and life-threatening disease, we need our cells to be optimally powered so that they can create "good energy," the essential fuel that impacts every aspect of our physical and mental wellbeing.

If you are battling minor signals of "bad energy" inside your body, it is often a warning sign that more life-threatening illness may emerge later in life. But here's the good news: for the first time ever, we can monitor our metabolic health in great detail and learn how to improve it ourselves.

Weaving together cutting-edge research and personal stories, as well as groundbreaking data from the health technology company Dr. Means founded, Good Energy offers an essential four-week plan and explains:

� The five biomarkers that determine your risk for a deadly disease.
� How to use inexpensive tools and technology to "see inside your body" and take action.
� Why dietary philosophies are designed to confuse us, and six lifelong food principles you can implement whether you're carnivore or vegan.
� The crucial links between sleep, circadian rhythm, and metabolism.
� A new framework for exercise focused on building simple movement into everyday activities.
� How cold and heat exposure helps build our body's resilience.
� Steps to navigate the medical system to get what you need for optimal health.

Good Energy offers a new, cutting-edge understanding of the true cause of illness that until now has remained hidden. It will help you optimize your ability to live well and stay well at every age.]]> 400 Casey Means 0593712641 Riku 4 4.13 2024 Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health
author: Casey Means
name: Riku
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: health, metabolic, food, capitalism
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance]]> 41014339 From the National Magazine Award-winning Runner’s World columnist, frequent New Yorker online contributor, and Cambridge-trained physicist: a fascinating and definitive exploration of the extraordinary science of human endurance and the secrets of human performance, for fans of The Sports Gene, Born to Run, and Grit.

From running a two-hour marathon to summiting Mount Everest, we’re fascinated by the extremes of human endurance, constantly testing both our physical and psychological limits.

How high or far or fast can humans go? And what about individual potential: what defines a person’s limits?

For years, physiology determined the answer: heart size, lung capacity, and muscle strength. But over the past decade, a wave of dramatic findings in the cutting-edge science of endurance has completely overturned our understanding of human limitation. Endure widely disseminates these findings for the first time: It’s the brain that dictates how far we can go—which means we can always push ourselves further.

Hutchinson presents an overview of science’s search for understanding human fatigue, from crude experiments with electricity and frogs� legs to sophisticated brain imaging technology. Going beyond the traditional mechanical view of human limits (like a car with a brick on its gas pedal, we go until the tank runs out of gas), he instead argues that a key element in endurance is how the brain responds to distress signals—whether heat, or cold, or muscles screaming with lactic acid—and reveals that we can train to improve brain response.

An elite distance runner himself, Hutchinson takes us to the forefront of the new sports psychology—brain electrode jolts, computer-based training, subliminal messaging—and presents startling new discoveries enhancing the performance of athletes today and shows how anyone can utilize these tactics to bolster their own performance—and get the most out of their bodies.]]> 333 Alex Hutchinson Riku 5 4.11 2018 Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance
author: Alex Hutchinson
name: Riku
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: running, sports, endurance, physiology
review:

]]> Ulysses Annotated 10543 Ulysses. Annotations in this edition are keyed both to the reading text of the new critical edition of Ulysses published in 1984 and to the standard 1961 Random House edition and the current Modern Library and Vintage texts.

Gifford has incorporated over 1,000 additions and corrections to the first edition. The introduction and headnotes to sections provide general geographical, biographical and historical background. The annotations gloss place names, define slang terms, give capsule histories of institutions and political and cultural movements and figures, supply bits of local and Irish legend and lore, explain religious nomenclature and practices, trace literary allusions and references to other cultures.

The suggestive potential of minor details was enormously fascinating to Joyce, and the precision of his use of detail is a most important aspect of his literary method. The annotations in this volume illuminate details which are not in the public realm for most of us.]]> 698 James Joyce 0520067452 Riku 4 companions, books-about-books 4.20 1922 Ulysses Annotated
author: James Joyce
name: Riku
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1922
rating: 4
read at: 2014/09/18
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: companions, books-about-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Great Britain (Lonely Planet Guide)]]> 10505132 Our Promise
You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, and you can rely on us to tell it like we see it.
Inside This Book
441 days of research
161 maps
8 classic itineraries
5000+ years of history
Inspirational photos
Clear, easy-to-use maps
Pull-out city map
3D plans of iconic sights
Comprehensive planning tools
In-depth background
]]> 1056 Lonely Planet 1741795664 Riku 3 4.06 2007 Great Britain (Lonely Planet Guide)
author: Lonely Planet
name: Riku
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2017/06/17
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: travel, travel-guides, uk, europe
review:

]]> The Ministry of Time 199798179 A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats� from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge�: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as �1847� or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,� “Spotify,� and “the collapse of the British Empire.� But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.]]> 339 Kaliane Bradley 1668045141 Riku 0 to-read 3.54 2024 The Ministry of Time
author: Kaliane Bradley
name: Riku
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Best Of John W. Campbell (UK)]]> 757765 Contents:
7 � Foreword by James Blish
13 � The Double Minds � [Penton and Blake] � (1937)
43 � Forgetfulness � (1937)
70 � Who Goes There? � (1938)
128 � Out of Night � (1937)
168 � Cloak of Aesir � (1939)
218 � Bibliography]]> 219 John W. Campbell Jr. 0722121644 Riku 0 to-read 3.50 1973 The Best Of John W. Campbell (UK)
author: John W. Campbell Jr.
name: Riku
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1973
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Riku 4 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Riku
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Exit West 30688435
Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.]]> 231 Mohsin Hamid 0735212171 Riku 3 3.74 2017 Exit West
author: Mohsin Hamid
name: Riku
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Humankind: A Hopeful History 50725990 From the author of Utopia For Realists, a revolutionary argument that the innate goodness and cooperation of human beings has been the greatest factor in our success

If one basic principle has served as the bedrock of bestselling author Rutger Bregman's thinking, it is that every progressive idea -- whether it was the abolition of slavery, the advent of democracy, women's suffrage, or the ratification of marriage equality -- was once considered radical and dangerous by the mainstream opinion of its time. With Humankind, he brings that mentality to bear against one of our most entrenched ideas: namely, that human beings are by nature selfish and self-interested.

By providing a new historical perspective of the last 200,000 years of human history, Bregman sets out to prove that we are in fact evolutionarily wired for cooperation rather than competition, and that our instinct to trust each other has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. Bregman systematically debunks our understanding of the Milgram electrical-shock experiment, the Zimbardo prison experiment, and the Kitty Genovese "bystander effect."

In place of these, he offers little-known true stories: the tale of twin brothers on opposing sides of apartheid in South Africa who came together with Nelson Mandela to create peace; a group of six shipwrecked children who survived for a year and a half on a deserted island by working together; a study done after World War II that found that as few as 15% of American soldiers were actually capable of firing at the enemy.

The ultimate goal of Humankind is to demonstrate that while neither capitalism nor communism has on its own been proven to be a workable social system, there is a third option: giving "citizens and professionals the means (left) to make their own choices (right)." Reorienting our thinking toward positive and high expectations of our fellow man, Bregman argues, will reap lasting success. Bregman presents this idea with his signature wit and frankness, once again making history, social science and economic theory accessible and enjoyable for lay readers.]]> 481 Rutger Bregman 1408898969 Riku 3 4.44 2019 Humankind: A Hopeful History
author: Rutger Bregman
name: Riku
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Time Is a Mother 58582927 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong contends with personal loss, the meaning of family, and the cost of being the product of an American war in America. At once vivid, brave, and propulsive, Vuong's poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicenter of the break.

The author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds, winner of the 2016 Whiting Award, the 2017 T.S. Eliot Prize, and a 2019 MacArthur fellow, Vuong writes directly to our humanity without losing sight of the current moment. These poems represent a more innovative and daring experimentation with language and form, illuminating how the themes we perennially live in and question are truly inexhaustible. Bold and prescient, and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence, Time Is a Mother is a return and a forging forth all at once.
]]> 114 Ocean Vuong 0593300238 Riku 3 3.94 2022 Time Is a Mother
author: Ocean Vuong
name: Riku
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> The Eyes & the Impossible 63246652
Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes—to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park’s elders, three ancient Bison. His friends—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican—work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance.Ěý

But changes are afoot. More humans, including Trouble Travelers, arrive in the park. A new building, containing mysterious and hypnotic rectangles, goes up. And then there are the goats—an actual boatload of goats—who appear, along with a shocking revelation that changes Johannes’s view of the world.]]> 256 Dave Eggers 152476423X Riku 5 4.23 2023 The Eyes & the Impossible
author: Dave Eggers
name: Riku
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Orbital 123136728
A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction.

The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?]]> 207 Samantha Harvey 0802161545 Riku 5 3.55 2023 Orbital
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Riku
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth]]> 56181019 AUDIO INCLUDES THE SONG “ELATION STATION� BY INFECTED MUSHROOM!

A “fascinating and very moving� (Aaron Sorkin, award-winning screenwriter of The West Wing and The Social Network ) chronological timeline spanning from Biblical times to today that explores one of the most interesting countries in the world—Israel.

Israel. The small strip of arid land is 5,700 miles away but remains a hot-button issue and a thorny topic of debate. But while everyone seems to have a strong opinion about Israel, how many people actually know the facts?

Here to fill in the information gap is Israeli American Noa Tishby. But “this is not your Bubbie’s history book� (Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher). Instead, offering a fresh, 360-degree view, Tishby brings her “passion, humor, and deep intimacy� (Yossi Klein Halevi, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor) to the subject, creating an accessible and dynamic portrait of a tiny country of outsized relevance. Through bite-sized chunks of history and deeply personal stories, Tishby chronicles her homeland’s evolution, beginning in Biblical times and moving forward to cover everything from WWI to Israel’s creation to the disputes dividing the country today. Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance of facts, Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear, intimate account of the richly cultured country of Israel.]]> Noa Tishby Riku 3 4.26 2021 Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth
author: Noa Tishby
name: Riku
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Kaiju Preservation Society]]> 57693406
What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.

It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that's found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too--and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.]]> 264 John Scalzi 0765389126 Riku 2 3.93 2022 The Kaiju Preservation Society
author: John Scalzi
name: Riku
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Song of Solomon 11334 338 Toni Morrison 140003342X Riku 3 4.15 1977 Song of Solomon
author: Toni Morrison
name: Riku
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1977
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![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 Riku 4 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Riku
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, andOptimizing Your Microbiome]]> 48806799 The instant New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestseller

A bold new plant-based plan that challenges popular keto and paleo diets, from an award-winning gastroenterologist.

The benefits of restrictive diets like paleo and keto have been touted for more than a decade, but as renowned gastroenterologist Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, or "Dr. B," illuminates in this groundbreaking book, the explosion of studies on the microbiome makes it abundantly clear that elimination diets are in fact hazardous to our health. What studies clearly now show--and what Dr. B preaches with his patients--is that gut health is the key to boosting our metabolism, balancing our hormones, and taming the inflammation that causes a host of diseases. And the scientifically proven way to fuel our guts is with dietary fiber from an abundant variety of colorful plants.

Forget about the fiber your grandmother used to take--the cutting-edge science on fiber is incredibly exciting. As Dr. B explains, fiber energizes our gut microbes to create powerhouse postbiotics called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are essential to our health. SCFAs are scientifically proven to promote weight loss, repair leaky gut, strengthen the microbiome, optimize the immune system, reduce food sensitivities, lower cholesterol, reverse type 2 diabetes, improve brain function, and even prevent cancer. Restrictive fad diets starve the gut of the critical fiber we need, weaken the microbes, and make our system vulnerable.

As a former junk-food junkie, Dr. B knows firsthand the power of fiber to dramatically transform our health. The good news is that our guts can be trained. Fiber-rich, real foods--with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes--start working quickly and maintain your long-term health, promote weight loss, and allow you to thrive and feel great from the inside out.

With a 28-day jumpstart program with menus and more than 65 recipes, along with essential advice on food sensitivities, Fiber Fueled offers the blueprint to start turbocharging your gut for lifelong health today.]]> 400 Will Bulsiewicz 059308456X Riku 4 4.01 2020 Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, andOptimizing Your Microbiome
author: Will Bulsiewicz
name: Riku
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What This Comedian Said Will Shock You]]> 203426608 The hilarious and controversial host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher has written his funniest, most opinionated, and most necessary book ever—a brilliantly astute and acerbically funny vivisection of American life, politics, and culture.

Some of the smartest commentary about what’s happening in America is coming from a comedian—this comedian being Bill Maher. If you want to understand what’s wrong with this country, it turns out that one of the best-informed and most thought-provoking analysts is this very funny pothead.

The book was inspired by the “editorial� Bill delivers at the end of each episode of Real Time. These editorials are direct-to-camera sermons about culture, politics, and what’s happening in the world. To put this book together, Maher reviewed more than a decade of his editorials, rewriting, reimagining, and updating them, and adding new material to speak exactly to the moment we’re in. Free speech, cops, drugs, race, religion, the generations, cancel culture, the parties, the media, show biz, romance, health—Maher covers it all. The result is a hugely entertaining work of commentary about American culture in the tradition of Mark Twain, Will Rogers, and H. L. Mencken.]]> 400 Bill Maher 1668051354 Riku 4 4.14 What This Comedian Said Will Shock You
author: Bill Maher
name: Riku
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ocean at the End of the Lane]]> 18505792
A groundbreaking work as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out.

Includes bonus features: a meet with Neil Gaiman, a reading group guide, and an interview with Gaiman.]]> 195 Neil Gaiman 0062255665 Riku 4 fantasy 4.06 2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Riku
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Caesar and Christ (Story of Civilization, #3)]]> 115998
The Pax Romana broke some heads. Jews felt the scourge in Judea, where Jesus of Nazareth met a dissident's death. His agony foreshadowed the Empire's over the next few centuries.

"Lively, stimulating and accurate." (Saturday Review of Literature)]]> 752 Will Durant 0671115006 Riku 4 4.41 1944 Caesar and Christ (Story of Civilization, #3)
author: Will Durant
name: Riku
average rating: 4.41
book published: 1944
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Life of Greece (The Story of Civilization, #2)]]> 174730 The Life of Greece is a survey of ancient Greece whose scope and style recalls the golden age of historical writing, before specialization. Durant, in this second volume of The Story of Civilization, tells the whole story of Hellas, from the days of Crete's vast Aegean empire to the extirpation of the last remnants of Greek liberty, crushed under the heel of an implacably forward-marching Rome. The dry minutiae of battles and sieges, tortuous statecraft of tyrant and king, are given less emphasis in what is pre-eminently a vivid recreation of Greek culture, written in a supple and vigorous prose.
[from cover]]]> 754 Will Durant 1567310133 Riku 5 4.37 1939 The Life of Greece (The Story of Civilization, #2)
author: Will Durant
name: Riku
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To]]> 43723901
In this groundbreaking book, Dr. David Sinclair, leading world authority on genetics and longevity, reveals a bold new theory for why we age. As he writes: “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.�

This book takes us to the frontlines of research many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, aging. The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes, the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it.]]> 432 David A. Sinclair 1501191977 Riku 5 4.11 2019 Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To
author: David A. Sinclair
name: Riku
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: health, longevity, to-be-reviewed-soon, health-trinity
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well]]> 30045683 Hygge has been described as everything from "cosines of the soul" to "the pursuit of everyday pleasures". The Little Book of Hygge is the book we all need right now, and is guaranteed to bring warmth and comfort to you and your loved ones this winter.

Hooga? Hhyooguh? Heurgh? It is not really important how you choose to pronounce 'hygge'. What is important is that you feel it. Whether you're cuddled up on a sofa with a loved one, or sharing comfort food with your closest friends, hygge is about creating an atmosphere where you can let your guard down.]]> 289 Meik Wiking 0241283914 Riku 3 happiness, nordic 3.76 2016 The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
author: Meik Wiking
name: Riku
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: happiness, nordic
review:

]]> Democracy and Education 369051 384 John Dewey 0684836319 Riku 5 education 4.02 1916 Democracy and Education
author: John Dewey
name: Riku
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1916
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: education
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Riku 2 fantasy, bad-sequels 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Riku
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: fantasy, bad-sequels
review:

]]> Thinking In Systems: A Primer 3828902 Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life.

Some of the biggest problems facing the world—war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation—are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous power to undermine the best efforts of too-narrow thinking.

While readers will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows was known as much for nurturing positive outcomes as she was for delving into the science behind global dilemmas. She reminds readers to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner.

In a world growing ever more complicated, crowded, and interdependent, Thinking in Systems helps readers avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions.]]> 218 Donella H. Meadows 1603580557 Riku 3 systems-thinking 4.17 2008 Thinking In Systems: A Primer
author: Donella H. Meadows
name: Riku
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: systems-thinking
review:

]]> Daniels' Running Formula 112152 304 Jack Daniels 0736054928 Riku 4 running 4.23 1998 Daniels' Running Formula
author: Jack Daniels
name: Riku
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: running
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness]]> 13202092
In Eat and Run, Jurek opens up about his life and career as a champion athlete with a plant-based diet and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Full of stories of competition as well as science and practical advice—including his own recipes—Eat and Run will motivate readers and expand their food horizons.]]> 272 Scott Jurek 0547569653 Riku 3 running, vegan 3.99 2012 Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
author: Scott Jurek
name: Riku
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: running, vegan
review:

]]> Recursion 42046112 Memory makes reality.

That's what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.]]> 326 Blake Crouch 1524759783 Riku 3 4.15 2019 Recursion
author: Blake Crouch
name: Riku
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: genre-fiction, memory, time-travel
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right]]> 25205433
Worried about potty training? Let Jamie Glowacki, potty-training expert, show you how it’s done. Her six-step, proven process to get your toddler out of diapers and onto the toilet has already worked for tens of thousands of kids and their parents.

Here’s the good news: your child is probably ready to be potty trained EARLIER than you think (ideally, between 20�30 months), and it can be done FASTER than you expect (most kids get the basics in a few days—but Jamie’s got you covered even if it takes a little longer). If you’ve ever said to yourself:

-How do I know if my kid is ready?
-Why won’t my child poop in the potty?
-How do I avoid “potty power struggles�?
-How can I get their daycare provider on board?
-My kid was doing so well—why is he regressing?
-And what about nighttime?!

Oh Crap! Potty Training can solve all of these (and other) common issues. This isn’t theory, you’re not bribing with candy, and there are no gimmicks. This is real-world, from-the-trenches potty training information—all the questions and all the answers you need to do it once and be done with diapers for good.]]> 294 Jamie Glowacki 1501122983 Riku 4 parenting 3.87 2015 Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right
author: Jamie Glowacki
name: Riku
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/22
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: parenting
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)]]> 8935689
Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.]]> 467 Iain M. Banks 1857231384 Riku 5 3.86 1987 Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: Riku
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: favorites, sci-fi, sci-fi-lit, culture
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility]]> 189989 Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life, the games we play in business and politics, in the bedroom and on the battlefied -- games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. Infinite games are more mysterious -- and ultimately more rewarding. They are unscripted and unpredictable; they are the source of true freedom.
In this elegant and compelling work, James Carse explores what these games mean, and what they can mean to you. He offers stunning new insights into the nature of property and power, of culture and community, of sexuality and self-discovery, opening the door to a world of infinite delight and possibility.
"An extraordinary little book . . . a wise and intimate companion, an elegant reminder of the real."
-- Brain/Mind Bulletin]]> 180 James P. Carse 0345341848 Riku 4 3.72 1986 Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility
author: James P. Carse
name: Riku
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: philosophy, not-easily-classified
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Teachers: A Year Inside America's Most Vulnerable, Important Profession]]> 61356231 The hit national bestseller - a New York Times Spring Nonfiction Pick, USA Today "Hottest New Book Release," Next Big Idea Club 2023 Must Read, and Kirkus “Most Buzzworthy Book Right Now"

A riveting, must-read, year-in-the-life account of three teachers, combined with reporting that reveals what's really going on behind school doors, by New York Times bestselling author and education expert Alexandra Robbins

Alexandra Robbins goes behind the scenes to tell the true, sometimes shocking, always inspirational stories of three teachers as they navigate a year in the classroom. She follows Penny, a southern middle school math teacher who grappled with a toxic staff clique at the big school in a small town; Miguel, a special ed teacher in the western United States who fought for his students both as an educator and as an activist; and Rebecca, an East Coast elementary school teacher who struggled to schedule and define a life outside of school.

Interspersed among the teachers' stories--a seeming scandal, a fourth-grade whodunit, and teacher confessions--are hard-hitting essays featuring cutting-edge reporting on the biggest issues facing teachers today, such as school violence; outrageous parent behavior; inadequate support, staffing, and resources coupled with unrealistic mounting demands; the "myth" of teacher burnout; the COVID-19 pandemic; and ways all of us can help the professionals who are central both to the lives of our children and the heart of our communities.]]> 372 Alexandra Robbins 1101986751 Riku 4 education, teaching 4.17 2023 The Teachers: A Year Inside America's Most Vulnerable, Important Profession
author: Alexandra Robbins
name: Riku
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: education, teaching
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)]]> 35519101
And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

]]> 158 Martha Wells 1250191785 Riku 3 sci-fi 4.21 2018 Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)
author: Martha Wells
name: Riku
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question]]> 58484901 From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,500 years of deep thinking from around the world.

Most people think of themselves as “good,� but it’s not always easy to determine what’s “good� or “bad”—especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more so we can sound cool at parties and become better people.

Schur starts off with easy ethical questions like “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?� (No.) and works his way up to the most complex moral issues we all face. Such as: Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people? How much money should I give to charity? Why bother being good at all when there are no consequences for being bad? And much more. By the time the book is done, we’ll know exactly how to act in every conceivable situation, so as to produce a verifiably maximal amount of moral good. We will be perfect, and all our friends will be jealous. OK, not quite. Instead, we’ll gain fresh, funny, inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day.]]> 304 Michael Schur 1982159316 Riku 4 humor, self-help, philosophy 4.13 2022 How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
author: Michael Schur
name: Riku
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/27
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: humor, self-help, philosophy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine]]> 53240367
Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric neuroendocrinologist who has long been on the cutting edge of medicine and science, challenges our current healthcare paradigm which has gone off the rails under the influence of Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Government.

Metabolical weaves the interconnected strands of nutrition, health/disease, medicine, environment, and society into a completely new fabric by proving on a scientific basis a series of iconoclastic revelations, among them:

Medicine for chronic disease treats symptoms, not the disease itself
You can diagnose your own biochemical profile
Chronic diseases are not druggable, but they are foodable
Processed food isn't just toxic, it's addictive
The war between vegan and keto is a false war--the combatants are on the same side
Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Government are on the other side
Making the case that food is the only lever we have to effect biochemical change to improve our health, Lustig explains what to eat based on two novel criteria: protect the liver, and feed the gut. He insists that if we do not fix our food and change the way we eat, we will continue to court chronic disease, bankrupt healthcare, and threaten the planet. But there is hope: this book explains what's needed to fix all three.]]> 416 Robert H. Lustig 0063027739 Riku 5 4.20 2021 Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine
author: Robert H. Lustig
name: Riku
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: health, health-trinity, core-health, medicine, metabolic, sugar
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 517 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Riku 3 fantasy, dragons 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Riku
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: fantasy, dragons
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness]]> 59088361 From beloved performance expert, executive coach, and coauthor of Peak Performance Steve Magness comes a radical rethinking of how we perceive toughness and what it means to achieve our high ambitions in the face of hard things.

Toughness has long been held as the key to overcoming a challenge and achieving greatness, whether it is on the sports field, at a boardroom, or at the dining room table. Yet, the prevailing model has promoted a mentality based on fear, false bravado, and hiding any sign of weakness. In other words, the old model of toughness has failed us.

Steve Magness, a performance scientist who coaches Olympic athletes, rebuilds our broken model of resilience with one grounded in the latest science and psychology. In Do Hard Things, Magness teaches us how we can work with our body - how experiencing discomfort, leaning in, paying attention, and creating space to take thoughtful action can be the true indications of cultivating inner strength. He offers four core pillars to cultivate such resilience:

Pillar 1- Ditch the Façade, Embrace Reality
Pillar 2- Listen to Your Body
Pillar 3- Respond, Instead of React
Pillar 4- Transcend Discomfort

Smart and wise all at once, Magness flips the script on what it means to be resilient. Drawing from mindfulness, military case studies, sports psychology, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, he provides a roadmap for navigating life's challenges and achieving high performance that makes us happier, more successful, and, ultimately, better people.]]> 320 Steve Magness 006309861X Riku 4 3.78 2022 Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
author: Steve Magness
name: Riku
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: sports, resilience, performance, running
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America]]> 58133534 People of good will on both the left and the right are secretly asking themselves the same question: how has the conversation on race gone so crazy?

Bestselling author and acclaimed linguist John McWhorter argues that an illiberal neoracism, disguised as antiracism, is hurting black communities and weakening the social fabric.

We're told to read books and listen to music by people of colour but that wearing certain clothes is 'appropriation.' We hear that being white automatically gives you privilege and that being black makes you a victim. We want to speak up but fear we'll be seen as unwoke, or worse, labelled a racist. According to John McWhorter, the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become, not a progressive ideology, but a religion - and one that's illogical, unreachable, and unintentionally neoracist.

In Woke Racism, McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion, from the original sin of 'white privilege' and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics, to the evangelical fervour of the 'woke mob.' He shows how this religion that claims to 'dismantle racist structures' is actually harming his fellow black Americans by infantilizing black people, setting black students up for failure, and passing policies that disproportionately damage black communities. The new religion might be called 'antiracism, ' but it features a racial essentialism that's barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past.

Fortunately, for all of us, it's not too late to push back against woke racism. McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogramme friends and family. And most importantly, he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help, not hurt, black people.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER]]> 224 John McWhorter 0593423062 Riku 2 false-critiques 3.87 2021 Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America
author: John McWhorter
name: Riku
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: false-critiques
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)]]> 776407 180 A.A. Milne 0525444440 Riku 5 4.37 1928 The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)
author: A.A. Milne
name: Riku
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1928
rating: 5
read at: 2000/01/01
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard]]> 8140252
The primary obstacle is a conflict that's built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick . Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems - the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort - but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

In Switch , the Heaths show how everyday people - employees and managers, parents and nurses - have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic

� The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients
â€� The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeepingĚý
â€� The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer serviceĚý

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.]]> 322 Chip Heath 030759016X Riku 0 to-read 4.12 2010 Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
author: Chip Heath
name: Riku
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution]]> 61131333 Unicorns—companies that reach a valuation of more than $1 billion—are rare. Uri Levine has built two.

And in Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution, he shows you just how he did it.

As the cofounder of Waze—the world’s leading commuting and navigation app with more than 700 million users to date, and which Google acquired in 2013 for $1. 15 billion—Levine is committed to spreading entrepreneurial thinking so that other founders, managers, and employees in the tech space can build their own highly valued companies.

Levine offers an inside look at the creation and sale of Waze and his second unicorn, Moovit, revealing the formula that drove those companies to compete with industry veterans and giants alike. He offers tips on:

� Firing and hiring
� Disrupting “broken� markets
� Raising funding
� Understanding your users
� Reaching product market fit
� Making scale-up decisions
� Going global
� Deciding when to sell

Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution offers mentorship in a book from one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, and empowers you to build a successful business by identifying your consumers� biggest problems and disrupting the inefficient markets that currently serve them.]]> 304 Uri Levine 1637741987 Riku 3 start-ups, product 4.34 2023 Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
author: Uri Levine
name: Riku
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/12
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: start-ups, product
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing]]> 22318578 Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international best seller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home - and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

]]> 213 Marie KondĹŤ 1607747308 Riku 3 self-help 3.88 2010 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
author: Marie KondĹŤ
name: Riku
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/12
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: self-help
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death in Venice and Other Stories]]> 53063 304 Thomas Mann 0451526090 Riku 4 3.83 Death in Venice and Other Stories
author: Thomas Mann
name: Riku
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2010/01/01
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Beasts of Tarzan (Tarzan, #3)]]> 330110 240 Edgar Rice Burroughs 0809599848 Riku 3 3.75 1914 The Beasts of Tarzan (Tarzan, #3)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Riku
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1914
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories]]> 99300
Written from a feminist perspective, often focusing on the inferior status accorded to women by society, the tales include "turned," an ironic story with a startling twist, in which a husband seduces and impregnates a naĂŻve servant; "Cottagette," concerning the romance of a young artist and a man who's apparently too good to be true; "Mr. Peebles' Heart," a liberating tale of a fiftyish shopkeeper whose sister-in-law, a doctor, persuades him to take a solo trip to Europe, with revivifying results; "The Yellow Wallpaper"; and three other outstanding stories.

These charming tales are not only highly readable and full of humor and invention, but also offer ample food for thought about the social, economic, and personal relationship of men and women � and how they might be improved.

Collects:
—The Yellow Wallpaper
—Three Thanksgivings
—The Cottagette
—TłÜ°ů˛Ô±đ»ĺ
—Making a Change
—If I Were a Man
—Mr. Peebles' Heart]]> 129 Charlotte Perkins Gilman 0486298574 Riku 3 4.05 1892 The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories
author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
name: Riku
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1892
rating: 3
read at: 2010/12/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> The New One Minute Manager 22103881 The One Minute Manager® has helped millions achieve more successful professional and personal lives. While the principles it lays out are timeless, our world has changed drastically since the book’s publication. The exponential rise of technology, global flattening of markets, instant communication, and pressures on corporate workforces to do more with less—including resources, funding, and staff—have all revolutionized the world in which we live and work.

Now, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have written The New One Minute Manager to introduce the book’s powerful, important lessons to a new generation. In their concise, easy-to-read story, they teach readers three very practical secrets about leading others—and explain why these techniques continue to work so well.

As compelling today as the original was thirty years ago, this classic parable of a young man looking for an effective manager is more relevant and useful than ever.]]> 112 Kenneth H. Blanchard 0062367544 Riku 2 mba-stuff, pop-strat 3.76 1981 The New One Minute Manager
author: Kenneth H. Blanchard
name: Riku
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1981
rating: 2
read at: 2016/08/10
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: mba-stuff, pop-strat
review:
Nothing new here folks. Retribution is now re-direct, or some such shtick.
]]> <![CDATA[A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes]]> 18293807 77 Peter Bevelin 1780924496 Riku 0 to-read 3.81 2013 A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes
author: Peter Bevelin
name: Riku
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Weighing the Soul 1519447 224 Len Fisher 0297645552 Riku 0 to-read 3.20 2004 Weighing the Soul
author: Len Fisher
name: Riku
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Queen of Spades and Other Stories]]> 97381 The Queen of Spades has long been acknowledged as one of the world's greatest short stories, in which Pushkin explores the nature of obsession. The Tales of Belkin are witty parodies of sentimentalism, while Peter the Great's Blackamoor is an early experiment with recreating the past. The Captain's Daughter is a novel-length masterpiece which combines historical fiction in the manner of Sir Walter Scott with the devices of the Russian fairy-tale. The Introduction provides close readings of the stories and places them in their European literary context.]]> 336 Alexander Pushkin 0192839543 Riku 0 to-read 4.16 1841 The Queen of Spades and Other Stories
author: Alexander Pushkin
name: Riku
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1841
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X Riku 4 3.95 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: Riku
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 1995/01/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Metamorphosis and Other Stories]]> 7723 The Metamorphosis,� a story that is both harrowing and amusing, and a landmark of modern literature.

Bringing together some of Kafka’s finest work, this collection demonstrates the richness and variety of the author’s artistry. �The Judgment,� which Kafka considered to be his decisive breakthrough, and �The Stoker,� which became the first chapter of his novel Amerika, are here included. These two, along with �The Metamorphosis,� form a suite of stories Kafka referred to as “The Sons,� and they collectively present a devastating portrait of the modern family.

Also included are �In the Penal Colony,� a story of a torture machine and its operators and victims, and �A Hunger Artist,� about the absurdity of an artist trying to communicate with a misunderstanding public. Kafka’s lucid, succinct writing chronicles the labyrinthine complexities, the futility-laden horror, and the stifling oppressiveness that permeate his vision of modern life.]]> 224 Franz Kafka 1593080298 Riku 4 4.08 1915 The Metamorphosis and Other Stories
author: Franz Kafka
name: Riku
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1915
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales]]> 93276 272 Thomas Malory 0195019059 Riku 0 to-read 4.12 1860 King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales
author: Thomas Malory
name: Riku
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1860
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories]]> 721012 Sketch Book first appeared in 1819, readers in America and abroad greeted it with enthusiasm, and Irving emerged as America's first successful professional author. The pieces about life in England are gently ironic, reflecting the author's interest in the traditions of the Old World and his longings for his home in the New. But it is in "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" that Irving exhibits his true strength—the ability to depict American landscapes and culture so vividly that readers feel themselves a part of them. And it is on the basis of these two classic tales that Irving is generally credited with inventing the short story as a distinct literary genre.

Originally published as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.]]> 368 Washington Irving 014043769X Riku 4 3.96 1820 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories
author: Washington Irving
name: Riku
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1820
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics (Penguin Classics)]]> 11112981 242 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1101490217 Riku 0 to-read 3.78 1821 Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics (Penguin Classics)
author: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
name: Riku
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1821
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic]]> 129876 157 R.K. Narayan 0143039679 Riku 0 to-read 3.92 1957 The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic
author: R.K. Narayan
name: Riku
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1957
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Princess of Mars / The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #1-2)]]> 57972 376 Edgar Rice Burroughs 1846771153 Riku 4 4.01 1991 The Princess of Mars / The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #1-2)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Riku
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at: 2001/01/01
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic]]> 141153 The great Indian epic rendered in modern prose

India's most beloved and enduring legend, the Ramayana is widely acknowledged to be one of the world's great literary masterpieces. Still an integral part of India's cultural and religious expression, the Ramayana was originally composed by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki around 300 b.c. The epic of Prince Rama's betrayal, exile, and struggle to rescue his faithful wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon and to reclaim his throne has profoundly affected the literature, art, and culture of South and Southeast Asia-an influence most likely unparalleled in the history of world literature, except, possibly, for the Bible. Throughout the centuries, countless versions of the epic have been produced in numerous formats and languages. But previous English versions have been either too short to capture the magnitude of the original; too secular in presenting what is, in effect, scripture; or dry, line-by-line translations. Now novelist Ramesh Menon has rendered the tale in lyrical prose that conveys all the beauty and excitement of the original, while making this spiritual and literary classic accessible to a new generation of readers.
]]> 697 Ramesh Menon 0865476950 Riku 0 to-read 4.29 1957 The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic
author: Ramesh Menon
name: Riku
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1957
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you]]> 52283963
The Mom Test is a quick, practical guide that will save you time, money, and heartbreak.



They say you shouldn't ask your mom whether your business is a good idea, because she loves you and will lie to you. This is technically true, but it misses the point. You shouldn't ask anyone if your business is a good idea. It's a bad question and everyone will lie to you at least a little . As a matter of fact, it's not their responsibility to tell you the truth. It's your responsibility to find it and it's worth doing right .



Talking to customers is one of the foundational skills of both Customer Development and Lean Startup. We all know we're supposed to do it, but nobody seems willing to admit that it's easy to screw up and hard to do right. This book is going to show you how customer conversations go wrong and how you can do better.

]]> 138 Rob Fitzpatrick Riku 5 4.37 2013 The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
author: Rob Fitzpatrick
name: Riku
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: product, customer-first, market-insights, talk-to-customers
review:

]]> Poverty, by America 61358638 Reimagining the debate on poverty, making a new and bracing argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it.

The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.

Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.]]> 304 Matthew Desmond 0593239911 Riku 5 4.27 2023 Poverty, by America
author: Matthew Desmond
name: Riku
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/19
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: poverty, economics, housing-crisis, urban-life
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals]]> 54785515 The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks.

Nobody needs to be told there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and ceaseless battle against distraction; we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient and life hacks to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks.

Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management. Rejecting the futile modern obsession with “getting everything done,� Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing that many of the unhelpful ways we’ve come to think about time aren’t inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we’ve made as individuals and as a society—and that we could do things differently.]]> 271 Oliver Burkeman 0374159122 Riku 4 4.19 2021 Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
author: Oliver Burkeman
name: Riku
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: time-management, productivity, self-help
review:

]]> Less (Arthur Less, #1) 39927096 You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years now engaged to someone else. You can’t say yes--it would all be too awkward--and you can’t say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of half-baked literary invitations you’ve received from around the world.

QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town?

ANSWER: You accept them all.

If you are Arthur Less.

Thus begins an around-the-world-in-eighty-days fantasia that will take Arthur Less to Mexico, Italy, Germany, Morocco, India and Japan and put thousands of miles between him and the problems he refuses to face. What could possibly go wrong?

Well: Arthur will almost fall in love in Paris, almost fall to his death in Berlin, barely escape to a Moroccan ski chalet from a Sahara sandstorm, accidentally book himself as the (only) writer-in-residence at a Christian Retreat Center in Southern India, and arrive in Japan too late for the cherry blossoms. In between: science fiction fans, crazed academics, emergency rooms, starlets, doctors, exes and, on a desert island in the Arabian Sea, the last person on Earth he wants to see. Somewhere in there: he will turn fifty. The second phase of life, as he thinks of it, falling behind him like the second phase of a rocket. There will be his first love. And there will be his last.

A love story, a satire of the American abroad, a rumination on time and the human heart, by an author The New York Times has hailed as “inspired, lyrical,� “elegiac,� “ingenious,� as well as “too sappy by half,� Less shows a writer at the peak of his talents raising the curtain on our shared human comedy.]]> 273 Andrew Sean Greer Riku 2 3.61 2017 Less (Arthur Less, #1)
author: Andrew Sean Greer
name: Riku
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: self-referential, author-self-talk
review:

]]> All the Birds in the Sky 25372801 316 Charlie Jane Anders 0765379945 Riku 2 fantasy 3.57 2016 All the Birds in the Sky
author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Riku
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/30
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What to Expect When You're Expecting]]> 174703 597 Heidi Murkoff 0761121323 Riku 4 health 3.77 1984 What to Expect When You're Expecting
author: Heidi Murkoff
name: Riku
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/30
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: health
review:

]]> Dark Matter 27833670 A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.]]> 342 Blake Crouch 1101904224 Riku 3 multiverse 4.13 2016 Dark Matter
author: Blake Crouch
name: Riku
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: multiverse
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Oxford Shakespeare. The Complete Works]]> 117305 1424 William Shakespeare 0199267189 Riku 0 to-read 4.47 1623 The Oxford Shakespeare. The Complete Works
author: William Shakespeare
name: Riku
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1623
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Great Indian Phone Book 15957255 256 Robin Jeffrey 184904192X Riku 0 to-read 3.67 2012 Great Indian Phone Book
author: Robin Jeffrey
name: Riku
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Inferno of Dante Alighieri]]> 1803575 272 Seth Zimmerman 0595280900 Riku 0 to-read 4.00 1320 The Inferno of Dante Alighieri
author: Seth Zimmerman
name: Riku
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1320
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Pit and the Pendulum 206173 22 Edgar Allan Poe 1860920195 Riku 5 3.94 1842 The Pit and the Pendulum
author: Edgar Allan Poe
name: Riku
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1842
rating: 5
read at: 2007/11/18
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center]]> 127305688
In The Other Significant Others, NPR's Rhaina Cohen invites us into the lives of people who have defied convention by choosing a friend as a life partner. Their riveting stories unsettle widespread assumptions about relationships, including the idea that sex is a defining feature of partnership and that people who raise kids together should be in a romantic relationship. Platonic partners from different walks of life—spanning age and religion, gender and sexuality and more—reveal the freedom and challenges of embracing a relationship model that society doesn't recognize. And they show that orienting your world around friends isn't just the stuff of daydreams and episodes of The Golden Girls, but possible in real life.

Based on years of original reporting and drawing on striking social science research, Cohen argues that we make romantic relationships more fragile by expecting too much of them, while we undermine friendships by expecting too little of them. She traces how, throughout history, our society hasn’t always fixated on marriage as the greatest source of meaning, or even love. At a time when many Americans are spending large stretches of their lives single, widowed or divorced, or feeling the effects of the "loneliness epidemic," Cohen makes the case that one model of a flourishing adulthood—lifelong romantic partnership—isn't enough. A rousing and incisive book, The Other Significant Others challenges us to ask what we want from our relationships—not just what we’re supposed to want—and transforms how we define a fulfilling life.]]> 320 Rhaina Cohen 1250280915 Riku 0 to-read 3.92 2024 The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center
author: Rhaina Cohen
name: Riku
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions]]> 176443657 The Power of Habit and Angela Duckworth’s Grit, a renowned social psychologist demonstrates the power of small acts—and how a subtle turning of habits into rituals can add purpose and pleasure to life.

Our lives are filled with repetitive tasks meant to boost productivity—what we come to know as habits. Over time, these habits (for example, brushing your teeth or putting on your right sock first) are done on autopilot. But when a layer of mindfulness accompanies a habit—when we focus on the precise way an act is performed—a ritual has been created. Now, an everyday act goes from black-and-white to technicolor. And as author Michael Norton explains here, it’s these rituals that make life worth living.

Think of the way you savor a certain beverage, the care you take with a certain outfit that only gets worn on special occasions, the unique way that your family gathers around the table at the holidays, or the secret language you enjoy with your significant other. To some, these behaviors may seem quirky, but because rituals matter so deeply to us on a personal level, they saturate our lives with purpose and meaning. Rituals can heal a community experiencing a great loss, guide a speaker through a difficult presentation, drive a stadium of sports fans to ecstasy, inspire courage in soldiers going into combat, and help us rise to challenges and realize opportunities. Among those who have made effective use of rituals are Maya Angelou, Keith Richards, Barack Obama, and Steve Jobs. Drawing on decades of original research, author Michal Norton reveals that shifting from a “habitual� mindset to a “ritual� mindset can both enhance performance and add meaning to your life.

Compelling, inspiring, and practical, The Ritual Effect takes us on a fascinating tour of the intention-filled acts that drive human behavior and shows us how to create simple rituals to imbue everyday life with a sense of purpose and joy.]]> 288 Michael Norton 1982153024 Riku 0 to-read 3.41 2024 The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions
author: Michael Norton
name: Riku
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out]]> 127975811
We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.

Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes ( Gone Girl , Their Eyes Were Watching God ) to the ones she didn’t ( Tess of the d’Urbervilles ), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the surprising ways in which literature can transform us for the better.]]> 336 Shannon Reed 1335007962 Riku 0 to-read 3.66 2024 Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out
author: Shannon Reed
name: Riku
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout]]> 197773418 Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, a groundbreaking philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload.

Our current definition of “productivity� is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices?

Long before the arrival of pinging inboxes and clogged schedules, history’s most creative and impactful philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power. In this timely and provocative book, Cal Newport harnesses the wisdom of these traditional knowledge workers to radically transform our modern jobs. Drawing from deep research on the habits and mindsets of a varied cast of storied thinkers—from Galileo and Isaac Newton, to Jane Austen and Georgia O’Keefe—Newport lays out the key principles of “slow productivity,� a more sustainable alternative to the aimless overwhelm that defines our current moment. Combining cultural criticism with systematic pragmatism, Newport deconstructs the absurdities inherent in standard notions of productivity, and then provides step-by-step advice for workers to replace them with a slower, more humane alternative.

From the aggressive rethinking of workload management, to introducing seasonal variation, to shifting your performance toward long-term quality, Slow Productivity provides a roadmap for escaping overload and arriving instead at a more timeless approach to pursuing meaningful accomplishment. The world of work is due for a new revolution. Slow productivity is exactly what we need.]]> 244 Cal Newport 0593544854 Riku 0 to-read 3.65 2024 Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
author: Cal Newport
name: Riku
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![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 Riku 0 to-read 3.99 2024 Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Riku
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are]]> 134117265
Far from being a lifeless ornament in the sky, the Moon holds the key to some of science’s central questions, and in this fascinating account of our remarkable satellite, award-winning science journalist Rebecca Boyle shows us why it is the secret to our success.

The Moon stabilizes the Earth’s tilt toward the Sun, creating reliable seasons. The durability of this tilt over millennia stabilizes our climate. The Moon pulls on the ocean, driving the tides. It was these tides that mixed nutrients in the sea, enabling the evolution of complex life and, ultimately, bringing life onto land.

But the Moon also played a pivotal role in our conceptual development. While the Sun helped humans to mark daily time, hunters and gatherers used the phases of the Moon to count months and years, allowing them to situate themselves in time and plan for the future. Its role in the development of religion—Mesopotamian priests recorded the Moon’s position to make predictions about the Moon god--created the earliest known empirical, scientific observation.

Boyle deftly reframes the history of scientific discovery through a lunar lens, from Mesopotamia to the present day. Touching on ancient astronomers including Claudius Ptolemy; ancient philosophers from Anaxagoras to Plutarch; the scientific revolution of Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler; and the lunar fiction of writers like Jules Verne--which inspired Wernher von Braun, the Nazi rocket scientist who succeeded in landing humans on the Moon--Boyle charts our path with the Moon from the origins of human civilization to the Apollo landings and up to the present.

Even as astronauts around the world prepare to return to the Moon, opening up new frontiers of discovery, profit, and politics, Our Moon brings the Moon down to Earth.]]> 336 Rebecca Boyle 0593129725 Riku 0 to-read 3.88 2024 Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
author: Rebecca Boyle
name: Riku
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet]]> 145624737
It’s become common to tell kids that they’re going to die from climate change. We are constantly bombarded by doomsday headlines that tell us the soil won’t be able to support crops, fish will vanish from our oceans, and that we should reconsider having children.

But in this bold, radically hopeful book, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that if we zoom out, a very different picture emerges. In fact, the data shows we’ve made so much progress on these problems that we could be on track to achieve true sustainability for the first time in human history.

Packed with the latest research, practical guidance and enlightening graphics, this book will make you rethink almost everything you’ve been told about the environment. From the virtues of eating locally and living in the countryside, to the evils of overpopulation, to plastic straws and palm oil , Not the End of the World will give you the tools to understand our current crisis and make lifestyle changes that actually have an impact. Hannah cuts through the noise by outlining what works, what doesn’t, and what we urgently need to focus on so we can leave a sustainable planet for future generations.ĚýĚýĚý

These problems are big. But they are solvable. We are not doomed. We can build a better future for everyone. Let’s turn that opportunity into reality.

Ěý±Ő±Ő> 352 Hannah Ritchie 031653675X Riku 0 to-read 4.20 2024 Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet
author: Hannah Ritchie
name: Riku
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension]]> 181346634
There’s Always This Year is a triumph, brimming with joy, pain, solidarity, comfort, outrage, and hope. No matter the subject of his keen focus—whether it's basketball, or music, or performance—Hanif Abdurraqib’s exquisite writing is always poetry, always profound, and always a clarion call to radically reimagine how we think about our culture, our country, and ourselves.]]> 334 Hanif Abdurraqib 0593448790 Riku 0 to-read 4.32 2024 There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension
author: Hanif Abdurraqib
name: Riku
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> J R 11721654 The Recognitions, that tremendous book which, in the twenty years since its publication, has come to be acknowledged as an American masterpiece. And J R is a book of comparable magnitude, substance, and humor - a rushing, raucous look at money and its influence, at love and its absence, at success and its failures, in the magnificently orchestrated circus of all its larger - and smaller-than-life characters; a frantic, forlorn comedy about who uses - and misuses - whom.

At the center: J R, ambitious sixth-grader in torn sneakers, bred on the challenge of "free enterprise" and fired by heady mail-order promises of "success." His teachers would rather be elsewhere, his principal doubles as a bank president, his Long Island classroom mirrors the world he sees around him - a world of public relations and private betrayals where everything (and everyone) wears a price tag, a world of "deals" where honesty is no substitute for experience, and the letter of the law flouts its spirit at every turn. Operating from the remote anonymity of phone booths and the local post office, with beachheads in a seedy New York cafeteria and a catastrophic, carton-crammed tenement on East 96th Street, J R parlays a deal for thousands of surplus Navy picnic forks through penny stock flyers and a distant textile-mill bankruptcy into a nationwide, hydra-headed "family of companies."

The J R Corp and its Boss engulf brokers, lawyers, Congressmen, disaffected school teachers and disenfranchised Indians, drunks, divorcées, second-hand generals, and a fledgling composer hopelessly entangled in a nightmare marriage of business and the arts. Their bullish ventures - shaky mineral claims and gas leases, cost-plus defense contracts, a string of nursing homes cum funeral parlors, a formula for frozen music - burgeon into a paper empire ranging from timber to textiles, from matchbooks to (legalized) marijuana, from prostheses to publishing, inadvertently crushing hopes, careers, an entire town, on a collision course with the bigger world . . . the pragmatic Real World where the business of America is business, where the stock market exists as a convenience, and the tax laws make some people more equal than others . . . the world that makes the rules because it plays to win, and plays for keeps.

Absurdly logical, mercilessly real, gathering its own tumultuous momentum for the ultimate brush with commodity trading when the drop in pork belly futures masks the crumbling of our own, J R captures the reader in the cacophony of voices that revolves around this young captive of his own myths - voices that dominate the book, talking to each other, at each other, into phones, on intercoms, from TV screens and radios - a vast mosaic of sound that sweeps the reader into the relentless "real time" of spoken words in a way unprecedented in modern fiction. The disturbing clarity with which this finished writer captures the ways in which we deal, dissemble, stumble through our words - through our lives - while the real plans are being made elsewhere makes J R the extraordinary novel that it is.

From the first-edition dustjacket]]> 726 William Gaddis 1564784339 Riku 0 to-read 4.44 1975 J R
author: William Gaddis
name: Riku
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life]]> 10654 96 Michael Lewis 0393060918 Riku 3 3.84 2005 Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life
author: Michael Lewis
name: Riku
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) 61179 288 Larry Niven 0575077026 Riku 3 3.96 1970 Ringworld (Ringworld, #1)
author: Larry Niven
name: Riku
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1970
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/14
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Citizen: An American Lyric 20613761 Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric.

Claudia Rankine's bold new book recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in twenty-first-century daily life and in the media. Some of these encounters are slights, seeming slips of the tongue, and some are intentional offensives in the classroom, at the supermarket, at home, on the tennis court with Serena Williams and the soccer field with Zinedine Zidane, online, on TV-everywhere, all the time. The accumulative stresses come to bear on a person's ability to speak, perform, and stay alive. Our addressability is tied to the state of our belonging, Rankine argues, as are our assumptions and expectations of citizenship. In essay, image, and poetry, Citizen is a powerful testament to the individual and collective effects of racism in our contemporary, often named "post-race" society.]]> 169 Claudia Rankine 1555976905 Riku 4 4.26 2014 Citizen: An American Lyric
author: Claudia Rankine
name: Riku
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/13
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life]]> 28014216
Moving to America in 2008, Finnish journalist Anu Partanen quickly went from confident, successful professional to wary, self-doubting mess. She found that navigating the basics of everyday life—from buying a cell phone and filing taxes to education and childcare—was much more complicated and stressful than anything she encountered in her homeland. At first, she attributed her crippling anxiety to the difficulty of adapting to a freewheeling new culture. But as she got to know Americans better, she discovered they shared her deep apprehension. To understand why life is so different in the U.S. and Finland, Partanen began to look closely at both.

In The Nordic Theory of Everything, Partanen compares and contrasts life in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships—parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens. She debunks criticism that Nordic countries are socialist “nanny states,� revealing instead that it is we Americans who are far more enmeshed in unhealthy dependencies than we realize. As Partanen explains step by step, the Nordic approach allows citizens to enjoy more individual freedom and independence than we do.

Partanen wants to open Americans� eyes to how much better things can be—to show her beloved new country what it can learn from her homeland to reinvigorate and fulfill the promise of the American dream—to provide the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, economically secure, upwardly mobile life for everyone. Offering insights, advice, and solutions, The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild our society, rekindle our optimism, and restore true freedom to our relationships and lives.]]> 448 Anu Partanen 0062316567 Riku 4 3.85 2016 The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life
author: Anu Partanen
name: Riku
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/13
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure]]> 106882
Don't Diet
Eat Chocolate
Drink Wine
Take Long Walks
Enjoy Life
Stay Slim the French way

Experience the joie de vivre of French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.]]> 263 Mireille Guiliano 0375435484 Riku 2 3.53 2004 French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure
author: Mireille Guiliano
name: Riku
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/13
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being]]> 38103723
I felt the same way when my children were small and I was struggling to get them to do things. I felt enormous empathy for them, but wasn’t sure what the alternative was to threatening, bribing or putting them into time out.

It’s been my mission since then to find another way. I’ve now been working in Montessori education for nearly 15 years and love to learn from the 100 toddlers and parents I see every week in my classroom. I am so happy to share with you what I have learned and help you understand your toddler better too.

This book is the result. Your comprehensive guide to raising toddlers in a Montessori way.

A quick aside for those of you that don't know Montessori. It is an alternative education system where, instead of the teacher standing at the front of the classroom telling the kids what they need to know, the children are free to explore a classroom of well-designed materials covering language, mathematics, daily life skills and more. The result is that the children are able to follow their unique natural rhythm and development as well as learn with concrete learning materials to make discoveries for themselves. But that's it. It's not just for school aged children - you can apply exactly the same ideas in your home and with your toddler.

And when I say toddler, I'm talking about children around 1 to 3 years, give or take a few months.

Each section of the book is super practical and it is beautifully designed to make it even easier to read. It’s perfect if you are a busy parent, carer or even grandparent. And it doesn't matter if you are brand new to Montessori or have been using Montessori for a while - or even if you aren't planning to send your children to Montessori school. You can read it from cover to cover. Or just open up the book at a page that interests you and you will find something practical you can try today.

You’ll learn how to set up your home to get rid of the chaos and bring back some calm into your lives. You will get the tools to work together with your child. How you can lead, guide and support them, especially when they are having a hard time (and throwing themselves on the ground in the most inconvenient of places). You’ll also get ideas to create Montessori activities at home that are just right for your toddler.

You will find answers to your questions. To see there is another more peaceful way to be with your toddler. To help you plant the seeds to raise a respectful and responsible human being. To work on a relationship with your toddler which you will be building on for years.

So are you ready to say goodbye to frustration and hello to peace and calm? It’s time for us to learn to see through our toddler’s eyes - The Montessori Toddler.]]> 245 Simone Davies 9082796902 Riku 3 4.28 2018 The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being
author: Simone Davies
name: Riku
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/12
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Have Space Suit—Will Travel 20417 276 Robert A. Heinlein 1416505490 Riku 3 3.92 1958 Have Space Suit—Will Travel
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Riku
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1958
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/10
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Akbar: The Great Mughal 53504637 624 Ira Mukhoty 9389836050 Riku 4 4.39 Akbar: The Great Mughal
author: Ira Mukhoty
name: Riku
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/11
date added: 2024/01/11
shelves: history, biographies, india, india-history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Long Earth (The Long Earth, #1)]]> 13147230
2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive - some said mad, others dangerous - scientist when she finds a curious gadget - a box containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a... potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way Mankind views his world forever.

And that is an understatement if ever there was one...]]> 336 Terry Pratchett 0062067753 Riku 2 Ticks all the genre boxes but I was in it only to have me some Pratchett.]]> 3.77 2012 The Long Earth (The Long Earth, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Riku
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/10
date added: 2024/01/11
shelves:
review:
Not a trace of Pratchett in this book. It's a decent scifi piece with an interesting premise but the wit and wisdom and the social commentary that you would expect from a Pratchett novel are missing. So are the flawed characters who are fumbling through existence and making things happen unexpectedly just like in real life. Instead we have all the tropes of a chosen one, a calling, a specific premise, etc.
Ticks all the genre boxes but I was in it only to have me some Pratchett.
]]> The Tartar Steppe 83017 198 Dino Buzzati 1567923046 Riku 0 readathon-day-2015, to-read 4.24 1940 The Tartar Steppe
author: Dino Buzzati
name: Riku
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1940
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/10
shelves: readathon-day-2015, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain]]> 58446218 A tongue-in-cheek introduction to the science of comic-book supervillainy, revealing the true potential of today's most advanced technologies

Taking over the world is a lot of work. Any supervillain is bound to have questions: What's the perfect location for a floating secret base? What zany heist will fund my immoral plans? How do I control the weather, destroy the internet, and never, ever die?

In How to Take Over the World, bestselling author and award-winning comics writer Ryan North details a number of outlandish villainous schemes, drawing on known science and real-world technologies. Picking up where How to Invent Everything left off, his explanations are as fun and informative as they are completely absurd.

As he instructs readers on how to take over the world, North also reveals how we can save it. This sly guide to some of the greatest challenges and existential threats facing humanity accessibly explores ways to mitigate climate change, improve human life spans, prevent cyberterrorism, and finally make Jurassic Park a reality.]]> 388 Ryan North 059319201X Riku 2 sb-books-i-have-skimmed 3.99 2022 How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain
author: Ryan North
name: Riku
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: sb-books-i-have-skimmed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems]]> 48922054
Do immigrants from poorer countries take away jobs from low-income native workers? Why is inequality exploding everywhere? Does redistribution actually undermine incentives? Should we worry about the rise of artificial intelligence or celebrate it? How do we manage the trade-off between growth and climate change? Is economic growth over in the West? Should we care?

Figuring out how to deal with today’s critical economic problems is the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel, perhaps even than curing cancer � what is at stake is the whole idea of the good life and, perhaps, of liberal democracy itself. We have the resources to solve these problems; what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. Only if we can engage seriously in this quest, and if the best minds in the world work with governments and civil society to redesign our social programs for effectiveness and political viability, will history remember our era with gratitude.

In this revolutionary book, renowned MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting-edge research in economics, explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics for Hard Times makes a persuasive case for intelligent interventions toward a society built on compassion and respect. It is an extraordinary book, one that will help us appreciate and understand our precariously balanced world.]]> 417 Abhijit V. Banerjee Riku 5 4.38 2019 Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems
author: Abhijit V. Banerjee
name: Riku
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/01/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain]]> 24611865 The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child’s future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice.
Ěý
The research is in: Academic achievement begins on the first day of life with the first word said by a cooing mother just after delivery.

A study by researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995 found that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthdays than others. The children who heard more words were better prepared when they entered school. These same kids, when followed into third grade, had bigger vocabularies, were stronger readers, and got higher test scores. This disparity in learning is referred to as the achievement gap.

Professor Dana Suskind, MD, learned of this thirty million word gap in the course of her work as a cochlear implant surgeon at University of Chicago Medical School and began a new research program along with her sister-in-law, Beth Suskind, to find the best ways to bridge that gap.ĚýThe Thirty Million Word Initiative has developed programs for parents to show the kind of parent-child communication that enables optimal neural development and has tested the programs in and around Chicago across demographic groups.ĚýThey boil down to getting parents to follow the three Ts: Tune in to what your child is doing; Talk more to your child using lots of descriptive words; and Take turns with your child as you engage in conversation.ĚýParents are shown how to make the words they serve up more enriching. For example, instead of telling a child, “Put your shoes on,â€� one might say instead, “It is time to go out. What do we have to do?â€� The lab's new five-year longitudinal research program has just received funding so they can further corroborate their results.Ěý

The neuroscience of brain plasticity is some of the most valuable and revolutionary medical science being done today. It enables us to think and do better.ĚýIt is making a difference in the lives of both the old and young.Ěý If you care for children, this landmark book is essential reading.]]> 320 Dana Suskind 0525954872 Riku 4 4.13 2015 Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain
author: Dana Suskind
name: Riku
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/30
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Seven Myths About Education 18635662
- Facts prevent understanding
- Teacher-led instruction is passive
- The 21st century fundamentally changes everything
- You can always just look it up
-We should teach transferable skills
- Projects and activities are the best way to learn
- Teaching knowledge is indoctrination.

In each accessible and engaging chapter, Christodoulou sets out the theory of each myth, considers its practical implications and shows the worrying prevalence of such practice. Then, she explains exactly why it is a myth, with reference to the principles of modern cognitive science. She builds a powerful case explaining how governments and educational organisations around the world have let down teachers and pupils by promoting and even mandating evidence-less theory and bad practice.

This blisteringly incisive and urgent text is essential reading for all teachers, teacher training students, policy makers, head teachers, researchers and academics around the world.]]> 148 Daisy Christodoulou 0415746825 Riku 2 4.11 2013 Seven Myths About Education
author: Daisy Christodoulou
name: Riku
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2022/10/30
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise]]> 58678506 2023 Gold Winner â€� Nautilus BookĚýAward

World-class pediatric surgeon, social scientist, and best-selling author of Thirty Million Words Dr. Dana Suskind returns with a revelatory new look at the neuroscience of early childhood development—and how it can guide us toward a future in which every child has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

Her prescription for this more prosperous and equitable future, as clear as it is powerful, is more robust support for parents during the most critical years of their children’s development. In her poignant new book, Parent Nation , written with award-winning science writer Lydia Denworth, Dr. Suskind helps parents recognize both their collective identity and their formidable power as custodians of our next generation.

Weaving together the latest science on the developing brain with heart-breaking and relatable stories of families from all walks of life,ĚýDr. Suskind shows that the status quo—scores of parents convinced they should be able to shoulder the enormous responsibility of early childhood care and education on their own—is not only unsustainable, but deeply detrimental to the wellbeing of children, families, and society.
Ěý
Anyone looking for a blueprint for how to build a brighter future for our children will find one in Parent Nation . Informed by the science of foundational brain development as well as history, political science, and the lived experiences of families around the country, this book clearly outlines how society can and should help families meet the developmental needs of their children. Only then can we ensure that all children are able to enjoy the promise of their potential.]]> 320 Dana Suskind 0593185609 Riku 4 3.88 Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise
author: Dana Suskind
name: Riku
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/06
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Einstein: His Life and Universe]]> 10884 675 Walter Isaacson 0743264738 Riku 4 biographies 4.16 2007 Einstein: His Life and Universe
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Riku
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/30
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: biographies
review:

]]>