Reading List 2021

I read Old Man and the Sea maybe 10+ years ago and decided to revisit after reading A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. I did not enjoy A Farewell to Arms the ending was abrupt, the story meandered, plus I did not like the writing style or felt any connection with the characters. So, I was wondering, is Hemingway overrated?

The Old Man and the Sea puts that to rest, it is a wonderful book, great characters with the old man, the boy, the fish, and the sea itself. The story is well told and concise, filled with the details and struggles that make it easy to connect with.

No conclusion on Hemingway, maybe he's just inconsistent like the rest of us. I'll have to read more.

A funny coincidence, I happened to watch Silver Linings Playbook while reading this book and he spoiled the ending in the movie. I have to agree with Pat, what a bummer ending.

A fun quick read. I enjoyed the writing and it is a good story. The little twist at the end wasn't really needed and probably confused things instead of making it interesting.

Wonderful story, wonderfully written. Feels like a classic!

I always enjoy a good heist story. Filled with interesting characters and builds an interesting world that was easy to get into. I'm looking forward to the follow-up book.

A classic.

Good sci-fi, but not sure if I'll continue in the Expanse universe, I got my fill enough with this book

Overrated, annoying and pretentious, I don't get it. DNF.

Frank Miller, what happened? From story to art this has none of the greatness from Dark Knight Returns or Year One. It is scattered, confusing, and for a Batman graphic novel, very little Batman.

The first section has good practical advice on a writing process that is flexible enough for any sort of writing.

The second section on e-writing feels a little dated, written in 2014, or just common sense now.

The first two sections are 45 pages, the remaining 500 pages of the book are examples and advice on the many many types of writing; from Thank you letters and Wedding toasts to Fighting a parking ticket and Sales Proposals. I glanced through this section it's good, but more of a reference for specific situations.

I checked the book out from our library, but I ordered my own copy to keep for reference.

Now what's it say about book reviews...

A good book with a lot of common sense advice. It feels rather dated though, it was probably excellent in 2013, but now seems all rather obvious. I'm not sure if it's having another 10 years in web development or not. It might be more worthwhile for people starting out or less experienced with web development.

Good book on running form, it gives a great way to think about your movement, posture, and running as a skill. A lot of great and inspiring stories. The one nit is it felt quite repetitive by the halfway point it felt like the stories all merged and repeating.