This book feels amazingly fresh for a work that's 75 years old. It's emotionally complex but never overwrought or indulgent. The ending is a bit anti-climactic, but otherwise, I can't recommend it enough.
Do coffee table books count? If so, this is a great one.
Enjoyable but I have to think there are better Oasis bios out there.
Probably could have used a bit more character development (I felt I was filling in too many blanks via my own experiences), but overall I enjoyed the book. Mandel is the best contemporary writer I've come across in years; her novels are engrossing and intelligent, but rarely (if ever) pretentious.
A great read, and not just for those of us mourning the (apparent) end of Lodge 49.
Although overall it feels like it lacks depth, there are some inspiring and insightful sections in The Passion Economy. Davidson has identified companies that embody their founders' passions and thrive because they can offer 'intimacy at scale' that multinational bohemoths cannot. It's hard to say if his examples are exceptions or the rule, but they're a welcome dose of optimism nevertheless.
My hard hitting review: I like Michel Houellebecq and this is a good Michel Houellebecq book, so I enjoyed it.
This is a difficult book to review. It is at once a deeply moving and unpleasant read. There is very little of the clarity I've come to expect from Steinbeck, but the muddled and dreamlike style matches the narrative. Two stars for now, but a second reading might result in a different rating.
A light, entertaining read. Some of the passages are a bit off-color in 2020, but then you realize it's 16 years old. Overall, this was a welcome diversion.
There were some sections that captured the magic of the original, but there were just as many (if not more) that were cringeworthy. The first 2/3 reads like a romance novel for dudes and the last 1/3 is terribly depressing.
"Begin at the end:" This is how Emily St. John Mandel starts the final chapter of The Glass Hotel, and it's a good way to describe how she approaches the overall story. She gives away the end of most of the narrative threads at the same time she introduces them, making the successive chapters feel like a joyless filling in of the blanks. Nothing is particularly surprising, and the stakes feel very low.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the rest of her books, but this one falls flat.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the rest of her books, but this one falls flat.
I had forgotten how important the Beastie Boys were to me, especially during the Check Your Head and Ill Communication days. This is a funny, nostalgic, and at times melancholy trip through their history. RIP MCA.
Dull book about an interesting man.
An entertaining read, even if it is like Halt and Catch fire without the creative joy. Also a reminder that big tech didn't suddenly become shallow and craven, it was that way from the start.
iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It by Steve Wozniak
Woz is an inspiring engineer but a bit of a scattershot writer. Still an enjoyable read though.
An exhaustive and compelling review of Putin's rise to power and the former KGB black market schemes he resurrected to control and corrupt Russia and, increasingly, the West.
A clear and concise summation of Quantum Physics. Gets rather dense about 2/3 of the way through, but Gribbin sticks the landing.
This was a great book, namely because it's the closest thing I'll get to another season of "Halt and Catch Fire." Really inspiring.
I was a music blogger. Some of my best friends were music bloggers. That being established, I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would want to write (or a publishing company would want to pay for) a book that reads like an extended music blog entry in 2020. Bad puns? Check. Pointless tangents about anything but the album in question? You got it. Light on original reporting but heavy on retreads of similarly questionable takes? Obvs.
If you're in need of, as I was when I bought this book, some solid Radiohead content, you're better off firing up the Wayback Machine and reading through the At Ease or Green Plastic archives. Everything is definitely not in its right place with this book.*
*See? Isn't that a ridiculous way to write? You have to be kidding me.
If you're in need of, as I was when I bought this book, some solid Radiohead content, you're better off firing up the Wayback Machine and reading through the At Ease or Green Plastic archives. Everything is definitely not in its right place with this book.*
*See? Isn't that a ridiculous way to write? You have to be kidding me.
Most people have figured out by now that Big Tech is more misogynist hellscape than enlightened utopia. With that in mind, I'm not sure that this book, which feels like an extended Livejournal post, adds anything to the discourse.
The author is miffed that her east coast privilege doesn't completely translate to the Valley, which is a bit like a yacht club member being frustrated the country club doesn't offer full reciprocity. Give this one a miss.
The author is miffed that her east coast privilege doesn't completely translate to the Valley, which is a bit like a yacht club member being frustrated the country club doesn't offer full reciprocity. Give this one a miss.
It's a good thing I was reading this concurrently with a self help book because woo boy is it bleak. It is also bitingly funny. Not for the faint of heart, but regular Houellebecq readers will enjoy it.
A lot of interesting historical information and parallels to the COVID pandemic, but there are also long stretches about medical education that are probably too inside baseball for the average reader.
Lost its narrative momentum around 2/3 of the way through. You know how the movie "AI" was pretty good until it blew past several obvious end points? That's what this book reminded me of.