Adam
Avatar: The Legend of Korra meets The Poppy War. There's some exciting about this time period before advanced technology. Add on to that Jade which grants people with certain backgrounds various abilities (think metals from Mistborn).
Sometimes a book comes along with exactly what you need when you need it. This one helped me reflect to on my own mindset about productivity and make adjustments to be happier and healthier.
The main premise of the book is stated early (on page 8):
A philosophy for organizing knowledge work efforts in a sustainable and meaningful manner based on the following three principles.
- Do fewer things.
- Work at a natural pace.
- Obsess over quality.
Last year when visiting Seattle my wife and I were walking through Uwajimaya, a giant asian supermarket. Being a long-time anime fan since the '90s, when I saw a book about the impact of Japans cultural history I had to snag it.
I wasn't expecting much, but what I got was an in depth history of Japans rise to global cultural superpower. Each cultural touchstone has it's own chapter - physical toys in the years after WWII, the karaoke machine, anime, kawaii culture, video games and more.
Growing up in the '80s Japanese culture was just starting to break out into the US. The first international breakthrough wasn't I expected. Rather than Mario, Astroboy or Hello Kitty, who was the first international superstar? Space Invaders. Others would follow in rapid succession through the video and anime filled 90s.
There are so many in depth historic stories in this book, and each of them could be it's own entire book. How performers who entertained guests in bars tried to stop the karaoke machine. How Hello Kitty started out as coin purse and grew to an international icon. How after the economic crash of the '80s it gave way for teenage self expression and girl power.
Even as someone who considered myself knowledgeable about most of these topics, this helped put it into a perspective I hadn't ever considered before.
After reading a few other magic school books this year (The Will of the Many, The Scholomance), I wasn’t sure this one would live up to the hype of being the #1 trending book on Hardcover. Turns out it did.
Forth Wing takes place in a cutthroat school for dragon riders. Students learn the skills needed to defend their homeland from invading forces and protect society.
At times it reminded me of The Hunger Games, LOTR and others in the dark-academia genre while still managing to be original enough to keep me wondering. Sign me up for the next in the series.
Galatea is an incredible short story. The story is based on a Greek tale Metamorphoses. A (male) sculptor creates a (woman) sculpture so beautiful it comes to life and they live happily ever after. She has no agency, nor a name.
Millers version is told from the woman’s point of view living with a controlling man. It feels like it could be a Colleen Hoover story, yet keeps its fantastical tone of Millers other works.
The afterward ties directly to this theme:
For millennia there have been men who react with horror and disgust to women's independence, men who desire women yet hate them, and who take refuge in fantasies of purity and control. What would it be like to live with such a man as your husband?
I wasn't expecting a cozy book about gentle parenting kids with powers, but I'm here for it.
It's rare for me to read a financial book and nod in agreement so much. Even still J.L. Collins presented a few ideas that challenged my own view on investing - which was happily unexpected. In addition to index fund investing and taking advantage of tax-free growth, two areas he mentioned stood out as things I've advised that he recommends against: dollar cost averaging and international funds. If the market grows more often than not over time, then why DCA? If international markets overwhelmingly track the US market, why invest in intl? Both good questions that i don't have great answers to. Either way, they got me thinking.
Mailchimp does some amazing things. This book has UX in the title, but uses it as a jumping off point for all parts of their process. A number of chapters towards the beginning talking about the discovery process were interesting, but when it got to code it went a bit specific for me to get too much from.
Very much a young adult book, but still a lot of fun. This one reminded me of a cross between Elantris and Steelheart in a Harry Potter setting. The magic mechanic for this one focuses around a world where “Rithmatists” (think wizards) fight the worlds battles against a vague evil. Rithmatists fight by drawing figures in chalk that are effectively wards against evil, or offensive. The somewhat short story was entertaining all the way through, with great characters, a good magic system and just overall fun. Not the amazing, tell everyone you know fun, but an entertaining story. I'll surely read the next one in the series when it comes out.
Even 6 books I'm surprised by how much I laughed out loud while reading the latest in the Magic 2.0 series. Every book in this series has been pure fun. Somehow by introducing a handful of new characters all at once, the series gets new energy while also helping to bridge some of the odd time gaps created. Like all of the others in the series, this is a standalone book, but is best read in order. I only hope Meyer keeps writing these because I love reading them.
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.
Very much an introduction to SEO rather than a deep dive. Audio perhaps isn't the best medium to dig deep into such a visual, text-based topic.
Ever since I watched Somm on Netflix, I've been fascinated by sommeliers. The amount of work and dedication needed to become a Master is nothing short of crazy. While the movie Somm focuses mostly on the test for those already experienced, Cork Dork follows a path from pure curiosity to career.
For those who want to “break in” to the wine world, it's no small task. It's painted as completely unrealistic to do it on your own, unless you happen to have a few million extra dollars lying around. Instead, the way to do it is to get a job at a restaurant with a notable wine list and use every chance you have to start tasting wines and learning.
The process that upcoming somms go through is far more painful than I thought. Restaurant work aside (which has it's own issues), trying to do that while ALSO becoming a master in taste, service and knowledge is something I'm good not pursuing – but hats off to people who make it their calling.
If nothing else, I got better tips on how to speak to somms as a drinker to communicate what I'm looking for.
Nyxia feels like a combination of Enders Game and Avatar - but wit a more young adult appeal. As far as first books in a series go, I was left curious about the universe created and looking for more to read to find out what happens next.
What is it that makes companies go off track? Max breaks down a few ways that this can happen and potential routes to getting back on track. At the end of each chapter is a list of questions to reflect on what was just read and how the reader could use it in their own life.
Focusing more on getting back to our roots on asking questions than about a specific question, “A More Beautiful Question” focuses around how to return to place where we question the world around us. From an early age we're asking questions about everything around us, but somehow we stop doing that. I enjoyed the very “growth mindset” approach to questioning, but many of the examples given were more focused around innovating and entrepreneurship than more practical examples.
The long awaited end of the Alcatraz series! After reading The Road, settling in for a children's book was the goal - but this one ended up being much more dark than I'd expected. Maybe dark is the wrong work – but certainly a downer.
“Unlocked” is the backstory of the world created in Scalzi's Lock In. Rather than starting the story off with hundreds of pages of background, he jumps directly into the narrative, hooking you into. If the book had started with Unlocked, it would've been more difficult to hold my attention. Reading it after the fact as background on the world was just right though.
While in a different time, and with a different goal from the original Mistborn trilogy, this one expanded on the world in unexpected ways. I'm always impressed how Sanderson can bring back an idea from books ago that was ambiguous and expand on it. This book gave me a Final Fantasy vibe –a combination from the time period, magic system, characters and a few familiar plot devices that somehow seem right at home in the world of Mistborn.
I absolutely loved Wool, the first book in this series. That left me with somewhat heightened expectations for Shift - which were unfortunately not met. The story itself is mostly a prequel - following Donald, one of the initial creators of the silos. I enjoyed how the reader is as lost as he is - trying to find out answers constantly.
Your Money or Your Life is very much a financial independence classic. This focuses more your life than your money – showing the strong thread that money has on your time, your relationships and your options in life. One area that stands out to me is the idea of understanding the value of your time as it relates to money. When you buy lunch out, or even grab a latte, how many minutes/hours of your time are you paying for that experience – and is it worth it? Knowing that you're spending on what brings you the most happiness for the buck is how you drive your expenses down while driving your happiness-per-dollar up.