Colin
9.4/10
A partially finished memoir that beautifully intertwines life and death through the lens of a neurosurgeon. Adding this to the re-read list. Beyond the philosophical ideas this book grapples with, the exposure to the grittier side of healthcare and medicine is also fascinating and real. This book is an incredible parting gift from Paul Kalanithi and he should be remembered for it.
Rating: 8.4/10
Started out very strong with the concept of energy being the most important thing in life, driving all goals. Also stressed the idea of systems over goals that I have been striving to follow. Adams falters in the second half in the Fitness and Diet sections where his advice is merely anecdotal and prescriptive.
Rating: 7.3/10
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a compelling look into the nitty gritty of Everest expeditions, every detail painstakingly described. A bit too painstaking for my taste but it was still an interesting story. The main problem I had with this book was the nonstop naming and in-depth descriptions of characters who would have almost no impact on the story or better yet, would never be mentioned again in the story. This issue might have had a smaller impact if I was reading the book physically, so I could have flipped back and forth between the pages to keep better track of the characters, but in audiobook form, it was a hopeless endeavor. I had to make a tangible effort just to remember the names of the most important members of Krakauer's party
The story itself was chilling and showed just how quickly things can go wrong on the slopes of the world's tallest mountain. Something in particular that stood out to me was the author's honesty about his mistakes in the expedition and how he was all but the reason for a friend's death on the mountain. Additionally, I learned that oxygen is actually not a necessity for everyone when climbing Everest. It certainly helps, but based on certain genetic factors and intense training, one can climb the peak with no oxygen assistance whatsoever. I always assumed that a ton of oxygen was required at such altitudes.
In conclusion, the subtitle for this book is “A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster” and that's exactly what it is: an account. For better or for worse, Jon Krakauer spares no detail of his run-in with Everest. I would not recommend this book, too much commitment for too little payoff (about two chapters of gripping action)
Rating: 8.3/10
Really liked this one. I've always been interested in the psychedelic experience and the deeper meaning behind altered brain states and this book singlehandedly addressed all of my curiosities about the topic. Although we're starting to hear a bit more about it in mainstream culture, I had no idea that the resurgence of psychedelic research has been going on for several years now. Pollan does a great job of breaking the book into multiple sections: the past, present, and future of LSD research, his own experience and psychedelic journey, and the neuroscience behind this unbelievable hallucinogen. It got a bit boring in parts and it didn't help that I spread this book out over several months. He definitely did his due diligence when it comes to research and unfortunately, this makes the book a bit dry, especially when he takes the time to name almost every researcher or scientist involved in a particular narrative.
Despite these shortcomings, Michael Pollan has made me eager for further developments in the field of psychedelics and presented stunningly positive impacts of this often-maligned substance.
Rating: 6.6/10
This book was my first real attempt at audiobook consumption and it went surprisingly well. Approaching it in the same context as a podcast, the content fit right in with my typical listening queue. I definitely want to listen to more audiobooks, although I intend to stick with non-fiction for now.
Peter Thiel has always interested me as a Silicon Valley power broker and this book gave an extremely compelling insight into his most well-known conspiracy, the takedown of Gawker Media. Although I had heard about this story before, the amount of detail and exposition that Holiday gives really does bring the characters of Peter Thiel, Nick Denton, and Hulk Hogan alive. You feel their worries and anxieties as well as their thrill in victory or anguish in defeat. That being said, there is a definite bias here towards Peter Thiel. Obviously, this is not completely unfounded as it is hard to look at a rumor-mongering organization like Gawker with a neutral eye but it still taints the narrative. Additionally, Holiday frames this endeavor as a grand conspiracy to an almost sickening degree. When reading grandiose Napoleon quotes or talk of Machiavellian ethics, one almost forgets that this is a mere tale of a billionaire's revenge, albeit a very interesting one.
All in all, Holiday does the complete story justice. While he focuses a bit too much on the grandness of the “conspiracy” and Thiel's mastermind schemings, it was still a worthwhile read.
Rating: 9.7/10
Even though I've always been enamored with mythology, Greek lore in particular, I had never got around to reading the Odyssey, Homer's epic poem. Multiple blogs I follow raved about this new translation by Emily Wilson, the first ever female translator of the Odyssey. After devouring it, I completely understand the hype. While I might not be the best judge of translation accuracy, this work was phenomenally readable and gripping. For a thousand year old work, it holds up extraordinarily well. I was struck by how much of the Odyssey is actually the story of Telemachus, Odysseus's son put in a difficult position by the ignominious suitors. I also had no idea just how involved Athena was in the trials and tribulations of her favorite mortal, Odysseus. From disguising herself as Mentor to making Odysseus stronger at a moment's notice, she makes her godly presence known constantly throughout the work. Emily Wilson did such a fantastic job bringing this storied tale to life in a new translation, I honestly have nothing bad to say about it. Strongly recommend.
Side note: I also thoroughly enjoyed the Translator's Note at the beginning of the book showing Emily Wilson's thought process and musings about the struggles of translating such a momentous epic.
Rating: 8.7/10
Not quite as enthralling as the first Mistborn book but still a solid outing for Sanderson. A bit too political for me at times and lost the magic of Allomancy in the weeds of an almost endless siege on Luthadel. The best parts were the slow world building and finding out more about the lore of this universe, such as learning more about kandra and what actually happened to Alendi and Rashek. The Vin and Elend relationship was more of a slog, with the constant “he/she deserves better than me” refrain. I suppose there had to be some of that but the constant repetition grated me a little bit. This book still earning four stars after these flaws really shows how great of a writer Sanderson is and how he can still create extremely compelling narrative.
Rating: 9.3/10
After reading Assassin's Apprentice before this, wow. Sanderson really shows the power of world-building and fascinating magic systems. The quick introduction of Allomancy and eventually the ultimately more fascinating Feruchemy draws in the reader and really brings the world alive. While some of the characters seemed a little one-dimensional to me (Ham, a soldier with an interest in philosophy), the lore of Luthadel and the Central Dominance made this book a page turner. From the ruthless and awe-inspiring presence of the Lord Ruler to Terrismen being introduced as an inferior servant race, Sanderson kept delivering.
Vin, the protagonist, was a little disappointing to me although I did enjoy her quick ascension to fully-trained Mistborn with the help of Kelsier. Her character dynamic of “I can't trust anybody” got a bit old after a while as well as her obsession with her brother Reen who abandoned her.
Regardless, I'm excited to find out more about the universe Brandon Sanderson has created and finish the Mistborn trilogy.
Rating: 6.8/10
I started out enjoying it but the plot didn't really go anywhere. It's almost as if the author couldn't decide between Galen or Regal being the primary antagonist. After almost half the book revolving around Galen's harsh training methods and his cruel interactions with Fitz, Galen was killed off almost instantly as the book approached its climax. Additionally, Regal just received a slap on the wrist for plotting to kill and overthrow his brother. Just seemed unrealistic to me and the final sequence did nothing for me. Also, nothing happened with Fitz possessing the Wit. This was emphasized so much, especially in Fitz's tumultuous relationship with Burrich but nothing ever came of it besides him bonding with a couple puppies. I had heard such good things about this series that my experience left me a bit disappointed. I might read the next books in the series if I have time but right now, Mistborn is appealing to me much more.
Rating: 8.6/10
Going into this book, I had a rough outline of the Theranos story. Billion-dollar Silicon Valley startup Theranos and its charismatic founder Elizabeth Holmes were embroiled in controversy over whether their groundbreaking blood testing technology actually worked. I knew Theranos had been publicly embarassed by John Carreyrou after his brutal expose in the Wall Street Journal. What really hit home after reading this book was the extent of Theranos's deceit. For more than a decade, Elizabeth Holmes and her boyfriend/COO Sunny Balwani were deceiving regulators, investors, and eventually patients themselves.
I really enjoyed the amount of detail Carreyrou has documented here, like specific employees's conversations with Holmes. It was a bit hard to keep track of all the names of employees or confidential sources and the like, but that's been the case for the last few nonfiction books I've read. I listened to this book in audiobook form and really enjoyed the medium. Normally, I would've spent maybe a week or two reading this but in audio form, I was able to devour it in two or three days. Overall, I loved the book and was incredibly engrossed in the drama of a unicorn company collapsing into controversy and ultimately, irrelevancy.
I really didn't know what to expect coming into this work. Pretty impressed by Wilde's artful prose and eloquent style. I became enthralled by Dorian Gray's utter spiral into madness and vanity and a mysterious painting. I did think Henry Wotton's tirades were a bit hard to follow and understand but other than that, I really liked this book.
A fantastic story of retribution and revenge. I took the plunge reading the unabridged version and although it took a while to get into, I couldn't stop reading once the Count had been fully unleashed. I kept expecting negative things to happen to the protagonist but instead, pure revenge. It was great to read through and this one-sided dynamic didn't get boring at all.
Rating: 8.9/10
Reading this book felt like being in a bad dream. Ray Bradbury has an almost ethereal writing style, unlike anyone else I've read, that creates a mystical little town which is suddenly overtaken by Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Circus. Bradbury really lets your imagination do the heavy lifting but at the same time, makes the story flow effortlessly towards its discomforting conclusion.
It was hard to get into this initially due to the almost abstract way Bradbury likes to write, but once I let myself get engrossed in the world, I couldn't stop reading. I really liked it and will definitely make an effort to read more of Bradbury's work.
Got too surreal for me about 75% through. Didn't really get what was happening and couldn't be bothered to figure it out. The first half was so promising but it really lost the plot, literally.