Through-Hiking Will Break Your Heart by Carrot Quinn
I'm a sucker for thru-hiking journals. This one is from a women that did the Pacific Crest Trail. She made it to the end, barely. It's really a journal of suffering; of sore feet, of being cold or hot, or wet, or …
The Ocean At The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Adult fairy tail is a very apt description for this book. It follows the classic fairy tail good versus evil formula, with a layer of adulting on top to make it relevant to the over 8 crowd. Just like …
You're Never Weird On The Internet by Felicia Day
If you are a fan of Felicia you kind of already know what to expect from this book. She was hippie unschooled, a violin virtuoso, turned actress, writer, producer, over-achiever with at times crippling social anxiety issues, all the while being …
Last weekend I was skimming Twitter and I saw a tweet from David Oakley offering free copies of his book. The tweet was less than a minute old, and I'd had his book on my wish list for a while. I clicked through and the freebies were gone, so I …
The End of All Things (Old Man’s War Book 6) by John Scalzi
This is the first Scalzi book I’ve read that didn’t suck me in completely. I never really got into the story and never really developed any emotional connection (good or negative) towards any of …
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Sammy's life follows the standard trajectory for a rock star. He grew up poor with an abusive parent, barely finished high school, got the lucky break, and rode that break to a life of fame …
The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir
Best book I’ve read this year. This story of an astronaut accidentally stranded on Mars alone is completely engrossing, you won’t be able to put it down. As it nears it’s conclusion you might be so emotionally invested that you …
The Non-Designer’s Design Book by Robin Williams
I learned more in the first 20 pages of this book than in entire textbooks for various subjects back in my school days. Now that I have a basic understand of design though, I’m haunted by all the bad design I …
Posted on 06/01/2015 in misc • Tagged with Books, Sports, Purdue
Underbelly Hoops: Adventures in the CBA - A.K.A. The Crazy Basketball Association by Carson Cunningham
Amusing journal of Carson’s last year in professional basketball, in the CBA. I’m sold.
Posted on 05/15/2015 in misc • Tagged with Books, Business, Employment
Remote by Jason Fried
"Long commutes make you fat, stressed, and miserable. Even short commutes stab at your happiness." That’s Remote in a nutshell. It’s part manifesto and part how-to guide for working remotely. I’m sold.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
Fascinating insight into the company we all grow more dependent on every day. I’m not sure the obsession with lower prices really serves the world well though. The suppliers need to stay in business too.
It’s So Easy: and other lies by Duff McKagan
Who knew Duff was the smart one in Guns N Roses? I was really surprised by how insightful this book was. Duff started out as a drunk and stoned punk rocker from Seattle. I’m surprised he remembers so much …
A Better World (The Brilliance Saga Book 2 by Marcus Sakey
Picks up where the first book ends. Except that now the Brilliants and the rest of the country are marching towards all out war. Once again a lot of insight into how people react when their perceived natural superiority …
Posted on 04/02/2015 in misc • Tagged with Books, History, Politics
I just finished reading Walking With The Wind, A Memoir of the Movement by Congressman John Lewis. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I didn't know about the Civil Rights movement in the US. I'd blame it on a loophole that allowed me to skip the 2nd year of US …
Don’t Put Me In Coach by Mark Titus
If Mark could shoot like he could write he might have seen more than 40 odd minutes of playing time over a 4 year career at Ohio State. A laugh-out-loud, R rated, insiders look at life as a Big 10 walk-on …
Get In The Van by Henry Rollins
I really wanted to love this book. However it took me over a month to get through it. It’s not that it’s bad or poorly written, it’s more that it’s painful to read. I’ve never had depression or …
As You Wish: Storming the Castle and Other Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Carey Elwes
It’s exactly what the title suggests, a behind-the-scenes look at what was happening as they filmed The Princess Bride. It funny, it’s a little bit sad at times …
No Land’s Man by Aasif Mandvi
It’s really non-fiction(ish), as Aasif admits up front that the stories are not necessarily 100% true. He’s a comedian, I assume he took some liberties to up the comedic value of some of these stories, and that is fine. I …
Posted on 10/05/2014 in misc • Tagged with Books, Music, Movies