Review

66th book of 2019 I get it, inventing an imagined reality is hard. But sometimes the results are just less than the sum of their parts, and despite a lot of work, something has gone terribly wrong. Exhibit A: Special effects in the Scorpion King Exhibit B: Iron and Magic The premise, magic and technology wax and wane throughout time, and a weird kindof-America-but-with-wizards exists where centurions roam the land and an immortal wizard is doing some sort of bad deeds off-screen. The relationship starts off snarky, and never gets out of snark-gear. I’m still not sure why our characters hate one another beyond the needs of the plot. ...

collapse raw notes ~some times we reach the top of the s curve +greenland ~overview of the environment ~mining vs oils industry ~forestry, fishing, farming -didn’t like the overreach -tragedy of the commons gets two sentences

64th Book of 2019: Disappointingly Bland. I’ve been on a hot streak of fantasy this year, really enjoying The Raven Tower, as well as Foundryside, and even releases that didn’t hit all the right notes were very enjoyable, such as the Priory of the Orange Tree and Middlegame had redeeming qualities that made them enjoyable. Over the course of a lifetime, I’ve read plenty of bad fantasy (hello Eragon), and this book deserves to be thrown in that bin. ...

63rd book of 2019. 4.5 stars, here’s how America runs. Through personal experience I know tech and government. Finance has been reported on to death. But that leaves about 80% of the economy that remains a mystery. Kochland shines a light on what feels like the everyday American economy, through the lens of a family empire that has steadily grown over the last 40 years. In this book the patriarchs libertarian leanings are simply an outgrowth of the company religion market based management. Rubinstein with the feds lead the company down the center of a heavily regulated path and away from the disasters of enron and lehman brothers. As good if not better than private empire. ...

63rd book of 2019. I judged this book by its cover. With Middlegame as the title and birthday-cake hand on the cover, I assumed this novel was about modern divorce in the mid-west or something equally boring. But after reading Raven’s Tower, I was ready for more fantasy, and the AI gods of book recommendation algorithms (combined with a 4+ rating on goodreads) brought me here. None to soon, I got a cold last week, and read through in a few groggy days. ...

60th book of 2019: If Bob Woodward were to take on Uber. Read this alongside [b:The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World|29905580|The Upstarts How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World|Brad Stone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479331403l/29905580.SY75.jpg|50279459], and this book is definitely superior in comparison. Much more detail, Isaac uniquely captured the tone of silicon valley events such as x^x. The personalities felt true to life, and for the folks I could cross check with my in person interactions, the descriptions were spot on. ...

59th book of 2019. I liked the two main characters Iad and Tane, didn’t really like the secondary characters, and didn’t like the plot. Throughout the entire book, the plot felt like special effects with the wrong lighting and color. The rules of the magic seemed arbitrary, the politics of the kingdom felt simplified, and the religious reconciliations played out in a wish-fulfillment scenario of world peace. Maybe it just felt like things tied up too neatly in the end, and maybe I’m just too used to fantasy like George RR Martin such that other things start to feel fake.

58th book of 2019. 2.5 stars. From the vantage point of 2019, the waves of Airbnb and Uber have both crested, and the limits of marketplace style companies taking advantage of chinks in local regulations have been reached. The most useful part of this book came from two laws: Travis’ Law: If the product is good enough, consumers will demand it, and in a reasonably democratic country, that will be enough to override local policy. Chesky’s Law: If you’re going into a regulatory grey zone, building a friendly public image will allow you to get much further, even if you ignore laws. OK I made up the second one, but it’s still the most useful thing from this book. In 2019, I can’t really recommend this book because it has been overcome by events. Both companies have fallen upon much harder times, and the techlash that started in late 2016 has seriously impacted how the story ends. Super Pumped is a better version of the uber tale, as it captures both the rise and fall of its founder, showcasing at least for now this stage in the companies development.

57th book of 2019 Depending on the source you believe, this book is the product of 700+ years of writing, condensed and edited during the Roman Empire. It felt like manually reading the DNA code for western culture. Lots of ideas, many difficult to read bits, but also beautiful poetry, some great prose, and substantial insight into how our culture became what it is.

57th book of 2019. Gossip Girl: Koch Brothers Edition This was a quick read, and felt like watching a season of Succession more than reality. We watch our 4 scions fight in the courtroom, in the flesh, worship their libertarian father as a hero, and end a broken family. The multiple family lawsuits certainly provided enough pulp to keep me turning through pages. I was surprised to find the extent to which Charles Koch had expanded the business, and I wish there was more detail about the business itself. This is a $100b+ business and the few glimpses into the management practices and influential deals didn’t feel like nearly enough. ...