Barry

My fav of the 37 Signals books.

5 stars for how concise and on point a lot of the chapters are.

I don't agree with everything, but love the strong opinions and perspectives, and the central theme of the book ❤️ Loads of great, practical wisdom.

I regret not stopping a few chapters in. Very unfocused and dry. A few useful nuggets of perspective here and there, but overall I didn't enjoy this.

10x better than Gates's book.

This is the best text I've read on the benefits and process of switching a country from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.

Comprehensive, relevant examples, super practical down to the household level, the data is very well presented and illustrated with diagrams... it's all there.

Didn't finished, stopped 30% in.

Short, relatively simple, and to the point. Enough useful viewpoints in there for a top rating!

Hard to find someone who lives with their values on their sleeve more than Dave Grohl. 2nd half was fantastic as there were lots of stories about balancing his family life with his work. FRESH POTS!!

I enjoyed this a little more than The Brothers Karamazov. Both were fantastic. There's so much depth to the characters, their relationships, and Raskolnikov's internal deliberations. Superb from start to finish.

The Wikipedia page for the book is an interesting read, especially the Background section describing how the book was written.

Stopped at 50%, not my jam, became a chore to read

Andy Weir would be the most engaging physics teacher ever!

3.5.

1st half was a great adventure, loved it.

2nd half was just ok, the love story parts weren't that great.

Stopped 1/3 of the way through, wasn't for me. Audiobook didn't feel like the best format, and trying to read on Kindle put me to sleep.

The audiobook was fantastic—read by the author. Captivating and hilarious all the way. Can't think of a funnier book.

Martin Freeman is incredible at reading the audiobooks of these. Legendary performance.

Enjoyed the last quarter. There was a big lull in the middle.

Lacked the pace of the first book, and the fun characters of the 2nd book. Good tho :)

The Dare To Want More and Work Life Jenga chapters were awesome.

This book is super accessible for new leaders or people interested in leadership.

Stopped at 40%

No rating as I listened to a 4 hour abridged version, so I feel like I didn't give it a fair shake.

Some great writing, but past the first quarter I didn't find the story captivating. Might come back and read the full version at some point.

Such an enjoyable read, great stories, great sense of humor, great perspective.

Audiobook format is a must, his reading is quirky and delightful.

Make Time is the best personal productivity book I've read. It's done more to change my habits and attitude towards my productivity than any other book. 2nd place being GTD.

This book is 5 stars because the authors are relatable. The examples are realistic, not idealistic. The tips are designed to be inclusive of priorities like family, passions, and natural oscillations in energy level. It's a light read, with the authors bringing a chill vibe, and a light touch to do things a little better, not shoot for perfection.

The biggest point in the book is the “highlight”. One 30–90 minute task that you decide to get done today that'll make you happy with the result of the day. Along side the highlight concept there are loads of tips. They're short and snack-able, designed to be experimented with—kept or discarded. I loved the chapters on energy levels.

Started out promising but I lost interest halfway through as the search for the 7 shards was so dull. I read the Wikipedia synopsis of the last half of the book and I don't regret my decision, a disappointing sequel.

Amazing plot and vision. Just didn't find it THAT enjoyable to read, not sure exactly why—maybe the lack of character development, maybe audiobook wasn't the best format, or maybe I had too high expectations.

First novel I've read to Emma

This was fantastic. A hyper-relevant read right now, during COVID and whilst trust in the US election system is under attack.

Buttigeg dives into why trust is so important across many different contexts: democracy, voting systems, COVID, climate change, and society in general. Great examples, great data points, pro-active suggestions for solutions, and super well written.

Surprised at the high quality of this given how fast it was published.

This was fantastic. A fun, silly read.

This book is Nassim Taleb crossed with Bogleheads.

Parable of the Talents is set in a dystopian 2035, where the US is governed by authoritarians, with Christian fundamentalists unrestrained and running wild.

What makes this 5 stars for me is the frightening, detailed, gritty portrayal of the future and how it came about due to politics and manipulation of religious beliefs. At times it hits eerily close to home with fears of where 2020 USA could go in the future.

I love Butler's imagination. Her writing feels so unfiltered, like she doesn't leave any dark thoughts out, regardless of how uncomfortable they might make the reader feel. It's a fantastic story, painting a vicious future world, but with a protagonist that gives you just enough hope and strength to get through it.