andycroll's reviews
107 reviews

Outline by Rachel Cusk

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A slice of life. A middle class, creative life. No less insightful for that.

Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

A solid, “standard” journalistically competent review of a handful of companies not chasing endless growth.

Only slightly undone by the vagaries of time undoing a number of them between the original printing me the later edition!

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A pacy delight as always. But Reacher’s starting to feel his age, which is more interesting.

Y, the Last Man: The Deluxe Edition, Book 4 by Brian K. Vaughan

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A rollicking tale, with twists and turns, always wonder if I’m reading comic books properly.

POLITICS: A Survivor's Guide by RAFAEL. BEHR

funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

I enjoy Raf’s columns, as much as I do his company. The book was a long and thoughtful rundown of “what’s gone wrong” and the failures of the last decade or so. There’s a tiny bit of hope. Maybe it’s not so bad?

Calm: Educate Yourself in the Art of Remaining Calm, and Learn how to Defend Yourself from Panic and Fury by The School of Life

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Sustainable Web Design by Tom Greenwood

informative medium-paced

3.5

Decent overview but not much actionable advice. And there’s no sense of “priority” in the things we need to fix.

The Sorrows of Work by The School of Life

hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.25

The brevity and wit of the School of Life gets so much done in so few pages. They read more like talks than books, plus they’re freed from the length constraints of “normal publishing”.

Together Is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration by Simon Sinek

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

All his books should be short and illustrated. The “real” ones are padded in the extreme, this felt like Seuss in a good way. Sinek is best when summarizing, not extemporizing.

Magpie by Elizabeth Day

hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

When it began I was ready to drop it, the most insipid “chick lit” I’d ever read. But I’m glad I persevered, it turned into something more interesting.