Mere Mortals Book Reviews

In this Mere Mortals book review, I talk through The Odyssey by Homer the famous follow-up companion to The Iliad, and one of the great adventure stories of the Western canon. Compared with The Iliad, I found The Odyssey much more readable, more story-driven, and honestly more enjoyable. This is the great soldier-returning-home story: Odysseus trying to make his way back to Ithaca after the Trojan...

Art is hairy, art is context, art is beauty and ..... art is big butts!? In this episode, I dive into 'Get the Picture' by Bianca Bosker, a 2024 book that explores the contemporary art world from the inside. Bosker approaches it through immersive journalism, working as a gallery assistant, art fair staffer, studio helper, museum guard and briefly as an artist herself. What I found most compelling...

Abstract ideas made definite. In this episode of Mere Mortals book reviews, I dive into Peter Thiel’s 'Zero To One' and why its big-picture thinking resonates more than tactical business how‑to. I explore Thiel’s blend of abstract philosophy and concrete startup stories (from PayPal to Palantir) and discuss his contrarian takes on competition, monopoly and the value of being the last mover. I unpa...

I'm begging you PLEASE, I'll be your very best friend. In this episode I review Dale Carnegie’s classic 'How to Win Friends & Influence People' nearly a century on from its publication. I walk through the book’s structure: principles on handling people, making people like you, winning others to your way of thinking and leading without resentment. Timeless advice still shines (smile, remember n...

Most people approach The Iliad expecting the Trojan Horse. Instead, they find something darker: a story about wounded pride, uncontrollable rage, brutal violence and the moment vengeance finally gives way to pity. In this review, I break down Samuel Butler’s translation of Homer’s epic, the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon, Hector’s terrifying presence, the petty interference of the gods, the o...

I was wrong and I admit it .... this is the real OG self help book. Today I dive into James Allen’s 'As a Man Thinketh' (paired in my edition with From Poverty to Power) and it still lands today. It's short, punchy and refreshingly non-woo-woo with clear calls to personal responsibility, character-building and right thought leading to right outcomes. I read standout quotes, reflect on how its agno...

What happens if the game really is better than real life? In this episode I dive into 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline and explore whether a virtual paradise can outshine the messy real world. I outline the OASIS, the 80s-saturated Easter egg hunt and the Gunter vs corporate showdown then share why the novel’s early gritty realism hooked me but later lost its footing as coincidences piled up and...

Are you entering into the dungeon?  In this episode of Mere Mortals Book Reviews, I dive into 'Dungeon Crawler Carl' by Matt Dinniman, a fast-paced RPG romp that mixes real-world apocalypse with game-show chaos. I share why this was the perfect palate cleanser after some drier reads, how the humour lands (crude, clever and consistently fun) and what makes Carl and his imperious feline compani...

The classic self-help book is a bit different than I remember.  In Napoleon Hill’s 'Think And Grow Rich' I discover it’s not quite the book I remembered. I walk through what still shines—its optimism, self‑analysis prompts and the motivational push that helped me as a younger bloke to build self‑confidence, set goals and act with intention. I share the quotes and practices that I used to use...

 Just how reliant are we on fossil fuels ..... well it turns out a lot!  'How The World Really Works' by Vaclav Smil showed me just how much we still need petroleum and coal to make plastics, ammonia, concrete and steel. So they're not going away any time soon. If you got value from the podcast please provide support back in any way you best see fit!  Connect with Mere Mortals: Webs...

After a short hiatus, I’m back with a paired review of The World According to Coco and The Little Book of Chanel. Truthfully, neither book is extraordinary on its own. But together, they open a far bigger question: what does it cost to reinvent yourself so completely that the myth becomes more powerful than the person? In this review, I explore Coco Chanel’s brutal beginnings, her obsession with u...

 In this episode of Mere Mortals, I review Solve Everything: Achieving Abundance by 2035 by Dr Peter H. Diamandis and Dr Alexander D. Wissner-Gross, a bold manifesto arguing that AI could give humanity the capability to solve nearly every major problem within a decade. I break down the article’s moonshot vision, the idea of directing intelligence with precision, and the hard truth that cultur...

In this episode of Mere Mortals Book Reviews, I break down The Adolescence of Technology by Dario Amodei and why it reads less like a tech article and more like a civilisational warning memo. We explore AI safety, misuse, power, economic disruption, and the frightening speed at which these systems are advancing. The core tension is brutal: if this technology keeps accelerating without real guardra...

I don’t even have the physical book… because Accelerando is free online and after reading it, I understand why it’s become a cult recommendation. This is dense, idea-heavy sci-fi that doesn’t hold your hand. It throws you into transhumanism, post-human economics, AI evolution, and singularity-level futures… and expects you to keep up. You’ll get: uploaded “lobsters” humans splitting into multiple...

 Welcome back to the Mere Mortals Book Reviews. Today I’m reviewing Habits of High Performance by James Laughlin, a practical, activity-driven book built around foundational principles like getting radically clear, strengthening belief systems, leading life on purpose, multiplying motivation, doing the work, focusing priorities, and taking no shortcuts. (00:00) — Welcome + What We’re Reviewin...

 Welcome back to another edition of the Mere Mortals Book Reviews — and this time it’s the final instalment of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. (00:00) Welcome back + final instalment setup (00:47) I literally ripped the book in half (and why it fits the story) (02:30) The split storylines: battles vs Frodo & Sam (03:51) Sam as the real hero (stronger in the book) (04:...

 This is the book learnings companion to my Mastery book review: I pulled 17 personal takeaways (from ~70 notes) and unpack what they mean in real life. We go from vocation and apprenticeship, to why “not even enlightenment is enough”, to the prepared mind, the dimensional mind, and why tech (especially AI) is collapsing the walls between fields. (00:00) Book learnings (and why you should wat...

 Mastery is not a gift handed to the “talented", it’s a ruthless process: time, patience, humility, apprenticeship, and the emotional control to not quit when it gets boring. In this review, I break down Greene’s core ideas, why social intelligence matters as much as skill, and how intuition gets forged through long exposure to the craft. (00:00) — Go against the tide: develop mastery (00:11)...

 Ever looked at the art world and thought: how does any of this actually work? I read How to Collect Art (2024) by Magnus Resch to figure out whether a normal person can buy a single great piece… and whether art is actually a good investment. Resch approaches the art market like an economist: data, power structures, and the brutal reality of gatekeepers. The big theme? The art world isn’t a f...

 A short snippet on the way we do things behind the scenes as the new year approaches and a concerted effort in our book reviews rises. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortals...

 In this Mere Mortals book review, I dive into Secret Weapon, the 12th entry in the Alex Rider series, but not a traditional one. Instead of a full-scale mission, Horowitz delivers seven short, fast-paced stories set early in Alex’s spy career. It’s action-packed, easy to consume, and offers small bursts of worldbuilding without fundamentally shifting the universe. (00:00) - Welcome & Boo...

A raw, no-fluff review of The Two Towers — the darker, tighter middle act of LOTR. I cover the split structure, why Book III feels punchier (Helm’s Deep, Ents), why Book IV slows to a crawl before the Shelob crescendo, and how pain trains the will through Frodo’s burden and Sam’s rise. I read this over a couple of months and felt the weight, the world-building, and the payoff. Spoilers ahead: Gand...

Alex Rider returns in Never Say Die — a fast, zany, throwback instalment that swaps grit for velocity. I break down what works (pace, scale, that classic Rider ingenuity), what doesn’t (the Jack twist), and the one big philosophy that matters: leadership is action, not announcement. What you’ll hear: How the plot kicks off post-Egypt and why Alex goes rogue to follow a single clue. Why the “Jack i...

Horowitz turns the camera away from Alex and into the fire that forged Yassen. Set around the Stormbreaker timeline, this darker companion novel binds the series together with grit, symmetry and consequence. It’s not for first-timers, it’s a reward for the faithful. 00:00 “Assassins aren’t born; they’re forged.” 00:25 What this book is (context + where it fits) 01:40 Non-spoiler thoughts, tone, pa...

Alex Rider stops being bulletproof. In Scorpia Rising, Anthony Horowitz cashes in every IOU the series has dodged: real stakes, identity games, and a gut-punch that actually lands. Today I break down why this is the first truly adult entry in the YA spy saga and what it teaches about cost, courage, and growing up without permission. 00:00 Cold Open — “The end begins here” 00:38 Why Scorpia Rising...