andycroll's reviews
107 reviews

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

slow-paced

2.5

Sinek’s natural context is a short talk. And he’s great. This is a bit of a classic “snappy 40 pages padded to 200” with all the Steve Jobs worship you’d expect.

There’s some good stuff in here, but it’s nowhere near as “science-y” as he’d like you to believe. 

The Enemy by Lee Child

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A Reacher is like slipping on a warm pair of jogging bottoms and submitting to it “doing it’s (incredibly well executed) thing” to you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent

Social Warming: On the Dangerous and Polarising Effects of Social Media by Charles Arthur

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Thought this would be terribly predictable, but was horrifyingly week informed and written. Better as a series of excellent essays rather than a whole themed polemic.

Assembly by Natasha Brown

challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

Ripping insight into modern society’s compact. And it’s problems.

Engineering Management for the Rest of Us by Sarah Drasner

informative medium-paced

4.0

Great and thoughtful. Covers the topic well.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Much more entertaining yarn than my initial snobbiness imagined.

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre

adventurous informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

This was outstanding.

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

Really escalates the tale from the first book and begins to explore the true villain of the piece.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0