Rating: Recommended
Elantris – Brandon Sanderson
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This is the oldest book in Brandon Sanderson’s writing that I’ve read, being published first in 2005. As such I found a few parts of the writing clearly still in development. Unlike other more current books, I was easily able to guess where the author was going early in the book. This didn’t diminish my…
Translation State – Ann Leckie
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Translation state takes a look at what it means to be human, and in this case, what it means to belong somewhere. We start meeting our 3 main characters, Enae, Reet and Qven and slowly are exposed to how they don’t belong in the place that they exist. For Qven specifically we see how they’ve…
The Color of Law – Richard Rothstein
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The Color of Law looks at how redlining affected the wealth of Black Americans after Word War 2. From not letting Black Vetrans get the financing that all Vetrans were supposed to be eligible for, to breaking up Black neighbourhoods for “public projects” this is a sobering look at how white people stole wealth from…
The Promise of Access – Daniel Greene
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Daniel Greene looks at the politically expedient idea that the problem with the workforce is that they don’t have access to computers (technology) and the skills to use said electronic devices. This lets politicians off the hook in addressing the structural problems (poverty, homelessness) that contributes to lack of work and skill development and simply…
Gardens of the Moon – Steven Erikson
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Welcome to a land of magic and gods that sometimes walk among humans, at the very least they spend a bunch of energy influencing human affairs to their liking. We start by joining the Malazan Empire’s forces as they are decimated in at the city of Pale by the Moon King, but we quickly learn…
Dark PR – Grant Ennis
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Dark PR walks readers through all the “framing” companies do to minimize their responsibility so that they can keep doing the terrible shit they are doing. From car companies showing us all their “magic” features that will save lives, to blaming some random person walking on the street for not being visible enough (victim blaming)…
Foreverism – Grafton Tanner
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In Foreverism, Grafton Tanner, examines the push towards nostalgia shown in society today. From endless reboots, which are safer than new properties thus more likely to profit, to gadgets that continue to get improved so that we always have a fresh one to purchase, capitalism doesn’t want our consumerism to die as that would stop…
So Good They Can’t Ignore You – Cal Newport
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This is Cal Newport’s investigation of what it takes to be so good at your job, that you can’t be ignored. Unlike many online personalities, he doesn’t tell you to follow your passion, in fact he feels it leads to a life of disappointment as you continue to fail to find the “right” career and…
Mans Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
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This is a classic book, that feels to me like it has so much weight behind it that it’s hard to say most anything about the book but praise. I have the second edition where Frankl goes into his Logo Therapy ideas, and I found those of less utility than the discussion at the beginning…
The Sunlit Man – Brandon Sanderson
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This is the final book in the 4 books Brandon Sanderson wrote in “secret” during the COVID 19 pandemic. In this one we follow Nomad who has skipped to a world that has such intense sun that it scorches the entire landscape on every rotation. Mountains form, and disappear. Plants grow in a matter of…
