Monday, August 30, 2010
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
A fun collection of stories from Malcolm Gladwell's time at The New Yorker. The problem with this format is that most of the stories are fairly short and this leaves you longing on many of the subjects. However the benefit is that you can move through a subject that you find unentertaining fairly easily. So there is that trade off.
Gladwell has an interesting way of presenting you with a story, allowing the reader to make the assumption on where he is going, but then switching tact and surprising you with direction he takes. Usually this leads to a pleasant surprise and a new angle that you might not have thought of using yourself.
Now, I had read Outliers before this book and wasn't really that impressed with his logic and his writing. That might be part of the reason why I was impressed with this book. It might have also been that his writing style is more conducive to the shorter format that these articles were presented in. What ever the reason I enjoyed the short lighter snippets in this book even if some of them left me wanting more.
Labels: Books
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Liar's Poker
"Liar's Poker" is a look onto Wall Street in the 80's as Michael Lewis, the author, experienced as an employee.This book is only 310 pages and is actually a fairly fast read. A fast read when the story is interesting that is. I found several parts of the book that just bored me and made it hard to slog through the stories. Some of the details of bonds and options were a bit over my head which didn't help my enjoyment although I'm sure they helped enhanced the story.
It is fun to read the stories of traders on Wall Street by a person who did not consider himself a trader at heart. You do gain insight into the minds that control a huge part of our nation's economy. There is also plenty of success and failure stories that all involve levels of risk and courage (or stupidity) to take those risks.
For me the book stalled at times but I was still able to gain some insight into Wall Street that helps me understand some of the reasons things move the way they do, especially in light of the current economic collapse. I'm sure people who have more exposure to Wall Street can relate to and enjoy this book more than myself.
Overall a decent read.
Labels: Books
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Boy oh boy was this book not quite what I expected. It was very heavily tilted towards mathematics and I was not expecting that at all!The book contains some interest stories and statistics but overall it was just too tedious and might have been over my head. He does try to show you how some common usages of statistics are used incorrectly and he attempts to explain the correct usage. Those parts can be interesting but it is 219 pages and I slogged through them. Attempt to read this book at your own peril. Or at least be ready for some serious mathematical thinking which I clearly was not.
Labels: Books
Saturday, April 17, 2010
SWAY: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
What a great and fast read. I flew through this book on a flight from Boston to Chicago. Not exactly the longest flight. Sure the book is only 181 pages so that helps the quickness of the read but the material is at least entertaining. Why do good people make bad decisions? The book discusses this with various examples and studies. It really paints the picture of people who should know better (and actually DO know better) but still can't make the right decision based on various outside (and inside) influences. If you enjoyed reading the Freakonomics books and studying why people do things this book is surely for you.
The highlight of this book? The chapter labelled "In France, the Sun Revolves Around the Earth" which opens with the discussion of "Who wants to be a millionaire" audiences spitefully picking the wrong "ask the audience" answer. Is this proving my theory that spite is the greatest human emotion? Well if that doesn't do it for you the an additional study on two randomly assigned people splitting a $20 bill will sure prove it. Turns out people will reject a $18/$2 split because its not fair. Of course rejecting the bonus $2 versus $0 seems to not make sense but people will reject the offer if they deem it unfair to themselves. Spite wins again!
I strongly recommended this book. It's fun, quick, entertaining and even will learn you a thing or two!
Labels: Books
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Big Papi
This is the autobiography of David Ortiz written with Tony Massarotti. Kind of ironic that I read this before the 2010 season in which Ortiz could be potentially let go or relegated to a full time bench player. Anyways the book itself is kind of bland and boring. It doesn't really reveal too much about his early life in the Dominican which is where I think most of our knowledge of Ortiz is the thinnest. He does shed some insight into his experiences in the minors and what lead to his release with the twins. Ultimately though you don't gain much new knowledge of him.
The biggest complaint I had though is the book is written as Ortiz speaks English which is to say not great. There are several bro's and you know's thrown in that make this very difficult to read and take serious.
Don't be in a rush to go read this book unless you are (still?) a big Ortiz fan.
Labels: Books
Saturday, January 23, 2010
SuperFreakonomics
The follow up to their well received "Freakonomics". I love their fast paced style of writing. True sometimes they jump around a bit much and you forget the original point of the chapter. They always come back though.I just love the interesting views they take and the way they use and create statistics to back up their points. They always present intriguing arguments for their points, so much so that at the end of the chapter you are steadfastly agreeing. Whether it be pointing out that car seats are not all that safe or how terrorists can easily avert detection.
As I already mentioned I flew through this book. Of course there is only 216 pages so its not exactly a heavy book to begin with. They also continue to present their information and arguments in a humorous style so the book remains entertaining no matter the subject. I give this book a A+ and I will continue to read anything they want to publish.
Labels: Books
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons
I finally finished the latest Bill Simmons book. Let me tell you, it was quite the task. The book is over 700 pages long and it definitely felt that long.Simmons attempts to tackle some interesting subjects including differentiating the eras and the Russell/Chamberlain debate. He actually makes some very interesting points about the eras including discussing the high scoring on poor shooting and lack of defense that the NBA played in the early years (50's). Shooting 38% was the norm rather than a poor shooter.
Anyways, what seems like the bulk of the book is the Hall of Fame pyramid which is 5 levels of the greats, rather than all HOFs bulked together. He settled on a list of 96 players. After slogging through the list of players he then attempts to determine the greatest team of all time. I don't want to spoil it for you but I was surprised by his top players and not by his top team.
Simmons seems to have a bit of an obsession with modern players and can't fully appreciate how players of a different era didn't have to play in this game. He talks of the evolution of the game but is always hating on older players by saying they have no place in the game today. Maybe that is part of the problem with today's game? Not enough basketball players and too many athletes? Just a thought.
The book was just ok but it was very long winded and although I am a fan of his columns (when he writes them which is rare now) this book doesn't have the same feel. Sure there are some good pop culture references in the book but I think the length and subject matter blended them all in a bit too much. I can give this book a B but just be warned that even if you're a Simmons fan this book would be a task and a half unless you really care about the NBA and more importantly its history.
Labels: Books
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
"When the Game Was Ours"
This book was written by Larry Bird & Magic Johnson with Jackie MacMullan. I was told this book would contain their story as we had not heard it before. Honestly though, I feel as if the book was just another retelling of the same stories. Maybe I need someone to point out the new content for me but I really felt I had heard these stories all before. I suppose we were given some official insight into the minds of these two superstars but mostly they were just confirming what many had speculated for years. Maybe that is why the stories didn't seem fresh, we had already assumed we knew the truths.
In summation I can not endorse you paying $25+ to buy this book. It might be a nice read if you have not read either of their previous autobiographies or any of the previously written books on the players or their teams.
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