john holst

I found this book by looking for a list of books about long-term relationships and making them work. This was a very good read, not so much for relationships exactly but a way to frame your own thinking and life to get the most happiness out of it. She repeats throughout the book that you cannot control other people but you can control yourself. Making yourself happy makes the people around you happy.

Would highly recommend.

This is was a weird one. I did not like the first third of this book. It is very obtusely written. The things I want to know about the world are drip-fed to you under the guise that you are reading this in the future of this world and the narrator is telling you things you probably already know. Also, I understand that this is the first book in a series (isn't everything these days) but the ending left quite a few plot holes just open-ended. Things are vaguely alluded to and then the narrator tells you to check out part 2 of his story.

For the good, I learned to like the world created. It was interesting structurally and technologically. I just wish the author/narrator explained the pieces in a bit more detail. Most if not all of the characters are eventually reprehensible, save a few. Those few have very little “screen” time. It makes it hard to root for anyone which makes it hard to sit through scenes with terrible people all the time. Leaving only the world to latch on to which I wish had more description.

I don't think 3/5 is bad. I think its just fine.