Review: The Savage Detectives

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very long and difficult to follow when listening to the audiobook as the many characters come in and out of chapters, and time goes back and forth. The worst part of the audio was that different chapters were narrated by different characters, many (most?) female, but the audiobook narrators were men and used the same voices as their male characters. This greatly confused things.
The writing was interesting, but what was written was not as interesting, if that makes sense. On finishing, I felt I had finished something by a good writer, but couldn't put my finger on what that was... I have "2666" on audio read to go, but I think I'll put it on the back burner for now.

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Review: The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life

The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I expected a kind of "Last Lecture" feel to Trebek's book, and there was a little of that, providing some guidance for the future. But it was much more a quickly written autobiography with a number of anecdotes from Alex about his life. I enjoyed this. The book is short, and the topics are varied, so my interest never flagged. I listened to the audiobook, with Jeopardy superstar Ken Jennings narrating much of the book, when Alex wasn't talking. Alex did narrate the beginning and end, and the chapters about Jennings and those about his wife. I appreciated this. Well done. Strangely, Jennings and Trebek reminded me in one aspect of the story of Mark Twain working with US Grant to write and publish his autobiography when cancer flared up for Grant. For a Jeopardy fan, you get a lot about Trebek's background. You don't get much on Jeopardy's past - Art Fleming is mentioned twice. I expected more there. But given the focus of the book and the feeling that time is precious for Trebek, the lack is understandable. As a casual reflection on a life well lived, this worked for me. Trebek comes across as the kind of guy you wish was your neighbor.

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Review: Affiliate Marketing NICHE SITE NINJA: How to Start A Niche Website & Make Money Online With Clickbank, Linkshare, AdSense, & More

Affiliate Marketing NICHE SITE NINJA: How to Start A Niche Website & Make Money Online With Clickbank, Linkshare, AdSense, & More by Alex Nelson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook version of this at high speed, so investment of time was about 15 minutes. This is the equivalent of an introductory magazine article that covers two topics - starting a website focused on a niche, and adding affiliate links in order to make money from said website. This was mostly listing pros and cons of different services. Not a bad introduction to the affiliate link services out there, but it does include what sounds distinctly like an MLM. I would expect to be able to find dozens of articles on the internet at the same depth, or even with more information, and more current.

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Review: fMRI

fMRI by Peter A. Bandettini
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I know very little on MRIs in general, it's not anything I've studied. I randomly chose this book as I find the science behind the MRI sounded interesting. And, from this book, I understand a bit more about functional MRIs, including how they are used, and the terminology around how it works. I felt the author did a good job explaining. I listened to this a few weeks ago and very little stuck with me, beside the thought that if I were going to use this information, say in a class, I would have found this audiobook to be very useful. As it is, in my situation, I'd call it interesting as needed.

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Review: 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life

55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life by Elizabeth White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found myself in the age group in the title, and laid off the week before I picked this book up. I wanted to understand if this was more of a guidebook or more of a motivational book. It is a combination. Much of the book is what I would call coach-talk, in effect a coach trying to restore the fire in a team that’s way down at the half. The author intersperses the motivational content with some specific content related to key methods she’s investigated to reduce expenses in order to eke out a life when dealing with a reduced standard of living.

Overall, I kind of liked the book, but there were two things I hated about it. First, the “coach-talk” started with the trope that the downwardly mobile middle ager is in the situation they are in because society made it so. The author repeats her message that “you are a victim, just like everyone else” many times. In actuality, the author’s own story and some of the others she uses for illustration seem to show how many otherwise smart people don’t plan for a future without a job with any rigor. As someone who has read dozens of books on FIRE (financial independence, retire early) and who actively planned for an early retirement, I know that people make choices on investing or spending their earnings, and in many or not most cases, people are agents of their own future. The author is focused on the spenders with this book. So I felt this wasn’t aimed at me.

The author also builds into the book a plan to use the book as a group discussion tool for those middle aged and under- or unemployed. Certainly that’s an interesting use, but I wasn’t looking to lead group discussions, and those sections didn’t help much with individual reflection. If you do think you can lead or join a group discussion of this book, then I think it can be a good blueprint for discussions.

As for the ideas for, let’s call it forced downsizing, the author describes some ideas that I haven’t seen described for older adults. Some, like renting out rooms, I’ve certainly seen before, but not in this context. Other points of discussion include borrowing money, moving to a less expensive country, communal living, and getting a freelance job. I found her ideas interesting and her list of resources for further investigation were also useful. I hope I don’t need these ideas, but it’s good to know there’s a place to find these thoughts laid out with a little motivational talk. Which may or may not make you mad.



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Review: The Man Who Used the Universe

The Man Who Used the Universe by Alan Dean Foster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found it hard to rate this one. Some aspects I really liked, like the descriptions of the aliens and the focus on business relationships and competitive learning (call me weird). Some aspects, like the pacing and the unsympathetic protagonist (a burly, Steve Jobs type), rubbed me the wrong way. I'm a ADF fan from decades back, so I'll likely read more, but this one didn't nudge me into reading more of his books faster.

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Review: Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sermons loosely based on the topic of grace, which is loosely defined, so they could be about most anything. As sermons, I enjoyed the writing. As for discussions of grace, there are plenty of stories. Thing is, everything I read I expected to read. I didn't find anything standing out, or controversial, or even providing much in the way of definition. Truly a "comfort food" type of book, fine if you are looking for comfort in familiarity, but lacking if looking for the novel. For the first book by Lucado that I've read, I was hoping more for the latter. Now I know - expectations reset.

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