A nice quick read around travel. Lots of the ideas seem to be common sense, but I think it provides a helpful way to think about different aspects of A nice quick read around travel. Lots of the ideas seem to be common sense, but I think it provides a helpful way to think about different aspects of travel, compile a number of interesting resources, and share a handful of fun stories and fables and quotes around traveling. ...more
I'm not sure how it's possible to read this book and not get really angry and frustrated with the state of the financial system. I realize this was wrI'm not sure how it's possible to read this book and not get really angry and frustrated with the state of the financial system. I realize this was written over 25 years ago, but the parallels and attitudes shown in this book bear an uncanny resemblance to things we read and still read about the most recent financial crisis.
Lewis does an effective job of both explaining (what are the bond traders doing, how did mortgage bonds come about, how did they popularize junk bonds) and storytelling. While it's possible to claim too much of one and not enough of the other, I thought it was a good balance to keep it both informative and engaging. It was a fast read. As a part-autobiographical book written not too much after the story occurred, I was surprised at the rather negative descriptions about many well-known individuals in the firm.
There is an original "wolf of wall street" element in it that is depressing--a firm, part of an industry, that is so brainwashed and self-important that scamming customers to make millions of dollars is a normal occurrence. He paints the frat-like hazing culture of the firm clearly, and details the backwards logic that drives the rise and collapse of Solomon Brothers.
I did some other research and found Michael Bloomberg (mayor) worked at Salomon Brothers. I don't know exactly what conclusion to draw there but there's something interesting about that.
It's a good book, and stuff like that probably shouldn't be allowed to happen. I do recommend it....more
I think this was a great book. I listened to the shortened audiobook, but then also read the full book. It is a book about personal finances, but I thI think this was a great book. I listened to the shortened audiobook, but then also read the full book. It is a book about personal finances, but I think it really presents the topic in an interesting way and gets you to question a lot of basic assumptions about how money works. One of the key ideas in the book is that money is life energy -- you are trading your life energy (time, really) for money. But that trade has costs, and people often aren't honest about the actually finance and economics equation of their work. The book has a system that walks people through tracking, and being aware of expenses, but also thinking about how different things are or are not in alignment with your values. It also is an interesting book in the context of the current US economy--the US personal savings rate is 5%, which has pretty much been trending straight down for the last 30 years (https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2...). The book is a general critique of US consumer culture, the deeply engrained idea that more is always better. That's not true, the author argues, more is not better. The idea of enoughness is key here. What people do normally in the US, is just simply adjust their expenses to meet their incomes. If they make more, they just spend more accordingly, so people never really feel that they can get ahead.
There's a lot to think about in this book, and it is very interesting even if you don't go through the process. The book was rebooted from a version a while ago, so it is interesting to here how it has changed. You can't just invest by doing long term bonds anymore and get as high of a return, but the book is still very good. ...more
I think I read this when I was in third or fifth grade, and just reread it. It's a kids book, but it is fun for adults. It's fast-paced and very cleveI think I read this when I was in third or fifth grade, and just reread it. It's a kids book, but it is fun for adults. It's fast-paced and very clever. I know there are many words that he uses literally and brings to life in clever ways that I certainly would not have understood as a 10-year old. There are those who live in ignorance, you can jump to conclusions... and many more. It's corny at points, but a delightful read. The magic staff is the pencil, and Milo's journey gives you as the reader an appreciation to slow down and appreciate the colors, sounds, smells, words, and numbers like a young kid. The book is jam-packed full of puns and idioms brough to life, and is definitely fun to read a second time around!...more
I really enjoyed reading Replay. It's an easy read but I like it because it is a fascinating concept. What do you do if you get the chance to go back I really enjoyed reading Replay. It's an easy read but I like it because it is a fascinating concept. What do you do if you get the chance to go back and "replay," or relive certain parts of your life. I thought the writing style, the story, the lessons, the morality of the whole thing gave a lot to think about. Even though the concept sounds a bit corny at the highest level, in the actually storytelling it's very fun and actually surprisingly emotional to read. It's a great idea as a thought experiment, and the author takes you through several different major choices one could make in terms of life experiences and ways to live your life. I'd say there are lots of lessons you can take from this book, but it's worth reading to find the ones that resonate with you. ...more
Listened to this as an audiobook. What a fun book to listen to. It is so well researched that for part of it I am almost convinced that it is not fictListened to this as an audiobook. What a fun book to listen to. It is so well researched that for part of it I am almost convinced that it is not fiction. Lots of similar Dan Brown themes---a crazy person, religion, symbols, some special object, Robert Langdon knowing everything---but awesome to listen to....more
Best book I read this year. I listened to it on audiobook, and it was a really fun and captivating story. This is the story about a world where there Best book I read this year. I listened to it on audiobook, and it was a really fun and captivating story. This is the story about a world where there is a virtual reality system called the Oasis, and people use the Oasis for everything--for school, for work, and people really spend most of their time in it. The world out side has also been destroyed a lot, and so people can live these more interesting lives in the virtual world than in the real world. The guy who started the Oasis dies and his will is a game to discover a hidden key and then you get to take over the Oasis as well as the company. It has elements of the Westing Game in this respect. But it is a very gripping book with eerie predictions about the future which don't seem too far away. Great book. Definitely read it....more
I'm going to add my full review when I get around to it sometime... but in the meantime: I thought The Circle was a great book. I enjoyed reading it, I'm going to add my full review when I get around to it sometime... but in the meantime: I thought The Circle was a great book. I enjoyed reading it, it was fast, and it was timely and relevant. When I was reading it the news was Snapchat and the NSA leaks with Snowden and many friends I know work at a place that is the Circle at Facebook, Google or Twitter. The themes were right on, and the message and warnings on technologism, privacy, surveillance, and tech-company brainwashing were spot on.
I know some people didn't like the characters or the story, or felt it was old news or he didn't get silicon valley or tech--I think those are actually important parts of the books. Instead of saying "the main character is uninteresting or frustrating," I wonder-- what does this type of main character say about this type of culture? I think it's much more relevant in the bay area than to my friends in the Chicago area, and even a year later I still think it is spot on.
Google Glass is real, the tech news every day shows that these are things we should be thinking about, and when people say the Circle didn't get it I'd say those are the people who need this message the most. Even if you're not a fan of the book it is a conversation starter and brings up the right issues....more
I thought this was a great book. Aziz Ansari really has this one idea that he is all about, and he is taking that idea to the bank. It is the idea aboI thought this was a great book. Aziz Ansari really has this one idea that he is all about, and he is taking that idea to the bank. It is the idea about modern dating, texting and online dating. He's done it in his standup comedy, he does it in this book Modern Romance, and he also does it in his TV show Master of None.
This book is entertaining and an easy read. It is quite funny, and if you know a bit about Aziz Ansari, it really reads in his voice. He has lots of silly asides, but also presents this as an interesting sociology study about dating. He talks about different norms, how online dating has changed things, dating trends in different countries and more. I definitely recommend this book....more
I enjoyed reading this book - I had been using the headspace app and was familiar with some of the concepts but I thought it was helpful to hear more I enjoyed reading this book - I had been using the headspace app and was familiar with some of the concepts but I thought it was helpful to hear more of the stories behind it....more
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