Mere Mortals Book Reviews

The ritual of courtship has really changed in the last century & a half.  'The Portrait Of A Lady' by Henry James is a fictional (although realistic) tale of love set in the 19th century. It follows Isabel Archer, a beautiful middle class American teenager who is elevated into the upper society of Europe and is courted by a suite of bachelors. It features a core group of 12-15 ladies & gen...

'Cilka's Journey' by Heather Morris is the sequel to 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' which we have covered on the channel before. I summarised the book as follows. "Didn't quite live up to the original, the book felt like it was several pages too many and while the story itself was great it could have been constructed in a better way." I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Ju...

This recap was supported with the help of Petar the slav, many thanks for the boostagrams! Well I tried my best to understand what the Germans think about life but it wasn't too successful. I found the writing of Nietzsche and Heidegger to be quite obscure and didn't really learn anything from them. I did have fun diving into the Dune world though, just in time to see the upcoming movie. Juan enjo...

I don't use the word often, but 'polemical' describes this work perfectly. 'Beyond Good And Evil' by Friedrich Nietzsche is mostly an attack on philosophers but also contains snippets of his general thoughts on the interplay between religion & society, the mindset of a free spirit and some other assorted rants. It was originally written in his native German and is mostly comprised of statement...

More questions than answers, more confusion than clarity. 'The Question Concerning Technology' by Martin Heidegger is a philosophical book containing multiple essays by the German philosopher. It centres around his concepts of 'Standing Reserve' & 'Enframing' but also contains a deconstruction of Nietzsche as well. The book contains no real structure but does have many helpful notes from the t...

'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' by Heather Morris blends fiction with reality to bring the tale of the Tattooist of Auschwitz to us all, his love for Gita and the things one must do to survive. I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out! If you would like to support the Mere Mortals, feel free to grab this book here: https://amzn.to/3H16rMO Timeline: (0:00) - Intro (0:30)...

He who controls the spice controls the universe! 'Dune' by Frank Herbert is a sci-fi classic that is comparable with some of the other amazing fictional universes. The story takes place on Arrakis, a barren planet scarce of water but containing the immensely valuable spice. House Atreides suffers a catastrophic betrayal and so the young Duke Paul undergoes a quest for revenge and to restore his ri...

Everything you know about human nature is a falsehood, but maybe that's a good thing. 'Humankind' by Rutger Bregman is an argument for why humans are good at heart (and in action). He presents this as a dichotomy between the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes & Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Much of the book is spent debunking commonly cited examples of our innate cruelty (Milgram Shock/Standford Prison expe...

I had to slow down my reading pace to about 1 x book per week due to focusing on some new goals. I also think my average page length might be slightly increasing which also is a reason for the slow down. So only 3 x reviews for me from this month. The real highlight (which I forgot to mention) was Juan's review of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari which he reckons is the best book he's ever read. Worth...

Let's go on a journey through human history in 500 pages. A glimpse into my love for the book Sapiens, the points that really struck me and how much information can be packed in one book is beyond me. I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out! If you would like to support us and grab the book use our link here! https://amzn.to/3vfVfXe Timeline: (0:00) - Intro (0:28) -...

A delve into the thoughts of a great leader, inspiring visionary, a venerable soul, but ultimately just a man. 'An Autobiography' by M.K. Gandhi (also known as 'My Experiments With Truth') is an overview of his life from birth in 1869 to 1921. It is split into 5 parts which reflect his time spent studying in England, working in South Africa and protesting in India. It was originally published as a...

I'm finding a common pattern amongst books on this subject that I'm really not enjoying. 'The Heart Of The Buddha's Teaching' by Thich Nhat Hanh is an explanation of the most essential ideas, instructions, teachings and guides of Buddhism & the Buddha. It is split into 4 parts with the first two deconstructing the Four Noble Truths & The Noble Eightfold Path and the latter two examining ot...

Authentically Russian. Depressingly bleak, a touch of divinity and more than a little strange. 'The Death Of Ivan Ilyich' by Leo Tolstoy is a collection of 11 novellas, which contain Russian everything (characters, landscape, traditions, culture, etc.,). There is no connecting theme in the stories but they do contain some commonalities. They're told from an outside narrator, have men as the princi...

Recap timeeee! Yessiree, here's an overview of the 7 books I read (and 2 x book review from Juan) that was posted in September 2021. The standout for me was Candide by Voltaire, very witty and has obviously stood the test of time (it was published 260 years ago!). Most of the rest were pretty solid books that ranged from philosophy to children's books to religion to suffering (both fictional and i...

A dive into the brutality of humanity, but childlike in nature and without the bullshit of politics. 'Lord Of The Flies' by William Golding is a boy's dream adventure that takes a dark turn. It begins with an intro to a group of 6-14 year olds who are stranded on a small island without an adult in site. Tensions run high as the responsible tribe formed by Ralph is splintered by the tribalistic Jac...

Shocking and devastating in every which way. 'Hiroshima' by John Hersey details the accounts of 6 survivors from the atomic blast on August 6, 1945 @ 8:15 am. It goes over their injuries, the general chaos, widespread destructive effects, uncertainty of the future, overt heroism on the morning of, and the statistics of the death count. 5 chapters form a timeline of their stories before/during/1 da...

Like most moralising old men, this philosopher will either enlighten you, bore you, piss you off or a combo of all. 'Discourses & Selected Writings' by Epictetus are the words of wisdom from a notable stoic philosopher. It goes over his core principles/main ideas through the medium of assertions, arguments and conversations. Like most stoic philosophy, there is an emphasis on making this pract...

Begone you engrams, let me be the Thetan I was born to be! 'Going Clear' by Lawrence Wright is an exposé mixed with the history of Scientology. The first half begins with a bio on the mythical/enigmatic L. Ron Hubbard and his life. The second half is of modern Scientology & its influential figures (such as David Miscavige, Tom Cruise and Paul Haggis). The book explores the beliefs, controversi...

One of those rare books that appeals to adults & kids alike. 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a surprisingly complex story to convey a simple message. It is a combination of two tales that are intertwined together. One is of an adult aviator who has forgotten how to see the world through the eyes of a child. The other is of an interstellar boy who easily sees the foolishness...

'Everyone Has A Plan Until Sh!t Hits The Fan' by Tofe Evans looks at the journey from dispair & depression through to success, a focused mind and personal resilience. I summarised the book as follows. "A quaint and straight to the point book written by Tofe. The quintessential self-help book written by someone who just wants to ensure it is read by someone and helps them out to the utmost. Spl...

An unwavering spirit maybe isn't such a great thing after all. 'Candide' by Voltaire is a funny satire on the philosophical idea/theory of Optimism, which was popular during the French Enlightenment. It is a roving adventure of the ever hopeful Candide as he learns about the harshness of the world while chasing his love Cunégonde and spreading the philosophy of Dr Pangloss. His travels take him ac...

'Shoe Dog' by Phil Knight details the journey of Nike's humble beginnings, from the Blue Ribbon Sports, through battling the Fed's, getting thrown out by banks.. the story does not hold back. I summarised the book as follows. "I really enjoyed reading this book, the way that Phil wrote the book himself and allowed the story to shine was excellent" I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are i...

Bit of a different episode for you today, I'm outdoors! And indeed I'm giving a recap of the 7 books I read (and 1 x book review from Juan) that was posted in August 2021. The standout really was Catch-22, can't rave about this book highly enough. It will make you laugh and still has plenty of room to bring up some darker themes related to war and the absurdity of politics/bureaucracy. Highly reco...

You only have yourself to blame if you get burnt by girls like this. 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' by Truman Capote is set in the middle of WWII in glamorous New York City. An unnamed narrator meets Holly Golightly, a young & pretty socialite who lives in his apartment building. Over the course of a year he becomes fascinated with her enigmatic lifestyle and her charisma. The book contains no real...

Easily the funniest book I've ever read! 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller is fictional novel set on a US air force base on an island off Northern Italy during WWII. It follows Yossarian whilst he tries to avoid flying missions as everyone is out to kill him. He is joined by a collection of other wacky characters as they all show their peculiar idiosyncrasies. The book highlights the absurdity of army p...