Colin Marks's Blog

Review: The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters

Can’t say it any better than this chap https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/863959908

TL;DR one to skip, painfully simplistic. So painful to read, I didn’t finish.

Review: Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

For a 50 year-old science fiction work, written behind the iron curtain (though this is the uncensored original), Roadside Picnic comes across very fresh. It offers an interesting take on the “first contact” genre – no aliens are ever met, only their debris remains. Very grounded within the in media res style, the action is fast, flowing and hard-hitting. Highly recommend.

Tyler: thank you for this Christmas present – you always give thoughtful gifts

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse

Karsten Dusse’s “Murder Mindfully” is a darkly comic crime thriller that blends self-help with suspense. The book follows Björn, a lawyer who attempts to apply mindfulness techniques to his chaotic life, with humorous and often brutal results.

This is a decent summer read – silly but fun, and apparently being made into a TV show for those who prefer the screen to the word!

Book kindly supplied by NetGalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Waiting for a Party by Vesna Main

This is a stunning book. The writing is gorgeous and confident, with insightful observations woven into elegant prose. The novel follows a withheld woman who, after the death of her husband, embarks on a journey of sexual and mental liberation. Recounting this journey from the perspective of her nineties, the protagonist offers a poignant reflection on desire, loss, and the enduring power of the human spirit. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more of Vesna’s work!

Book kindly supplie...

Review: Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives by Michael A. Heller, James Salzman

Mine! is an interesting book that discusses the hidden rules of ownership – a subject that sounds simple until you get into those fiddly edge cases. For example, when your neighbour’s trees block your solar panels, who owns that light travelling over their property, or even the air space above or the minerals below their property. Heller explains there are six basic principles of ownership: first-in-time, possession, labour, attachment, self-ownership, and family. But within those categories, it...

Review: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

I love post-apocalyptic novels, and this one offers a truly fresh take. Instead of the usual grim world inhabited by zombies or ravaged by a natural disaster that leaves survivors fighting over Earth’s dwindling resources, this story is simply…nice. Yes, “nice” pretty much sums it up. Pleasant things happen. Not too much action, but enough to keep the pages turning. A few twists are thrown in intermittently, almost like clockwork, but none of them felt critical to the plot.

The story starts w...

Review: The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

Some interesting ideas, though some weirdly odd ones (language doesn’t evolve over millions of years apparently). Probably ground breaking in its day, but the writing style and general insights are showing their age.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale

A good premise, but for me, the potential wasn’t quite realised. The writing is solidly in the ‘accessible’ camp, ideal for a low energy poolside read, but I suspect that was the intention so mission accomplished. I was skimming heavily towards the end, but I did want to get to the finish, so credit to the author there. Probably would appeal to fans of the The Thursday Murder Club looking for a summer read.

Book kindly supplied by NetGalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch

Richard Koch was on the Tim Ferriss podcast (#466) a few years ago and gave an interesting interview, talking mostly about the Pareto or the 80/20 principle (20% of efforts drive 80% of results) but also more broadly. That interview is worth a listen.

This book, however, definitely not. 80/20 is repeated so many times per page, per paragraph even, on uncredited examples which frankly seemed pulled out of thin air, that you start to feel your patience and your intelligence being insulted. By t...

Review: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

The Ministry of Time is an odd book! It starts well, with confident prose and engaging characters that develop nicely, and then things take a turn. A bit of tension is added near the start, then very little happens until the 80% mark, when the plot kicks in. The writing becomes sloppier, with odd turns of phrases that jar, and please please please, never feel obliged to write a sex scene ever again… The ending curiously felt rushed, given how little had happened in the proceeding 60% or so! That...