⭐⭐⭐ Caffeine by Pollan

Full Title Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
Authors Michael Pollan
Year Published 2020
Date Read February 17, 2020
Rating 3/5 stars

Nice little story, though you can tell that it didn’t receive the full-book treatment.

February 17, 2020 Book Reviews






⭐⭐ Yes Please by Poehler

Full Title Yes Please
Authors Amy Poehler
Year Published 2014
Date Read February 09, 2020
Rating 2/5 stars

I’m a big fan of Amy Poehler and have immense respect for people that can do improv well. But for me, this book didn’t live up to the quality that I’m used to seeing from Poehler. It felt like a random collection of thoughts over time rather than a real story; the chapter about apologizing in regards to insensitive comments she had made in the past specifically felt like a really weird & self-serving inclusion (so uninteresting that I skipped the last half of that section). It was also annoying to constantly hear her mention how hard it was to write this book, and ultimately caused me to feel like the author didn’t even really want to write it in the first place. Yes Please is best when it sticks to more standard biographical subjects that deal with Amy’s upbringing and first forays into improv comedy. It’s disappointing overall, though probably worth a listen anyway if you’re a fan.

February 9, 2020 Book Reviews






⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck

Full Title The Grapes of Wrath
Authors John Steinbeck
Year Published 2014
Date Read February 07, 2020
Rating 4/5 stars

I think Steinbeck was able to deliver on his promise to rip a reader’s nerves to rags.” This book did a great job of creating emotional investment in the characters for me, which (especially as someone who doesn’t read a ton of fiction) is pretty key to the novel’s enjoyment. I also saw parallels between the experience of sharecroppers and what we see today among migrant workers and those without a home. I’d generally recommend this to someone that is prepared for a lengthy/depressing read (clocks in just over 21 hours in audiobook form).

February 7, 2020 Book Reviews






⭐⭐⭐⭐ Web Scalability for Startup Engineers by Ejsmont

Full Title Web Scalability for Startup Engineers
Authors Artur Ejsmont
Year Published 2015
Date Read September 22, 2019
Rating 4/5 stars

Pretty solid book. There are some surprising omissions in WSSE (such as not discussing the difference between statement- vs. row-based replication), and some of the information is now outdated. But overall, I would say it’s a great introduction if you’re just trying to get your bearings with system design. I think of it as a more-accessible, less-academic, less-high-quality version of Designing Data-Intensive Applications (which you should definitely read as a follow-up).

September 22, 2019 Book Reviews






Traffic by Vanderbilt

Full Title Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us
Authors Tom Vanderbilt
Year Published 2008
Date Read June 15, 2019
Rating 1/5 stars

Could only get through the first hour. Author used an absurd amount of filler content and never really got to anything interesting. Do not recommend.

June 15, 2019 Book Reviews






⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sapiens by Harari

Full Title Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Authors Yuval Noah Harari
Year Published 2015
Date Read May 30, 2019
Rating 5/5 stars

What a journey. I didn’t take any hard lessons away from this text, but was very happy being told a long, meandering story that weaves topics in and out. It’s also nice to have some exposure to history that uses happenings to further a philosophical argument (à la The 48 Laws of Power) instead of only focusing on the historical significance. Plus, I found the narrator selection for the audiobook to be a great match for the subject matter, which is rare to find. Highly recommend as a listen.

May 30, 2019 Book Reviews