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World Peace turns into global civil war.
In the future, the leaders of Hive nations—nations …
This series has been one of my most challenging reads of recent years. And manages to reward that effort.
The average human lifespan is absurdly, outrageously, insultingly brief: if you live to 80, you …
This one is going to rattle around in my brain for a good long while. And require re-reading multiple times to genuinely internalize the ideas.
The Divide.
It’s the edge of the universe.
Now it’s collapsing—and taking everyone and everything …
I really enjoyed this. Like the trope at the heart of "The Dirty Dozen", the trope of "Disobedient Rebels Tasked With Guarding The Edge Of The World" is one I enjoy, whether in Game of Thrones or here. Toss in a bit of "Misfits Band Together To Save The World" and it's a recipe that was probably guaranteed to be something I like.
The core takeaway (the portfolio and ratios) is valuable. But, the book itself isn't something I'd recommend actually reading. A forward by Bill O'Reilly, quotes of Ayn Rand, lots of lectures about how the rich aren't a problem in American society because capitalism fixes everything feel a bit like my childhood in conservative circles. If you want the value from this book, send me an email and I'll give you the 10 minute version you can take action on.
The Will to Battle is the third book of John W. Campbell Award winner Ada …
Reading this series is harder work than most sci-fi. The narrative voice (not the audiobook narration) is very strong in ways that I didn't necessarily like. However, that and other choices make sense and work together to make something worthy of contemplation. That's what good thinking sci-fi does. There's a reason these books have won awards.
BUT, you kind of have to commit to put in the work for that all to come together and make sense. It's an effort that I'll admit I have sometimes struggled with. After each book, I have contemplated whether I need to see how it ties together enough to work at the next.
For this last book, it took me FAR longer than normal to get through. I listen to most of the books I mark as read and I kept finding reasons to listen to podcasts rather than dig back into this. I …
Reading this series is harder work than most sci-fi. The narrative voice (not the audiobook narration) is very strong in ways that I didn't necessarily like. However, that and other choices make sense and work together to make something worthy of contemplation. That's what good thinking sci-fi does. There's a reason these books have won awards.
BUT, you kind of have to commit to put in the work for that all to come together and make sense. It's an effort that I'll admit I have sometimes struggled with. After each book, I have contemplated whether I need to see how it ties together enough to work at the next.
For this last book, it took me FAR longer than normal to get through. I listen to most of the books I mark as read and I kept finding reasons to listen to podcasts rather than dig back into this. I know that sounds negative, but it isn't. These are good books that a lot of people are going to abandon or actively dislike.
The thing is, I've worked hard to be clear in my head about the fact that "good" and "I liked it" aren't the same thing. This series is good. And, over time, I may decide I liked it as well, but it's enough that it's good.
Jo Nesbø: Blood on snow (2015)
Oslo, 1970s. Olav, an extremely talented "fixer" whose unexpected capacity for love is as far-reaching as his talent for murder, …
I bought this out of curiosity. After reading a couple of chapters, the only thing I can conclude about all of the 5 star reviews is that they all know the author somehow. The descriptions are long, repetitive, confusing and awkward and the dialog stilted and wooden.
"For succulent results every time, nothing is more crucial in barbecuing and grilling than understanding the science behind the interaction …
