Adam
I love the power of a personal vision, story or goal. Whether in a job or my personal life, I feel lost without one. Donald Miller comes at this idea from a perspective I've never seen before - by learning how to write a good story and applying that to his own life.
What could have been a dry, goal oriented book is actually a hilarious, fun, brilliantly written autobiography. I loved how Miller recognized and wrote about the littlest moments and somehow jumped around time without it seeming out of place.
His take on advertising was brought back to stories too:
Advertising and marketing try to sell us a story that by buying their products, OUR story will match their perfect one.
If you can live a better story, there is no reason to buy into someone else's. Find a story you want to live and live it.
It's fun listening to stories told in unique ways. The Illuninae files (this being the 2nd in the series) fits that sweet spot for me. This one is told through a series of audio recordings surrounding a trial of something that happened in the first book. The narrator changes as the audio files change - sometimes reading instant messages, AI thought processes, overhearing conversations written letters and even video analysis reports. I enjoyed the direction of this one and am looking forward to the 3rd in the series next.
I've always had a fascination with Alaska. It's always seemed like the most expansive wilderness that's still mostly untamed. That would be even more true back in 1974 where this book takes place. I'm that wild setting, The Great Alone ties together enough different storylines, all from the same household, that you feel connected to their lives, their fears and their dreams. This had similarities to Educated, but with more tears, less fundamentalism and equal amounts of fear that the government is out to get you.
I've always been fascinated by the battle of Troy. There are so many different ways to tell that story, yet this one is completely new to me. Rather than following Achilles, this one follows in the first-person from Patroclus point of view, digging into his complicated relationship with Achilles. While the movie Troy does a great job of telling many things, it portrays Achilles much differently than Homer does in The Illiad. “The Song of Achilles” leans closer to Homers telling, shedding light on the secret affairs, dark prophecies and battle of egos.
There's something nostalgic about Novik's writing. Both “Spinning Silver” and her previous book “Uprooted” feel like German fairy tales written a hundred years ago. They have a sense of danger you wouldn't see in a Disney fairy tale, while incorporating the fear and reality of an old-time tale. Spinning Silver jumps between first-person stories following a money changer and her growth into the role. The story takes a turn when a mystical character asks her, a regular person, to change silver into gold after hearing of her skills out of context. What follows is a tale through distant worlds that still feels familiar.
After seeing Vengeful win Goodreads best of list for 2018, and I wanted to check out V.E's latest series - and after a strong first book I continued to #2. I have mixed thoughts on this one though. I love the world, I love the two main characters and I love their rivalry. Unfortunately, those parts of the story were minor details in a larger battle between the cast. I could've used more exploration into the world as a whole.
I hadn't heard of Sharp Objects before the Golden Globe Awards this year. I was intrigued by the cast and decided to check it out - and I'm glad I did. The story follows a reporter on her journey back to her hometown to investigate missing girls. The story is a complete whirlwind that builds in ways I wasn't expecting, but upon reflection just made sense. I appreciate how well everything ties together.
There's a lot to this one. Side hustles, the math behind financial independence and life-strategies on how to fit money into your life. One side that stood out to me was the side hustle side - something I've historically been pretty awful at. I think some of the strategies here rank money over time - a rough balance to get right.
This isn't a finance book or a memoir. Having read Tanja's blog for the last few years, I couldn't wait to see what she'd focus on. The result? A guidebook for how to retire early by following your own path. This one challenges you with questions, activities and thought provoking questions that help determine what could be your idealistic future. Much of the financial side may be old-hat if you read blogs or books in the FIRE community, but it's sprinkled with facts and data to help highlight the pitfalls common to lifestyle change. As someone who recently left their job, much of the vision casting and future focused questions were useful for reflecting on what I really want to do next, while getting another persons take on their first year after working.
Originally posted at minafi.com.
The Poppy war combines a bunch of different popular sci fi/fantasy tropes in one story. There's an orphan plucked from obscurity, a school for special people, political battles, a complicated war in the past and a difficult one in the present. I like how fast paced the story was - setting the stage then advancing forward to keep the story going. I'll definitely pick up the 2nd book when it's released later this year.
What happens when 1 person gets 108 pieces of information about the next year? That's the promise or Oracle Year. What I appreciated about the story was how well the story followed what someone would do with that knowledge in today's electronic age - with parts dark web, corporate profit and government intrigue.
As someone who grew up in Pinellas County Florida, watching Hulk Hogan, spending a lot of time online during a time when Gawker Media sites were wildly popular and following Peter Thiel's career (and reading his book), every bit of this book was oddly familiar to me.
Conspiracy is a story about a lawsuit. That lawsuit is a claim by Hulk Hogan against Gawker media after they published a sex tape made without the wrestlers' permission. The lawsuit seemed like David vs Goliath, but in actuality, Hogan had the full backing by a billionaire to keep the lawsuit going.
I read Gawker back when it was running - usually when a scandalous story was linked to on Digg. This book turned that history on its head, causing me to realize just what I was supporting with those pageviews.
Although I don't back Thiel either. As a prominent Trump supporter, he lost all credibility with me as someone fighting against bullies.
Even with a cast of questionable characters, this story reads like a real-life version of The Count of Monte Cristo.
Walking around B&N I noticed this book and thought I'd check it out from the library and give it a read. The “12 Rules” have a much different tone than books I usually read which got me interested. Things like “Don't bother kids when they're skateboarding” and “pet a cat when you encounter one”. What I didn't realize was just how religious it was! In every chapter somehow the story is turned back to The Bible. It was during this book that I realized that using Libby I could skip chapters. That worked great for this book where skipping would just fast forward to the next rule.
All creators want to see their finished products get broad attention. This book investigates that illusive point where things fall in line, momentum begins to build and success is inevitable. Like with other Gladwell books, The Tipping Point is peppered with stories that seem unrelated at first, but are always brought back to the central theme (something I wish I was as good at). It's an entertaining book, and an informative book, but I felt it was missing a way to FIND a tipping point.
Leading up the 2008 and 2012 elections, I learned more than I ever expected about Barack Obama. Somehow in all that time, Michelle Obama played the classic wife role, away from the spotlight unless it intersected her husband. Her story is so much more driven by grit, inspiration and an overwhelming drive to improve things for other people. This was a refreshing look into what public service can and should look like - even when it's split between the public and private sector.
After months hearing my wife talk about this series I finally gave it a shot. I loved the first book as well as the movie and didn't want to wait until the next movie to see what happened next.
While the first book focuses almost entirely on Nick & Rachel, the shift to focusing on different characters in part 2 makes sense in the expanding cast. Kitty Pong's character, as well as Rachel's family, makes sense without being forced while staying entertaining (even if a bit telenovela).
For years I've heard mentions of this book. I can see why! One of the most often quoted parts of this book is the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become highly proficient in anything - from a musical instrument to programming, to writing. Gladwell explains this not from a hypothetical standpoint, but by talking with experts and looking back on how they got there.
These experts share one other trait - they were fortunate to have the opportunity to devote 10,000 hours to their craft. I loved the stories in this one about how different experts (outliers) in their fields achieved greatness. For each, there is a bit of luck in having the chance, but also the immense effort needed. There is something to be said for being in the right place at the right time and having the right opportunity – then working your ass off capitalize on the chance.
I didn't grow up reading comics. I've recently started reading more, but I'm still figuring out what I enjoy (Y the Last Man, Walking Dead, Saga, and Attack on Titan so far).
This book is completely different. It's not about how to read comics, but about how to write comics. While I have no intention of writing comics, it's an insightful overview of how to create a story using a combination of images and words – something I want to get better at.
What impresses me most about this book is that it felt like a conversation between me and the author. The entire comic is written in a format where the author, the main character of the comic, is introducing you to various comic concepts and exploring why they work (or don't). Although I don't plan to create comics, I came out of this with a bunch of ideas that I want to try on mediums I work in.
It's rare to read a story with so many shades of grey. The main characters of Vicious – Victor and Eli – are far from typical protagonists. They are both friends and college roommates who discover a way to become EOs - Extra Ordinary people. Think superheroes.
Rather than being a typical superhero story where the focus is on these two interacting with the world, the story draws these to together as conflict builds.
As the first book in a series, this was a near-perfect introduction to the world. It can be read on its own, or as part of the series. I'll be continuing it without a doubt.
“Head on” is the 2nd book in Scalzi's Lock In series. The series features a world where about 1% of the population have Hadens syndrome, a disease which “locks people in” to their body, although their minds still work. People with Haydens have a oasis/mmorpg-style world to interest with others virtually, or can take control of a robot, called threeps, where they can interact in the real world.
This second book in the series builds on the world in a fun way. Similar to the first book, it plays more like a detective novel in a science fiction world. I mentioned it reminds me of Asimov's “Caves of Steel”, which is true for this one as well.
The story follows the investigation into a death during a football-like game played by threeps (the robots). I'd put Head on fully in the “fun” category of books. It was immensely entertaining, great at world building and overall just a great ride. As a bonus, the audiobook is read by Wil Wheaton!
After seeing Circe as the Goodread readers choice for best fantasy book of 2018, I knew I would need to check it out. The story itself follows Circe, a Greek goddess, nymph, and daughter of Helios. The prose is also striking. Each scene feels epic in nature somehow – partially from prose, but also because they're populated with familiar characters - Charybdis, Odysseus, Daedalus and too many others to name.
If you have an interest in Greek Mythology you will enjoy Circe immensely. Madeline Miller knows here classics and weaves a tale of many different gods and men together into something completely new and original while staying true to the characters. It's a retelling of the same history, but from a new point of view – shedding light on areas often passed over. If you're interested in Greek Mythology, you will likely love this one as much as I did.