Jax Mochi
Not a practitioner's guide but a quick and airy read. It has many general tips and some helpful tips for those who are starting out for the first time. It's not just about deco, but also about people, like how to get to know your new roommates and manage conflicts. It has a chapter on real estate listing jargons, too.
Photos are beautiful, some are inspiring.
Good as a primer. Don't expect to really learn the hidden clues of investment opportunities. It's more like a primer book and reference book of all important and less important economic data. For each data it explains well what the data is, a brief history, some mechanism, meaning of numbers. It's a good starter book if you wonder what all the numbers in economic release mean. It's also a handy reference book to have in your shelves to look up to from time to time.
It's fun. I like the foreshadowing. Every weird family behavior is there for a reason. It's creepy but also funny. I burst out laughing a few times when Louise and Mark were at the waffle house and the waitress was reluctant but obligated to check whether two duo were doing alright. The family story and the complicated relationship between Louise and Mark all make sense as the story builds. Mark's personality makes a lot of sense as his dark college history is revealed. I'm happy for Mark when he feels the excitement and fulfillment renovating their house in the last chapter. The last a few pages are heart-warming. I can almost smell the cookies, cheese, and love in the warm kitchen.
Overall, a wonderful reading journey. Creepy and satisfying.
A Good SciFi story doesn't necessarily need quantum theory, just like life doesn't necessarily need water to form.
The reading journey was an immerse of fun. I was so into it that I kept reading it at all times possible. It's worth it.
It's heart-breaking. It hurts. It's hard to keep listening but at the same time harder to not to continue. I didn't know much about the Great Depression. It made me want to read more about it. The way locals treated migrant workers during the hard time resembles the migrant issues now happening almost everywhere in the world.
It's truly horrifying and staggering. PRK did an excellent job in this book presenting the three-generation history of the Sackler's family and Purdue Pharma despite the family's decades long practice to secretly distance themselves from the company and actively suppressing all negative news.
It's investigative nonfiction at its best. I still manage find sense of humor of the author despite the sobering topic. “If K2 doesn't scare me, Florida does not scare me.” (She had not climbed K2.)
A staggering story. I read a few pieces on 1MDB on WSJ but didn't realize it was such a big scam. Transferring 700 million of the 1 billion fund directly into one's own account in the first month of the establishment of 1MDB is just shocking. And it's only just the beginning.
Quote of the book, Belfort, author of The Wolf of Wall Street, told his wife when he saw how Low spent money in Hollywood
“This is a fucking scam - anybody who does this has stolen money. You wouldn't spend money you worked for like that.”
“These guys are fucking criminals.”
I really hope the global financial system and all the regulatory work as they are designed to.
No paradigm is correct, you're free to choose whatever paradigm that suits your purpose.
I was wondering why it cites International Herald Tribune at every chapter until I realized this book was published in 2008.
The plot is quite thin, most of the chapters are just the protagonist musing about life and God. The last chapter is a bit abrupt, all of a sudden we mix everything together and all of a sudden the writer writes “God is a programmer”. On the science fiction front, the construction of the octopus-like aliens and numerical recognition abilities of different species are quite inspiring. The reason why many alien civilizations are now deserted are mostly based on the protagonist's hypotheses, lacking any real sense of surprise.
The book is better named “10 fun facts about RBG”. The structure is strange. Like another review said, it is indeed like a textbook, listing some of RBG's achievements, citing some of her words, and that's it.
There was a strange atmosphere of optimism in the book, which, given it was written in 2015, is understandable.
The audio book is a disaster. There are a bunch of errors in the audio book which makes it quite confusing. Not to mention that the narrator is just a slightly better version of Siri.
I wonder if there is any proper biography of RBG out there? It would be such a shame if no outstanding biography was published for such a badass woman.
5 star woman. 2 star book. 1 star audio book.
Nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. A good read on China's retrograde under Xi Jinping's dominance.
Several points in the book really resonate with me
1. Fear of Naming Xi Jinping
Chinese students avoid mentioning Xi Jinping by name, even if when they are living in the United States. As Hessler explains through the words of a student, the name carries an overwhelming association with power and punishment. It's true. Within China's Great Firewall, posts with anything that sounds remotely similar to “Xi Jinping” (e.g., 细颈瓶 Xi Jingping aka a flask used in chemistry) get swiftly censored or deleted. Posting such content often comes with temporary or permanent account bans. In some cases, a local police might give you a call, and you might be requested to have a “tea-drinking” session in the local station where your phone and social media accounts are examined and you are required to sign a document agreeing to “behave” yourself online. In the not-so-rare cases that you post becomes slightly virial (shared more than 500 times), you face the real risk criminal charge. Even outside of China, the existence of secret Chinese police stations in various Western countries has made criticizing Xi Jinping an increasingly risky endeavor.
2. Taiwan
Discussing Taiwan is another minefield for overseas Chinese. It's a deeply sensitive topic to most Chinese, but in a different way to the topic of Xi Jinping. While many Chinese tend to avoid sensitive discussions, the mere mention of Taiwan's independent status often sparks impassioned reactions. Those who would otherwise remain silent are quick to assert, “Taiwan is not a country; it's part of China,” reflecting the deeply ingrained narrative.
3. Reluctance to Have Children
Having gone through the system myself, the thought of my child enduring the same logical struggles I faced at a young age haunts me. It's unsettling to imagine them grappling with the same contradictions and confusion that shaped my early years.
Found this book after reading “My Family's Slave”, but was never able to finish this one despite a dozen pick ups. Too much masculinity.
A good reading. It was kind of plain in the first 1/3 for me. I guess I can't really get the medieval background. The star travel part was just like any science magazine with no new things. But it gets very interesting as soon as it turns into 21st century. Although I think the author can choose to write a little less about events in the past a few years, it ages fast. And guess what? the Russians didn't blow up the Nord Stream pipeline.
