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The second book in the Mistborn series. I liked it more than the first one, I think. I now know the characters. The stakes are higher, even though one big thing already happened in book 1 (no spoilers) that could make you think that book 2 would be easy-going. But that's not the case and I was even more invested in the plot now. Looking forward to part three.
Sidenote: Brandon Sanderson is a master of magic systems. The 'allomancy' that he has created (and that keeps getting revealed throughout the books) is very cool.
Sidenote 2: Again, I could very much visualize in my head many scenes from the book. I hope they turn this into a good TV show or movie some day (but don't overdo it with the magic CGI please; don't repeat what Amazon did to the Wheel of Time material).
What a chilling and scary scenario. Grippingly written. A stark reminder of what we, as humans, have created, and what that says about us. I’m also increasingly disappointed in physics and that it’s totally okay with the laws of the universe for these weapons to be possible at all.
Have been meaning to get into the Mistborn series for a while and finally got around to the first book. I really enjoyed it. Brandon Sanderson is such a great world builder. The plot is gripping, but in a slow and methodical way. There are faster paced stories out there, but I liked that the characters had time to develop rather than rushing from plot point to plot point. His magic system of allomancy is amazing and only slowly unravels throughout the book. Some of the scenes I could already picture as a movie (matrix-style bullet time, but driven by a coherent magic system). Maybe we'll see a movie of this series someday.
I had the impression that some chapters contradict each other, but generally the book contains good advice. It sometimes could be a bit more actionable, but overall the ideas are practical and I can imagine applying some in my job.
Positive: The techniques are not manipulative but mostly just good communication practices (like assuming that everyone has the capacity to be great at their job, and you as the leader having the responsibility to help them motivate themselves).
Kannte das Buch nur vom Namen und habe es spontan in der Bücherhalle mitgenommen. Und huch, positiv überrascht. Eine komplette Reise durch Minimalismus, selbstbestimmtes Leben und das gute Leben. Auf den Punkt geschrieben, humorvoll und doch mit Tiefgang. Und das alles aus den frühen 2000er Jahren. Nur an 1-2 Stellen wird es einen Ticken zu esoterisch für meinen Geschmack. Aber nicht aufdringlich. Insgesamt: Fand ich gut!
A solid finance book. It basically repeats much of the common wisdom from the passive investment school of thought. However, the author does a great job at showing a lot of real statistics and numbers to undermine the argument, as well as rigorously giving citations in each chapter.
Ein gutes Buch zum Thema Fokus und guter Lebensführung. Kurz und knackig, das Hörbuch war nur drei Stunden lang. Ich wusste vorher nichts über den Inhalt und war plötzlich von der Glaubenskomponente des Autors überrascht. Früher hätte mir das den Lesespaß vermiest. Mittlerweile höre ich mir das (mir fremde) Weltbild gerne an und versuche mich reinzufühlen. Von daher: keine Spontanerleuchtung bei mir, aber doch ganz erhellend.
I know little of the side of WW2 that took place in the pacific between Japan und the US. With this book (part one of a three book series) I’m trying to fill the gaps in my knowledge. And it’s a great book (or audio book in my case). I’ve learnt more about Pearl Harbor, the pre-war political situation in both Japan and the US, the first battles over Wake Island, the Doolittle Raid and the Battle of Midway. Notable characters I‘m now aware of: Admirals Nimitz, King, Nagumo and Yamamoto. The crypto analyst Joseph Rochefort and the relation between Churchill and Roosevelt. Written and narrated in a good mixture of story telling and giving context about the historical significance of most events.
As my life with a newborn is becoming more complex by definition, I feel a tug towards simplification. I am rediscovering minimalism, I think. So I went back to some classic minimalism thinkers from the early 2010s. This short ebook is a nice and gentle introduction to the way the bloggers approached minimalism back then.
Insgesamt ein Buch zum Thema-Schlaf.
Aber ich stellte beim Lesen fest, dass ich mir alle Fakten in den letzten Wochen schon per Google, ChatGPT und Social Media erschlossen hatte, daher hielt der Erkenntnisgewinn in Grenzen. Hat natürlich auch etwas beruhigendes, dass die Infos nicht falsch waren.
Auch ein halber Stern Abzug weil die Struktur etwas repetitiv war. Hatte den Anschein, dass hier ein überschaubarer Haufen an Infos auf ein Buchformat gestreckt werden musste. Immerhin angenehme kurze Kapitel. Gut weg zu lesen oder weg zu hören.
Nach “Acht Berge” das zweite Buch, das ich von Paolo Cognetti lese.
Wie beim ersten: Tolle Bergromantik. Sehr schöne Sprache. Dass es eine Übersetzung aus dem italienischen ist, merkt man gar nicht, der deutsche Text ist wirklich gut.
Aber: Irgendwie packe mich die Bergkulisse in diesem nicht ganz so sehr wie im ersten. Außerdem gibt es so einen Beziehungsplot zwischen einem Autor in seinem 40ern der mit einer Frau in ihren 20er anbandelt. Verstehe nicht, wieso das so romantisiert werden musste. Es ging sicherlich um verschiedene Lebensphasen in denen die zwei sich begegnen, aber das hätte man sicherlich gut hinbekommen können ohne diesen alte patriarchale Klischee zu bedienen.
Alles in allem: Schöne kurzweilige Geschichte aus den Bergen, diesmal mit mehr Tälern als Gipfeln (ha!) in meinen Augen.
The core idea: Aim not to accumulate too much money, because that would mean you had worked too much and missed out on experiences in your life that you could have had instead.
I agree with many of Perkin’s points. Sometimes the content seemed targeted at people with way higher networth than I will ever expect to have. And at the core, the idea is as simple as any child would put it: Make the best of your life, don’t focus on money as a goal in itself. Also, it seemed a little shallow occasionally to equate “good life experience” with “more money spent”. But I guess that doesn’t ruin the main idea.
Some nice concepts:
- Calculating your “peak”, i.e. you age where you should stop accumulating and start spending.
- planning out your life in phases of 5-10 years duration. Map out the experiences you still want to have and make sure you do them at an age where you can still enjoy them. Don’t postpone the until you (or your family members) are too old to enjoy them or when your kids have left the house.
- if you’re afraid to run out of money because you get older than you anticipated: get an annuity or long term care insurance. I have always scoffed this off before but now I understand why it could make sense
- the best spending years should be between 20 to 60 years old and not at the traditional retirement age, as most people plan it
- if you really care about giving money to your kids or a charity, do it with intention while you’re still alive. Don’t leave it as an inheritance
PS: The audio book was fine, but not great. I think Bill Perkins read it himself? In any case, there are some reading pauses in the text. I think a professional narrator would have done a slightly better job. But still a good audio book.
Der Rückblick von Schäuble auf sein Leben, fertig gestellt ganz kurz vor seinem Tod.
Ein spannender Bericht aus 50 Jahren Tätigkeit im Bundestag. Lehrreich, wie er Epochen wahrgenommen und mit gestaltet hat, die vor meiner aktiven Erinnerung passierten: Etwa die Beziehung zur DDR und später die Wiedervereinigung. Auch seine Neigung zum Umwelt- und Klimaschutz war mir neu.
Gut, tiefsinnig und nachdenklich geschrieben.
Es drängt sich ein direkter Vergleich zu Merkels Autobiografie auf, wegen der politischen und zeitlichen Nähe der Publikation. Inhaltlich zeigt Schäuble viel mehr Reflektion und Selbstkritik, vielleicht auch ein Effekt des Alters und der Nähe zum Tod. Geschichtlich spannend sind beide Bücher. Sprachlich ist das Buch von Schäuble auf einem anderen Level als der eher trockene Text von Merkel.
Fazit: Sehr lesenswert (in meinem Fall hörenswert), wer einem Menschen zuhören möchte, der die “alte” wie die “neue” Bundesrepublik begleitet hat wie kaum ein anderer deutscher Politiker.
The third and final book of the first Mistborn series. For me it was a banger. Best one out of the three, packed with action. I also liked the plot centered around Sazed who explores religion and why people believe or don’t believe. My personal gripe with all Sanderson books though: I often find myself thinking “oh, this is cleverly written”, looking at the craft of writing and how Sanderson constructs his stories and his worlds. Unfortunately this breaks the immersion for me at times.