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karang's reviews
144 reviews
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman
2.0
I've read about a hundred pages of this book, and sadly I'm not liking it so far. I really do want to know more about Feynman's life, but the way he writes is mundane and he just comes off as obnoxious.
I think I might just have to pick this back up at the wrong time. So maybe in the future I'll give it another go, but for now I'm just going to let it sit.
I think I might just have to pick this back up at the wrong time. So maybe in the future I'll give it another go, but for now I'm just going to let it sit.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
4.0
I started reading this book after numerous recommendations from successful people like Tim Ferriss. I loved the content of the book itself. It is a goldmine for learning about irrational persuasion.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I put what I had learned to test. I managed to get free WiFi and more from my hotel. It's a small example but just validates the research.
I'm taking off 1 star because the book has a lot of filter content. It would've been a much nicer and tighter read at about half the page count.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I put what I had learned to test. I managed to get free WiFi and more from my hotel. It's a small example but just validates the research.
I'm taking off 1 star because the book has a lot of filter content. It would've been a much nicer and tighter read at about half the page count.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
2.0
A very average book that won't really teach you anything new. This book could probably be summarized in a single page, so I believe that the author just use filler pages to fluff up the book. Not only that, there's a lot of missing links in the book. For example the author suggests imagining what it would look like to live in clutter free space. But a lot of people don't know what the clutter is, and if they are living in clutter. So they don't know what living in clutter free space would be like.
If I had to summarize the whole book in one sentence it would probably be this: throw away as much as you can. That's it. This is all this book is about.
If I had to summarize the whole book in one sentence it would probably be this: throw away as much as you can. That's it. This is all this book is about.
An Investor's Guide to Trading Options by Virginia B. Morris
4.0
A very nice and short primer on how options trading works. I like it that the book goes over the terminology and vocabulary in a way that makes sense to someone with no idea about options. The book has a lot of basic examples to help understand concepts and scenarios of options trading. Highly recommend this book as a Options Trading 101.
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts
5.0
T was one of the hardest books to read for me. Not because of the language or the style of writing but because of the content itself. Most of the points brought by Watts will just mess with your mind. You will at the end of each chapter, or even during, question your beliefs and your thoughts and your identity. Almost half of my highlights in the book are annotated with "wtf". this is not your regular self help book. I don't really know how to classify this. Maybe it's a psychology book. Maybe even philosophy. I really don't know. Maybe you should read it for yourself. Highly, highly recommend this short but exciting read to everyone.
Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon
4.0
I've read Austin's last book Steal Like an Artist and found it really interesting. This book follows the suit.
Austin is a great writer, I think. I like his style - direct and to the point. The book is about a hundred pages long, with chapters structured like short blog posts. I really love that. It makes digesting the information very easy and intuitive. I was able to read the whole book while taking notes and highlighting the important bits in just over an hour.
The content of the book itself is useful and practical. There's a lot of direct advice which a lot of other authors miss. Do this. Do that. Don't do this. I love it. Personally, I'm going to eternalize a lot of the information and actually use it.
One tip that I'm going to give a shot is sharing my process of creating with my audience a lot more. It totally makes sense. When I see something awesome out there, I'm very curious about what went into making it. The same has to be true for my products and my audience.
In summary, if you are creative (everyone is) and are alive (I hope you are), you should read this book. It will definitely help you kickstart the process of creating your personal brand online.
Austin is a great writer, I think. I like his style - direct and to the point. The book is about a hundred pages long, with chapters structured like short blog posts. I really love that. It makes digesting the information very easy and intuitive. I was able to read the whole book while taking notes and highlighting the important bits in just over an hour.
The content of the book itself is useful and practical. There's a lot of direct advice which a lot of other authors miss. Do this. Do that. Don't do this. I love it. Personally, I'm going to eternalize a lot of the information and actually use it.
One tip that I'm going to give a shot is sharing my process of creating with my audience a lot more. It totally makes sense. When I see something awesome out there, I'm very curious about what went into making it. The same has to be true for my products and my audience.
In summary, if you are creative (everyone is) and are alive (I hope you are), you should read this book. It will definitely help you kickstart the process of creating your personal brand online.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
2.0
I don't really know why I picked this book. I also don't know why I read all of it.
I'm a huge fan of The Office and their cast. So naturally, I had to at least consider reading this book. I guess I'm confused why this book exists. At times it was fun, but really, Mindy hasn't gone through some life-changing, soul-crushing challenges that the world HAS TO know about.
Having said that, if you're a single guy like me, skip everything and read just the section called "Guys need to do almost nothing to be great".
You're welcome.
I'm a huge fan of The Office and their cast. So naturally, I had to at least consider reading this book. I guess I'm confused why this book exists. At times it was fun, but really, Mindy hasn't gone through some life-changing, soul-crushing challenges that the world HAS TO know about.
Having said that, if you're a single guy like me, skip everything and read just the section called "Guys need to do almost nothing to be great".
You're welcome.
Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
2.0
I had really high expectations from this but mostly because I'm a huge fan of the podcast. Sadly I did not find a lot of value in the book. The chapters are really boring and the content is nothing inspiring. I ended up skipping or skimming most of the book.
No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering by Thích Nhất Hạnh
4.0
No Mud, No Lotus is a fascinating read on the topics of meditation and mindfulness. I'm surprised at the parallels between this book and Allen Watts' Wisdom of Insecurity.
The overarching theme of the book is that to be happy, we have to be suffering. Running from the latter will not bring the former. To really enjoy food, you have to suffer through hunger.
What I love about Thich's writing is that it's very direct. The book itself is 100ish pages. It's split in smaller chapters.
The book ends with a few "tutorials" and tips on various mantras and meditation practices. I think that's quite valuable for someone who needs easy step-by-step guide for developing their routine.
The overarching theme of the book is that to be happy, we have to be suffering. Running from the latter will not bring the former. To really enjoy food, you have to suffer through hunger.
What I love about Thich's writing is that it's very direct. The book itself is 100ish pages. It's split in smaller chapters.
The book ends with a few "tutorials" and tips on various mantras and meditation practices. I think that's quite valuable for someone who needs easy step-by-step guide for developing their routine.
The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
3.0
I had high expectations for this book. Sadly, it didn't meet them.
Personal MBA is a very high-level guide to your own MBA program, but it's no replacement for a B-school. It touches on all areas that you might need to know about when starting a business, but doesn't go in enough details to make the knowledge practical.
I like the fact that the chapters are short (1-3 pages) and very direct, but I think the content would be more valuable if it were explored at a deeper level with very solid examples. As it is, most of the advice just feels like "one man's opinion". I'd like to see case studies of people and businesses who applied the principles discussed in the book, and went on to succeed or fail.
If you were thinking of going to Business School, don't drop your plans.
Personal MBA is a very high-level guide to your own MBA program, but it's no replacement for a B-school. It touches on all areas that you might need to know about when starting a business, but doesn't go in enough details to make the knowledge practical.
I like the fact that the chapters are short (1-3 pages) and very direct, but I think the content would be more valuable if it were explored at a deeper level with very solid examples. As it is, most of the advice just feels like "one man's opinion". I'd like to see case studies of people and businesses who applied the principles discussed in the book, and went on to succeed or fail.
If you were thinking of going to Business School, don't drop your plans.