mic_the_amp's reviews
16 reviews

Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve And/Or Ruin Everything by Zach Weinersmith, Kelly Weinersmith
Did not finish book. Stopped at 59%.

Boring and not worth it

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García Puigcerver

informative inspiring medium-paced

1.5

Book is all waffle,
Good theories, but still don’t know
What ikigai is

I’m all seriousness, I’m not sure of the point of the book except to talk on a surface level about the lives of Okinawa centenarians. It does show that a purpose or “ikigai” is central to leading a fulfilled life. I’ve found out more by reading the Wikipedia page for it. Don’t waste your money or your libraries copy on this.

Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller

informative medium-paced

5.0

I picked this up on a whim to learn more about why Taiwan was so important for the world. I was blown away at the detailed history of the most important invention of the 20th century, the transistor. I can now see why Taiwan is in the enviable or unenviable position that is in and how important its sovereignty is to the whole world.

David Bowie: A Life by Dylan Jones

informative slow-paced

2.5

As a huge David Bowie fan, I was extremely underwhelmed with this book. The chronology between interviews generally moved forward, but would skip forward and back. I felt the book was more about people interjecting their own life over DB’s. There was an egregious amount of repetition, this book certainly didn’t need to be as long as it was. The interview section from DB himself were few and far between

I really wanted to hear more from the people that worked in the studio with DB, and in more depth about the creative process. 

I did enjoy the last part of the book where it talks about the next day, his illness, and blackstar. 

In terms of the “definitive book on Bowie”, this ain’t it, chief.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell

informative medium-paced

4.0

This book is large and dense. And good. I can see how it had revolutionary ideas for the time that it was published. As stated in the book, nutrition studies are very hard to extend for years on end so observational studies are largely used as a basis to make conjectures about health and diet. In the years since it has been published, studies show  that a whole food vegan diet is the healthiest to follow, the best on environmental impact, and morally the right one to follow too.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Here Murakami takes a look at his life as he begins preparations to run another marathon. He reflects on the motivations to start running and how it has become a massive benefit to him. Simply put, running is a cheap habit to start, can be done anywhere, and is great for you.

If anything, this has inspired me to start running. Perhaps I will try to train for a marathon. I say this as someone who has always hated running and could not see the point of running long distances. Maybe this is an opportunity to improve my mental resolve.

Street Photography: The Art of Capturing the Candid Moment by Gordon Lewis

informative medium-paced

2.5

Gordon Lewis provides a short introduction to street photography. He hints at techniques and aims to alleviate concerns about taking photos of people in public. There are numerous shots that are provided in the book to get a feel for his style, and how he likes to compose pictures.

The information in this book could honestly have been left to a blog post. 

Lessons in Stoicism: What Ancient Philosophers Teach Us about How to Live by John Sellars

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

This book will Inspire you to take a bigger leap into learning more of and practicing stoicism

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0