The Three-Body Problem – Cixin Liu
Sure it’s an interesting idea, but I’m not sure if it’s the translation or the original writing…I just didn’t like it. The most interesting thing was the protein folding idea for turning things into a super-computer and how it related to the countdown seen in images and retina, but those few pages weren’t enough for…
Genre: Science FictionStyle: Fiction
Ruined by Reading – Sharon Schwartz
Ruined by reading was a very different book than I expected. I didn’t expect this memoir on the affect of reading to the author’s life to be a keep but it continually asked thought provoking questions about the nature of power and our imagination. Schwartz questions the very nature and content of a book and…
Style: Non-fiction
Gardens of the Moon – Steven Erikson
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…
Genre: FantasyStyle: Fiction
Dark PR – Grant Ennis
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)…
Style: Non-fiction
Foreverism – Grafton Tanner
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…
Style: Non-fiction
Liberty’s Daughter – Naomi Kritzer
Liberty’s Daughter is about Beck Garrison, a teenager living on a libertarian seastead which is part of a collection of seasteads with varying rules. Some have no rules at all, so drugs are openly manufactured and children can buy them, or you can chain your workers to a table and force them to handle toxic…
Style: Fiction
Duly Noted – Jorge Arango
Duly Noted is another book in the ever increasing and popular series of books on how to take notes, a genre that’s been growing hugely in the last few years. If you’re new to the field of taking good notes, this book is a good primer on how to get started. If you’ve watched a…
Style: Non-fiction
So Good They Can’t Ignore You – Cal Newport
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…
Style: Non-fiction
Mans Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
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…
Style: Non-fiction
The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking
The purpose of this book is right on the cover, Burger and Starbird are going to teach you the 5 elements they feel go into effective thinking and there are a number of good points they make. While the book isn’t groundbreaking, there are a number of excellent takeaways like those listed above to help…
Genre: ThinkingStyle: Non-fiction