Finished reading: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua 📚 suggested by a co-worker. She once read it and was reminded of how some of her Chinese colleagues would be relentless in their roles. For a long time I wasn’t sure if the book was parody in some way, but I do think it was written true, yet also aware by the author that it might come across as alien for non Chinese readers (and that it played into that). Still, an interesting read, especially after I got the ‘why’ for the recommendation while close to the end of the book. 3/5

Finished reading: Morning Star by Pierce Brown 📚This the last book of the trilogy, but not of the series. It was another entertaining read, but enough for now. 3/5

Finished reading: Golden Son by Pierce Brown📚 OK, and different from the first book. Engaging enough to buy book 3 of the trilogy. 3/5

Finished reading: Red Rising by Pierce Brown 📚 recommended by a co-worker. The book was slow to start, but I got into it. I will listen to the second part in the series. 3/5

Finished reading: When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson 📚A quick listen. I was drawn to this based on some reviews of people I follow. The book was OK; I enjoyed the setting in some kind of Eastern German society (spies, secret service, state security, etc), and the story was interesting enough to follow in a few listening sessions. 3/5

Finished reading: Onyx Storm (Wing and Claw Collection) by Rebecca Yarros 📚Now I have to wait for another year or so to read up on the next part in the series… 4/5

Finished reading: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 📚 it took me less than 2 weeks to finish the second book in this series. I’m already thinking of the cliffhanger the 3rd book will have, as part 4 isn’t yet out…

Finished reading: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 📚 it took me 8 days to listen to 22h of book. I didn’t expect a book dragons and magic would keep me hooked. 4/5

Finished reading: Trickster Makes this World by Lewis Hyde 📚 5/5 amazing stories and perspectives. I’ll need to reread/listen this again some day.

Finished reading: Ghost on the Throne by James Romm 📚— An actual game of Thrones. Fascinating and even though this is all historical facts, it was a thrill to listen. 4/5

Finished reading: TIME/LIFE by Catherine Mayer 📚 — I have been waiting for this audiobook to become available after reading good reviews on the book. The audiobook is good too, with many accents and voice types done by the narrator. Good story too, and very much set in the now of time. 5/5

Finished reading: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 📚suggested by a colleague. I took time to read this book, but should have read it in one go. I like how the story fits together, and enjoyed the book. 4/5

Finished reading: Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse 📚 – Another book that has been on the list of years. I enjoyed the perspectives and expect I’ll continue to think about the ideas from this book for some time to come. 5/5

Finished reading: The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier 📚 this has been on my list for years too. It’s a quick read, and maybe longer than it needs to be. While it’s good to have the points repeated, I didn’t learn much new from the book. Maybe that was what I should have expected. 3/5

Finished reading: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman 📚 – I finished this book a few weeks ago after having it on my list for a few years. While it’s about Television and entertainment, and it’s about the world in the mid 80’s, it rhymes a lot with the world we have today. I enjoyed it - 5/5

Finished reading: Better Small Talk: Talk to Anyone, Avoid Awkwardness, Generate Deep Conversations, and Make Real Friends by Patrick King 📚 I didn’t expect much from this book, but it actually was pretty solid, and a thorough look at a very specific topic. It gave me some concepts that help me better understand how small talk works. These are things I felt, but now can put in a broader context. I’d recommend it. 5/5

Finished reading: The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm 📚I finally finished this short book. A few years ago I received it from a colleague who said he’d look for copies in second hand book stores and than occasionally give the book to people around him. It’s (clearly) set in the ‘50s (showing through the emphasis on religion and roles within marriage), but that doesn’t take away from the general ideas shared. It also pairs nicely with the myth/religion/science themed books I’ve read over the past few years. I should have finished this book earlier though. It’s really a quick read/ listen4/5

Finished reading: Magisteria by Nicholas Spencer 📚 — I enjoyed this book. It provides me with a lot of context beyond the simple historic moments in time. I find it helpful to have a long view of how we ended up where we are today, with an account of the various recurring ideas and themes throughout history. 4/5

Currently reading: Magisteria by Nicholas Spencer 📚

Science and region found themselves in various inconclusive — sometimes beneficial, sometimes fracturing — conversations. Whether it was anthropologists plumbing the depths of the past, freudians the depths of the mind, or soviet cosmonauts the depths of space, region and science seemed inextricably entangled and this sense of entanglement only seemed to grow as evolutionary biologists declared that humans were basically genes, neuroscientists: they were basically brain activity and Silicon Valley techno-utopians that they were basically algorithms.

Finished reading: A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr 📚I picked this up after someone blogged about it and finished in with a few days 4/5