Dan

This is my first Gladwell book and I wasn't sure what to expect. I wanted to get through this before seeing him discuss Revenge of the Tipping Point.

It's rare to think of non-fiction as page turner but this is definitely one of them. Gladwell's revealing and then tying of multiple seemingly-unrelated threads each section was satisfying every time.

This has me thinking about success differently and what I can do to give my own child some opportunities like those explored here.

I've never seen the story of scientists standing on the shoulders of their predecessors laid out so clearly. This is a great survey of the current state of physics. The later lessons were mind-bending in the best way.

There are a few interesting facts here but I don't think there was enough content for an entire book. It got repetitive as a result. It could have been a magazine feature and conveyed all this information.

Interesting premise but the vignette format didn't really do it for me.

BitTorrent but make it people.

There's no trick. These kids just don't listen.

For most of this I was trying to decide if it was profound or stupid. There are some interesting and novel ideas here but I think the writing style just isn't for me.

This reads like someone writing a demo to prove all the innovative writing styles they're capable of - archaic, aphoristic, epistolary, etc. There were some beautiful passages that made me skip back and re-read but is good writing alone enough?

We don't stick with any characters for long, but they engage in some memorable, vivid, and intense scenes. Still, I was disappointed that this amounts to essentially 14 unfinished, extremely loosely connected short stories. I don't think they do enough together as a whole. I was desperate for some overarching narrative.

Maybe the structure itself has some meta-meaning and the chapters are meant to evoke dipping into another's consciousness, but I can't tell for sure. I came for the Black Mirror tech and would love to hear more about what Own Your Unconscious has done to society, or even an explanation of the (oft-mentioned) psychology behind it. The tech ended up staying limited to background for character studies, so my questions remain unanswered.

I got strong Andy Weir vibes from this (maybe emo Weir). This is ultimately a story about grief couched in a sci-fi setting but I think it worked well. Like the characters, I felt oddly compelled to tear through this one.

I love a short story collection and this one does not disappoint. What a great way to get a sense of the breadth of an author I haven't read.
“A Dusty Lunch” is the most touching and authentic portrait of a war veteran I've ever read. The reader piecing together the spirit of the man along with the narrator is beautifully done.
The banter of the “old feminists” in “Airborne” was another highlight. I feel like I had a cocktail with them.
The stories keep drifting on to the next cast of characters (or even genre) but immediately understanding them and their world from a few carefully-crafted passages makes this a delight to explore. I didn't expect to experience a reincarnation or an alien entertainer but here we are.

This was a bit of a disappointment after the first entry in the series. Maybe one too many elements thrown into this one. I thought I was reading about a first contact but it's mostly a story about mental health, grief, and trauma that happens to involve aliens. The whole personhood rights plot is a good reflection on American xenophobia but felt a little tacked on.

I enjoyed this for this first few chapters but started to lose interest pretty quickly. Each chapter could have been boiled down to a few paragraphs but maybe that's the case with any self-help book.

This is a book for middle-class, white, hetero men - and even while being one of those I'm still not sure I can recommend it. Maybe if you're totally unfamiliar with Buddhism, mindfulness, or being a non-toxic romantic partner.

There were some insightful passages but mostly I was left thinking that this guy isn't half as clever as he thinks he is.

What a ride! This was mind-bending and kept me guessing. One of those time travel things that immediately wants to make you start the book over once you've gained new perspective. It's a great example of modern sci-fi - very human, the fantastic future tech is there but in the background in service of the character-driven narrative. Seems very filmable. I hope someone is working on the major motion picture.

An average person plucked from obscurity and rapidly propelled into fame learns it's as harmful and addictive as any drug. Our omnipresent infinite feeds are forever altering us as individuals and as societies. Are we equipped to handle what we're becoming? In my opinion, the sci-fi plot is not all that important - it's merely a means to explore the broader human themes. Nevertheless, the mysteries surrounding it keeps the pages turning.

Could have been a little more fleshed out - in particular, I'd like more description of the Kaiju. It's a fun, quick romp that kept me entertained and turning pages.

What an incredible journey. This will stick with me for a long time.

I'm now re-centered in the universe as my own planet orbiting along with other human planets, each of their inner worlds forever unknowable to me. The running theme of human connection intertwined with cosmic connection works so well for the story and the insight it offers.

As a new father surviving a global pandemic and late-stage capitalism, Theo's position is eerily relatable to my own. Any parent reading this will know all too well the struggle to find the balance between protecting your kids, imparting your wisdom, and letting them gain their own.

The Overstory sparked an urge to learn more about trees and fungus. Now I suppose I'll go brush up on exoplanets and the Webb telescope and hold out hope that our flawed monkey brains are good enough pass through the Great Filter.

I soldiered through just to get the plot points on where all the planeswalkers end up, but wow it was difficult. So much terrible prose. I don't know how this guy is even a writer.