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writesdave's Reviews (364)
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
"Do what you love" backed with data. Excellent, informed rebuttal to the carrot-and-stick motivation at work that has governed employment as long as I can remember. Of course, skeptic that I am, I will note the book doesn't point out that most workplaces will use your desire for "doing work with meaning" or "loving what you do" as leverage, nor does it address what to do in that case. But the existence of the book gives me a glimmer of hope that the world of work will have to wise up.
The Border War: The Bronze Boot Rivalry Between Colorado State and Wyoming
Ryan Thorburn, Robert Gagliardi
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely brutal and necessary read, especially for anyone in a position to send our citizens to war. While we get to know the men of the platoon intimately, we also come to understand the cost of war in terms of sanity and emotional casualties, walking every step of an endless and pointless mission with them, feeling every pang of longing and hurt. Veterans can probably relate painfully, and those who didn't serve can only imagine. Chalk this up as one of the best books I've ever read—and one I have no desire to read again.
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Frank Deford was a brilliant writer, the sportswriter I and my peers wanted to be, but the look back was jarring. Not surprisingly, the takes of a middle-aged sportswriter from an Ivy League college do not hold up well, owing to a blindingly unenlightened viewpoint generally. Seriously, I found myself cringing over some of the NPR scripts and wondering how NPR felt about these opinions emanating through their airwaves.
By the way, this book would have come out just before his soft-core profile of Anna Kournikova for Sports Illustrated (ca. 2002), though I will consider his editors gave him marching orders for the kind of story he was to report and write. The story just oozed with something, knowing who wrote it, and I doubt Deford considered it among his best.
Again, though, the man could turn a phrase. Highlights include the profile of a 40-year-old Bobby Knight, and the closing feature on sports' immortal barriers coming down.
By the way, this book would have come out just before his soft-core profile of Anna Kournikova for Sports Illustrated (ca. 2002), though I will consider his editors gave him marching orders for the kind of story he was to report and write. The story just oozed with something, knowing who wrote it, and I doubt Deford considered it among his best.
Again, though, the man could turn a phrase. Highlights include the profile of a 40-year-old Bobby Knight, and the closing feature on sports' immortal barriers coming down.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
In assessing memoirs/biographies, I'm never sure whether I review the life lived or the storytelling of that life. And it's hard for a figure to take on their memoir without coming off like a self-indulgent egomaniac.
Nonetheless, Herbie Hancock comes off as one of the most interesting men in all of music. He has played with anybody and everybody who has come to him with a forward-looking concept, or who buys in to whatever his vision for a project happens to be. From his origins as a math-science nerd who played classical piano at the urging of his parents to the musical visionary we all know and love, he lovingly and thoroughly chronicles his journey. Equally insightful with the people and projects, you learn quite a bit about both—that two words of praise from Miles Davis could make your month, let alone your day; that salesmanship from Herbie's managers and producers to record label executives saved more than one groundbreaking project from the scrap heap; that Herbie learned well from Miles the trait of always looking at the horizon for the next thing, if not with the art than with the application of technology; that Herbie had to overcome his own musical snobbery to truly follow his instincts.
I also gained some insight into Buddhism, which has clearly made a huge difference in his life. I didn't find this discussion to be as overbearing and distracting as some others, but I won't start my own practice right quick, either.
For learning how one man has forged his musical path through life, it doesn't get much better than Herbie Hancock pulling back the curtain in this must-read for any music lover.
Nonetheless, Herbie Hancock comes off as one of the most interesting men in all of music. He has played with anybody and everybody who has come to him with a forward-looking concept, or who buys in to whatever his vision for a project happens to be. From his origins as a math-science nerd who played classical piano at the urging of his parents to the musical visionary we all know and love, he lovingly and thoroughly chronicles his journey. Equally insightful with the people and projects, you learn quite a bit about both—that two words of praise from Miles Davis could make your month, let alone your day; that salesmanship from Herbie's managers and producers to record label executives saved more than one groundbreaking project from the scrap heap; that Herbie learned well from Miles the trait of always looking at the horizon for the next thing, if not with the art than with the application of technology; that Herbie had to overcome his own musical snobbery to truly follow his instincts.
I also gained some insight into Buddhism, which has clearly made a huge difference in his life. I didn't find this discussion to be as overbearing and distracting as some others, but I won't start my own practice right quick, either.
For learning how one man has forged his musical path through life, it doesn't get much better than Herbie Hancock pulling back the curtain in this must-read for any music lover.
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Rebecca Solnit's prose is beautiful, reflective of a life well-lived in this collection of essays drawing parallels between her life and getting lost — which doesn't always spell disaster.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced