The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks is a travel memoir about a journalist's trip to the FaralThe Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks is a travel memoir about a journalist's trip to the Farallon Islands during the shark sighting season.
I'm not a huge fan of marine life, so I guess I was somewhat biased from the beginning. But although Farralones are an interesting place and the sharks turned out to be a fascinating subject, I didn't love the subject presentation. Honestly, I didn't even learn that much about the sharks (the Farallon Islands are the true star of the book) and was left wanting more science and facts.
The book itself seemed all over the place. It's almost like Susan Casey wanted to write a book but didn’t have enough to say about the subject so she ended up talking about anything and everything that was marginally related.
Also, I had a hard time sympathizing with the author. It appeared to me that she desperately wanted to be an insider and was quite snobby towards the people that were not part of the island/shark research group. What is more, her selfishness and arrogance even got one of the researchers fired.
Merged review:
The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks is a travel memoir about a journalist's trip to the Farallon Islands during the shark sighting season.
I'm not a huge fan of marine life, so I guess I was somewhat biased from the beginning. But although Farralones are an interesting place and the sharks turned out to be a fascinating subject, I didn't love the subject presentation. Honestly, I didn't even learn that much about the sharks (the Farallon Islands are the true star of the book) and was left wanting more science and facts.
The book itself seemed all over the place. It's almost like Susan Casey wanted to write a book but didn’t have enough to say about the subject so she ended up talking about anything and everything that was marginally related.
Also, I had a hard time sympathizing with the author. It appeared to me that she desperately wanted to be an insider and was quite snobby towards the people that were not part of the island/shark research group. What is more, her selfishness and arrogance even got one of the researchers fired....more
Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of eight science fiction short stories that serve as literary explorations of a bunch of Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of eight science fiction short stories that serve as literary explorations of a bunch of really interesting "what if" questions. By the way, the title story, "Story of Your Life," was the basis for the 2016 film Arrival.
Overall, I'm impressed by the author’s range of subject knowledge - mathematics, physics, biology, psychology, linguistics, sociology, philosophy - as well as the variety of narrative formats, settings, and tones. The eight stories are so distinct that I could easily have been convinced they were written by multiple authors!
Of course, some of the stories I liked better than the others. My favorite was the last one, "Liking What You See: A Documentary." It's a sort of pro-con debate about Calliagnosia, a procedure that turns off a person's ability to perceive facial beauty, thereby reducing "lookism," discrimination based on physical appearance.
On the other hand, I got really stuck on the longest story in the collection, "Seventy-Two Letters." This one featured automatons, golems, nomenclature, and the 17th-century homunculus theory. Not exactly my cup of tea (I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction in general), but like all the others in the collection, it was still well-researched and thought-out. I especially loved the story notes afterward, which briefly discussed the author's inspiration for each story.
Finally, I have a soft spot for science, and I love how Chiang doesn't shy away from the technical details or try to dumb the science down out of fear that some readers might get lost. Sometimes I did get lost, but when I didn't, it was extremely satisfying to apply my scientific knowledge in such a setting. :)...more
Blake Crouch's Upgrade is a science fiction thriller that discusses the ethical implications of gene editing and explores the nature of hu2.5 out of 5
Blake Crouch's Upgrade is a science fiction thriller that discusses the ethical implications of gene editing and explores the nature of humanity.
It's apparent that Upgrade is very well-researched. There are a lot of scientific facts and technicalities throughout the novel, which make the story more believable, and unfortunately, also quite boring. Although I appreciated all the research that the author has done and enjoyed feeling smart when the science didn't go over my head, I wasn't too invested in the plot, because most of the time there was not much happening, just a lot of info dumping.
To make matters worse, I wasn't too invested in the characters either, but perhaps that was the point. (view spoiler)[As the protagonist got smarter, he also got less likable and more robot-like, illustrating the point that more intelligence can lead to less compassion and connection. (hide spoiler)]
Ultimately, I liked the ethical ponderings and the conclusion of what could make humanity better, even though the protagonist's "solution" is rather debatable.
By the way, have you ever read Ted Chiang's short story "Understand," first published in 1991? To call "Understand" and Upgrade similar would be understatement, yet I haven't seen any acknowledgments to the short story......more
May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics and Studies Exploit Our Biases - And What We Can Do About It is an engaging primer on data analysis that encMay Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics and Studies Exploit Our Biases - And What We Can Do About It is an engaging primer on data analysis that encourages us to be more skeptical of all the "facts" in the media that exploit our biases in order to carry out hidden agendas.
May Contain Lies is very insightful and easy to understand. It's an entertaining crash course in data analysis that I wish I had when I was getting my bachelor's in biology. I also really like the fact that each chapter has a summary, making it easier to absorb and reenforce all the key information, especially when listening to the audiobook.
Alex Edmans is a professor of finance, and most of his stories feature studies in economics and politics. Since I have no interest in boardroom diversity, stock trading, or policy making, I didn't really care about half of the stories Edmans used as examples in his book. To be fair, the author did a good job illustrating his points, I just wasn't that invested in the predominant topics.
Towards the end of the book, when the author discussed possible solutions, I got bored and had a hard time focusing. I'm not sure what exactly was the problem. It might have been the fact that a lot of the solutions didn't seem actionable, unless you are a policy maker with the power to introduce changes into the system. Or maybe it's the fact that I don't really WANT to become even more skeptical, because the idea of always questioning and double-checking all the "facts" seems too overwhelming.
By the way, I listened to an audiobook version of May Contain Lies and didn't question Edmans' credibility, but some of my friends had their hands on the hard copy of the book and noted the curious lack of citations regarding some concepts that Edmans discussed but most likely didn't invent himself (e.g., different types of thinking). Also, apparently some graphs in the book were missing labels. I didn’t care enough to get to the bottom of this (see, I told you I don't wanna have to double-check EVERYTHING), but I’m not gonna lie, it sounds a little bit dubious....more
Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods is a twisty thriller centered around Naomi, who miraculously survived 17 stab wounds 22 years3.5 out of 5
Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods is a twisty thriller centered around Naomi, who miraculously survived 17 stab wounds 22 years ago, and her two best friends, Liv and Cass, who witnessed the crime and helped identify and put away a serial killer. The girls were heroes. But for years, they have been keeping a dark secret...
The first half of the book was a little slow for me and felt kind of mopey. Not sure if it's Naomi's perspective or Karissa Vacker's narration, or both, but I wasn’t too invested in the story or the characters.
Fortunately, the second half of the book really picked up and was very captivating. SO. MANY. TWISTS!!! I was able to predict a twist or two (and was super proud of myself, haha!), but then the story kept on twisting and surprising me. In my inexperienced opinion, it was well done :) When I thought about the story more, a few details and explanations raised some questions, but that didn't affect the overall enjoyment of the mystery at all.
The characters were complex and real, and even though I didn't really love any of them, they were interesting and believable.
Also, I loved the ending. It was realistic but also satisfying and hopeful....more
Susanna Clarke's Piranesi is a dream-like fantasy novel and mystery featuring Piranesi, an unreliable narrator, and the House - a labyrint3.5 out of 5
Susanna Clarke's Piranesi is a dream-like fantasy novel and mystery featuring Piranesi, an unreliable narrator, and the House - a labyrinth full of infinite halls, endless vestibules, thousands of statues, clouds, and even an ocean...
The novel is atmospheric, mysterious, and well-crafted as the reader at first is as clueless and confused as the narrator, who knows the House as the only world, and little by little both of them uncover the truth.
However, the first third of the book is rather slow as there are endless descriptions of the House and Its Halls, Vestibules, Statues, Tides, and birds. Luckily, Chiwetel Ejiofor's awesome audiobook narration carried me through until the plot picked up.
Overall, the gradual unveiling of the mystery was quite satisfying, and the ending is perfectly open....more
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon is an intriguing psychological portrait of a convicted American cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam BankGoing Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon is an intriguing psychological portrait of a convicted American cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried and a unique behind-the-scenes look into his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency trading firm, Alameda Research, and his crypto exchange, FTX.
The entire story, as well as its many characters, are bizarrely engaging, to say the least. I especially appreciate Michael Lewis' storytelling skills and his ability to explain complex topics in an understandable and engaging manner. I don’t know anything about cryptocurrency, but I was able to enjoy the story without the urge to google everything, and that's high praise given my extremely low tolerance for confusion, uncertainty, and the unknown, haha!
I especially enjoyed the many insights into the eccentric personalities and unusual minds of Sam Bankman-Fried and his associates. In Going Infinite, you can encounter expected value calculations in daily activities and interactions, utilitarianism in action, effective altruism on Wall Street, intriguing Jane Street hiring process, love letters as business memos, infinity money, and a multi-billion dollar business with little to no appropriate management, corporate governance, or organizational structure.
However, I can't get rid of the feeling that Going Infinite was rushed to be published just in time for the beginning of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial in order to ride the wave of relevance. I think the book would be much more critical and rounded if the trial details, especially the testimonials and findings, were included in the story. As it is now, the story not only seems incomplete and rushed, but also rather biased. I haven't followed the trial, so after listening to Going Infinite, I had an impression that Sam Bankman-Fried is probably just a weirdo who was in over his head, not necessarily a cold-blooded fraud. Apparently, there is more to this story, but unfortunately, you won't find it in Going Infinite....more
The Woman in Me is a heartbreaking memoir by The Princess of Pop, detailing her rise to fame as well as her very public mental breakdown, which resultThe Woman in Me is a heartbreaking memoir by The Princess of Pop, detailing her rise to fame as well as her very public mental breakdown, which resulted in 13 years of dubious conservatorship, during which Britney Spears was practically enslaved by her own family.
What an emotional, touching read!
The early parts of the book brought a lot of nostalgia, as I was kind of obsessed with everything Britney Spears during my early teens. As I listened to the audio version of The Woman in Me, I often paused to watch Britney Spears' music videos, interviews, or memorable performances she mentioned, and even rewatched her movie, "Crossroads."
Revisiting Britney Spears' golden years made the rest of her story even more heartbreaking. What a painful, lonely life when you are a loving, trustful soul who is constantly used and abused by the people closest to you, especially your family, the ones who are supposed to protect you and be there for you no matter what.
As for the memoir itself, the flow was rather choppy, and most of the book felt like a never-ending rebuttal of rumors and tabloid stories, with most of which I wasn’t familiar and sometimes lacked context. Although Britney was telling her side of the story, it often felt like she was merely scratching the surface. Some facts appeared to be missing or downplayed to the point where I was convinced that there must be more to the story, and that missing information is most likely not favorable to the teller.
Finally, although it would be completely understandable for Britney to occasionally come across as outraged, she never really does. To be honest, even though the events in her life make this memoir an emotional read, her narration strangely lacks emotional depth. She is always so polite, so innocent, and so fast to forgive and forget that it sometimes seems somewhat insincere and possibly even calculated. Or maybe she just needs more time healing and dealing with her demons... Because judging from her Instagram, I'm not entirely convinced that Britney is actually doing OK....more
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--And How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari is a pop psychology book that explores twelve caus3.5 out of 5
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--And How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari is a pop psychology book that explores twelve causes of as well as a number of potential solutions to the modern attention crisis.
Although I was taken aback by the author's condescending and self-righteous tone in the introduction, I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit. Hari made some really interesting points and backed them up with a lot of research, interviews, and personal anecdotes.
Hari's writing is both easily understandable and captivating, making a complex topic more accessible as well as entertaining. What is more, the audiobook version, narrated by the author, is an easy listen, which is not a given for a nonfiction title.
By the way, the chapters on technology reminded me of “Social Dilemma” on Netflix. An eye-opening insight on inner workings of social media algorithms!
Ironically, it does seem like the author somewhat loses focus of the book's topic towards the end......more
In Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully, Kelly and Juliet Starrett break down 10 essentials of healthy, balaIn Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully, Kelly and Juliet Starrett break down 10 essentials of healthy, balanced lifestyle, touching upon such topics as exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mobility. Each essential comes with an uncomplicated explanation, a test, and a roadmap on how to improve it.
Although Built to Move might be a great primer for those who are less familiar with the topics around healthy lifestyle, I personally found it too generic. Since I live and breathe health and fitness at the moment, I didn't learn anything new. I've heard or read more in depth information on almost all essentials. In addition, I was a subscriber to The Ready State for a few years, so I have heard Kelly's take on these subjects before and learned all the mobilizations.
Although I appreciated the simplicity of Built to Move, some of the arguments lacked scientific evidence, and therefore, didn't seem that credible. I literally rolled my eyes when the authors swore that Conor McGregor lost a round against Floyd Mayweather because he took a breath through his mouth.
All in all, Built to Move is not a bad book at all, and for some people it might even be life-changing. However, it wasn't for me, and I was quite bored listening to it....more
Every Heart a Doorway is a fantasy novella and murder mystery featuring a boarding school/rehabilitation center for children who come back from magicaEvery Heart a Doorway is a fantasy novella and murder mystery featuring a boarding school/rehabilitation center for children who come back from magical worlds and struggle to fit back into real life.
It's a cool premise for sure with tons of potential, but I didn't love the execution. There were too many ideas for such a short book, and none of them were developed into anything substantial or satisfying. In other words, it felt like a whole lot of nothing.
For starters, Every Heart a Doorway sorely lacks character development. Most of the characters were one-dimensional and felt like a checklist of representation rather than actual people. For instance, asexuality was brought up very clumsily and was over-explained like it wouldn’t be if the character was hetero-, homo-, or even bisexual. To make mattes worse, it wasn't that relevant to the story either, making it seem even more forced and unnecessary. As a result, I didn’t really fall in love with any of the characters, so when they started dying, I couldn't care less.
The story itself was weird but in a boring way. Not much actually happened, and a murder mystery felt rushed and very predictable. There were no rules on how the different magical worlds work or explanations for why things happen (or don't), so everything seemed a bit pointless and boring to me. The ending didn’t make much sense either, as I had a hard time seeing the motivation behind certain actions....more
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life is a very entertaining reality check that reminds us to prioritThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life is a very entertaining reality check that reminds us to prioritize fewer things that truly matter and ignore the rest, to choose the problems we enjoy solving instead of trying to escape them, and to stop feeling special, among other things.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is basically Buddhism for bros, and I was all here for it. Most of the points and stories in this book aren't new, but the author presented them in a very witty, captivating, self-deprecating, controversial, and at times even offensive manner.
Multiple parts of this book spoke to me, and I appreciated some new ways of looking at life (e.g., the secret to happiness is choosing the problems we enjoy solving, not eliminating them completely) and even felt seen and validated (e.g., the purpose of being very direct in interactions with others, as exemplified by ex-Soviet Union cultures).
Although I enjoyed the many nuggets of wisdom throughout the book, the second half of it lacked overall cohesion, as the points discussed didn't necessarily tie back to the title, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Even though entertaining and profound, each topic almost felt like a separate blog post that could have easily been expanded into a separate book. And I would gladly read them all :)...more
This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor is both funny and heartbreaking memoir of an obstetrician-gynecologist, written as a collectiThis is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor is both funny and heartbreaking memoir of an obstetrician-gynecologist, written as a collection of diary entries.
I learned SO MUCH about the OB-GYN specialty, the intricacies of childbirth, the exhausting doctor’s life, and Britain's healthcare system, the National Health Service. Also, I giggled a good amount, too :)
Adam Kay's memoir definitely has an agenda as the author gradually exposes an extremely demanding, stressful, under-paid and under-appreciated life of an NHS worker. And although the sudden mood shift at the end definitely caught me off guard, I really appreciated the overall message because it helped me better understand the issues the doctors in my home country, Lithuania, have to face as well.
I listened to the audiobook version of This is Going to Hurt narrater by the author, and at first it was rather challenging. Adam Kay reads fast and there is no pause between the diary entries. Each diary entry is a self-contained joke with a punchline, but some of the jokes went right over my head because of the reading pace. I ended up relistening the entire audiobook at the 0.8X speed and enjoyed it significantly more the second time around. However, English is not my first language, so you might be OK... :)...more
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE is a well-written, candid, and engaging memoir by Phil Knight, Nike's founder and CEO, who revea3.5 out of 5
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE is a well-written, candid, and engaging memoir by Phil Knight, Nike's founder and CEO, who reveals the extraordinary journey of building a business empire from the $50 he borrowed from his father.
Year by year, the memoir details the first decade and a half of Nike's existence (initially, Blue Ribbon Sports). Even though the happy ending is a known fact, the story is a real nail-biter because it seemed that during this period each day could have been the company's last.
In Shoe Dog, Phil Knight openly admits his numerous mistakes, regrets, and undeniable power of luck, making him and his brand more relatable and awe-inspiring. With so many ups and even more downs, his memoir makes for a one-of-a-kind story of luck, passion, perseverance, unwavering belief, and teamwork. You can't help but be inspired by an exceptional group of driven - even obsessed - misfits, daredevils, and innovative geniuses that don't stop learning and growing. Or simply don't stop.
But although very candid about the constant up and downs of growing a business, Phil Knight is rather terse and somewhat dismissive about the numerous controversies involving Nike. Also, the memoir basically stops after Nike goes public in 1980, and the next 3+ decades are summed up in an epilogue-style ending. I know it's a lot of ground to cover, but such an ending kind of feels rushed too.
Finally, each chapter is titled with the year number only, which makes it rather challenging to refer back to specific events. Unless, of course, you can remember in which year it happened exactly :)...more
Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones is a very practical and very readable guide to “making good 3.5 out of 5
Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones is a very practical and very readable guide to “making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.”
Based on a four-step process of building a habit - cue, craving, response, and reward, - James Clear introduces The Four Laws of Behavior Change that can help build better habits (or get rid of bad ones): 1) Make it obvious (or invisible); 2) Make it attractive (or unattractive); 3) Make it easy (or difficult); 4) Make it satisfying (or unsatisfying).
I didn't find the information in Atomic Habits groundbreaking, but I really appreciated all this wisdom, research, stories, and actionable tips gathered together and presented in such a compact, understandable, and enjoyable way.
I was listening to the audiobook version of this book and was surprised by how easy it was to follow along. Even though packed with useful information, James Clear's writing seems effortless and engaging, thanks to many memorable examples and stories to illustrate his points, great book organization, and frequent chapter summaries. What can I say, James Clear makes it very clear :)
Finally, I LOVED the small chapter in the Appendix, "Little Lessons from the Four Laws," where the author uses his four-step framework for building a habit - cue, craving, response, and reward - to offer some interesting insights about human behavior, such as "Happiness is simply the absence of desire," or "With a big enough why you can overcome any how," or "Emotions drive behavior," or "Our expectations determine our satisfaction," or "Suffering drives progress," or "Hope declines with experience and is replaced by acceptance." So much to think about!...more
New Teeth: Stories is a cleverly silly, though-provoking, and surprisingly touching short story collection.
The stories are both silly and brilliantly New Teeth: Stories is a cleverly silly, though-provoking, and surprisingly touching short story collection.
The stories are both silly and brilliantly crafted, hilarious and heartwarming, bizarre and relatable. I didn't know what to expect exactly, so I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this book.
To be honest, some stories are definitely better than others, but I'm nevertheless impressed by the range of voice/tone. And Fred Berman's masterful audiobook narration was a great match. Sometimes I couldn't believe the stories were read by the same person!
All in all, I was genuinely sad when the book was over....more
Wild Rescues: A Paramedic's Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton is a fascinating memoir of a paramedic who has be3.5 out of 5
Wild Rescues: A Paramedic's Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton is a fascinating memoir of a paramedic who has been practicing wilderness medicine at multiple national parks throughout the United States.
To begin with, Kevin Grange's dedication to serving others and saving lives is beyond inspiring.
Also, the author did a really good job describing the various emergencies so that it felt like I was actually living through them instead of just listening to the stories. Some of the stories really touched me and even made me cry a couple of times.
There is also a great balance between medical technicalities and narrative accessibility.
I especially appreciated the insightful and honest discussion of PTSD, suicide, and mental health issues among first responders. Honestly, without this part the memoir would feel a little bit too cheery and heroic....more
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