Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Aiiiiiiii aiaiaiaia aiiiyayayaiaaia! 'The Last Of The Mohicans' by James Fenimore Cooper is a work of historical fiction set during the colonisation of the United States Of America. It follows the dangerous adventures of a mixed group of native Indians and English settlers as they are plagued by adversaries. The dialogue can be a bit hard to interpret at times but the portrayal of untouched nature...

You wouldn't steal a car .... but I would download one! 'Free ' by Chris Anderson is an argument for why online abundance has changed the way businesses run and that this trend is only going to continue. He looks at various types of companies/products and shows how zero marginal costs result in 4 outcomes: direct cross-subsidies, the three-party market, freemium and nonmonetary markets. I read thi...

Who will end humanity first, the aliens or us?! 'The Three-Body Problem' by Cixin Liu is a sci-fi novel involving aliens, science, warfare and politics. Unexplainable events start to occur to scientists after contact has been made with the Trisolaris world. We gradually learn about their unique ecosystem and why humanity might be in danger not just from the outside, but also within. I loved the fi...

Prepare for your heartstrings to be plucked. 'The Harp In The South' by Ruth Park is a classic Australian book detailing the lives of the poverty stricken Darcy family. This fictional family lives in Surry Hills, which in the 1930's was an inner city slum of Sydney. There is no plot per se as it simply follow the lives of this small family, with particular attention shown to the young daughter Roi...

Will the psychology of humans be compatible with the predicted tech future we face? 'The Inevitable' by Kevin Kelly is a series of technological trends that he believes will dictate the future. It is primarily based on what is already happening and his educated guess as to how this will manifest in a couple of decades time. It is broken down into 12 themes which interact and merge with each other....

It's a fine line between conveying deep insights vs being overly mystical. 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran is a quick read that maybe shouldn't be quick. It has a simple plot setup of a prophet answering questions to townsfolk he is about to leave and never see again. They ask him to speak on 26 topics and he delivers a short poetic response in reply. At times it does seem to hold a deeper wisdom b...

Today, I'm discussing "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor, one of my top book recommendations. This book brilliantly combines storytelling with scientific research, exploring the profound impact of breathing on our health and well-being. Nestor's personal journey to understand breathing is interwoven with just the right amount of technical detail, making it an engaging and enli...

Sometimes you really can be too outlandish. 'The Happy Prince & Other Stories' by Oscar Wilde are a collection of short stories. They have a childlike feel and are almost like fairytales except the moral of the story seems to be missing or is rather bleak. I've also included my review of 'The Importance Of Being Earnest', a separate play that showcases Wilde's wit and ability to construct a hu...

The grittier Australian version of magic realism. 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton follows the merging lives of two families (the Lamb's & the Pickle's) as they move into a shared house in Perth. We see the hardships that individual characters go through and how family and kinship is what saves them. It incorporates real life events with absurd fictional elements to give a taste of Aussie life in t...

Never have I ever more wanted to be a homeless peasant! 'Tortilla Flat' by John Steinbeck is the tale of how an eclectic bunch of friends live together in Monterey. Danny becomes a house owner and experiences the highs and lows of a raised social status. To help Danny his friends begin living with him and hijinks ensue. They rotate between fights, wine, fire and women whilst being lovable rascals....

Hopefully I'm not as boring as Cicero is ..... but don't count on it! 'On Government' by Cicero is a collection of his writings set out in a chronological format. The large bulk are orations he delivered in front of the senate (or law court) and some smaller sections on his ideals for what a government should look like. I found it pretty boring to be honest but did give me some historical insights...

Join me as I dive into the heartwarming and insightful pages of "The Daily Dad" by Ryan Holiday, exploring 366 meditations on fatherhood, love, and raising great kids. This book, structured to be read daily, offers a unique blend of historical context, stoic principles, and practical advice, all condensed into one-page chapters.  I share my personal journey of reading it aloud to my baby girl, tur...

What's it really like to work in the United States Post Office? 'Post Office' by Charles Bukowski is a fictional yet semi-autobiographical account of Henry Chinaski working as a mailman/clerk in the post office. His life sucks and gets increasingly worse as he deals with frustrating bureaucracy and seeks escape through sex, gambling and alcohol. Huge thanks to Ashley Glenday for supporting the pod...

Will the Jews ever find a peaceful resting place? 'If Not Now, When?' by Primo Levi is a fictional story of Jewish partisans surviving behind German lines during WWII. It follows Mendel as he tries to forget about his suffering/pain but is constantly reminded of his deceased wife and the uprooting of his life. He joins a band trying to escape the horrors of war but is constantly drawn into conflic...

How can you heal a damaged mind? 'The Body Keeps The Score' by Bessel Van Der Kolk is a book focused on mental health plus the what/why's of PTSD and trauma. It's split into 5 parts dealing with history, brain science, child abuse, memory and healing strategies. It has a mix of case studies, hard/soft science and personal opinion. I summarised the book as follows. "It's a dense read that was more...

I'm changing up the book review channel and starting a book club. In September 2023 we reviewed 4 books on the channel. No real standouts to be honest so instead I'll mention why and how I'm going to do things differently. Basically I'm putting in a lot of effort but don't feel like I'm getting much value in return. So I'm going to streamline the process by doing them live, focusing less on creati...

What's it like to lose your own body? 'The Diving-Bell And The Butterfly' by Jean-Dominique Bauby is a short memoir describing life with locked-in syndrome. It's a mix of personal recollections before his life altering stroke and daily hospital trivialities afterwards. He focuses on the hardships of being trapped within a mute body but the joy of unlocking his mind. I summarised the book as follow...

Don't weep for lost dreams, they were never real to begin with. 'Bitter Orange Tree' by Jokha Alharthi is a fictional series of recollections told by a young Omani woman about her life, family and relationships. It mostly focuses on her grandmother's tribulations and her own personal grief/regret of her passing away. I summarised the book as follows. "I came in to this blank was pleasantly surpris...

Fucking hell that's a bit shit ya dawg. 'Swearing Is Good For You' by Emma Byrne is a popular science book detailing the positive aspects of profanity. It tackles this by somewhat providing the who/what/when/where/why/how using case studies and observations. There is data mixed in with her own humour and research she conducted as a scientist. I summarised the book as follows. "This was just about...

Hey Mere Mortalites! Juan here. I've just journeyed through 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,' where road trips meet deep philosophical dives. Let's unravel the adventure, the metaphysics of Quality, and see why this classic might just redefine your understanding of life. Join me as we ride through Pirsig's masterpiece!

Mark Twain is a superb author, who else do you really enjoy? In August 2023 I reviewed 4 books on this channel. Although it wasn't the best of the month I did really enjoy 'Roughing It'. I really just do think Mark Twain knocks it out of the park with his books. Big thanks to Cole McCormick (from the America+ podcast) and Petar for supporting the show. Very much appreciated! I hope you have a fant...

Let's pack it up and go strike it rich! 'Roughing It' by Mark Twain is a collection of rambling anecdotes from his travels as a younger man. It details his travels to the Wild West during the California gold rush, working as a journalist in San Francisco and crossing the Pacific Ocean to reach the Kingdom of Hawaii. There are many funny stories within and is semi-autobiographical but with plenty o...

Would you read this to your child? 'Island Of The Blue Dolphins' by Scott O'Dell is a fictional children's novel (loosely based on a real story) of a lone girl living on an island. Karana (12) has to fend for herself after being left behind by her tribe. She must use survival skills to weather through storms, feed herself and stay safe from wild dogs and other animals. I summarised the book as fol...

If you had all the choice in the world, what would you do? 'The Long Tail' by Chris Anderson is an exposition of how greater access to choices of products has altered business practices. Greater value can be unlocked from producers selling to consumers via better aggregation methods such as digitisation and rating systems. This has had huge impacts on music/market places/culture and given rise to...

Will TV be the death of us? 'Amusing Ourselves To Death' by Neil Postman is an argument of why television as a medium lessens rational discourse and ultimately is a bad trade-off for society. The first part focuses on the past, in particular how typography is serious and encourages critical thinking. The second part demonstrates how TV is predominantly about entertainment and is negatively effecti...