Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Maybe Russians are the most wise, but also the most depressed of us all. 'Great Stories By Chekov' by Anton Chekov (and translated by Constance Garnett) is an anthology of 7 tales, of which 4 are short stories and 3 are novellas. They all showcase Russian life in the 19th century and detail deprivation, abuse, harsh conditions and strained relationships.  I summarised the book as follows. "It's a...

Would you condemn a complete stranger to death? 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus is a 1st person account from a man who lacks normal feelings. It is set in Algiers and follows the Frenchman Monsieur Meursault in his daily routine after the death of his mother. He kills a man and is put on trial for being a cold blooded murder with no regret nor emotions. I summarised the book as follows. "I found it...

We had a lot of people sending in messages (because I did a thing) and I also realised that I'm done with philosophy for a while. In September 2022 we covered 4 books on this channel (but I also threw in a cheeky small one just for this recap). I just noticed that it was a pretty diverse crowd with an Englishman-cum-Australian, French Algerian, American and a fanatic Japanese. That's a good bunch....

How would you find satisfaction in a nuclear holocaust? 'On The Beach' by Nevil Shute is a story set in Melbourne of two naval officers and their friends/family as impending death from radioactive fallout comes ever closer. The Northern Hemisphere is uninhabited apart from a mysterious signal coming from Seattle. It examines people reactions to mortality and how they mentally cope with the realisa...

Can a book be overly simplistic? 'The Sound Of Waves' by Yukio Mishima is a simple tale, a love story in fact, of a young boy and girl who persevere through hardship & gossip. It takes place on Uta-jima, an island off of mainland Japan with a small population that lives an artisanal fishing lifestyle. Shinji has to prove his worth to Hatsue's uncle, whilst dealing with a competitor for her aff...

'Ego is the Enemy' by Ryan Holiday was the eagerly anticipated next read in my trails of absorbing everything Ryan Holiday. Find out just why Ego is truly the enemy. I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out! Timeline: (0:00) - Intro (1:17) - Synopsis (3:40) - Themes (6:48) - Takeaways Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: ht...

Either philosophy makes little sense ...... or I'm just a little stupid. 'Either/Or' by Søren Kierkegaard is a two volume work designed to investigate the life views of the aesthetic (art, beauty, pleasure) & the ethical (commitment, marriage morals). It is written in the unique form of two unknown authors and compiled by a pseudonymous editor.  I summarised the book as follows. "My overall fe...

We had a lot of people sending in messages (because I did a thing) and I also realised that I'm done with philosophy for a while. In August 2022 we covered 3 books on this channel (but I also threw in a cheeky small one just for this recap). My favourite of the bunch was easily Camus's book. I drew a lot of parallels between this and my fav book of all time (George Orwell's '1984'). I hope you hav...

'The Obstacle is the Way' by Ryan Holiday begins a journey of discovery personally into Stoic teachings and Ryan's work Structured phenomenally, the book uses three key sections to impart its wisdom. Perspective, Action and Will. I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out! Timeline: (0:00) - Intro (0:48) - Synopsis (4:28) -  Themes (8:57) -  Takeaways (12:10) - Summary...

You know things are serious when you can't spit on cats anymore ppppptttt ptttp ptt. 'The Plague' by Albert Camus is a novel describing life in a city in Oran locked down to due to the outbreak of the Bubonic Plague. A narrator describes the travels of Dr Rieux over the course of about a year as he attempts to help his patients. There are differing responses of his friends and acquaintances as the...

A solid attempt to get to the truth of all things! 'Meditations On First Philosophy' by René Descartes is a philosophical treatise designed to prove the existence of God. Descartes creates 6 meditations which run through step by step how he goes about finding out what is irrevocably true. This starts with his famous 'cogito, ergo sum' (I think, therefore I am) position and fleshes out why the sens...

It finally happened, but I warned you dammit I warned you (runs away crying). In July 2022 we covered 3 books on this channel. I enjoyed learning more about Bitcoin and in particular about the history and property of money. Descartes had a real interesting process for finding truth and he conveys this beautifully in the first 3 of his 6 meditations. Juan seemed to enjoy his physics book although i...

Will this phrase of 'the gold standard' become obsolete due to technology? 'The Bitcoin Standard' by Saifedean Ammous describes the history of money and examines the varying properties of currencies. This sets a backdrop for the explanation of a purely digital money called Bitcoin and why it excels in comparison to barter, shells, gold and even fiat. I summarised the book as follows. "If you are e...

'Brief Answers to the Big Questions' by Stephen Hawking seeks to answer 10 commonly asked questions from his own perspective. The book examines some of the universe's greatest mysteries, and promotes the view that science is very important in helping to solve problems on planet Earth I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out! Timeline: (0:00) - Intro (0:40) - Who is S...

Who are you truly and what do you believe deeply? 'Reasons And Persons' by Derek Parfit is an examination into our beliefs of what we should do with our lives and our personal identity. Parfit appeals to rationality and argues why theories such as self-interest and consequentialism are self-defeating in their own terms. He does this through a series of hypothetical cases (both realistic and improb...

Next month will be the first where we won't have a book review every week. And philosophy is to blame! In June 2022 we covered 5 books on this channel. Juan did some heavy lifting and bested me for the first time since we began. I've recently been noticing a decline in my desire to read and this could be because I have been slogging through Parfit's book (intermittently) for a couple of months now...

'The Little Book of Alpaca Philosophy' by Jennifer McCartney is a simple, easy to read, quirky and short look at philosophy through the eyes of alpacas I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out! Timeline: (0:00) - Intro (1:30) - Synopsis (4:36) - Themes (5:07) - Observations/Takeaways Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: htt...

If love is such a universal good, then why does it inspire such cruelty? 'Madame Bovary' by Gustave Flaubert is a tale of provincial love set in Rouen, France during the 19th century. We are privy to the intimate affairs of Emma Bovary as she seeks to capture the romantic fantasies she believes she deserves. Her blind desire comes at a cost however as she becomes ever more desperate to attain some...

Get ready to have your mind blown on what you think the future may look like 'Homo Deus' by Yuval Noah Harari is a logical exploration of our past, our myths, our constructs, inter-subjectivities and many many other viewpoints to craft what ultimately our future may look like. A deep think, this book might provide some answers but it does just as well to leave you with many more fascinating questi...

How trusting would you be? 'Before I Go To Sleep' by S.J Watson is a mystery psychological thriller that delves into the questions of memory and the importance of trust. As Christine utilises her journal, she delves deeper and deeper towards the truth and in turn finds out that the origination of her amnesia might not be all it seems to be. A true page-turner, I gave this read a 7/10. I hope you h...

Due to some big books and a slower reading pace I did a couple of reviews of books I had read many years ago. In May 2022 I covered 4 books on this channel. Like I mentioned above, the first two by Cialdini and Kafka I had read 10 years and 3 years ago. The book that I rated the lowest was 'The Idiot' but like most Dostoevsky books there was so many themes to ponder upon that it more than made up...

A naïve idiot can be endearing but can also cause a lot of pain to themselves and others. 'The Idiot' by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a large fictional story of semi-aristocratic Russians centering around 'The Prince' Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin. After a prolonged illness he begins to enter society and becomes embroiled in a love triangle with two beautiful ladies. The tale takes place over ~6 months, beginn...

Have your sanity in order because it will be put on trial in this mystifying process. 'The Trial' by Franz Kafka tells the story of Josef K as he is suddenly accused of a crime and must go through a trial. However it is a bizarre and unclear procedure that leads him further and further down a rabbit hole. The more he tries to prove his innocence of this mysterious accusation the more unsolvable an...

As an expert reviewer I'm telling you that you will love this review, also because all your friends do and also because it's only here for a limited time! 'Influence' by Robert Cialdini is an uncovering of the shortcuts we use to make decisions (and how these can be highjacked). He list 6 'weapons of influence' (or 7 depending on your edition) which were derived from studies, training observations...

Super logical arguments that are convincing but somehow feel like they are missing something. 'The Most Good You Can Do' by Peter Singer details the philosophy of effective altruism and how it can be applied. There is a strong slant towards utilitarian ethics with a focus on maximising your individual impact whilst helping others. Specific examples are given of how this can change career paths, de...