Gio'

The story of the grumpy old man with the good hidden heart has been told many times before, so this book doesn't break any new ground. Having said that, the setting is intriguing and characters are likable, the diversity is interesting, but pushed a little too far to sound authentic. The writing is warm and funny and the book goes by quick and easy. A good read, but I don't think it will have a lasting effect.

Summer of Night – 4 stars

Every sci-fi fan owes Dan Simmons for the Hyperion books, so I was curious to see how he handles horror—and the answer is: mostly well. Comparisons to IT (and The Body/ Stand By Me) are absolutely warranted. The first half is the weakest: Simmons spends too much time meticulously setting the stage, and it starts to feel like it’s getting out of hand. Unlike Stephen King—who often hooks you in the first few pages even if then goes to write very long books—Simmons takes a slow, roundabout approach that doesn’t fully pay off, IMHO. But once the second half kicks in, the pacing improves dramatically. The story picks up, characters act as rationally as horror allows, and it’s just a lot of fun. Solid book overall—it just needed tighter editing.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again - 4 stars:

After my third book by David Foster Wallace, I’ve come to a few conclusions:

1. He loves tennis in a way that’s hard to overstate.
2. He seems to deliberately restrain his sense of humor—perhaps because he found it distasteful or not “serious” enough.
3. He uses 100 words where 10 would do.
4. His nonfiction is great; his fiction, more hit or miss.

On the essays:

• “Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley”: Beautiful, honest, and evocative.
• “E Unibus Pluram”: I know it’s a well-known piece, but I almost DNF’d the book because of it. Exhausting, monotone, and seemingly endless. Just when you think it’s over, another tirade begins.
• “Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All”: Fun, well-written, and eye-opening—a glimpse into a part of America I had completely ignored.
• “Greatly Exaggerated”: Didn’t leave much of an impression.
• “David Lynch Keeps His Head”: Deep, original, and thought-provoking. Made me see Lynch in a completely new light.
• “Tennis Player Michael Joyce...”: The true standout. A brilliant dive into the soul of tennis, written with deep knowledge and an open mind.
• “A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again”: The most accessible piece. Finally, some less constrained humor and a lighter tone—a well-deserved breather at the end of a remarkable, if often exhausting, collection.

Last Night in Montreal – 5 Stars:

A very impressive debut novel. The author shows total control over the structure, handling multiple timelines, characters, and perspectives with real maturity. Even here, she’s already developed the distinctive tone that made her more famous later on.

The story is absorbing, the plot is tight, and the pacing is steady—it really takes you for a satisfying ride. The rise of this writer is clearly no accident. The talent is real, and the voice is genuinely different.

Essentialism – 5 Stars

The big caveat here is that I read this in 2025, even though it came out in 2011. A lot of the ideas have since gone mainstream and been repeated endlessly in books and podcasts. At first, I thought it would just be a helpful reminder—but I ended up finding several nuggets that were either new to me or phrased in a way that made me see things differently.

The book is well written and fairly concise, though it could’ve been shorter. The author also narrates the audiobook and does a great job.

I didn’t really disagree with anything in it. It goes well with The One Thing by Gary Keller. The interesting challenge now is figuring out how to blend essentialism with all the GTDing, pomodoring, and time-blocking that I rely on.