4-stars

A collection of 58 posts

4-stars

Death Comes For The Archbishop

Published in 1927, "Death Comes For The Archbishop" [http://amzn.to/2woDqqo] feels like a much more recent novel. Writing in a beautiful, timeless style, Cather crafts a southwestern legend that reaches across time to touch our souls. The breadth and depth of emotion in this barely 200

4-stars

Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science

This is the hardest I've laughed for any book in my 2017 reading theme [/2017-focus]. "Higher Superstition" [http://amzn.to/2vDJvBX] is a wickedly perceptive takedown of the absurdities of the "academic postmodern left" and their "perspectivist" critique of science. Gross

4-stars

The Remains of the Day

Ishiguro gently seduces the reader by narrating "The Remains of the Day" [http://amzn.to/2rSjYSY] from the unlikely perspective of a genteel English butler during early twentieth-century Britain. Nothing particularly dramatic or exciting happens, but the fastidiously professional Stevens gently pulls at our heartstrings in this

4-stars

Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions

"Rigor Mortis" [http://amzn.to/2pJHEoR] explores how perverse incentives and a "broken" scientific culture are fueling the reproducibility crisis in modern biomedical research. Published in April, Harris's jeremiad was a perfect fit for my 2017 reading theme on "The Integrity of Western

4-stars

Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

"The scientific method is the most reliable way of discovering the truth." That's how I responded when a friend recently challenged me to state my core beliefs. As I ranted about Popper on "falsifiability" and our conversation descended into the depths of definitional disputes,

4-stars

On Bullshit

"On Bullshit" [http://amzn.to/2upogjN] is a delightful little 80 page book of common sense. And published by an Ivy League philosophy professor - maybe there's hope after all! In our modern "post-truth" world, Frankfurt's book is a breath of fresh

2017-focus

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks

"Bad Science" [http://amzn.to/2noK26u] angered me more than any book I've read in the last few years. Dr. Goldacre lays bare the tactics used by people committing the worst crime I can think of - deliberate falsification and misrepresentation of scientific data. I get so

4-stars

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Manson's book is a profane and frequently hilarious crash-course in pragmatic modern Stoicism. How can I not love a book called "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" [http://amzn.to/2iBiggP]? I've given talks where my last slide literally says,

4-stars

The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life

"The Vital Question" [http://amzn.to/2gfUl6x] purports to fill the "black hole at the heart of biology" - how did complex life evolve? By taking an energy-focused perspective, Lane constructs an argument that mitochondria can explain the origin of complex life and lots of other

series

Red Rising Trilogy

The Red Rising Trilogy is a savage, dark, team-based Hunger Games for space Romans. It is wonderful. First-time author Pierce Brown takes a commanding position at the vanguard of this generation's army of young-adult dystopian fiction authors. After a bit of a shaky start, Brown

4-stars

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

I wish I had been diligent enough to write down my mental models of the world and publish them in book form. Luckily, in "Designing Your Life" [http://amzn.to/2gf62NG], Burnett and Evans have already done all the hard work for me! The nuggets-to-fluff ratio

4-stars

The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

Steampunk meets nanotechnology and virtual reality in "The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" [http://amzn.to/2fbxlo0]. I'm generally a Neal Stephenson fan, and this novel does not disappoint. Over 20 years after its original publication in 1995, it still reads

memoir

Legionnaire: Five Years in the French Foreign Legion

Merde! The French Foreign Legion is tough. I had seen a passing reference to the Legion in another book - something along the lines of "a legionnaire will drop dead before he stops marching." These guys were supposed to be the hardest of the hard-core. There doesn'

4-stars

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

J.D. Vance got the timing just right on this one. The entire liberal establishment is scrambling to figure out how Trump won the election and "Hillbilly Elegy" [http://amzn.to/2f217eb] offers a coherent, empathetic, and deeply personal narrative about who some of these Trump voters are

4-stars

A Strangeness in My Mind

This is a great work of literature (winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize). Although the subject matter is mundane - the life of the yogurt/boza seller Mevlut in Istanbul - Pamuk uses this ordinary backdrop to compose a moving meditation on loneliness in the modern world. The novel is also a

fiction

Harry Bosch series

The Harry Bosch series is a L.A. noir police procedural told through the eyes of homicide detective Harry Bosch. Though the concept of a troubled, reserved, wise-cracking semi-vigilante cop isn't anything new, Connelly's execution is great and I always look forward to listening

fiction

Stonemouth

"Stonemouth" [http://amzn.to/2ahogbM] is a simple story expertly told. Stewart Gilmour's voice is strong, genuine, and compelling. As Stewart guides us through his life experience in a mob-controlled small town in Scotland, his self-aware and bitingly cynical tone is a constant delight.

4-stars

Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

"Poor Charlie's Almanack" [http://amzn.to/29i7ISc] got on my list because Drew Houston of Dropbox said it was one of the best books he had ever read. After blasting through it... I can understand why he said so, but I’m not sure I agree

history

City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Naval Empire

Venice was not mentioned once in my formal schooling in America. And that’s terrible because in many ways, Venice foreshadows the rise of the commercial maritime republic of the USA. When every other state was ruled by the divine right of kings, Venice held itself to be a republic

fiction

Hadji Murad

"Hadji Murád" [http://amzn.to/1Z4LFzp] is Tolstoy's haunting novel about a Chechen warrior caught between the occupying Russian imperial forces and his hostile Chechen compatriots. Although it is remarkably short - just over 100 pages - Tolstoy manages to paint a picture of astonishing power and detail.

review

Ready Player One

Exuberant and clever. Ready Player One [http://amzn.to/1TwtLVT] is a thriller/quest fueled by a fiery passion for 80's videogaming and pop culture. Not being a big gamer myself (and having just missed the 80's), I hesitated to pick this one up. I shouldn&

review

Dictator

Dictator [http://amzn.to/1OuL2cf] is a restrained yet vivid dramatization of the events and personalities of the Roman Civil War. Harris clearly spent years researching his characters and the book is full of small observations that transform the marble busts of Roman statesmen into living, striving, and conniving human

fiction

Cormoran Strike series

The "Cormoran Strike" series is J.K. Rowling's sally into the world of detective fiction. I was surprised at how much I liked the first book and how compelling the Cormoran & Robin dynamic was. Beyond the core sleuthing, JKR weaves in a commentary on modern

fiction

Ivanhoe

A classic! I had read "Ivanhoe" [http://amzn.to/29BC180] back in middle school and didn't really appreciate it for the gem that it is. The Michael Page narration is delightful and expertly draws out some of the wit that is easily lost when reading rather

business

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation

"The Idea Factory" [http://amzn.to/29sF5EG] is a fascinating look at the lives of some of the key men who shaped Bell Labs and created its greatest inventions. The scale of Bell Labs’ impact is truly incredible and this book does a good job of explaining the