Book Reviews

** Gateway Drug Philosophy ** Most of us want to do the right thing most of the time, but outside of god, law, and politics, modern society offers little guidance on what that right thing is. Somewhere between virtue signaling and the gnawing truth that people are starving in Africa, it’s too easy to give up. The state of modern ethics doesn’t help, so How to Be Perfect offers an irreverent ethics 101 course with just enough distractions to keep a lay reader engaged. ...

** Ships Passing in the Night ** Between the adherents of rival moralities, there exists no court of appeal. If you want to learn about ethics, don’t start here. A Short History of Ethics is not a history in the sense that it tells the story about the interconnection of events in western civilization’s ethical timeline. Instead, it is a chronological critique of different ethical viewpoints, with a thesis that most ethical systems do not effectively interact. ...

Continues the trend of completely undemanding Scifi to fall asleep to in an abridged fashion. A departure from the rest of the series, had some serious Foreigner vibes, and was better for it. I’m to the point of declaring legends my personal Star Wars canon.

More about organizations than code based, but really it’s usually the orgs and humans that get in the way.

** The Colors Mix to Brown ** I’m a fan of Robert Jackson Bennett is one of a handful of authors for whom I would read a new release no questions asked. Perhaps this time I should have asked more questions, because Locklands did not work for me. In the third installment of The Founders Trilogy, our favorite setting turned protagonist turned antagonist has taken over most of the world. A few main characters, along with a macguffin-turned-character, must race to stop diabolical plans and adventures ensue. ...

Legitimately interesting advice mixed with cringeworthy anecdotes, nets out to a reasonable light business read. ** 60th book of 2022 **

Much better than Greenspan’s work. Good connection of overaching themes between economy and culture, an area most economists and historians miss. Adds a layer of understanding for what makes America unique, and it’s not all good.

4.5 stars. A fitting ending that perhaps drug the plot a little bit further than the apex, but overall the series was extremely satisfying.

Sucked me in, probably hurting my productivity at work. Jade City is a drama with real family dynamics and characters that make imperfect decisions and live or die by the consequences. Seems simple, but only 1/20 fantasy books manages to pull this off. On to the next book in the series.

DNF @ 61% I was a bit worried when the book started off with scant details and little access to the famously private Merkel. Knowing nearly nothing about Germany or Merkel meant that even if details were sparse, a book length treatment would have plenty to offer. After briefly describing Merkel’s rise, Marton focuses on her foreign policy; here the author lost me. I realized that I had already sampled more contextual accounts of the same interactions from the other side of the table, be it from Putin , Obama, or other European leaders perspectives. Instead of detail or access, Marton fills in the blanks with assertions of the correctness of Merkel’s policies. ...