Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
A fascinating book about the creation and growth of Phil Knight's shoe companies -- Blue Ribbon Sports initially, later renamed Nike. The stories of the original ideas, the first sales, the first store, etc. are fascinating. Everyone that I've talked with about the book has a 'favorite part.' For me, my favorite part was when Phil was running the startup company (mainly an import company with mail order sales) and he went back to work as a CPA. It was an impressive display of humility and commitment, in my mind, that he worked a day job even though he was running a company with employees. The book really only gives the story into the late 70's so we miss the Jordan years and other major milestones, but it is still a great book. Highly recommended. Grade: A-
The Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos
A book based on a true story and set in Salt Lake City. It tells the story of a new lawyer battling to help a client against a ladder-climbing district attorney looking to move up. The book is short and enjoyable. Grade: B+
Breakthrough by Michael C. Grumley
A science fiction book set here on earth. It includes everything from aliens that are here but hidden to AI for communicating with dolphins. Pretty good, but the ending was a bit of a let down because the bad guys got away with too much bad stuff. Grade: B-
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Summer Book Reviews
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter
The title of this book say it all, this book talks about the different types of technology that some people become addicted to, it addresses the question of whether or not behavioral addiction is even possible, and it talks about the reasons why technology can be addictive. I thought the book was interesting, especially the sections on video game addiction, but I wished it had talked more about solutions or strategies to overcoming/avoiding behavioral addictions. Grade: B
The Black Widow by Daniel Silva
A best selling book with very, very high reviews on Amazon. This fictional book is about a terrorist group within ISIS that is planning a major attack, and a women working for Israel that is trying to infiltrate the group and help to stop the attack. The book felt pretty real -- it was not an unbelievable James Bond-esq book, but I think I like my fictional books to be a little more exciting and maybe less real. Grade: B
A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
Set in New York during the later part of World War I, this fictional book is about a group of mostly wealth and young New Yorkers that are in the middle of a series of murders. The book has some interesting characters and some interesting chemistry, but the story is also slow and too character-driven for me. Grade: B-
The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson
This book is interesting and very hard to describe. It is a fictional story about a man with a very, very long and complex past and he is now facing a climactic good vs evil situation. It felt a little like Forrest Gump crossed with Lord of the Rings -- I know that sounds crazy, but it had lots of history and lots of good vs. evil. Entertaining. Grade: A-
Ancillary Justice
A science fiction book that won the Hugo and Nebula awards; hence it was one of the most critically acclaimed science fiction books ever. The concept behind the book is interesting, especially to me as I am interested in artificial intelligence and the limits/potential therein. However, the story felt slow and choppy to me. Grade: C-
The title of this book say it all, this book talks about the different types of technology that some people become addicted to, it addresses the question of whether or not behavioral addiction is even possible, and it talks about the reasons why technology can be addictive. I thought the book was interesting, especially the sections on video game addiction, but I wished it had talked more about solutions or strategies to overcoming/avoiding behavioral addictions. Grade: B
The Black Widow by Daniel Silva
A best selling book with very, very high reviews on Amazon. This fictional book is about a terrorist group within ISIS that is planning a major attack, and a women working for Israel that is trying to infiltrate the group and help to stop the attack. The book felt pretty real -- it was not an unbelievable James Bond-esq book, but I think I like my fictional books to be a little more exciting and maybe less real. Grade: B
A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
Set in New York during the later part of World War I, this fictional book is about a group of mostly wealth and young New Yorkers that are in the middle of a series of murders. The book has some interesting characters and some interesting chemistry, but the story is also slow and too character-driven for me. Grade: B-
The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson
This book is interesting and very hard to describe. It is a fictional story about a man with a very, very long and complex past and he is now facing a climactic good vs evil situation. It felt a little like Forrest Gump crossed with Lord of the Rings -- I know that sounds crazy, but it had lots of history and lots of good vs. evil. Entertaining. Grade: A-
Ancillary Justice
A science fiction book that won the Hugo and Nebula awards; hence it was one of the most critically acclaimed science fiction books ever. The concept behind the book is interesting, especially to me as I am interested in artificial intelligence and the limits/potential therein. However, the story felt slow and choppy to me. Grade: C-
Friday, July 7, 2017
June Book Reviews
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
A very interesting and funny memoir by Trevor Noah, current host of the Daily Show, about growing up in South Africa. The title is a reference to the fact that his mom was black and his dad was white (a Swiss/German ex-pat) and for them to have sex was illegal under apartheid. I loved the book and thought his mom sounded like an amazing person. Highly recommended. Grade: A
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
I might be biased because Mark Sullivan is a local author, living in Bozeman, Montana, but I thought this was a fascinating and interesting story of a young, Italian man, Pino Lella, during World War 2. Pino survived an incredible number of harrowing experiences, and he faced some incredibly difficult decisions during the war. We all need to know and understand history so we can learn from it. Grade: A-
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
Microorganisms are all around us and inside of us. They have more of an impact on our health and well-being than most of us realize. This book is about the incredible interactions between microbes and other living things. Fascinating and highly recommended. Grade: A
A very interesting and funny memoir by Trevor Noah, current host of the Daily Show, about growing up in South Africa. The title is a reference to the fact that his mom was black and his dad was white (a Swiss/German ex-pat) and for them to have sex was illegal under apartheid. I loved the book and thought his mom sounded like an amazing person. Highly recommended. Grade: A
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
I might be biased because Mark Sullivan is a local author, living in Bozeman, Montana, but I thought this was a fascinating and interesting story of a young, Italian man, Pino Lella, during World War 2. Pino survived an incredible number of harrowing experiences, and he faced some incredibly difficult decisions during the war. We all need to know and understand history so we can learn from it. Grade: A-
I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
Microorganisms are all around us and inside of us. They have more of an impact on our health and well-being than most of us realize. This book is about the incredible interactions between microbes and other living things. Fascinating and highly recommended. Grade: A
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Book Reviews: The Red Rising Trilogy
The Red Rising Trilogy, much like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, is really one long story spread across three books. You can read none of them or all of them, but you cannot read one or two of them. I thought the trilogy was exceptional, second only to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy from those I've read. The books are emotionally moving -- at times I was exhilarated, angry, crushed, elated, moved, appalled, etc. Pick an emotion, and I probably felt it, strongly, at some point while reading these books. They are part social commentary, and they are part inspirational. One way to describe them is to take one part "The Hunger Games", one part "Game of Thrones", and one part "Star Wars (episode IV - VI)" and mix. The overall trilogy gets a grade of A, but a few notes before closing:
- The first book was very good. It felt overly violent, but maybe that was necessary (I'm skeptical). Grade: B+
- The second book had the single worst ending of any book I've ever read. Whoever made the tragic mistake of not moving the last 2 or 3 chapters to the start of book 3 should never be allowed to make such a decision again. Grade: F-----
- The third book saved the trilogy. Grade: A+
- Obviously, the third book's grade counts more than the others.
- The books are written first person, from the point of the protagonist, Darrow of Lycos. However, it is a limited first person view because the reader does not always know what Darrow is thinking/doing. This writing style is very effective for raising the emotional level of the books. In retrospect, I found it both frustrating and interesting.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
March Book Reviews
Brain Web by Douglas E. Richards
The second book in the Nick Hall Series follows the ongoing story of a character (Nick Hall) that can read minds and has an internet implant in his head. Another enjoyable story from Douglas Richards. Grade: B-
The Frackers by Gregory Zuckerman
A fascinating book about the rise in hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling and the people and technologies that led to a resurgence in U.S. oil and natural gas production from dense rock (shale). Very well written and extremely interesting. The book does not directly address the environmental questions, but it does focus on some interesting and real people. A near must read. Grade: A-
From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
A story setting in Italy during World War 2. The main characters are a Jewish woman and a priest, and they are in love. Very moving and you are going to learn some (more) history. Highly recommended. Grade: A-
Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
This is a fictional story about what happens when some people are born with incredible abilities or 'brilliance'. The story is enjoyable, but the book also raises some fascinating questions that I cannot get out of my head. Grade: B+
Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
The third book in the Brilliance Trilogy. Probably the best book in the trilogy, but otherwise forgettable. Grade: B+
The second book in the Nick Hall Series follows the ongoing story of a character (Nick Hall) that can read minds and has an internet implant in his head. Another enjoyable story from Douglas Richards. Grade: B-
The Frackers by Gregory Zuckerman
A fascinating book about the rise in hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling and the people and technologies that led to a resurgence in U.S. oil and natural gas production from dense rock (shale). Very well written and extremely interesting. The book does not directly address the environmental questions, but it does focus on some interesting and real people. A near must read. Grade: A-
From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
A story setting in Italy during World War 2. The main characters are a Jewish woman and a priest, and they are in love. Very moving and you are going to learn some (more) history. Highly recommended. Grade: A-
Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
This is a fictional story about what happens when some people are born with incredible abilities or 'brilliance'. The story is enjoyable, but the book also raises some fascinating questions that I cannot get out of my head. Grade: B+
Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
The third book in the Brilliance Trilogy. Probably the best book in the trilogy, but otherwise forgettable. Grade: B+
Saturday, February 18, 2017
February Book Reviews
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
An interesting memoir from someone that grew up in a hillbilly family from Kentucky and Ohio. He talks about the challenges that he and his family faced and then he expands to discuss the wider challenges faced by individuals in those communities. It was an interesting book that I would recommend, and, based on its best seller status, everyone else is recommending it also. Grade: B+
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
A fascinating story of a women that becomes friends with a homeless black child in New York City. The book cover's both Laura's story and the challenges faced by homeless children. Extraordinarily moving and inspiring. Grade: A-
Thank You for Being Late by Thomas L. Friedman
Friedman is a great author that has previously written seminal books on globalization (The World is Flat) and the middle East (The Lexus and the Olive Branch). This book looks at the impact of 40 years of accelerating change in technology, global warming, and markets, and then looks at how that accelerating change is impacting people. It is a phenomenal book. It felt, at times, like Friedman was trying to capture all that he had learned over his career in a single book. Personally, I wish he had left the last two chapters out because they felt off-topic and disconnected from the rest of the book, but it was otherwise nearly perfect. Grade: A-
An interesting memoir from someone that grew up in a hillbilly family from Kentucky and Ohio. He talks about the challenges that he and his family faced and then he expands to discuss the wider challenges faced by individuals in those communities. It was an interesting book that I would recommend, and, based on its best seller status, everyone else is recommending it also. Grade: B+
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
A fascinating story of a women that becomes friends with a homeless black child in New York City. The book cover's both Laura's story and the challenges faced by homeless children. Extraordinarily moving and inspiring. Grade: A-
Thank You for Being Late by Thomas L. Friedman
Friedman is a great author that has previously written seminal books on globalization (The World is Flat) and the middle East (The Lexus and the Olive Branch). This book looks at the impact of 40 years of accelerating change in technology, global warming, and markets, and then looks at how that accelerating change is impacting people. It is a phenomenal book. It felt, at times, like Friedman was trying to capture all that he had learned over his career in a single book. Personally, I wish he had left the last two chapters out because they felt off-topic and disconnected from the rest of the book, but it was otherwise nearly perfect. Grade: A-
Sunday, January 8, 2017
January Book Reviews
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
An extremely enjoyable story. The story builds upon an idea from quantum mechanics research that the probabilistic behavior predicted by the equations of quantum mechanics can be explained by a multiverse -- or multiple universes that are generated for all possible outcomes of a probabilistic event. Well, in Dark Matter, some characters are able to move from one universe (say our universe) to another, nearly identical parallel universe that branched off sometime in the past so it is somewhat different. Doesn't seem plausible, but it makes for an entertaining and interesting story. Grade: A-
Quantum Lens by Douglas E. Richards
I don't know what it is with me and quantum mechanics-based fiction this month, but this story is also extremely enjoyable and is based on the quantum mechanics idea of a zero-point field. The zero-point field is related to the spontaneous appearance and rapid disappearance of a particle and an anti-particle and the energy related to this event. In this story, a few select individuals are able to exploit energy from the zero-point field to gain 'super-hero'-like powers. There are some great twists and turns in this interesting and pretty well researched book. Grade: A-
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukerjee
This book looks at the history of human's search for the mechanism for heredity, the discovery of genes, the development of recombinant DNA technology, the human genome project, and many other related developments. The author is a master at weaving anecdotes, personal stories, and other historical events to help the reader stay interested and engaged. Very interesting and highly recommended. Grade: A
An extremely enjoyable story. The story builds upon an idea from quantum mechanics research that the probabilistic behavior predicted by the equations of quantum mechanics can be explained by a multiverse -- or multiple universes that are generated for all possible outcomes of a probabilistic event. Well, in Dark Matter, some characters are able to move from one universe (say our universe) to another, nearly identical parallel universe that branched off sometime in the past so it is somewhat different. Doesn't seem plausible, but it makes for an entertaining and interesting story. Grade: A-
Quantum Lens by Douglas E. Richards
I don't know what it is with me and quantum mechanics-based fiction this month, but this story is also extremely enjoyable and is based on the quantum mechanics idea of a zero-point field. The zero-point field is related to the spontaneous appearance and rapid disappearance of a particle and an anti-particle and the energy related to this event. In this story, a few select individuals are able to exploit energy from the zero-point field to gain 'super-hero'-like powers. There are some great twists and turns in this interesting and pretty well researched book. Grade: A-
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukerjee
This book looks at the history of human's search for the mechanism for heredity, the discovery of genes, the development of recombinant DNA technology, the human genome project, and many other related developments. The author is a master at weaving anecdotes, personal stories, and other historical events to help the reader stay interested and engaged. Very interesting and highly recommended. Grade: A
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