I'm not a huge fan of pop economics so I hold a bit of reservation about reading, or in my case listening, to Think Like a Freak.
- The authors encourage the reader to let go of normative baggage when problem solving. This isn't unusual or new advice. However, the message is delievered in a persuasive way.
- Like many other pop economics publications, Levitt and Dubner fall prey to focusing on controversial topics. At times, if feels as if the topics they address are the print equivalent of click-bait.
- This book covers a number of topics briefly. It is great for readers with a short attention span.
- My biggest takeaway is to drop moral baggage when analyzing a problem. When ever I would think something "should" happen it is time to reconsider my assumption.
Slaughter delivers again with a quick-packed thriller.
- No character is trustworthy on face. The reader spends a bit of time an energy trying to figure out who to trust.
- The topic of the crimes committed is pretty gritty and not for the easily queasy.
- As most thrillers, the novel is predictably unpredictable. The last third of the novel feels formulaic with so many loose ends getting tightly wrapped up.
- If you like classic thrillers, then this is for you.
I started reading this book, and then stopped. After listening to Amy Poehler's audibooks, I wanted to hear Rachel Dratch as the narrator.
- Unlike Fey & Poehler's recent books, this is not a book about what it is like to be super successful. As a seven year veteran of SNL Dratch has a solid career, but she isn't staring in big budget films.
- Dratch is surprisingly down to earth.
- One of the highlights for me was hearing the backstory of what inspired the Debbie Downer character. It appears that Dratch doesn't realize the very useful terminology she introduced into the lexicon to accurately describe a specific annoying pattern of behavior.
- Only a small section of the book is about Dratch's career. The books is really about her life.
- Dratch is candid about personal struggles and difficult feelings.
First a disclaimer: I LOVED A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Given that history, I was primed to like Marra's most recent release. And, I do.
- This collection of short stories is just barely too disjointed to be a novel. In some ways The Tsar of Love and Techno feels like a novel.
- The short stories follow related casts of characters from the early 20th century to nearly the present day.
- The characters are gritty, but lovable.
- The settings feel incredibly realistic. Then again, I've never been to the former USSR, so I'm not the most qualified judge.
- I found The Tsar of Love and Techno incredibly enjoyable. I rarely re-read fiction, but I'll likely revisit this a few months.
- This novel is true to Atwood's earlier work. It is literary fiction about a dystopian society.
- There is a bit of a roller coaster effect. The characters struggle. Then they find stability, only to face more struggle.
- The plot is compelling in describing the intersection of economic desperation and scientific ethics.
- If you liked earlier Atwood, you'll like this.
- A lighthearted look at real struggles faced by an aging couple.
- The narrator is a lovable curmudgeon.
- The novel follows the lovable curmudgeon, his artistic wife, and their teenage son on their travels through Europe.
- The novel pokes fun at itself and is a lighthearted read.
- Set in England during an extreme drought, one plot of land, The Well, continues to receive rain. Owned by outsiders, locals and authorities become suspicious.
- This title is at heart a literary novel. The writing is impressive. The characters are complex.
- Much of the novel revolves around retelling the events of the past year. The reader isn't sure what is being left out.
- The novel is engaging for readers interested in characters. It doesn't have a fast-paced plot.
