Corey McCaffrey
Follows a formula similar to Percy Jackson but less enjoyable. I thought I would really like it because I've always had an interest in Egyptian mythology, but I lost interest quickly and haven't read the sequels.
Action-packed page-turner. A Science Friday interview with the author made the first 50 pages or so a lot less mysterious and surprising than the author intended, but the rest of the book was an exciting, character-driven exploration of a popular interpretation of quantum mechanics.
This book is a short introduction (well, relatively short, by Sanderson's standards) to the second Mistborn era. I can't think of another series I've read like this one where the first part becomes the lore and religious background of the second part. The setting and style of these books is totally different but still immensely entertaining. There is continuity with the magic system, but it turns out there is still plenty more to it than we thought we knew.
Mostly enjoyable, but only after I started thinking of it as a short work of nostalgic fan fiction rather than canon or “Harry Potter #8” (even though it is canon now, of course, and picks up right where the epilogue of HP 7 left off).
Full of literal idioms, devilish puns, and the most realistic demons known to mankind, I wish this book had found me in my fourth grade instead of my fourth decade.
This is probably a five-star book, though I can't help but compare it to The Golden Compass / Northern Lights (the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy), which is hard to beat. I also probably expected too much—I have been anticipating this book for about twelve years.
I was also a little surprised by the use of so many horror tropes, especially the way the main villain, increasingly injured and insane, kept popping back up to terrorize the protagonists.
Still, I found Malcolm endearing (albeit perhaps a little too much like Will), and I am looking forward to the next two volumes.
The format surprised me. It's really a compendium of one creative person's routine after another. Looking for patterns, gleaning insight from an artist's routine, or understanding the connection between an artist's routine and his or her productivity are exercises left to the reader.
A fun tour of important concepts in statistics, probability, and other areas of math, with effective storytelling and connecting concepts through mathematician biographies and modern applications. A highlight was the story of the MIT Cash WinFall lottery team that rivals stories of the MIT Blackjack Club.
5 stars for the thesis and big ideas, 1 star for dated examples, old-fashioned sexism, and sprawling chapters.
A good reminder that appearances can be deceptive, but I didn't particularly enjoy the book, and it's not really helpful as, say, a guide to personal finance.
Shadows of Self is an exceptionally good entry in the Mistborn series. I was so impressed with how Sanderson leveraged the original Mistborn trilogy to tell this fresh and exciting story. Even if you weren't completely sold on Wax and Wayne after The Alloy of Law, I highly recommend sticking with them long enough to get to this one.
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.
Brief, enjoyable addition to His Dark Materials / Book of Dust. I reread it shortly after finishing La Belle Sauvage. The other short stories Once Upon a Time in the North and The Collectors are also good, but this is the only one featuring Lyra.
I learned about this book during an OK interview with the author on Betterment's new podcast. I was curious, and it's a short, super-quick read. Mostly I didn't like it—the style, the attitude, questionable hypotheticals, and questionable advice (overemphasis on 401(k), bonds, and homeownership). It's mostly aimed at personal finance beginners, but I hesitate to recommend it even for beginners because there are better sources of information out there.
It gets two stars because the underlying thesis (automate everything related to saving and spending) is spot on. If you're not automating everything already, maybe this is worth a couple hours. Or skip this and read Nudge and The Willpower Instinct instead.
The Hero of Ages is a satisfying conclusion to the first Mistborn trilogy. I was a little disappointed with the arc several of the characters took, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the series. I've heard that Brandon Sanderson carefully outlines his books, considering himself an architect in his craft, and it shows. As someone who appreciates an author's efforts to tie up loose ends and reward readers who pay attention to the little details, Sanderson does not disappoint in the slightest.
I enjoyed the second book of the first trilogy in some ways more than The Final Empire. I understood the basic rules of the world and the magic system, and it was enjoyable seeing how one of the central characters has grown into her power. This entry builds a bit more slowly, but the last third or so unputdownable.
The Lost Gate trilogy features a compelling magic system (“gates”) to propel a story about feuding descendants of mythological gods.
Must-read Holocaust literature. I finally picked it up shortly after Elie Wiesel's death. I regret not reading it when I was younger.
I have fond memories of reading this book as a kid, and I recently reread it with my kids. My kindergartener was captivated by the characters and the descriptions of Willy Wonka's fantastical inventions.
At the risk of sounding gauche: Did you like Andy Weir's The Martian? This is the true story of The Martian on Earth—one absurdly challenging mental and physical obstacle to survival after the next.
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.