There's a lot about this book that I like, and that has helped me. Specifically the parts about breaking large daunting habits down into smaller achievable pieces, chaining habits together so that doing one makes you do others, and generally making habits enjoyable and convenient. There's a lot of practical advice. My only problem is that the book is framed from the perspective of an athlete who's striving for excellence. That's by no means unusual in self help books written by American men. I just don't derive a lot of motivation from a need to prove myself through competition.
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Review of 'Hondo' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
It's a western, and a pretty pulpy one at that, but I kinda liked it! It's got the things you expect; lots of flowery descriptions of the desert southwest, indian braves, backstabbing ne'er-do-wells, buffalo soldiers, a damsel in distress, and of course, a lone ranger, and his dog. The titular Hondo, can do no wrong. He's always trying to do the right thing with as few words as possible. Like a super hero in buckskin tights. It's a guilty pleasure, but I'm a white man and this book was written to pander to my masculine fantasies and I can't help but love it! I especially enjoyed the bits of Apache lore, though I take them with salt.
Review of 'Tortilla Flat' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I read this one aloud to my partner a little at a time over the course of a few weeks. It was fun, like a comedic soap opera. It's slow paced, and the characters are cute. If you liked Cannery Row you'll feel right at home with this one.
Review of 'The day of the triffids' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I'm a little conflicted about this book. It's a unique and innovative take on the post-apocalyptic dystopia genre, and given it's age there's no doubting it's influence. It's clear to see shades of 28 days later. It's refreshing to read a zombie story with no zombies, but the titular plants that rule the day feel like an afterthought. At points the characters even seem to forget about them. Maybe it's just hard to envision sentient plants that walk and swing whip-like stingers. The characters seemed to focus too much on rebuilding society, while the brutal aspects of humanity in a survival situation felt like an afterthought. Seems the author thought more about how people would be shagging after the apocalypse than how they would be feeding themselves. Again, the lack of zombies was a pleasant respite, but the blind people who replace them being dismissed as helpless burdens on those โฆ
I'm a little conflicted about this book. It's a unique and innovative take on the post-apocalyptic dystopia genre, and given it's age there's no doubting it's influence. It's clear to see shades of 28 days later. It's refreshing to read a zombie story with no zombies, but the titular plants that rule the day feel like an afterthought. At points the characters even seem to forget about them. Maybe it's just hard to envision sentient plants that walk and swing whip-like stingers. The characters seemed to focus too much on rebuilding society, while the brutal aspects of humanity in a survival situation felt like an afterthought. Seems the author thought more about how people would be shagging after the apocalypse than how they would be feeding themselves. Again, the lack of zombies was a pleasant respite, but the blind people who replace them being dismissed as helpless burdens on those who maintained sight seems ableist and flat. The main characters have a pretty bland romance that takes up a lot more words than it deserves. Side characters are barely developed, but numerous. All it all the narrative flounders. I really want to give this four stars; after all, I finished it which is saying something, but I just can't. It's pulpy, and not really that compelling. Margaret Atwood did it MUCH better with Oryx and Crake.
Review of 'Assholes' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book defines an "asshole" as someone who thinks they deserve privileges that you don't think they do. There is also a presumption that everyone deserves the same privileges. There are problems with both of these premises; nobody agrees what privileges they should all have, and some people clearly deserve some privileges more than others. Take Linus Torvalds the creator of Linux for example. He's a huge asshole, but he created Linux so everyone gives him a pass. And honestly, who's to say he doesn't deserve the privilege? He's probably put more effort into the project than many other contributors so he's got skin in the game. His name is on it after all. The truth is that what people deserve is quite variable, and also relative to how much a person demands. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the person who demands a privilege often gets it. Theres โฆ
This book defines an "asshole" as someone who thinks they deserve privileges that you don't think they do. There is also a presumption that everyone deserves the same privileges. There are problems with both of these premises; nobody agrees what privileges they should all have, and some people clearly deserve some privileges more than others. Take Linus Torvalds the creator of Linux for example. He's a huge asshole, but he created Linux so everyone gives him a pass. And honestly, who's to say he doesn't deserve the privilege? He's probably put more effort into the project than many other contributors so he's got skin in the game. His name is on it after all. The truth is that what people deserve is quite variable, and also relative to how much a person demands. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the person who demands a privilege often gets it. Theres something pathetic about writing so many words disparaging people who enjoy privileges you don't think they deserve, while they continue to enjoy those privileges anyway. What this book refuses to acknowledge is how effective being an asshole is. Hate the game, not the player.
Review of 'Starship Troopers' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
I liked this movie. I thought the inclusivity toward women, and farsical attitude toward fascism was unique and interesting. I heard people say the book was better. So, I assumed that it would expound on the world the story was set in. I expected it to offer more explanation about how this militarist federation was built.
I was SO WRONG!
First of all, this book offers nothing but a full-throated endorsement of fascism, corporal punishment, and the use of violence to advance the interests of the state. Secondly, women are barely involved at all. Women are allowed to pilot spaceships only because they have a "higher tolerance for g-forces". Third, there is barely any more world building in the entire book than was found in the first five minutes of the movie, and it's all delivered without an ounce of self-awareness.
Worst of all, this isn't even imaginative science fiction. โฆ
I liked this movie. I thought the inclusivity toward women, and farsical attitude toward fascism was unique and interesting. I heard people say the book was better. So, I assumed that it would expound on the world the story was set in. I expected it to offer more explanation about how this militarist federation was built.
I was SO WRONG!
First of all, this book offers nothing but a full-throated endorsement of fascism, corporal punishment, and the use of violence to advance the interests of the state. Secondly, women are barely involved at all. Women are allowed to pilot spaceships only because they have a "higher tolerance for g-forces". Third, there is barely any more world building in the entire book than was found in the first five minutes of the movie, and it's all delivered without an ounce of self-awareness.
Worst of all, this isn't even imaginative science fiction. It's 95% about a soldier's experience training and participating in a war. Replace the spaceships with planes, the power armor with parachutes, and the bugs with nazis and it could have been set in the 1930s. The characters all talk and behave like pre-war Americans. If you've watched "Band of Brothers" you will be very bored by this story by now.
Whoever made a screenplay out of this McCarthy-era bullshit book was actively mocking it the entire time. In that way the movie is a MASSIVE improvement.