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andbenn

andbenn@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 2 months ago

Trying to read more, and more, and more I have too many articles in Pocket, which also get read but not tracked here.

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"It's not that you read, it's what you read." Epictetus.

Is what you read making you a better person?

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andbenn's books

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2025 Reading Goal

55% complete! andbenn has read 11 of 20 books.

Jeffrey Rosen: Pursuit of Happiness (2024, Simon & Schuster) 4 stars

Why the founders of America were so interested in happiness

4 stars

I liked this book. It covers early history of our nation, and what those founders were reading from philosophy and classic writing that influenced their approach and documentation for starting the United States.

In many places, you see that the founders did not have it easy. Businesses would burn by mobs. Mobs would come and rough up people. Etc etc.

The end of the book takes a rather quick turn through and up to modern times, which didn't feel like it fit. Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Ok.

A good read, especially if you are interested in history and philosophy. Would I re-read it? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Yes, to the right person who is interested in history and philosophy.

Sam Dogen: Buy This, Not That (2022, Penguin Publishing Group) 4 stars

Good wholesome financial and life advice

4 stars

Sam Dogen aka Financial Samurai's book. This covers all sorts of basic and intermediate financial and life advice. Covers for areas, being philosophy and mindset, putting money to work for you, working and maximizing wealth, and focus on the most important areas of life.

285 pages of text plus extra content. Includes a list of his blog posts for each chapter, should you wish to dive in deeper on a topic and type in a long-ish URL.

All in all, a good book. It's a great summary and rather general advice. Personal finance is a huge category so there was little here that was new. Couple of the chapters he gets analytical with data used to help make decisions.

Would I reread it? Unlikely. Would I recommend it? Probably to the right person who needs help with their finances and life and they are in their early to mid career.

Nir Eyal: Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (2019) 3 stars

This book is all about focusing

4 stars

This is a solid book about focusing. All angles of being able to focus. It's pretty deep, and will require re-reading to review some of the points that you may be working on.

Having read a good deal of self-help/productivity books, very little of this content was new to me. Most of these topics he covers have been said elsewhere, usually in pieces though. The value of this book is it's focus on focus. haha

It's broken into small chapters of several pages each, and each chapter has a summary of the main points. Good for the focus devotee who isn't there yet.

It has 7 parts/themes each with several chapters. Part 3 as "Hack Back External Triggers" was my favorite and most valuable part. The last three parts weren't as valuable to me, being Work, Children and Other Relationships. Work because, it's rare that one can impact the work …

Kendra J. Adachi: PLAN (2024, Crown Publishing Group, The) 5 stars

A really good approach to time management and related topics

4 stars

The author is a podcaster and content creator. I heard her as a guest on Cal Newport's podcast and thought I'd borrow her recent book from the library. The book is geared for readers who have tried other productivity systems and didn't click with them.

It's geared for women. But many of the topics and approaches also work for men. Overall she has a really good, down to earth way for one to look at their life and do several things to improve it. The book is chock full of words where the first letter is a term or phrase.

Probably geared for your bookshelf vs a library loan, one would need to revisit the book a few times as they begin to work on her plan. The book is a great reference and it was a quick read. It has a glossary, and a very interesting Pep Talk section …

Tanner Campbell, Kai Whiting: What Is Stoicism? (2024, New World Library) 4 stars

Definitely a brief and accessible overview of Stoicism

4 stars

I recently discovered the authors and was happy to get this book. It's 106 pages, and a smaller book form. Looks good next to Sharon Lebell's Art of Living, as they are closely sized.

The authors cover 14 topics as they were seen by the ancient Stoics and how they approached them in their daily lives. Each chapter is several pages long and makes references to the ancient texts and how the idea was then seen. Greek sometimes doesn't translate straight into English.

The end of the book has a Glossary, Notes, and Recommended Reading chapters. It's well written and easy to understand. The Glossary would help someone new to Stoicism who hasn't been exposed to the terminology.

Who's this book good for? Anyone who may be interested in Stoicism or who has been following it for a bit of time and is in need to review the basics. …

Ryan Holiday: Ego is the enemy (2016) 4 stars

Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside …

Ego is the Enemy and needs control. Don't feed after dark I guess

4 stars

This is the second in a series of books from the author where he brings ancient Stoic philosophy and quotations to the modern world and using recent situations that others were in.

Being Ego based, upon reading some of the examples you may be able to realize the outsized personalities involved. Ego isn't straightforward to change, but has to be analyzed and worked on piece by piece. Readers of this book may be able to realize their situations and attempt to change. Some of the examples were done by really large personalities, which may be hard to relate to for most readers.

Melville House, Kristin Hersh: Sinéad o'Connor : the Last Interview (2024, Melville House Publishing) 4 stars

A significant collection of interviews with the defiant, controversial, and ground-breaking singer, songwriter, and activist …

35 Years of Interviews showcasing a talented, torchered artist

4 stars

9 transcribed interviews, 10 if you include the Intro between Kristin Hersh and Sinead O'Connor, that span 1986 through 2021. Can be a quick read if one has a couple hours, or easily digested over a few days. One or two of the interviews are quite lengthy and involved. Most of them feel whole.

As you read them, you can feel the mood of Sinead - at times and especially earlier there is a lot of angst and energy. The Spin and View interviews appear to be very lucid. It's obvious she was a talented and tortured soul, and it's visible through these interviews. As a young adult when she broke into the music business, I saw the manufactured side of her persona. These interviews show what she was dealing with, sometimes with her demons.

As Ms. Hersh closes her intro: "So where is the beauty? In all of it: …

Daniel Crosby: The Soul of Wealth (Hardcover, Harriman House) 4 stars

In The Soul of Wealth, Daniel presents 50 short essays which explore what wealth …

50 short chapters on how to look at life and wealth practices

4 stars

I really liked this book. 50 short chapters, each about 5-8 pages in length, and very digestible. It's written in an common tone that should apply to most.

Each of the chapters touches on some aspect of wealth or approaching wealth and life and approaching life. Often times these intersect.

Most chapters should be relatable. And perhaps a goal if one is early in their career / path. Definitely should create some action items and things to think about, some of which may involve family discussions.

Of the 50 chapters here, I'm wondering what didn't make the book. Somehow I bet the author is working on a second edition or related theme. This was nice, and recommended to friends who also enjoyed it.

William H. McRaven: Make Your Bed (2017, Grand Central Publishing) 3 stars

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. On May …

An interesting read, and trying to apply military life to normal life - eh

4 stars

Backstory is this well regarded Navy admiral retires, gives a commencement speech which goes viral, then writes this book with stories from his career. It's a fast read about 140 pages and a smaller form. Won't take long to read.

Does have stories from his past trainings and expeditions in the military in just about every chapter. Some of the stories he tells are pretty intense. Each demonstrate something you can start doing in your life (will take a bit to figure that part out).

The last section of the book is the commencement speech, and it does touch on several of the areas earlier in the book. You'll get a little deja vu feeling. Many of the stories won't be relatable, such as being a sugar cookie (wet and coated with sand all day), up to your armpits in mud, paddling rafts through 10 foot waves and surf, jumping …

Mark Tuitert: Stoic Mindset (2024, St. Martin's Press) 4 stars

Great Modern Stoic 10 chapter book

4 stars

This is a great modern Stoicism book. Mark Tuitert is a former Olympian speed skater. This book has 10 chapters, each on a Stoic topic with analysis and exercises. It's about 140 pages, is very attractive in a red/black/white graphics. There are graphics to start off each chapter and within it.

The chapters: * Use Setbacks as Signposts * Judge Less, Understand More * Win by Not Focusing on Winning * What's Good for the Team is Good for You * Accept Your Fate (And Love it) * Death Makes Life Epic * Happiness Is a Side Effect * A Map Is Good, A Compass is Better * Character Is Your Most Important Project * Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Each chapter starts out with a quote from the 3 big ancient Stoics, then has 4-7 pages of text, a "Stoicism In Practice" page, and an exercise page.

The author …

Seth Godin: This Is Strategy (2024, Authors Equity) 4 stars

This is Strategy and plotting/planning with nearly 300 examples

4 stars

The book has no page numbers. It has 297 riffs (his term) which very from a third of a page to maybe 3 pages for the longer ones. Thus this is a good book to read in short bits. Some of the riffs may not make sense, while others are completely relatable. I found most to be at least partially relatable or covering past business news events.

As an example, a later riff talks about shipping work that isn't yet done. He compares this with shipping an incomplete boat, which isn't as functional and potentially not safe.

A earlier riff he talks of traffic that one might be stuck in. In this case, it's not about you being stuck in the traffic, as you are part of the traffic and the problem.

Other riffs cover recent business actions and news that most might be familiar with - along with his …

Melville MELVILLE HOUSE: John Lewis : the Last Interview (2021, Melville House Publishing) No rating

Fascinating set of about 7 interviews, one being a lengthy court testimony, that really show his take and what he faced in the civil rights movement. At times he had to overcome serious issues.

I'm kind of surprised there aren't more interviews from his later years in Congress. A good read for a history buff or one who wants to learn a bit about the life of John Lewis.

Tim Lebon, Kasey Pierce: 365 Ways to Be More Stoic (2022, Hodder & Stoughton) 3 stars

365 WAYS TO BE MORE STOIC is a full year's worth of daily inspiration, tools, …

365 Ways to Be More Stoic

3 stars

This is more of a compendium of several writers and some topics run across days. I had the ebook and the formatting was tough - new days started right at the end of the previous day rather than a new page.

It seemed kind of hurriedly put together in some parts, and there are back references in a couple places where they ask you to revisit a self-rating exercise.

I got this on sale. At that, it was probably a good value. As a day by day book, it's ok and not great.

Chuck Chakrapani: Unshakable Freedom (Paperback, 2016, The Stoic Gym) 4 stars

Great Intro/Review of the basics of Stoicism

4 stars

This is one of the better introduction to Stoicism books out there, based on the near dozen I've read. The writing style is very easy to read, and the chapters are short and to the point. It's the type of book you could read a bit of, put down, and revisit later starting on a new topic.

He assumes you know nothing, so there is a fair amount of core basics at the start, and discussion of the usual three, being Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus. He starts with Freedom being a choice, and then aspects of being free: Being Present, Free of the Past, no emotional roller coaster, no fear, no anxiety, and being festive about life.

Part 4 is titled after his website, The Stoic Gym. This part is where you work out and revisit topics, pulling them together as needed. He mentions he's on the path, and …

Evelyn McDonnell: World According to Joan Didion (2023, HarperCollins Publishers) 4 stars

All about Joan Didion's life and her writing

4 stars

I've heard about Joan Didion - some writers I follow speak highly of her work. I have not read any of her work yet. I did get The Last Interview book she was featured about and liked that.

The author did a fantastic job of researching and discussing her life. This starts with her as a young child, family history, mentions college and then post college jobs, moving across the country and back, her marriage and child adoption, her family's deaths and then her own. It puts a perspective on how she was seeing her life at multiple moments.

Interesting to hear how her writing experience changed with use of a laptop and word processor.

I really enjoyed this book. If one is interested in her life, maybe knows at least a little about Joan Didion, this biography will probably work for you.