Chuck

This book exceeded my expectations. It not only talked about how to bullet journal — which I've been doing for a couple years prior — but it also talks about why. In those sections, Ryder brings in many useful techniques. Most were familiar to me from software development, but he applies them more generally than I've seen and to good effect.

No review would be complete without mentioning the prose in this book. It is crisp and quotable. Ryder was a way with words that shows he crafted each sentence with care. Since this is one of his selling points for the method, the book is living proof that being intentional and mindful with your life allows you to imbue deep meaning to your speech. Bravo!

I've enjoyed the author's other books. This one did not work for me. In his other fables, there's often a dialogue where the characters talk about the principles being explained by the fable. Here Rich is a CEO whose doing it “right”, and Vince is a CEO of an identical organization doing it “wrong”.

Following the pattern of previous books, I expected Rich to explain to Vince his 4 principles for running his organization, and then to watch how Vince applied those and turned his company around. Sadly, the fable abruptly ends and this second act was left to the reader's imagination.

I was enthralled by this chilling tale until the last two chapters. I didn't like that the story essentially made this alternate timeline converge back with our own. I was much more interested in seeing the longer term ramifications of this excellent scenario. Alas, it ended with a whimper for me.

The graphic move is faster to read than the novel, but I missed the depth of character that the novel provided. This version is missing the characterization, and thus it's missing some of the soul of the original work.

Ready Player One is a celever romp through 80's geek culture, set in a moderately interesting world. While I was moved to finish it, I'm not sure how it will stand the test of time. In tone, it reminded me of Redshirts by Scalzi, which I think did a better job of integrating the nostalgic material into the story.