My rating: 5 out of 5 As the authors note in the foreword - they tried writing a book they wish they had when they started their careers. I believe they succeeded. I also wish I read this book much earlier in my life… I’ve read and reviewed other books that all feel related to topics covered here, namely Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman or Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. …

This book has been on my list for a while, many people recommended it and I see why. The authors are an interesting match - and economist and a writer. Asking weird questions, getting even weirder answers. The book makes several compelling points for reevaluating how we view our lives. It is written with the idea that incentives shape many aspects of modern lives and I can’t argue with this premise. …

It’s not over until the mockingjay sings So how about a Hunger Games prequel you say? Well, I’ve read the original books long ago and so I won’t be able to make a comparison. On its own, the story is engaging as you follow the future president Snow through his mentorship of 10th Hunger Games and beyond as the slow descent into darkness begins. Pitting kids to fight each other to the death in an arena is a unbelievable proposition. …

He said he didn’t think anyone died happy, but you could die well The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them. Well this certainly was something new. A set of four novellas - slightly longer than a short story, but not quite a novel straight from King’s great mind. And all of them hinting/connected to each other a little bit. Making them part of a single world. …

Goodreads page My rating: 4 out of 5 If you don’t control your temper, your temper will control you. Stephen King is no stranger to putting more or less ordinary people in strange situations and let them deal with it. This book follows a similar recipe, cutting off a small town from the rest of the world completely. A drifter ex-soldier as one of the main heroes is not a novel idea. …

Goodreads page My rating: 4 out of 5 My review: First law of gossip - there’s no point knowing something if somebody else doesn’t know you know it. A nice short and witty continuation of officer Grant’s adventures. There’s more magic, London and jazz vampires so what more can you ask for? There’s nothing about this book that particularly jumps at me as being “wow, that was awesome”. Certainly not nearly as much as the first book in the series where everything was new and exciting. …

Goodreads page My rating: 5 out of 5 My review: Severe illness is not life-altering, it’s life-shattering. Less of an epiphany and more like someone had just firebombed the path forward. There is no hiding from death. This book certainly doesn’t shy away from the message. I feel this will not really be a spoiler, as you’ll learn in the preface, the author is no longer alive. Speaking of the preface - there is a phrase that repeatedly came to my mind as I read this book - a prose poem. …

My rating: 5 out of 5 Do not follow your passion. That’s the gist of this book, but oh would that be an oversimplified and ultimately useless advice it would be. And this could have been one of those “happy go lucky” type of books, full of personal anecdotes and fluffy marketing. The book is full of various personal anecdotes, but they are mostly there to show how messy good careers can be. …

My rating: 4 out of 5 Shortly after I started reading this book I read an article on taking smart notes and so I naturally applied it for recording interesting quotes and tidbits from this book. Following is not even close to all of my notes, but more their condensed summary. I no longer remember why exactly I added the book to my reading list. It’s in one of my self-improvement drawer. …

Goodreads page My rating: 4 out of 5 I know life is hard, I think everyone knows that in their hearts, but why dos it have to be cruel, as well? Why does it have to bite? This is very much not a normal Stephen King book, but at the same time it is. It’s both mysterious and familiar. It’s full of little things to make you stop and think about your days and how they impact the future. …