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A thorough book on the prosperity of societies, Daron and James take the long view when exposing why nations flourish or flounder. Their answers to societal success take decades and centuries for most countries to implement. They also take the time to explain why modern attempts to pull countries out of poverty remain unsuccessful, as they do not address the root cause of the flaccid economy.

An excellent, long and insightful read.

An excellent look at the struggles faced by modern men and the data to back it up. Reeves covers how the changes post 1950s left some men feeling worthless and suggests improvements going forward that could bring these disaffected men back into pro-social belonging. He also shows how these changes would benefit everyone, not just the men. Worth a read, for sure.

A fun little book, I do have to wonder why this particular kid's book became a long-standing classic over any other. I suppose that's just the way things go. I do suggest you read it.

An excellent book with a mediocre ending. I think if Ray had just left out the parts well after the river, it would have been a top-notch book. As-is the ending makes the whole thing fall kind of flat. That being said, the book is so good before that part, that I suggest you read it anyway. Loads of great reflections on humanity in there.

An anthropomorphic rover visits Mars and struggles with the robotic condition. An easy, enjoyable read, try not to get too hung up on the scientific inaccuracies. The author acknowledges them in the afterward and this is a rover with feelings, afterall.

By walking us through just how and why we know some animals have a cognitive understanding of death, while others do not, Monsó paints a picture of both the rich lives of our fellow animals and the biases researchers accidentally introduce when studying them. Her writing is thorough, yet accessible, giving the reader a peek into the more technical and precise world of scientific research while keeping them engaged.

It's meaty sci-com.

I could see some people totally loving this book. Some romance, mystery, humor, a little adventure... You get the idea. It's very well written, with only one or two lines that pulled me out (a few obvious commentaries on modern America and capitalism). But....I dunno, it felt a little thin, like it was trying to be too cute. The protagonist was a little too... Perfect? For me? It was okay. I'll probably still read the sequel, coming out in April.

An excellent overview on why American politics has become so polarized, why we once weren't, why we can't go back, and how to address the problems created by polarization. It lays out how Trump is the logical next step in Republican evolution and why Democrats have no equivalent. Worth the read if you want to understand how we got here.

Honestly I think I'm too old for this book. I think, for me, reading it as a young teenager probably would have been the era where I end up the most impressed. I don't think I particularly needed a lesson in safeguarding against totalitarianism, but the book is short and overly plain, making it perfect for an introduction into adult literature.

A collection of short essays on everything imaginable. Each essay ends with a 1 to 5 star rating. John uses each topic as an excuse to navigate wider themes on what it means to be human and live in human society. Generally, it seems John is broadly in favor of humans.

I give The Anthropocene Reviewed four stars.

We imagine things will be as our history tells us it was. In the United States, that means we think another civil war would be fought along geographic lines with large, organized, government-backed armies. But Barbara Walter explains how a modern civil war really happens, and it's nothing like how we imagine it would be.

Tribe is an excellent look at what it is that really makes a community, and why it's not always the things people want it to be.

A writer decides to take a hard look at what future our destructive present may bear. He visits apocalyptic sites like Chernobyl and wonders about the world he is leaving his child. Worth it, if you're in a pensive mood.

I've read other Asimov and enjoyed his work immensely, but this one was.. Okay? Like, its a collection of short stories that center around the logic in the three laws of robotics, but the problem is that some of the logic the characters employ isn't exactly logical? It was rather annoying to be screaming at the book about an obvious solution where the book also seemed to pride itself on being cerebral.