5teverin0's reviews
163 reviews

Galileo's New Universe: The Revolution in Our Understanding of the Cosmos by Stephen P. Maran, Laurence A. Marschall

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
Did not finish book.

The characters were likable and interesting, and the plot was intriguing (if a bit slowly-paced)IIHoweverIII found the British slang and Sayers' fragmented, choppy and hyphen-filled manner of writing dialog very off-putting.and difficult to follow.  That, combined with the drawn out story left me a little in the dark and beginning to lose interest toward the last third.

Lao-tzu's Taoteching by Red Pine, Laozi
Did not finish book.

This is a challenging book, even with the extensive annotations. I just don't have the time and focus for it now. Hopefully, I can pick it up again soon.

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

challenging funny informative medium-paced

4.0

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard

adventurous informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

Ms. Millard has a real talent for writing about history and making it read like adventure fiction. Her prose is at times almost poetic, and she has a knack for vividly describing the settings and action, without being too verbose. She includes background information that enhances the reader's enjoyment of the story, without distracting him from it, or slowing it down.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Did not finish book.

I got about 50 pages in, but found it hard to give this book the attention it needs to make it worthwhile at this time. Will try again when I am less distracted and can get more out of it.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

adventurous mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Your Dichotomy of Control: Learn to Control Your World for a Happy Anxiety-Free Life by Anderson Silver

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I am a big fan of Mr. Silver. Through his books and his podcast, he manages to make sometimes abstract and difficult philosophical ideas easy to understand with plain language, relatable examples and practical applications. This book is no exception. However, while it shares these positives with his previous two books, it unfortunately also shares their negatives. To put it bluntly, it could really have benefitted from the attention of a good editor. There are numerous misspellings, typographical and punctuation errors, and the prose is sometimes convoluted and difficult to parse. This does not, in my opinion, take away from the real value and utility of the book. It's just a shame that, with a little more polish, it could be just that much better. Still, don't let the need for an editor keep you from reading the book. It helped me, and will probably help you in some way, too.

The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca: Essays and Letters by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Moses Hadas

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is so much more than a book about songwriting. Jeff Tweedy has a lot to say about creativity in general, and he says it in a friendly, conversational way that made me feel as though I was reading an encouraging letter from a friend. It is obvious that he really believes that anyone can write a song, and that everyone should at least try to. His sincere enthusiasm and gentle encouragement, coupled with the simple techniques and exercises he shares made me believe I could (and should), too. Much of what Jeff has to say applies to other creative pursuits, as wello So if you are a visual artist, a writer, a dancer or even a chef - if you consider whatever you love to do a creative endeavor - you will get a lot from this little book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing