Elizabeth Tai
So thrilled to finish this 590-page book, something I struggled with after the pandemic hit. (I couldn't seem to focus long enough to finish a novella, let alone a chonker of a novel.) Admittedly, I used a combination of physical book + audiobook which really sped things along.
Full review in my blog:
https://wp.me/pevDXN-9L
To slake my thirst, I listened to the dramatised audiobook version of the short story, The Hope of Elantris.
It's a small story that takes place somewhere at the end of Elantris. It featured a character that was not in the book, but it was sweet and added to the satisfaction we got from the really nice ending of the novel.
We also got hints about what happened to our favourite couple after the events of Elantris. (Thank you for the fanservice, Brandon Sanderson.)
But, again, I wanted a lot more!
Anyway, I loved the magic system in this world, though I wonder how secure Elantris can be thanks to the way the magic is set up. (I can't say anything else without spoiling anything.)
Review here also
https://wp.me/pevDXN-9L
3.5 stars.
I was pretty excited to find out that Tiago wrote a book about his Second Brain PKM system. But alas i have to dock a star because he does ramble a bit.
Every chapter starts out with a story or anecdote on why having a second brain is so useful. Then he talks about why its important to have it. When this is repeated almost every chapter it becomes rather tedious and you are crying inside, “I get it! Can you just teach me how to do this already ??”
Main takeaways:
- the book was unfairly trashed. Culprits were likely Apple fanboys
- Yukari's book came at a time when Apple did seem to slide down in regard and profits. It has since become a trillion dollar company. However, her points about Apple being caught in the “innovator's dilemma” still stands. I can't remember any innovative products coming out of Apple anymore. It has become a mature company, far from the disruptor it was. It is now operated by operators instead of the creatives, so innovation will be stifled.
- it's sad that we celebrate people who prize profits over people
- the “heroes” caused so much of suffering and environmental damage. For what? Human greed, alas.
I have heard stories of people who benefited greatly from ADHD meds, and those who were better off it. So whats the right approach? Meds or no meds?
Well, as we find out from this book - it depends on the individual.
Dr Archer believes that not everyone diagnosed with ADHD needs meds. As it is a condition with a wode spectrum of severity, every patient should be treated as a separate case, their need for meds evaluated carefully.
They need to be taught coping mechanisms or workarounds first. If these are insufficient, then use meds.
However, his good intentions may be clouded by him emphasising this over and over. As folks in the ADHD community know, there is a lot of stigma regarding taking meds, and this stance will probably not be welcomed.
I already see reviews decrying the book, but many of these folks are writing from the persoective of having benefited greatly from medication. Believe me, there are many who do better without too!
It would have been helpful if the good doctor included a couple of chapters on cases that DO need medication, and how meds have turned their lives around. It would have made this book a more balanced one.
Tony Hsieh was the kinda guy you want to emulate - successful entrepreneur with millions in the bank. He was also a wonderful business leader and boss, and managed to attract a host of he a loyal employees and friends who loved him, among them Jewel, the American folk singer.
But behind the Ted Talk speaker, behind his charisma and reputation was a man wrestling with the demons of addiction and mental health problems.
I was actually really shocked to see how far he plummeted towards the end. Heartbreaking. In the end all the money in the world couldn't bring happiness to a man who wanted happiness for everyone.
It took me many months to reach the end of the journey. Now that I am here I wonder why I didn't take the detour...
A soggy middle. A very, very soggy and long-winded middle that could've been shaved down to a chapter or two. It has also one-dimensional characters who had the potential to be two-dimensional but never went that far.
I like this book because it's about two very flawed people who messed up their marriage but still found a way towards each other despite it. Bryony was infuriatingly unlikeable and stubborn at the beginning, but after you find out Leo's Great Sin I totally get it. Some readers are turned off by the revelation, deeming him irredeemable, but in my opinion Leo was very typical of men during that age. Not that it made it OK - he's still a big dope - but I get why he did what he did.
Both of us characters are complex and flawed, and the redemption of their marriage was touching and thrilling to read.
Now that I am living this life thanks to the great Work From Home experiment of 2020 and 2021, I can say - this is the way I wanna work. Scott's memoir had some great tips that I am trying to implement - the P2 for one, is a great tool in managing remote teams.
At times I feel its too detailed and got a little boring, but I appreciated reading about his experience.
Absolutely chilling. The more I read about Chris Watts, the more I realise he is a monster.
I couldn't shake the Watts Family murders for years. Why did he do what he did? This book offers not only a detailed look in how the horrific events unfolded but a possible explanation why Chris did what he did.
It also shows how easily people can get “hooked” to the wrong kind of person because some disordered personalities are so good at hiding what they really are
3.5 stars. Took me a while to realise that the hero is the brother to the heroine of the Beauty Tempts the Beast heroine. Frankly I wasn't terribly swept up by the couple's love story. It felt like something I've read a 100x times before. In fact, I was set to hate the heroine because she came off as a gold digger in the first few chapters. But once I knew why she had to snag a duke, I was a wee more sympathetic to her. Still, the plot was very common, so to speak, and I was about to give up on page 90 when things picked up a few pages later. That's when the Beauty Tempts the Beast couple makes a brief experience, which perked my interest a wee bit. Now I'm really curious about the fate of Griff's brother, Marcus, who seems like a more interesting fellow ...
As a person who is struggling with information overload, this is something I am looking for. But I was hoping for more insights on how to balance being in the know and how to filter out unnecessary or negative news that can affect your mental health. Three quarters of the book is why news is bad for you. As a former journalist, some of the reasons are a little eye brow raising for me, but there was no doubt the way news is being reported and consumed needs more balance. Alas, this book doesn't offer as many solutions as I like.
3.5 stars. This is a book I really need at this time of my life. But I find that it has a lot of padding. If you want to get to the meat of the content, Hyatt had an ebook he published in 2011, Creating Your Personal Life Plan, that is more lean, straight to the point version of the book. Then, read this book if you need more elaboration or are entertained by the stories he share. (However, as a middle-aged non-American woman of Asian descent who doesn't have a C-Suite job, I can't relate to the stories of upper middle class privileged white Christian men! That's the danger of anecdotes ... it can end up alienating your readers.)
Still, I really appreciate the simple and straightforward framework that he has given to help you design a plan to move towards the life that you desire.
3.5 stars. A fascinating account of the most unlikeliest move in movie history - getting the unseen director's cut of a movie to screens. Director's cuts - those are not unusual. But cuts that are almost completely different from the theatrical release? That's a different story!
I like the book well enough but I found the writing a little too dry, too press release-y for my liking. It can be repetitive too, with the interviewees repeating the same thing again and again.
The spanish influenza was 25x deadlier than the normal flu. Shockingly, the virus was able to jump across species easily, and was just as deadly to them. Po liticians blamed Germans (then an enemy) for deliberately spreading it. Masks were also controversial and politicised.
Its mysterious disappearance prevented scientists from researching why this virus was so deadly. And people were quick to forget this horrid time.
In 2020, we have another pandemic and the events of the past are repeating themselves.
If mankind goes extinct It will be due to their refusal to learn from the past.
This short and succinct graphic novel should be read in every classroom and discussed.
