Mere Mortals Book Reviews

15 years late but I'm starting to develop some taste! In July 2023 we reviewed 5 books on this channel. My two favourites of this month both have what I would call 'style'. The content within them was interesting but what made them stand out was the way they were written. I used to really suck at understanding this as artsy type things were never intuitive for me. But I think reading a lot of fict...

Technology is going so fast I can't see .... ahhhhhh ..... 'Energy: A Human History' by Richard Rhodes is a brief flash through 400 years of human technology and history. It begins in the 1600's and shows the transition from wood to coal/steam to oil/gas and to nuclear (and beyond). It is comprised of stories and told via the numerous inventions of innovators across the centries. I summarised the...

Partying hard and losing friends! 'Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemingway is a roman-à-clef depicting 1920's life in Europe after WW1. It is told from the point of view of Jake Barnes an American expat living in France. He joins his friends for a week long party in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls but it all turns into a drunken fiasco. I summarised the book as follows. "Hemingw...

Appreciate what you have, we're not all born the same. 'No Longer Human' by Osamu Dazai is a series of notebooks depicting the short life of a troubled Japanese boy, set in Tokyo after WW1. Ōba Yōzō is born different to everyone else and has a feeling of alienation and estrangement from society. He tries to mask this via acting, expression through art and ultimately self destruction. It is strongl...

I have vicious enemies who have vowed to ruin me! 'The Double' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a short tale of a man who encounters a double of himself. Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin is a titular councillor living in St Petersburg during the 1800's. He starts to suffer from schizophrenic delusions and behaves bizarrely at work and amongst colleagues with increasingly severe outcomes. I summarised the book as...

Ryan Holiday is a well-known author, and some of his notable works include "The Obstacle Is the Way," "Ego Is the Enemy," and "Stillness Is the Key." which we have all covered in this channel. His latest entry into the stoic series, Discipline is Destiny, is a master work from Ryan. Enjoy the review and leave any comments below. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.co...

Sometimes you come across the answers you're looking for, even if they aren't what you want to hear. In June 2023 I reviewed 4 books on this channel. This was a month of learning for me and I received some good lessons from these books. It kind of centred around two things. One, if you dwell on negative thoughts and try to use 'feeling like an outsider' as justification for behaving badly, you're...

I reject your doubt and substitute my own. 'Merchants Of Doubt' by Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway is a historical recount of the scientific debate regarding the effects of smoking, the DDT insecticide, chlorofluorocarbons and burning fossil fuels. The evidence proved there was health and environmental damage but a group of individual scientists waged a campaign to seed doubt against the scienc...

Gentlemen, I will fight against the stone wall of twice two is four! 'Notes From Underground' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky are the semi-insane rambling of an unnamed narrator in St Petersburg during the 19th century. It's split into two parts: a bitter monologue addressed to society and then his miserable life as a civil servant in his younger years. As typical of Russian novels (especially Dostoyevsky)...

There be wicked witchcraft afoot! 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller is a fictionalised play depicting the 1692-93 Salem witch trials. It centres around John Proctor & the accusation against his wife Elizabeth (followed subsequently by his denunciation). There are 4 Acts which take place in various locations across the town. As it was written as a play, it mostly contains dialogue between charact...

If you can burn away all the pain, should you take that path? 'The Temple Of The Golden Pavilion' by Yukio Mishima is a fictionalised account of real events concerning a temple in Kyoto in the 1940's. Mizoguchi a young acolyte become enamoured & then disillusioned by the Golden Temple. He experiences growing frustration due to his stutter & lack of connection to females, which leads to a c...

Is it possible to choose only the best books to read? In May 2023 we reviewed 4 books on this channel. Love is such a weird word. It seems to mean so many things that I personally find it almost useless. And part of this is due to 'love' stories that seem to me nothing but flighty fancies and lust (looking at you Thomas Hardy). But there are others like 'The Debacle' which I feel actually do showc...

In reality war is horrible, in fiction .... it's also horrible. 'The Debacle' by Émile Zola is a historical cum realistic fiction (also known as naturalism) set during 1870-1 of the Franco-Prussian war. It follows Jean/Maurice, two French soldiers and Maurice's civilian sister as they endure the privations of war and the suffering caused in the aftermath. I summarised the book as follows. "A heart...

Enthusiasms taken too far! 'Far From The Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy is a small & simple tale of love, betrayal, anger and heartbreak. It's set in Wessex during Victorian England in the farmland countryside. The young, beautiful Bathsheba is courted by 3 suitors: mild-mannered shepherd Gabriel, distinguished farmer Boldwood and dashing sergeant Troy. I summarised the book as follows. "It's...

We live in a society .... so let's fix it! 'The Second Curve' by Charles Handy is a collection of 16 essays reflecting on societal changes & predicting potential innovations of the future. It has a technology/management focus but is also broad and ties in with human wellbeing. There are a smattering of anecdotes & facts that help to reinforce his personal opinions and thoughts. I summarise...

A short summary this month on Life Force by Tony Robbins and partners. A great, big, thick book that had a lot of promise pre-reading it, but afterwards left me thinking that the sell was slightly better than the product. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/ TikTok: ht...

All men are enemies, all animals are comrades. 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell is an allegorical satire criticising the USSR regime & Joseph Stalin. A group of talking animals led by the pigs revolt against the human farmers. They attempt to create a paradise called Animal Farm through their ideology of Animalism but this has disastrous consequences for the general animal society. I summarised...

Is it possible to choose only the best books to read? In April 2023 we reviewed 5 books on this channel. For some crazy reason both Juan and I just read bangers this month. It could be somewhat predicted as I revisited two authors who are probably in my top 10 writers. Juan was also reading to prepare himself for his baby girl so was also focused intently on trying to get good information. A big t...

Kaz Cooke's "Up the Duff" is an informative and humorous guide to pregnancy, covering everything from conception to childbirth and beyond. With its relatable anecdotes and practical advice, I highly recommend reading it alongside your partner. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremort...

When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. 'A Confederacy Of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole is a picaresque novel of a fat delusional man named Ignatius J. Reilly. He is a bombastic rogue living in a corrupt world and is forced to get a job by his domineering mother. His interactions with other zany characters progress...

Who else can create such vivid imagery? 'Cannery Row' by John Steinbeck is a short novel of carefree life set during the 1930's in Monterey, California. A set of eclectic characters go about their everyday lives, showcasing their peculiar personalities along the way. There is no real plot as the story is broken into smaller vignettes that combine to form a semi-coherent narrative. I summarised the...

"Dad's Guide to Pregnancy For Dummies" provides a humorous and informative take on the experience of becoming a father, making it an enjoyable and practical read for any expecting dad. I really enjoyed the actionable writing within, and gave it an 8/10. Definitely a "this depends on your place in the world" but well worth the read if you need it. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.mer...

How often do you read a book to learn versus reading for pure pleasure? In March 2023 I reviewed 4 books on this channel. My favourite was Mr Franklin's autobiography, he's a fascinating guy. All the others I was reading to get something out of them. Whether it was learning more about bad psychoanalytical ideas, pondering the grief I will likely feel in the future, grinding through some Peruvian s...

How should you console someone after a loss? 'On Grief & Grieving' by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross & David Kessler is a description of the grieving process after a loved on dies. It examines the common variables of what makes each experience unique through the inner and outer world. It's not so much advice perse as how to understand/think about dying and loss. It contains many mini examples of re...

Greatness requires self-improvement and a whole lot of striving! 'The Autobiography' by Benjamin Franklin are reflections on his life plus notable letters/publications he made. It roughly follows him from childhood to his business dealings in Philadelphia and work as a diplomat in England/France. It's not standard as he skips large events (like America gaining independence) but does give insights...