Author: Jeff

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#BookReview: NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman

Mostly History with a dash of future. I am Autistic, and this look at the history of my people was more fascinating and horrifying than even I already knew. In this book, Silberman shows several people from history that were fairly clearly Autistic, progressing from early accounts to newest and from there into the histories of the two men that “co-discovered” Autism in the 20th century. The vast bulk of the book is spent inside the 20th century, with only the last chapter or two in the 21st, but even then it truly is fascinating and horrifying. Absolutely recommended for all, particularly those with Autistics in their lives.

This review of NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman was originally published on October 5, 2018.

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#BookReview: Jurassic Dead 2 by Rick Chesler and David Sakmyster

Zombie Dinosaurs Attack Washington DC. Seriously, what more do you need to know, particularly in the modern political climate? This book continues shortly after Jurassic Dead left off and ups the ante even more than the “zombie dinosaurs exist” premise of the first book. Read Jurassic Dead first, but you’re going to want to start this book immediately following it!

This review of Jurassic Dead 2 by Rick Chesler and David Sakmyster was originally published on September 30, 2018.

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#BookReview: Jurassic Dead by Rick Chesler and David Sakmyster

Zombie. Dinosaurs. Read it for that premise alone! Seriously, what more do you need? Do you want me to tell you that this was a very fast paced, easy read full of action? It was. Do you want me to tell you that there was enough resolved here to make it feel like a complete story? It was. Do you want me to tell you that the authors left enough open to continue the overall story arc? They did. Now, quit reading this review and go pick up this book!

This review of Jurassic Dead by Rick Chesler and David Sakmyster was originally published on September 28, 2018.

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#BookReview: Facing the Music by Jennifer Knapp

Unapologetic – In all the best ways. In Facing the Music, former contemporary christian music star Jennifer Knapp tells her story, from her earliest memories growing up as a twin in rural Kansas through college into her public years as a turn-of-the-Millenium CCM star to her retreat from that life and its special hell of a rat race and ending with her triumphant yet messy return. And through it all, she maintains her honesty and integrity. Utterly captivating and soulful, just like her music. And in the end in particular, resonating very much with where this reviewer is himself right now. If you like memoirs generally, musician memoirs a bit more specifically, or were around the CCM scene at the turn of the Millenium in any capacity – or even just a generic Christian now- you’ll want to read this book. Knapp has a very powerful message that we all need to hear.

This review of Facing the Music by Jennifer Knapp was originally published on September 30, 2018.

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#BookReview: Granite Mountain by Brendan McDonough

Prepare to Cry. It really is as simple as that. McDonough’s tragic tale is told in a style that has you hanging on to every word, even if you know the ultimate story from following the news 5 yrs ago or from seeing Only the Brave, the movie based on this book, last year. Simply amazing, and heartbreaking. The *only* quibble I have is Page 270, where McDonough calls for a wildfire firefighter union. Other than that, this book is simply a phenomenal combination of McDonough’s own memories combined with clear research into the science and sequence of events of the tragedies – particularly Yarnell.

This review of Granite Mountain by Brendan McDonough was originally published on September 28, 2018.

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#BookReview: The Signal and The Noise by Nate Silver

Solid Application of Statistics. I’m a math geek who has casually followed Silver’s work since he came on the national radar after the 2008 Presidential election. In this book, he uses his own mathematical background and many interviews to show how probabilistic statistics (vs more deterministic statistics) gives us great insight into a wide range of issues, from the mundane yet popular topics of poker and baseball – things he has personal experience with using statistics on – to the seemingly more substantial issues including weather forecasting, political polling, climate change and even terrorism. And overall, he is very careful to stick to his central point: follow the numbers, no matter where they lead – which he calls the “signal”. Very highly recommended for anyone trying to have a genuine discussion on really almost any topic.

This review of The Signal and The Noise by Nate Silver was originally published on September 26, 2018.

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#BookReview: The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J Walker

Not Your Typical Post-Apocalypse Story. This book played out like a FAR superior version of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road – so fans of that book (and sadly, it has legions) should like this one as well. Except whereas that book was so extremely dark, bleak, and miserable, this one tries to approach things with a much more plausible, real world tone and outlook. Yes, there are challenges. But we face them one step at a time – for hundreds of thousands of steps. Overall a very refreshing yet serious take on the post Apocalyptic genre, and a worthy first ever Century Book for me.

This review of The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J Walker was originally published on September 26, 2018.

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#BookReview: Full Disclosure by DJ Jamison

Full Disclosure: It is solid. This was the introduction to a new series that, given the usual tropes of romance series, I’m not sure how long the author intends to carry beyond the obvious sequel that releases later this week. Which is sad, because Jamison weaves a solid story of a down on his luck real estate agent meeting up with a security agent who is possibly on his last gig. The danger part of the suspense is tangible, though I was able to determine at least one element of the mystery somewhat early. Overall, great book and I’m looking forward to the next one. 🙂

This review of Full Disclosure by DJ Jamison was originally published on September 16, 2018.

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#BookReview: The Sky Is Falling by Peter Biskind

Left-Central Elite Doesn’t Get Movies. I wanted to like this one, I *really* did. The title and description sounded *awesome*. Unfortunately, the book itself was a gold mine – the single *worst* description of a book I’ve ever used. Meaning you have to sift through a LOT of detritus to find even a single good flake, and an actual nugget worth of goodness is even more rare. Biskind looks at movies as old as WWII and as recent as Black Panther, all in service of a central premise that is so fatally flawed as to be laughable. This subject could have been handled very differently and a compelling case could have been made, but Biskind failed to really even make an attempt to make it. That said, his publisher has their stated goal of “sparking conversations”, and in *that* regard, this book may be at least somewhat successful… though maybe in the “any press is better than no press” kind of way.

This review of The Sky Is Falling by Peter Biskind was originally published on September 11, 2018.