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Nano Book Review

NanoBookReview@bookwyrm.social

Joined 6 months, 2 weeks ago

All books are audiobooks. I have CFS so bad I'm stuck in bed. Suggestions welcome. Low-excitement preferred.

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Nano Book Review's books

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She's Not There (2004, Broadway) 4 stars

The exuberant memoir of a man named James who became a woman named Jenny.

She’s …

A Memoir of Denial and Acceptance

5 stars

A story of growing up transgender and in denial, this book is unremarkable in a good way. It's a coming of age story where the protagonist is married with children. This is the kind of book you should read if you're finally feeling up to the task of imagining yourself in the shoes of a transgender person. This is the story of trying to choose a lie for forty years and finally giving up.

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Paperback, 1991, Penguin) 4 stars

Describes a method of negotiation that isolates problems, focuses on interests, creates new options, and …

Take Notes

4 stars

A book about negotiation, it is in some ways also a book about conflict resolution. This is the kind of book you buy, annotate, and bookmark heavily. If you find yourself stuck playing games of chicken or constantly feeling stressed or cheated by the deals you make, whether in your personal or professional life, this book is worth a look.

Pests (2022, HarperCollins Publishers) 5 stars

An engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals “pests” and others not—from …

Fantastic Science Narrative

5 stars

What makes a pest? Is such a label even fair? A fantastic blend of narrative and science, this book looks at different animals across time and space and our relationship to them. Prepare to have your assumptions challenged, no matter what your current viewpoint.

How fascism works (2018, Random House) 4 stars

As the child of refugees of World War II Europe and a renowned philosopher and …

Short, Simple, and to the Point

5 stars

A quick look at the political tools of fascism, this book is a great starting point if you've never really bothered to take a look at what fascism is and how it works. Much of the extreme rhetoric you're hearing today will make a whole lot more sense in the context of this book.

Flight Paths (2023, HarperCollins Publishers) 2 stars

Needs more narrative structure

2 stars

I hate giving bad reviews but this book was very 50/50, almost literally so. I suggest you skip the first half and enjoy the second half, if you're still interested. The first half was too disjointed and thin, but the second half finally settled into more of a narrative thread with deeper explanations and ideas.

All about bird migration and how we learn about it.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Paperback, 2017, ‎ Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency) 4 stars

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life …

Flash Fiction Space Politics and Exploration

5 stars

In a flash fiction sci-fi adventure, Bob Johansson is turned into an artificial intelligence and set to roam the stars as a Von Neumann probe. His assignment is to further the interests of a totalitarian theocracy, but things don't go exactly according to plan. The first book in a series, this is a great read for anyone who loves high stakes and big ideas.

Bullshit Jobs (Hardcover, 2018, Allen Lane) 5 stars

Be honest: if your job didn't exist, would anybody miss it? Have you ever wondered …

We've got a problem and it's big

5 stars

A look at the increased amount of bullshit in the world, where it comes from, and how it impacts our lives. If you've ever had a bullshit job, or raged at all the bullshit getting in the way of your real job, this book is for you. You'll find good company in the real-world examples David shows off, and gain understanding in how you ended up in this predicament in the first place.

Salt (2002, Walker and Co.) 3 stars

This book takes a look at an ordinary substance--salt, the only rock humans eat--and how …

Some things change, and others don't

4 stars

A world history missing the usual places, Salt is nevertheless an engaging look into the many different cultures and contexts in which salt has featured in our past. From China to the Americas, humans have been making salt as long as we've been farming, if not longer, and our relationship to the simple little rock is anything but simple.

On liberty (2006, Longman) 4 stars

On Liberty is a philosophical essay by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill. Published in …

Balance is Key

3 stars

Mill makes the case that individual liberties should be as great as possible up until the point where they infringe on other people's liberties. He readily admits that defining exactly where the line is is a difficult task, and ultimately says very little of value except when providing concrete examples. When he does provide his personal opinion, however, it is usually fairly reasonable and does not over simplify things.

The common good (2018) 4 stars

"...Clear-eyed manifesto for re-centering our economics and politics on the idea of the common good. …

We Owe It to Each Other

5 stars

We owe society an unpayable debt, but we should still try our best to pay it back anyway. Reich makes the case that we can, and should, consciously work to improve our nation for the benefit of all, not just ourselves. The selfish must be named, shamed, and punished, the virtuous must be held up as heros, and you must help make it happen.

The Wright Brothers (2015) 5 stars

The Wright Brothers is a 2015 non-fiction book written by the popular historian David McCullough …

They Made Flying Look Easy

5 stars

The first airplane was such a big deal you learned about it in elementary school. But hang on, you didn't learn hardly anything about it! Never fear. David takes you through the infancy of aviation and all its heros, not just Wilbur and Orville. A story of character, grit, determination, and meticulous research, the airplane was far from a guarantee, but the Wrights made it seem inevitable.

Rosemary (2015) 5 stars

The revelatory, poignant story of Rosemary Kennedy, the eldest and eventually secreted-away Kennedy daughter, and …

An Influential Life in the End

5 stars

A comprehensive look at the life of Rosemary Kennedy and the lives that surrounded her. If you've ever wondered about her story, this book will satisfy your curiosity and more! She changed the world in ways most people don't realize.