Mer Barr

Decades ago I read a great book on sleep and I've been wanting to read more on the subject, which is why I picked up this recently released book.

I couldn't finish the book only because the author spends quite a bit of time in the depths of the science (I was wanting something more for a lay person), not because the writing or topic is of poor quality. Maybe she has a lighter read on her work?

I couldn't get interested in this book for some reason. Maybe it was because it hinted at some interesting beings and then for chapters spent time with other characters in the book, doing ?world building? I'm not sure.

I read this as a book club read not as a series or author I love or as a recommend from a friend, which might also explain why I wasn't enthusiastic at the start. It may also be that I'm diving into the 5th book of a series and some of the bits I need to picque my interest were taken care of in earlier books.

I may give this world another try by starting in book 1.

Thanks to Tamahøme for the recommend!

Definitely an interesting read. I'm always happy to read a unique twist to a well-worn topic and always happy to get a different perspective than the one I inhabit, so this is a double happiness for me.

Four Doors

Story 5 of 5 - Story is an emphasis to this book. The three narrators are separated nicely by chapters so there's no confusion about who's speaking. The storyline is always moving. It's never bogged down with tangents onto topics that don't move the story forward. Nor does the author pause so long to provide detail or perspective that the story comes to halt.

Character 5 - Characters are an emphasis. The two main characters become 3-dimensional with visual descriptions, personalities, struggles, etc. They're characters I got invested in. In the audio edition, each of the three story narrators have a different vocal narrator.

Setting 2 - Wolrdbuilding is not the emphasis in this story. There's no world outside the places and people the two main characters interact with, which is pretty small because neither character really travels far from their opening location.

Language 4 - Language is an emphasis in this story. The author has picked characters that I've not seen before. He uses a language I'm unfamiliar with and doesn't stop often to clarify what a term means which leaves me a bit frustrated. But that doesn't detract from the over all enjoyment of getting to look at the world from another culture's perspective. And the author chooses words that provide vivid imagery and mood, which I love.

As Microsoft and Apple came into my realm of knowledge about the same time, I've had a tendency to get the whos and whats mixed up between the two companies. I have read a one of the author's books about what might be on our horizon and decided to read this book to get to know him better.

I"m so glad I did because now I see he's been able to intuit the future of all kinds of technologies since a child and I was blown away as to when he formed Microsoft.

If he has a memoir on his transition from Microsoft to his foundation work, I'm game!

Thank you Will Wheaton for making this an energetic and fun listen!