Posts

Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula by Loren D. Estleman (1978)

Image
TL;DR: Sherlock Holmes crosses paths with Dracula This was frightening, although a bit less so than the original material. I must say that the story fits quite well with Bram Stoker's original work. I chanced upon this book in one of those late afternoon excursion to a Book Sale. Talk about crossing fictional universes. It's not unusual for characters to have crossovers. But having seen this in that bookstore, this immediately piqued my curiosity. Can this work? And it appears it does.  To be fair, Sherlock seems out of place in this one. One, because he prides himself in being extremely rational and logical. With the infusion of the undead.. well, he seems a bit trapped. Another is it was more like a hunt or a chase, than a tale of detection. It's a good suspense/mystery story nonetheless. Other related books: Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde  by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)   Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko by Daniel Pink (2008)

Image
TL;DR: A mythical genie/life coach appears when six magical chopsticks are broken; Johnny learns six lessons about career and work Chanced upon this at a Book Sale. I know Dan Pink usually writes Business Books, and I've seen this listed as one of his works. So my eyes lit up a small bit when I saw this displayed at one of the bookstore's shelves. This was... strange. Manga and Business Books have not really been done. The idea is intriguing. I imagine, had this tipped, it would have invented its own category. But it's probably not its time yet.

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle (2018)

Image
TL;DR: Great cultures are built on Safety, shared Vulnerability, and an established Purpose In the self-help space, these things come up again and again: Safety, Purpose, Meaning. Whether in looking at leadership, or to an individual's path to success, happiness, well-being, the literature seems pretty set on what it sees upon as the standards. And this book falls in line with those standards. This book was great. Daniel Coyle is a great storyteller. When you can blend abstract ideas with concrete examples, and get a good balance, it gets digested much easier. This book reads pretty easily too. It seemed to be built to be simple and structured.

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (2010)

Image
TL;DR: A memoir of a time in Anthony Bourdain's life well into the fame and prominence, and a look on a point in time when celebrity chefs roamed the land, including critiques when food is disrespected . This started out dark, very dark. Knowing what happens to Anthony Bourdain, and him describing nights holed out in the Caribbean, I got an eerie sense of AB's tendencies. That what he'd written down as being unsuccessfully suicidal for nights on end, a chill ran down my spine.

12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson (2018)

Image
TL;DR: 12 Rules to improve life based on mythologies, philosophy, psychology, science and religion. Jordan Peterson is a controversial figure. Maybe because of the rhetoric different groups are interpreting as attacks. And maybe that's simply the purpose of a discussion. It seems he's become a voice, where none used to be around. Like a forest with burnt wood, and the first spark creates a ripple that lights up the area.  This book is a good read. Stripped of all the arguments, it's basically like a self-help/personal development book. What makes it different from what one can usually read is it pulls from different sources, The Bible, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Lessons from World War II, essentially from Myths, History, Psychology, Religion etc.

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (2018)

Image
TL;DR: Girl dies and meets five people in heaven; along the way she learn five lessons and then something else. <Spoiler Alert!>

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek (2014)

Image
TL;DR: Real leaders make people feel safe. I n times of danger, they put themselves in harm's way to protect another, and would no sooner give up what they have for their people to live on. The book opens that people have a fundamental need for security. Safety. Simon Sinek describes this Circe of Safety, where feelings of belonging, of shared values and a deep sense of empathy fosters trust and cooperation.