Corey McCaffrey
A captivating journey through art and life
Patrick Bringley's book, part memoir, part art history, is page after page of fascinating insights into artwork, the artists who created them, a museum that collects and exhibits them, the museum goers who look at them, and—above all—the museum guards who stand unobtrusively against the walls of each gallery, quietly watching and thinking.
I was a bit skeptical about what to expect from the first of four books Sanderson wrote in a year for a Kickstarter campaign, but I don't know why I ever doubted him. Sanderson said this book was inspired by two of my favorites: The Princess Bride and Good Omens. For Cosmere fans, it's narrated by Hoid and features Hoid prominently in a supporting role, and there are a few other references and species scattered throughout. But it still holds up as a standalone story on yet another new world with yet another compelling new magic system—deadly fluidized spore oceans! Enjoy.
This is a great, brief audiobook narrated by the author. It vividly illustrates the tension many left-leaning, liberal Jews like me feel about being left behind by the progressive movement, and the confusion many of us feel about the rise of identity politics.
It's impossible for me to read this book without comparing it to my favorite book on the subject, How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss. Bari offers the American perspective, David the British. Bari leans into Judaism and Zionism, David sets them aside to focus on anti-Jewish racism irrespective of religion and Israel. Bari's book has breadth, looking at historical and present anti-semitism from the left, right, and radical Islam; David's book is more narrowly focused on recent examples from the left.
Bari's target audience is mainly (I think) other Jews; in the “How to Fight” chapter, she is speaking to Jews (e.g., “Lean into Judaism,” and “Nurture your Jewish identity”). David's target audience is (I think) everyone. In one example after another, he turns an antisemitic incident on its head, inviting people to consider how they would react if an analogous incident had been targeted at a different minority.
I even went so far as to search for any comments Bari and David may have written about each other's books, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they will be speaking with each other next week (3/18/2021): https://howtoacademy.com/events/bari-weiss-meets-david-baddiel-jews-dont-count/
I preferred Bari's book. I preferred her approach of embracing Israel and Judaism as inextricably linked to fighting anti-semitism over David's approach of minimizing their importance to the Jewish experience of a British atheist Jew. But I hope you'll read both anyway.
Among the most influential and interesting books I have ever read, I am inspired to give (and scared not to give) myself an 8-hour sleep opportunity every night.
Set an alarm to go to bed each night. That's the key tip the author wants everyone to take away.
Read the rest of the book to learn why and how we can sleep better across a range of topics: mental and physical health, safety, memory, school and work productivity, childhood development, and aging, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and on and on.
For Stormlight fans: this YA, soft sci-fi book reminded me heavily—in the best ways possible—of the Shattered Plains scenes from The Way of Kings, except with Starfighters instead of ladders and shards, Krell instead of Parshmen, Acclivity rings instead of gemhearts, and Spensa instead of Kaladin. Further comparisons could spoil the story, for example... M-Bot is Syl, and Spensa's growing magical bond with M-Bot unlocks some important superpowers for the sequel..
It was also reminiscent of Ender's Game and Armada but, in many ways, more fun and gripping than either.
I have been using YNAB for years and the YNAB method for years before that, so I am not really the target audience for this book. I wanted to read it anyway as a huge fan of Jesse, his company, his software, and—most of all—his brand and style of budget philosophy.
Unfortunately, there wasn't that much in this book for me. I picked up a few interesting tips in the budgeting for couples and budgeting for parents chapters, but not enough to recommend this highly to YNAB users, unless, like me, you're a super-fan.
But I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone who has never heard of YNAB. And from the perspective of a newcomer looking for high quality books about an ordinarily unappealing topic, I can easily rate this book at five stars.
Regardless of whether the idea of budgeting makes you squeamish, or you've tried dozens of budgeting systems but just haven't found the right one, this book is a fantastic introduction to the YNAB system. It is not a how-to guide or a lengthy sales pitch for his software. Instead, Jesse ensures anyone can feel confident using his system for free with pen and paper or the spreadsheet software of your choice.
But since Jesse won't say it, I will: the YNAB software is fantastic, and if you like what you find in this book, it's definitely worth at least trialing the software.
I came to this book already holding fast to some counterintuitive understandings about traffic (roundabouts are great, widening highways doesn't usually relieve congestion, late merging is optimal, cyclists are safer in the lane, etc.). I also already knew that humans aren't really capable of optimally safe driving, and we'll all be better off when human drivers are removed from the equation.
That said, I still came away from each chapter with new, fascinating information about the complexity and emergent phenomena of traffic. I wish this book were required reading for local officials in charge of road planning. I even wish it were part of the test for anyone trying to obtain or renew a driver's license.
And, throughout the book, reason after reason why we all need to remember to slow down, be patient, and maintain constant vigilance for obstacles (especially cyclists and pedestrians).
5 stars for content; 3 for writing.
I listened to this audiobook immediately after finishing the audiobook of Spaceman by Mike Massimino. Both audiobooks are narrated by the author. The two memoirs are excellent and—despite the overlapping subject matter—complementary, showing different facets of space exploration:
Mike is American and thought he was born in the wrong town to become an astronaut, whereas Chris is Canadian and thought he was born in the wrong country.
Both went to battle against the medical examiners, one for his eyes, and the other for his gut.
Mike was a civilian mission specialist, and Chris was a military fighter pilot and test pilot.
Mike spacewalked on two Hubble repair missions, but he avoided the Soyuz and never visited the International Space Station. Chris also flew the shuttle but spends more time discussing his long duration expedition on the ISS and his experience on the Soyuz.
Mike worked for NASA public relations. He is an enthralling storyteller with a rosy, endearing perception of his experiences, infusing so much meaning into every step of his journey. Chris's style is a tad less romanticized, and he uses a series of anecdotes to deliver life lessons to those of us who are earthbound.
Both books were great. Be sure to also check out Chris's viral music video of “Space Oddity” and his excellent vignettes on YouTube showing everyday human activities aboard the ISS.
I can't say enough good things about this book. Mike Massimino is a great storyteller, and he infuses so much meaning into every step he took on his journey becoming and being an astronaut.
Even if you're not normally a fan of audiobooks, try this one! You can hear Mike tell his story in his own great voice.
“Some say that my teaching is nonsense; others call it lofty but impractical. But to those who have looked inside themselves, this nonsense makes perfect sense.”
I had never heard of this book until recently, when I saw two or three strong recommendations for it within the same month. I can understand why some people draw parallels to stoicism or secular mindfulness, and I can imagine a dedicated student engaging in extensive exegesis could benefit from this text, but I found it uninspiring and too mystical. I remain in the “this is nonsense” camp.
Short, entertaining, audio-only overview of Albert Einstein's development of the Special and General Theories of Relativity. The performance—at times, overdone—dramatizes historical quotations and includes some Einstein myth-busting. Greene is elucidating as usual, but science enthusiasts won't find much new here they don't already know.
Scythe was very good; Thunderhead was great.
Scythe could have worked well as a standalone novel, but Thunderhead—for better or worse—has massive cliffhangers on several fronts. Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out in book 3.
“I have yet to come across a living vibration, but if I do, I will certainly have many things to ask it. Although I expect its responses may be, well, monotonous.”
I read this as part of Arcanum Unbounded right after finishing Bands of Mourning.
This is a fun, weird, wild ride back through the original Mistborn trilogy, from a strange and surprising point of view. I think the original Mistborn trilogy stands fine on its own, but Secret History might be required reading to make sense of some parts of Bands of Mourning as well.
The main character is in fantastic form. I had almost forgotten how much I liked this character from the original trilogy.
Bands of Mourning is great. Nevertheless, it's probably my least favorite Mistborn entry so far. The second half of the book does a substantial amount of world-building and introduces some new aspects to the magic system, and it felt rushed and somewhat unexplained compared to what I've gotten used to from this series. Nonetheless, it was still a great book, and I am looking forward to the next installment, The Lost Metal.