Maron's memoir. Similar to the portions of Maron's podcast where he talks about his life. His experience of life is more extreme than mine. Scattered ...moreMaron's memoir. Similar to the portions of Maron's podcast where he talks about his life. His experience of life is more extreme than mine. Scattered throughout there are details that light up important moments of his life that are things that I will never experience. There are little relatable moments, like how he gets so excited by shopping for sneakers that he tells the people at the store that they should come with a cape. Since I like Maron, this gave me a solid grasp on where he's coming from. I don't know that someone who didn't already like him would be interested in reading this. This isn't Angela's Ashes (which is my gold standard for memoirs.) And it isn't supposed to be. But it is better than a lot of the memoirs that I read about other people that I already like. (less)
Bourdain's combination of a memoir and his life in the kitchen. Mostly 'in the kitchen.' Lots of swearing, sex, drugs, testosterone. The screwed up t...moreBourdain's combination of a memoir and his life in the kitchen. Mostly 'in the kitchen.' Lots of swearing, sex, drugs, testosterone. The screwed up things that go on in the kitchen, and the people who work there. What not to eat at a restaurant and when not to eat it. The individual sections read like individual pieces (which they may have been), which leads to some repetition. It is possible that certain sections about the basics of kitchen life should have gone more towards the front, but I have a feeling it would have been challenging to move them and stay true to the order of events and the overall progression of Bourdain from new guy, to not so new guy, and then to veteran. Ultimately Bourdain's voice (and story) will either appeal to you or it won't. Overall, it was a fun read.
The book version of the blog. I didn't think it was as funny as reading bad amazon reviews on my own so I stopped reading it about a quarter of the wa...moreThe book version of the blog. I didn't think it was as funny as reading bad amazon reviews on my own so I stopped reading it about a quarter of the way through. It was not funny in the same way that the blog with pictures of Kim Jong Il looking at stuff is not funny. By which I mean, some people think it is hilarious. I don't get why it is funny. All attempts to explain it to me will make it even less funny. You will like it if you like the blog. (less)
Benson's book presents wrong test answers by subject. Most of them are only chuckle-worthy. A few are hilarious. In my opinion, the math answers were ...moreBenson's book presents wrong test answers by subject. Most of them are only chuckle-worthy. A few are hilarious. In my opinion, the math answers were the most entertaining by far. The best thing you can do with this book is to read the funniest answers out loud to your friends and family. Extremely short. (less)
I think when I rated this originally, I was just happy that this existed, because it's been a long time since I finished the show. I enjoyed The Long ...moreI think when I rated this originally, I was just happy that this existed, because it's been a long time since I finished the show. I enjoyed The Long Way Home, but I'm not really in love with this arc in the same way that I liked the series. This also has comic book pacing, which sometimes makes me stumble, because I don't read comic books all the time. That being said, there's plenty of Buffy and Whedon comics to read, and I will continue reading them.
Sobel's book about the longitude problem and the development of the chronometer. You can figure out your latitude (north-southness) by the sun or star...moreSobel's book about the longitude problem and the development of the chronometer. You can figure out your latitude (north-southness) by the sun or stars fairly easily, but longitude (east-westness) is a very different matter, especially at sea, which requires the precision of GPS, a precision timepiece, or extremely accurate astronomical observations. (less)
Streever's book covers all sorts of fascinating facts about cold: the search for absolute zero, human adaptations to cold, how to build on and issues ...moreStreever's book covers all sorts of fascinating facts about cold: the search for absolute zero, human adaptations to cold, how to build on and issues with building on permafrost, global warming, ice ages, Beringia, mammoths, North American camels, why animals can only live in areas within narrow temperature ranges, what kind of fiber is best to wear in the cold and how different synthetic and natural fibers are different from each other, Arctic and Antarctic explorers, death by frostbite (grisly!), and how wind chill works. The organizational structure of this book (observations by month) is a little odd. Just try to go back and find anything by topic... you can't do it, it isn't possible. It's also a bit meander-y. The material is strong, though. If you're into Mary Roach, Bill Bryson's more fact packed stuff, or Amy Stewart you'll probably like this. (less)
The story of iconoclast scientist/perfume lover Luca Turin's theory of scent. A good look inside the (flawed) process of peer review, the frustration ...moreThe story of iconoclast scientist/perfume lover Luca Turin's theory of scent. A good look inside the (flawed) process of peer review, the frustration of trying to get academically published, and the industrial development process for scents and perfumes. Fascinating.
Just as a side note: the author (or whoever he talks to) about how hard it would be to share lab space with Turin is right on. (less)
Michael Lewis' book about his time as a trader at Salomon Brothers in the 80s. Lots of entertaining anecdotes give a good sense of what it was really ...moreMichael Lewis' book about his time as a trader at Salomon Brothers in the 80s. Lots of entertaining anecdotes give a good sense of what it was really like to be on the trading floor. He also covers some of the issues with mortgage backed securities that led to the S and L crisis, which caused the government to have to pay out billions, (and highlighted problems with mortgage lending risk.) It may have been the cause of a recession. Sound oddly familiar? After reading several books of Lewis', I feel that he simplifies or gives an overview of complex situations. He does this in favor of highlighting personalities and psychology. It makes for a great read, but it also means that any book that he writes should never be your only source of information on a topic. I feel like this one isn't as much of a page turner as Moneyball and The Big Short were, but I'm not sorry that I read it. (less)
The story of the HeLa cell's contributions to science and the money it made. Also the story of the poor black woman whose cells were taken from her. V...moreThe story of the HeLa cell's contributions to science and the money it made. Also the story of the poor black woman whose cells were taken from her. Very good book.(less)
Leonard's novel about a loan shark/enforcer trying to break into Hollywood. The dialogue is good, but the writing and rewriting of the script, which i...moreLeonard's novel about a loan shark/enforcer trying to break into Hollywood. The dialogue is good, but the writing and rewriting of the script, which is central to the book, made everything feel really indirect and low stakes. I guess it is also meant to be funny, but I didn't laugh at all. I have read and enjoyed at least one book by Leonard, but this one was not for me(less)
![[Citation Needed]: The Best Of Wikipedia's Worst Writing](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327915275s/12955224.jpg "[Citation Needed]: The Best Of Wikipedia's Worst Writing")
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