Jason Cox
3.7 Stars
Let me say first that I think this is an important book and one that anyone with even a passing interest in the functioning of our society should read (American or not, Right or Left, etc.)
Taibbi does a decent job at calling out the press in regard to their recent bias. It's very enlightening to hear him describe the collusion between the ruling elites and the media. He goes back a little bit and discusses how this operated after the 9/11 attacks and then more or less jumps forward to Trump's election, which was enough of a shock to his system that it forced him to recognize the cognitive dissonance going on in his industry.
The issue I have is that Taibbi treats this as though the “choosing of sides” happened in 2016 and he doesn't do enough to call out the roots of activism in the reporting corps and media in general. He also goes out of his way to continue to belittle roughly half of the country (conservatives) as being unthinking and uneducated. He also seems to make assumptions about the entirety of the left being highly educated and essentially that “they ought to know better.” Which is ridiculous. There are tons of people who are uneducated on both sides of the spectrum. And that includes anybody who buys their party's line whole-sale without scrutiny.
While he mentions the media having “chosen sides”, he still lambasts Fox News for being stupid and adding to the dysfunction. But he doesn't address the fact that there is ZERO mainstream neutral reporting of the news OR any right-LEANING mainstream outlets. Never mentions it once. It's as if in a country where 70 million people voted red and 72 million people voted blue (and 1-2 million people voted non-big 2 parties, like me) that it is somehow reasonable that conservative leaners have a SINGLE mainstream outlet (that is quite propagandous) whereas CNN, MSNBC, HLNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, NYT, WaPo are all pretty far-left propaganda outlets. If you think NBC, CBS, ABC are “center” you have been Overton Windowed hard. And I'm not even right-leaning. It's just obvious when you watch any of them. That all of those are somehow “balanced” by Fox News is a serious false equivalence. And any thinking conservative or independent knows full well what they are getting with Fox and by and large they are not satisfied with it. There simply isn't another option because it's so obvious that the other side is propaganda as well. I personally think this is a huge reason so many people just ignore the news entirely. Better to be ignorant than misinformed. The BS-detectors go off 100% of the time no matter what mainstream outlet you care to turn on.
Which also accomplishes this (which isn't mentioned in the book): If you are conservative and watch Fox News, you are STILL going to be exposed extensively to the leftward bias of the media because they are ubiquitous. On the other hand, if you are left-leaning or a centrist, you have to go way out of your way and risk being excommunicated by watching Fox News (if you can stand it) to be exposed to ANY conservative viewpoint. That has been the case for 20 years now at least.
In other words, it is not only easy for a liberal-minded individual to get viewpoint bubbled, it is almost impossible for them NOT to be that way. They are not going out of their way to listen to conservative radio or even watch FOX. They're getting all of their opinions about what conservatives think from far-left media liberals. Who are consistent in calling every conservative a Homophobic, Fascist, Bigoted Nazi. Literally. There is an “othering” of conservatives going on in the West that is honestly very scary right now and is likely to end poorly for everyone involved.
While this book doesn't cover these important details, it does at least dip the toe into the water. I like Taibbi and have been following his writing for years now on Substack. It's ironic that the left is attacking that outlet because they can't stand any level-headed thinker having a platform. They only allow one to be sanctioned: Fox News. And all who ever watch it are WrongThinkers and deserve what they get.
Of note, in the appendix he has an interview of Noam Chomski who mentions the Trilateral Commission and their comments indicating they want to “limit democracy.” Again, THIS is the actual root of almost all of this. The media is essentially the PR arm of the TLC, WEF and all the technocrats. What they want for you, more likely than not, isn't what you would consider consistent with “democracy” or a “republic” or “liberty” or “freedom” in America.
Wow. This book was written in 1944 and it could not be more applicable to the contemporary events of 2022. From discussing the “demise” of democracy and capitalism, the draw of socialism/communism, and the playbook of the collectivists that is literally exactly what we see in action to this very day.
Honestly, I was expecting this to be a bit of a slog. I mean, who really enjoys reading obscure economic texts, right? (If you do, you're probably right at home here on Goodreads, like me!) But I ended up finding this fascinating because though it was written nearly 80 years ago, it is almost like a spotlight on the political and social upheavals that are currently affecting our world. I have another book on my shelf - The Fourth Turning - that may explain why this is the case. At any rate, this book was written during the 2nd World War at a time of tremendous social upheaval. The scourge of fascism spreading throughout Western Europe. Socialism had taken over Eastern Europe along with strong support in the academia/Intelligentsia of the West. While the specifics of our time are certainly different, it's pretty clear that there's little new about the macroeconomic picture of the whole thing. Can we see things more clearly now because it's all published in real time on social media? Minus the parts that are censored. Or written off as misinformation.
I'll need to take a deep dive though this again soon as this is a TRULY IMPORTANT work that anyone who believes in individual freedom (aka Liberty) should internalize to large extent.
I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but this collection of short stories from the Expanse is extremely well done. Several give insights/back stories to primary or secondary characters in the series, or events of importance to the 9-book series.
None are essential to the story as a greater whole, but it's an enjoyable read and a good way to get a little extra Expanse in after completing the series.
This 9-volume series has been fantastic from start to finish and the final book doesn't disappoint. It's always sad when a saga that you've enjoyed comes to a close. Without giving any spoilers, let's just say the authors honor their characters well in how they bring the series to a close. This may well be my favorite science fiction series now. I'm amazed at how well written it is, without being in any way derivative or predictable.
Just plain fantastic.
This book is a bit of a change-up from the rest. Not in quality or in kind. But because James Holden is the key element in each of the other books in the series, but in this one, he is almost (but not quite completely) absent.
BUT, don't let that put you off from reading this book. It is still extremely good. This book is like the calm before the storm, except it's full of action and political intrigue to the brim. In fact, having now finished the series, I can say that this book sets the series up for it's explosive conclusion and it does so extremely well.
3.5 stars.
This one was just “OK” much like Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Some of the characters are slowly becoming more endearing, but the pacing is, well, just not enjoyable. There's still the occasional genuine “laugh out loud” moment, though getting rarer.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to push through all 5 books in the trilogy.
If there is one SF book that I've had on my “to read” shelf the longest at this point, it's probably Hyperion. I remember the buzz from when it came out and won some awards, but for some reason, reading the cover blurb it just didn't capture my imagination of something interesting. I have had the paperback for probably 30 years (so I've moved that book with me at least half a dozen times). But lately, I've just been hearing about Hyperion it seems like all the time (is there a movie in the works or something? Netflix adaptation?) and my buddy at work started it and so I finally got it in audiobook format.
I have to say that YET AGAIN I regret not having read this earlier. Fantastic book. I generally don't like stories told from multiple characters' perspectives, but this is very well done. It's a bit confusing through much of the book with some time entropy stuff going on. The hard science parts of it are interesting concepts once you kind of get some understanding.
I think this is an area that “reading” the audiobook helped - it just forges through and you just have to “go with it.” Eventually understanding follows and things work themselves out. I think that reading this one physically would have significantly reduced my chance of getting through it, so maybe I was right to hold off all these years. At any rate, now I'm on the Hyperion train with seemingly everyone else. Will definitely pick up the next one and continue the series to find out what happens next.
Short synopsis: There's a strange world in the hegemon called Hyperion. On Hyperion, there are strange events due to the “Time Tombs” which have some crazy entropy field that prevents a lot of technology from working and therefore makes travel there and in their vicinity difficult other than literally walking. Also, there is a creature called the Shrike that some worship, some fear, and basically can kill at will. 7 travelers are chosen for a final pilgrimage to Hyperion as galactic war between two or three factions closes in on the planet. Each traveler tells his or her story (they are all strangers and none know why they were chosen to come) in order to find out why they are here and what they must do. A few are also in possession of knowledge that one of the 7 is a spy of the enemy faction, but none know who (except the spy, of course). It all comes together in the end, but does somewhat leave one on a cliff-hanger.
A good, succinct read focusing on why, even during these tumultous times those of us who are Christians should be bold and confident in living out our Christian beliefs.
Nichols addresses all of the modern changes that Christians face today. But then he gives great Biblical examples of how the apostles dealt with many similar (or worse) situations and how God used that for His purposes. He also calls out the temptation to be in the world and conform to society, letting go of God's timeless word. Even many formerly strong evangelical pastors are falling for this today. He calls us to remember that Christians are first citizens of the Kingdom of Christ. We are aliens to this world, and that difference in world-view is both important and powerful.
Interesting step into the “future” as envisioned by Metzl.
I thought the concepts in this book were good ones to discuss and to cover. My biggest issue with it, however, is the presentation. The author chose not to present possibilities in an even or unbiased fashion, clearly siding with the “if we don't allow genetic manipulation of humans, we will miss out on everything possible in the future” side of things. Further, he repeatedly makes statements that the only reason one would have to be cautious in this regard is if you're one of those backwards, barbaric, bible-thumping Christians, grouping all such people into essentially the same category of deplorables whose ideologies are so outdated that their concerns should be completely disregarded. The clear attitude is “those people are so wrong it's not worth considering their concerns at all.” It's a shame that the author has taken this tact instead of answering any such concerns with level-headed logic, because the remainder of the concepts discussed are important and need such discussion.
I started the new edition of this tome as part of the 2021 reading challenge, trying to follow the reading plan provided by the author. I read it along with my wife (she read our physical copy and I read the kindle version).
My first thought was “why would I read through a reference book cover to cover? Isn't it more for looking up things as I have questions?” But with the challenge set, reading it cover to cover is just what we did. Thinking back to my ownership of the previous version, which has only rarely been cracked open, I'm so glad I made the investment in reading this book. It has been a long journey, but I've learned so much along the way.
Brief takeaways:
1. Reading the Bible is essential if you call yourself Christian. Constant, regular reading of a reasonable translation. So few Christians have ever done this. But it truly is essential because “common knowledge” is so flawed.
2. Systematic Theology is so helpful in understanding what the Bible actually says, as most of us have serious misconceptions or just have never thought about some aspects.
3. Expect your understanding on many areas of doctrine to be challenged. This is a very good thing. That challenge sharpens your understanding and puts you on better footing when discussing your faith.
4. After reading through this, it has changed my understanding of some major doctrines. And that's great too.
5. It's also made me more understanding of the diversity of thought within Christianity and honestly makes me more flexible in dealing with so many areas where there is disagreement. A lot of this is clarified in S.T. and even why differences have merit.
6. Other areas are solidified in a way that makes it clear that there is rampant apostasy within certain circles of Christianity and this errant teaching is seriously hurting the Christian Church in America (and the West) because modern western values are so clearly against Biblical teachining.
7. SO MANY things in this book have and will continue to change my daily walk with Christ, encouraging me to be bolder, more forgiving, more patient, and have more faith.
Finally, reading through an excellent source of reference like this makes it FAR more useful for the future because I know exactly what's covered and how to reference it quickly.
If you are a Christian and haven't made the investment in reading Systematic Theology, I strongly encourage you to do it. It is a sizable investment, but is likely to change you for the better in innumerable ways and make you a stronger Christian at a time when it is needed.
I also recommend you check out the 1-year reading plan, as well. Mostly it is 1 chapter a week, though some weeks it is 2 chapters. Some chapters are quick and easy while others are 60+ pages, but it's definitely doable. I started on Jan 10 and finished Dec 21, and I'm a slow reader. I also recommend the Kindle version to read because the physical book is larger than most of my med-school textbooks. Finally, I recommend taking notes with Obsidian, Notion, or RemNote. I started that 1/2 way through and it helped tremendously.
I've had the first few of these on my shelf for years but haven't previously picked them up. This was a seriously enjoyable page-turner. Still processing it mentally but already started book 2 (Guns of Avalon).
The characters are complex and interesting. Sibling rivalry to the extreme, let's just say. Interesting setting/world-building. Loved it.
5+ stars in a true return to form for Andy Weir.
That is, return to form in reference to The Martian. Project Hail Mary has different characters, but similar to The Martian (tM), this one has a strong focus on problem solving and survival. This time, though, the goal is to save the world. There's definitely hard science involved here, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Spoiler-free notes below:
While I haven't made the effort to verify any of the science, the way it is written it comes across as plausible to some extent (for reference, I have a BS in Biology, minor in Chemistry and Doctorate in Medicine). I do feel there has been creative license applied with the source of the primary crisis, but again, it's plausible enough to not be a stumbling block (imho).
The characters are not only well done, but genuinely identifiable. The structure of the novel is also interestingly done. It's not simply linear like tM is for the most part. In some books this is more distracting and problematic, but PHM does it well and keeps an interesting twist hidden for a long time. (Trying not to spoil it for you.)
The ending is satisfying while still leaving a tiny bit of wiggle room for a sequel (maybe?)
Anyway, this book was fantastic. I screamed through it speed-wise. Couldn't put it down. Almost started a re-read right away. I think I'll hold off, though, for now.
2021 re-read of an absolute classic. First read since ~1988 or so.
Fantastic story of an adventurous 200-year old human (Louis Wu), a Kzin (Speaker-to-Animals), and a very lucky young female human (Teela Brown) who are convinced to go on a journey to places unknown by a Pierson's Puppeteer. The reward: technology for a new faster-than-light spacecraft designed by the Puppeteers that may save their respective species from the certain death coming from the galactic core in the form of severe radiation that is the result of a chain reaction of supernovae 20,000 light-years away.
The great thing about the story is the imaginative scenarios Niven creates. The interpersonal banter between the species, each with their own peculiarities, is tremendously well done and plays a great counter-point to the scientific aspects of the environment they find themselves in.
Extremely well done and worthwhile reading for any lover of science fiction.
Re-reading this fantastic piece in 2021 after my first read in the late 1980's. It's hard to believe this book was written in the 70's. What's not hard to believe is that this won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.
I remember having enjoyed this book, but I was pretty young back then and this one definitely benefits from age and wisdom gained on my part through the years. Makes almost everything about this book better.
This looks to be another series with a lead character in the vein of Jack Reacher or Mitch Rapp. I tend to enjoy those types of thrillers, if done well, and this one definitely fits the bill.
Scot Harvath is a good lead character with grit, determination, and skills. The scenarios the author throws at him are fairly believable, suspenseful and pretty original.
Definitely worth the read. Will be adding more to my shelf for sure.
This is a fantastic cookbook with full-color photos throughout. Many different styles of barbeque are covered along with many different rubs, sauces, sides, desserts and even cocktails. I've tried several of the recipes and have been impressed with the outcome, even though I'm cooking on a pellet grill/smoker instead of lump hardwood charcoal.
Looking forward to trying out the cocktail recipes and many of the sides as well as every last one of the BBQs on offer.
Tag and his crew find themselves in a new predicament. After leaving the Mechanics' homeworld due to politics getting them in hot water, they meet up with the SRE only to be further embroiled in trouble. They are sent to another world which is technically run by the SRE but with a significant separatist movement.
Melchiorri's writing style and character development is growing on me. Definitely looking forward to the next installment.
