Colin Marks's Blog, page 2

Review: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy By William B. Irvine

Irvine’s book offers an excellent introduction to Stoicism, covering both its historical background and its practical applications in the modern world. He skillfully unpacks the teachings of key Stoic philosophers like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, making their wisdom relevant and actionable for contemporary readers. While those already familiar with the source material might find less novelty here, Irvine’s clear and concise explanations make this a perfect resource for anyone seeking an understa...

Review: The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan Haidt, Greg Lukianoff

Interesting analysis of how well intended policies can have unanticipated side-effects, particularly when raising children to be independent, antifragile, first-principle thinkers. Superbly researched and clearly explained, well worth a read!

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Fourteen Days by Margaret Atwood

Fourteen Days is a short story collection, themed around residents of a tower block telling nightly tales during the COVID lockdown. As with all collections, some hit, some miss, but on the whole, this was a good read. The ending felt rushed, and could have been developed, but I enjoyed this. Recommended for short story fans.

Book kindly supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

This book has been on my shelf for way too long. Yuval brings insight and clarity to any discussion – whether written or verbal. His strength is to link history to current affairs, and here, to the future. While I disagree with many of his predictions, his perspective is well researched, excellently communicated, and rationalised with clear arguments. Like all of his work, well worth a look.

Book kindly supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

Great book. Lots of science to make it interesting, but not too much to turn off the layman. Very impressive scientific knowledge makes an escape from Mars seem very possible. 5/5

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Review: The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage by Ryan Holiday

A reviewer of Ryan’s The Daily Stoic compared his emails to AC/DC – always nearly identical but good to get nonetheless. The Obstacle is the Way has the same vibe to it. Short chapters (4-5 pages), each with a theme, but you could mix and match the message with any other chapter and it wouldn’t feel out of place. A good read, but definitely got very samey towards the end.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major

Anyone who’s watched Groundhog Day will recognise this story – you wake up, the day repeats, and whatever you do doesn’t break that cycle. Maybe Next Time follows that cycle, but with less testosterone and more nuance than that film. The writing is excellent, the sad moments done exceptionally well, and though the plot isn’t the most original and the outcome fairly predictable, this is a charming book that’s well worth a read.

Book kindly supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

See rev...

Review: How to Spot a Fascist by Umberto Eco

Three very brief essays. The first had an interesting historical aspect, his life in the fascist era, but the others are entirely forgettable.

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Review: Once a Monster

I loved Robert Dinsdale’s The Toymakers, but I really struggled with the pace of his latest novel, Once a Monster. The PoV changes were fine, switching between Nell and Minos, and a few other characters along the way, but the prose really could’ve done with a trim. Every thought was laboured, every plot point discussed to death, and I found myself skimming pages to get to the next scene! The ending too could of used some love – it felt rushed and too eager to wrap up lose ends. Still, it was bet...

August Blue by Deborah Levy

I couldn’t decide if August Blue was a work of genius or a literary ramble. And upon finishing, I’m still somewhat on the fence. Elsa (the name, the blue hair, froze on stage – shades of Disney?) drifts around Europe and says goodbye to her mentor and adopted father. The writing carried this novel for me, I struggled with Swimming Home but here the prose was pitch perfect. Definitely not a novel for all, but I did enjoy it, though I’m not sure what I’ve just read…

Book supplied by Netgalley f...