Paul
I really liked this book; I constantly ran across examples where I was behaving similarly in my own life, and I appreciate the pointers on how to address some of the problems. I'll be keeping this one, and I can see re-reading it in the future to brush up on some of the things I learned.
The only real niggling issue I had with the book was the constant references to “Some studies”, “recent research”, etc. It got pretty repetitive. Also, I usually think twice when I see references to “some” studies, because it makes me question whether the author is cherry-picking research to support his or her thesis (see Gladwell, Malcolm). Fortunately, the end of the book is filled with references to the actual research mentioned in the book, and although I haven't had the willpower to validate them (see what I did there?), it at least makes me more comfortable that it's legit.
Also, big props to the larger print. It's nice to be able to read without squinting.
I gave up on this. I love Sedaris, but this is by far my least favorite book of his. I couldn't get past page 125ish.
It's a pretty informative book, but Photoshop changes - not to mention the existence of Lightroom - make this book is desperate need of an update.
A worthwhile read for people looking to pursue the next phase of their working life. Most examples are of people in their 50s and older, but the philosophies and suggestions are useful to people of any age.
Burned through this in two days, which is pretty rare for me.
Very entertaining book, and great writing. Not sure how accurate it is - some parts tend to be exaggerated to the point of hyperbole - but that doesn't take away much from the sheer entertainment in reading about the events.
Recommended, and you don't have to be a runner to enjoy it.
Probably closer to 3.5 stars. Entertaining, and super creepy. Maybe a bit long, but worth reading over a weekend.
Not a very good book. I stopped about 25% of the way in, and will watch the movie to get caught up. Life's too short.
The science aspect is interesting, but the stories about the family are what make it worth four stars.
I was expecting more of a self-help book, but I found this to be another one of those pseudo-psychology books for the “smarter than you” set, like Malcolm Gladwell (which shouldn't have surprised me, since he has a quote on the cover). A lot of handy tips & pointers for some, I'm sure, but I'm just not into that.
I started reading it, but ended up paging through trying to find something interesting. I ended up...at the end.
Part IV was decent, and the motorcycle trip portions were also ok, but overall I felt it took too long to build. The afterword was my favorite part.
I wouldn't read it again.
Really predictable and grandiose IMO. Ended up just flipping through it to get to the end of each chapter, so I could read the main points. Not recommended.
Seems like a great idea, but I don't currently have any uses for it. Once I get back to going to talk, conferences, etc., I'll definitely start using this method for note taking.
This was just ok. Great illustrations, great concept, but the story was very, very thin.
This and To Kill A Mockingbird are my all-time favorite books. Great plot, fantastic use of language. Read it slow and take it all in.
Now that I've read the book, I've gone back and read some of the reviews, and the gist of it is: if you like Murakami, you'll recognize a lot of his previous works in this book.
As someone who hasn't read anything of his before (actually, I read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which is non-fiction, not realizing it was the same author), I went in with an open mind.
I found the book pretty rote, similar to what they refer to “on rails” when talking about video game. Very linear, lots of loose ends, and not a ton of deep thoughts being provoked. I'd say about a quarter of it was pretty good, a quarter was ok, and half was kind of pointless.
Given that two stars here means “It was ok”, I'm giving it that rating because it's pretty much exactly how I felt about it. It was ok.
I'm not sure why this is such a favorite. I get the whole 80s thing, but the writing is so overwrought that I found myself skimming the last half of the book.
The title is a bit misleading; this is more about general concepts of Buddhism, and meditation. Pretty good, but kind of peters out toward the end. I mostly skimmed the last two chapters.
Great, quick read about how one person, after researching some of the “self-help” gurus, reluctantly started down the path of meditation. I really liked his writing style, and sense of humor, and I really identified with a lot of his reluctance. If anything, it was good to know that others feel the same way.
Highly recommended.
One of the best books I've read in a long, long time. Great, great writing, and it's refreshing to read a book centered around WWII that doesn't fall into the usual tropes. Even though it's pretty long at over 500 pages, the structure allows you to take breaks easily; most sections are less than five pages long.
I usually keep only the highest quality books, and donate the rest of what I read to the local library. This one stays on the shelf. If you want intelligent writing, an intricate plot, and tons of great characters, this is the book for you.
Very good retrospective on Pixar, with a lot of great advice on management and creativity. Sometimes gets a little too much into the “and then we solved it, aren't we great” side of things, but that's really just a minor quibble. The afterword, on working with Steve Jobs, is better than the entire Steve Jobs authorized biography.
Really fun book. The photographs are great, and the stories behind them are often fascinating. Love that every photo has a section describing how it was shot.
I can't finish this. This book, and its reviews, remind me of how “art people” gush over art, but when asked what they see in it, it boils down to “everyone else loves it too”.
If you loved it, great. But for me, life's too short to waste on something that brings me no joy.
I felt this was a bit slow, but I'm glad I kept with it. The second half is much better, or at least it spoke to me more. I probably would have liked it more, and given it a higher rating, if I hadn't just read Bird By Bird right before this.
If you're interesting in writing, it's a definite “should read”.