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giorgiawessels's reviews
30 reviews
Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M.E. Thomas
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
3.5 stars. This book really wasn’t bad despite all of the bad ratings it got. If you take the emotion out of it (pun intended), it’s actually pretty insightful to read how the author experiences and goes about life. The only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because it is quite a long read and may get a little unexciting at times.
Here are some paragraphs I found interesting:
“The reality is that I have nothing of what people refer to as a conscience or remorse. The concept of morality, when defined as an emotional understanding of right and wrong, goes right over my head like an inside joke of which I am not a part.”
“Although hardwired emotional moral compasses typically help people to do what is good and avoid what is bad, there should be other reasons that people would do good things besides a sense of morality. It is rational for me to obey the law, because I do not want to go to jail; it is rational for me not to harm or injure other people, because a society in which everyone acted harmfully would inevitably cause me harm too.”
“At some point, I have to wonder if all of my rational decision-making can make up for my inability to empathize, and I conclude that it doesn’t. People take for granted the empathy with which they were born, and the morality that they somehow internalize. Crying when someone you love cries—I was not born with this shortcut into the hearts of other people. Feeling guilt when you hurt someone you love is an internal safeguard to prevent you from losing them, but I have never been able to learn it. The work-arounds that I have devised for these things often fail me.”
“But as heartless as I am, I have wanted to feel love, to feel connection, to feel like I belong to the world like anyone else. No one, it seems, can escape loneliness.”
“I indulge in inserting myself into a person’s psyche and quietly wreaking as much havoc as I can. To indulge in malignity. To terrorize a person’s soul without having any real design on the person.”
“Outwardly I was all confidence and openness; inwardly I was spiteful and lonely and unaware of how to relate to the world. I wanted so much to be good but only knew how to appear that way by being bad.”
Here are some paragraphs I found interesting:
“The reality is that I have nothing of what people refer to as a conscience or remorse. The concept of morality, when defined as an emotional understanding of right and wrong, goes right over my head like an inside joke of which I am not a part.”
“Although hardwired emotional moral compasses typically help people to do what is good and avoid what is bad, there should be other reasons that people would do good things besides a sense of morality. It is rational for me to obey the law, because I do not want to go to jail; it is rational for me not to harm or injure other people, because a society in which everyone acted harmfully would inevitably cause me harm too.”
“At some point, I have to wonder if all of my rational decision-making can make up for my inability to empathize, and I conclude that it doesn’t. People take for granted the empathy with which they were born, and the morality that they somehow internalize. Crying when someone you love cries—I was not born with this shortcut into the hearts of other people. Feeling guilt when you hurt someone you love is an internal safeguard to prevent you from losing them, but I have never been able to learn it. The work-arounds that I have devised for these things often fail me.”
“But as heartless as I am, I have wanted to feel love, to feel connection, to feel like I belong to the world like anyone else. No one, it seems, can escape loneliness.”
“I indulge in inserting myself into a person’s psyche and quietly wreaking as much havoc as I can. To indulge in malignity. To terrorize a person’s soul without having any real design on the person.”
“Outwardly I was all confidence and openness; inwardly I was spiteful and lonely and unaware of how to relate to the world. I wanted so much to be good but only knew how to appear that way by being bad.”
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
An insightful and somewhat interesting read but nothing breathtaking. I enjoyed other financial books more which include authors Kristy Shen and J.L. Collins.
Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories of People Like You on the Quest for Financial Independence—And How to Join Them by JL Collins
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
This book wasn’t too bad, there are some nice stories and useful nuggets, but I found it wasn’t diving deep enough into the stories - many of them being from the US. I loved JL’s intros to the chapters, but the stories almost read like reviews sometimes and got a tad boring.
The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life by JL Collins
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I finished the book in 10 days - a great read! Collins gives straightforward and easy-to-follow advice on how to invest in index funds and reach financial independence. I had my notes app open the entire time and have many great advices pasted from the author. The only thing I did not resonate with is that it’s very US centric so I’m still very unsure of retirement funds and taxes, but will be sure to pick up JL Collin’s second book “Pathfinders” which contains stories of people from different backgrounds. Would highly recommend this book!
Quit Like a Millionaire: No Gimmicks, Luck, or Trust Fund Required by Bryce Leung, Kristy Shen
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Wow, I REALLY enjoyed this one! The author dives deep into refining your personal finances - although it was mostly centred around the US and Canada (especially when it comes to retirement and tax), there are tons of good stuff in here. It might seem a little difficult for newbies but definitely something to come back to!
How to Turn $100 Into $1,000,000: Earn! Save! Invest! by Jeannine Glista, Matt Fontaine, James McKenna
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
This is a great read for youngsters, teens and even people in their early twenties who don’t know a thing about personal finances. It breaks everything down for you and gets you excited about budgeting, saving and even touches on investing. A great start!
Smartwoman: How to Gain Financial Independence and Create Wealth by Sylvia Walker
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and I found it very beneficial. Sylvia really covers all the bases and even gives you checklists to make things easier for you which I really appreciate (as I still found some things a little confusing). I would recommend this book to any South African woman who wants to take control of her finances and work towards independence.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
I think the story was sweet, but not remarkable. It’s not something I would reread or recommend. I liked that a guy who never cries and works too hard was able to finally express his feelings and connect with his loved ones, but other than that, nothing that pulled on my heartstrings.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
A candid and raw telling of Jennette McCurdy’s life. I decided to listen to the audiobook so I can hear her story from herself, and I appreciated how truthful and undisguised it was. I’m a memoir reader now! It was very eye-opening and she is so courageous to take her healing journey into her own hands.
How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't by Lane Moore
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
2.5
The book started off pretty interesting but then for the next 10 chapters (it seems) the author just goes into her failed relationships and how she’s such a hopeless romantic. I switched over to the audio book which was more bearable as her voice is pretty fun and she’s good at portraying emotion, but the writing of the book reads like a teenager wrote it. I unfortunately didn’t learn much, but at best it might make you feel less alone.