Beau

There's little one can say to sum up the folklore genius which is Tolkien. Few can create such vast, believable worlds and societies than this gatekeeper of high fantasy. Frodo's journey is riddled with underlying philosophies and struggles that, to this day, make up the fabric of modern society.

For any lover of literature, reading through Tolkien's epic of Middle Earth is an absolute must. To list the names of those such writings influenced would be foolish. Rather, pick up this book and begin to imagine just how much work would have gone into producing such a beautiful piece of writing.

As a note to lovers of the movies: do please read this book. The level of detail it chases after isn't intimidating - but rather, enticing. Things that simply couldn't have occurred in the film adaption live among the pages of this novel - and that alone demands your attention.

I've never read through a collection of short stories and poems before. This was a delightful introduction, however. These stories are 100% Gaiman - complete with all the complexities, nuances and mannerisms you'd expect from him. I especially enjoyed journeying through Goliath, Closing Time, and The Monarch of the Glen (which is a novella squeal to American Gods). If you haven't read Gaiman before and you're after a nice intro that showcases all facets of his writing style, pick this collection up and be entertained every step of the way.

Clay Shirky takes a step back from the digital noise and considers the collaborative nature of Web 2.0 technologies - and how they're creating a better society for all of us. Ranging from specific behavioural studies, such as the decisive factors behind intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, to sociological-based critiques of the online atmosphere, Shirky's thesis is that thanks to the postwar boom, Americans (i.e. all of us) now have a surplus of time, energy, and intellect. He argues that the Internet now houses the required technologies to combine this surplus and create things that will benefit the greater good of society. Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with several of his points, I can't help but remain skeptical at his overbearing (even oblivious) attitude towards the Internet. At several points in the book I found myself questioning his prophet-like approach - yearning for some realistic reflections on the limitations of online environments, as well as the inherent dangers of creating an exclusive online society. For this reason I'm giving the book three stars. Had there beed a more conceptual research spotlight in Cognitive Surplus, a greater emphasis on the ‘other' side of the Internet, I would have easily awarded this book four stars.

This is a worthwhile read if you're looking for motivation in the online development side of things, or just curious about how Web 2.0 technologies are changing us. It'll also make you think twice about ‘why' people do collaborative projects (think of the open-source movement) and the beautiful picture such projects paint of people coming together, not always for monetary gain, but for purposes of passion, social justice, and moving humanity forwards.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Before this, I made my way through Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise which I, admittedly, found to be a tad slow. Regardless, I found both books to be filled with joyous prose and beautiful stories. For me this book embodies the 1920's jazz-era - a time where morals and direction were second-class citizens to the collective mind-set of the population; where your crew and the parties you frequented defined you as a being

Nick Carraway serves as a mild-mannered yet internally confused narrator, who constructs marvellous opinions and insights into his endeavours with enigmatic neighbour-turned-host Jay Gatsby. The way Fitzgerald constructs scenery and underlying tension between narratives is what makes this book so amazing. This is a classic and should definitely be read at some stage in your life. It isn't that long...so you have no excuse.

This was my first Vonnegut read, and won't be my last. This guy...is on a different level. Some people call him ‘counter-culture's novelist' - which I completely understand and respect from this fine piece of literature. Slaughterhouse Five is near impossible to categorise - so all I'll say is pay attention as you read. The amount of social and humanist commentary throughout this book is impressive - and demands a second read, which I'll definitely pay it at some point in the future. I feel as though Neil Gaiman, a favourite author of mine, would have read some Vonnegut stories in his early days. They both have this staunch sense of surrealism and quirkiness in their writings - yet the non-linearity of Vonnegut (in this book, at least) is a unique characteristic that may intimidate some. Hang in there. It's worth it.

This is a great little book, and an excellent ‘user friendly' introduction to modern philosophy. Michel de Montaigne is famous for pioneering what we now call the essay, however I deem him worthy of new fame: making philosophy accessible, funny, and functional. In ‘On Solitude' he reflects on all sorts of odd and every-day facets, such as why we laugh and cry at the same time, why reading brings joy, why fear is the most powerful emotion of all, and (of course) what solitude is. Check this book out if you're in for a quick-ish read but wants something you can scan over a second or third time to extract extra cool insights.

Definitely a strong 3.5 opposed to a straight 3. I found the concept of ‘nudges', the act of architecturally manipulating options in favour of positive behavioural change (both at the personal and community based level) to be quite fascinating. The term used to define people who make these institutions and options, ‘choice architects', is something I'd like to do more reading on as it's a skill most folks could harness from a capability point of view, and introduce into their line of work and study. At times I thought there was a glaze of unnecessary academic vernacular throughout the book, which distances readers who aren't firmly established in the authors' respective field of study. This caused the flow to be quite disrupted. Beyond that though, it was a fantastic read!

The Foos were a massive part of my musical awakening, sans-90s bands and 80s stuff I listened to in Mums car growing up. Dave's wild tales of musical madness, coping with stardom, forming bands, and raising daughters (lowkey love his relationship with his girls) were truly wonderful to listen to.

The fact Taylor Hawkins died as I was reading this (I was made aware of his passing mere moments after finishing the chapter on when he and Dave first met) will forever add a poignant veneer over the experience of listening to this book. I remember him being a particularly impressionable drummer on my younger brother and I as we were just starting to drum in bands as sweaty young teenagers. Truly sad.

The Heart of Darkness is a novel encapsulated in adventure, existential thought, darkness, and inquisitiveness. The book follows the journey of Marlow and his recollection of memories once serving as a steamboat captain along the dangerous bends of Congo river. It's written as a frame narrative (story within a story), which does demand attentiveness considering the story often jumps in and out of first-person account, philosophical pondering, and so on. Light and darkness is explored predominantly throughout, as is the duality of human nature (albeit pessimistic at times). I'll more than likely come back and read this again one day - as it's full of themes and underlying currents which only several reads allow for. This book is small in length, but long and rich in content.

4.5 stars. Of the non-fiction books I've read in recent memory none of them have challenged the way I perceive fellow humans like this book. Gladwell, after a string of racially fuelled incidents between law and enforcement personnel and civilians roughly between 2014 and 2016, reached his own tipping point and began to wonder how we as individuals approach, judge, and assume the intentions of strangers; folks we know absolutely nothing about. Through a great collection of historical ponderings, psychological inquiry, and modern day stories from the US and abroad, I was taken on a full-blown expedition of how rash thinking can ensnare the humane side of humanity. I felt my own mind, at times, getting defensive at some of the conclusions he was making, which is usually a telltale sign (for me at least) of a long-forged conclusion getting nudged into a new line of thinking. I thank this book for that, and feel compelled to broaden my senses for the better as I live alongside folks I too quickly place in a box.

Laura sent me a link to an Instagram review someone had written for this book. The person who penned this reflection captures my emotions and frustrations so beautifuly that I can't help but just share it here:

[Where Reasons End] is a book of imagined conversations between a mother and her recently-deceased son. I can best describe this book as autobiographical fiction as the author, #YiyunLi wrote this novella in the aftermath of her own son's suicide. Which is perhaps why it doesn't make sense; it comes from a place of incredible pain, and oftentimes with grief, try as much as one can, the world doesn't make sense. In the case of this book, the words don't make sense.

With a verbose mess of sentences debating the use of nouns, adjectives and adverbs, and basically, writing in general, this book does its best to keep you out of touch with any kind of emotion. Every other character, I don't know if I can call them that, as no one features for more than two sentences here, even the younger brother and the father. It's just mom and son meeting up in a world devoid of time or tense, made up of words only. Through this made-up conversation, Li seems to have one purpose - criticising her parenting prowess and her writing skills. And the critique comes in the voice of her son. Why?

So basically, I don't understand this book. Sentence after sentence, relentlessly, one philosophical rumination leads to another. It's just too much, especially when they lead nowhere. Also, it is not entirely believable when you make a 16-year old sound like Socrates.

However, all said and done, I cannot contest that Li is a magnificent writer, and I'll definitely pick up some of her earlier works of fiction someday, but I do contest the purpose of this book. 2 stars!

A nice one to finish off a poor second half of 2015 on the reading front. I may have missed the initial wave of shock Godin's book sent through the masses of onlookers, finger pointers, and CEOs who were trembling at the news of their workers venturing through such text; but I feel it just as strongly as anyone did in 2008.

The lesson to learn here is simple: everyone has choice to become a leader (an archetypal leader, one who exhibits type-A confidence, charisma and business acumen, for example, is one who isn't born such a way. They've simply made a choice) And the tribe you lead can be small, or big. It doesn't matter. A true leader rises from the likes of a heretic who employs the confidence few do in order to bring observations and visionary ideas to the sheepwalking amongst them.

Part self-confidence booster, part anti-Christ to modern day corporation philosophy, I'd recommend Tribes anyone who believes in the power of the small, and the potential of the unexpected.

I could be romanticising things, but there's something special about picking a book based on it's cover, and enjoying it immensely. This is the second book of 2018 which has caught my eye based on the inclusion of a cat as one of the main characters. I was not disappointed. French Exit is full of wit and charm, but in a Lynchian way which is tremendously unsettling at times. The complexity of these characters kept me wanting to read and discover more about their inner worlds and perceptions of the human condition. For me this read wasn't a rollercoaster of sporadic events, but more a slow, evolving narrative of a vicious socialite of a widow, a despondent young man, and Small Frank the cat.

Note: this could easily be a Wes Anderson film. Fingers crossed.

Insightful. Uncomfortable. Saddening. There was a plethora of emotional responses to this audiobook. But one this is for sure; Ronson takes you to places where you feel out of your depth. His storytelling and reporting helped me to clarify a few thoughts in my head around the porn industry, challenged me on some misconceptions, and left me with all sorts of questions and thoughts to ponder on.

There's so much to say. This was my first John Green book and, according to my reading buddies who fancy his other novels, it's also his most ‘non-textbook John Green' effort (which will be a cool thought to grapple, should I pick up another one of his books in the future) It's an interesting place to start!One of the first things I loved about this book is that the narrative isn't what it seemed. Around six chapters in I began wondering “The ‘story' seems quite plain...I think the real story of this book is Aza's mental journey” - which I believe to be true, for all intensive purposes. I tend to read more non-fiction, and some of those particular book endeavors have covered mental illnesses, many of which we read about in this book. [b:Turtles All the Way Down 35504431 Turtles All the Way Down John Green https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503002776s/35504431.jpg 21576687] seems like a faithful representation of someone in the darkest of cognitive corners, and there isn't an inch of glorification about such matters, which is refreshing in an age where mental illness terms are thrown around loosely, and cheapened by shallow self-diagnoses and general disregard for the gravity of such conditions.When my thoughts spiraled, I was in the spiral, and of it. And I wanted to tell him that the idea of being in a feeling gave language to something I couldn't describe before, created a form for it, but I couldn't figure out how to say any of that out loud I felt quite emotional at several points in this book, as one would when one reads about the inner dwellings of a lost, confused adolescent in a constant thought spiral. It brought things up; many of which I thought I'd long since buried. The quote above could easily describe the thought worlds of millions of people, regardless of their age - and as Green wrote I felt like the spotlight was on my mind, both how it was ‘back then' and now.I love that he gave Aza the license to entertain often disastrous thoughts, but also managed to push back against any overindulgence (several times throughout the book, really) - perhaps most beautifully when Dr. Singh corrects Aza's mentioning of René Descartes' famous philosophical proposition Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), as she mentions the often ignored precursory statement: I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am - rendering the extensional chaos of the phrase with a layer of ease, humanizing the entire thought experiment (and relieving the burdened mind with temporary surety of existence)Argh. There's so much to unpack. But for now, I shall put this book down and continue to reflect on how it's helped my own thinking about a great many things (had to put a Star Wars quote in there somewhere for Daisy) and how extraordinarily John Green manages to capture the chaos of growing up with some lessons for surviving a world which is just as chaotic as Aza's mind!

This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Never have I read a Christian book as playful, witty, and engaging as The Screwtape Letters. Lewis welcomes the reader into the undercurrent of demonic operations - as a distressed demon elder, Screwtape, writes to his tenderfoot Wormwood. Immediately placing the reader in the shoes of a tormentor, Lewis takes his audience on a journey embedded in sound theology and current day thought (despite it's yesteryear publication date of 1942) - as he journals the mishaps of Wormwood's mission to bring about the bitter end of a newly converted Christian man. I'd highly recommend this book to those curious about the often forgotten world of temptation and possession - as well as those weary souls who are seeking an alternative to overly dry theological-based works.

This is one of those special books I come across so very rarely; the type of book that's deceiving short but incredibly rich, succinct, and asks for a second reading in the not too distant future. Snyder fuses history (mostly 19th and 20th century), and current world/cultural affairs into an insightful 128 pages, and presents the reader with 20 ‘lessons' that history can teach us about tyranny; everything from not blindly obeying powers at will in advanced, to ‘being kind to our language' (avoid shallow reading, educate yourself, read books), to listening out for dangerous words, and being on guard for one-party states.

I especially loved his thoughts and critique on common sensationalist media (none of which can be claimed as ‘new' arguments - but I like hearing different thoughts on such matters) and his call to go deeper by making up your own mind, putting the internet off to the side, picking up books and long form, well trusted editorials and journalism pieces, and contributing to the discussion in your own language:

“Politicians in our times feed their clichés to television, where even those who wish to disagree repeat them. Television purports to challenge political language by conveying images, but the succession from one frame to another can hinder a sense of resolution. Everything happens fast, but nothing actually happens. Each story on televised news is ”breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean.”

“If young people do not begin to make history, politicians of eternity and inevitability will destroy it. And to make history, they need to know some. This is not the end, but a beginning.”

This is straight talk for an often convuluted industry. Whilst my own philosophies around money and wealth may differ from Pape (and I'm sure this will be the case for all sorts of folks) there is a ton of practical outcomes from reading this book, be it managing accounts differently or re-thinking the role of superannuation and what I want to be preparing for my children one day. For a topic I historically have energy for, almost purely due to deceit and greed from industry folk (and Pape doesn't back away from supporting this) this was a concise and casual walkthrough some great ideas.

I've never read memoirs before, so this was a nice adventure to embark upon. Lol speaks with truthfulness and vulnerability - which no doubt would have required a conjuring of remarkable trust that we, his readers, wouldn't judge but rather empathise and walk with through his 40 year tale of two imaginary boys from Crawly, and their eventual rise to fame. I love The Cure, and artistically Robert Smith is a genius. But what I learnt from this book is that behind any great artist, the Robert Smiths of the wold, is a collection of experiences and connections that shape their craft. Lol was a huge part of that, and in ‘Cured' has no problem with tearing down the fallacies of a life of fame, whilst also reflecting on the times which had an impact on his life. For both fans of The Cure, and artists of all kinds, this read has something to say to you.

No other word beyond ‘beautiful' comes to mind as I reflect on this book. Up there with [b:Gratitude 27161964 Gratitude Oliver Sacks https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445791421s/27161964.jpg 47201204] by Oliver Sacks, and [b:The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness 13579364 The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness Timothy J. Keller https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1352949769s/13579364.jpg 19163471] by Tim Keller, The White Book is in a class of ‘small books' that are so incredibly rich, profound, and mysterious that they deserve multiple readings over a lifetime.Meditations on metaphors, stories, philosophies, and musings to do with the color ‘white' may seem shallow at face value, but within these pages (with a layout designed so intentionally) lies words that have been thought and labored over. The result is anything and everything, short paragraphs to longer contemplations that cause tears to well up in ones eyes; the kind of reflections that make you stop wherever you're reading, look up, and honestly feel the emotions Kang is channeling into her stories of growing up, wandering the streets of Waraw, as the ghost of her older sister, who died during childbirth, haunts her mind and heart on every corner.PartingDon't die. For God's sake don't die.I open my lips and mutter the words you heard on opening your black eyes, you who were ignorant of language. I press down with all my strength onto the white paper. I believe no other words of parting can be found. Don't die. Live.Powerful things await inside this book. Truly one of the most original, haunting and melancholic things I've ever read.