Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Anthropocene Reviewed

John Green was one of my favorite authors as a teen, so I think it’s such a full-circle moment for me to fall for his nonfiction as an adult. I love how he can acknowledge the darkness of the world while still finding the hope and poetic beauty of it along with a dash of humor. I legit cannot remember the last time I cried in a book, but this one had me close. I thought Everything is Tuberculosis would be my favorite nonfiction of this year, but this one’s got it beat. And my 9yo also liked to listen to snatches of the audiobook in the car too. Can’t believe I’m so late to the “John Green writes awesome nonfiction” party and will definitely be recommending this one to everybody!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

And since I’m at my kid’s basketball game, we have a doodle reaction instead of a selfie

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Everything is Tuberculosis

I love engrossing nonfiction, and this was totally fascinating. John Green tells the story of tuberculosis through a multi-faceted lens but also with such humanity and compassion, and, though I’m a nonfiction person only by exception, I’m definitely adding John Green to my list of authors that writes it incredibly well. Totally recommend to anyone looking for any interesting, devastating subject to look at from many angles.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Cheers to you John Green, you’re still the man.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Imminent (Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs)

Okay, so I read this book at the insistence of a family member, and I entered with a quite a bit of skepticism, but I found it thought-provoking. Autobiographical-flavored nonfiction is NOT my favorite for lots of reasons, but some thoughts and takeaways from me:

– I know many people that I consider to be trustworthy and reliable who have seen or experienced things they cannot explain, which is actually why a lot of this wasn’t big news to me

– The author describes many accounts/videos of people seeing or experiencing things they cannot explain

– I think the author brings up lots of concepts that are interesting from a purely speculative point of view

– Personally, I have always accepted that the universe is full of lots of things we don’t understand yet, and this book didn’t really change my perspective in any way.

– In general, regardless of the veracity of the claims in this book, the saga makes for a good story, and definitely made me consider a lot of “what-ifs.”

– At the end of the day, my big takeaway is if you do see a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), I would stay away from it.

Overall, I found this an interesting read and would recommend if you’re curious about the subject or if you want to discuss with your friends. Regardless of what you believe may or may not be true, this author truly believes that the UAPs are not of this world, and is passionate about bringing those truths to light. Personally, I’m thankful for the progress that’s been made on de-stigmatizing the topic and hope we can all learn more in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Definitely thought-provoking, any way you look at it.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Tipping Point

I didn’t find this one quite as compelling or novel as some of Gladwell’s other books, but the breakdown of how ideas are spread and the case studies illustrating the points are interesting. The audiobook is only 3 hours, so definitely worth a listen if you’re interested in the nature of virality. Though it doesn’t mention the influence of social media on these ideas, the afterword does include other interesting applications inspired by the principles.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Totally ready for my books to hit the tipping point over here, just saying. (A girl can dream.)

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Talking to Strangers

So when I picked this book up, I don’t think I knew exactly what I was getting into. Covering recent high-profile events of violence, rape, pedophilia, and torture in detail—this is a stomach-turning and uncomfortable read.

And though the accounts Gladwell brings to the table are interesting, for the first 95% of this book, I didn’t actually know what the punchline was or how these topics connected.

At first this seemed to be a book about how difficult it is to actually detect when someone is lying. But then we also delved into topics of both coupling and alcohol. Disparate strands that I’m still having trouble trying together into the final conclusion.

Which (I think) is that in 99% of cases it doesn’t pay off to expect the worst of people, and we cannot turn murky grays into black and white. Honestly, I’m still chewing it all over. But if you’re looking for a different perspective to provoke thought (and you don’t mind dark topics), you might try this one. Though I do believe you have to read to the very end to see what he’s trying to get at.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch those content warnings, my friends.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Blink

So my office is going through an unconscious bias training, and I remembered that Malcolm Gladwell wrote a relevant book, so I picked up the audiobook at the library.

Although I don’t read/listen to a ton of nonfiction, Malcolm Gladwell and Erik Larson are my two favorites. I love how they can make real world stuff both gripping, educational, and accessible. These are the kinds of book that can fuel intelligent conversation for weeks and… I also like that I can listen to them with my kids in the car. XD

Blink tackles of the somewhat sticky subject of unconscious bias. Through case studies, theories, and research, Gladwell illustrates the power… and dangers… of snap judgments.

I came, I listened, I learned a lot, and as with all Malcolm Gladwell audiobooks I’ve come across so far, I highly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do I look smarter? I feel smarter. Maybe I should read more nonfiction after all. 😂

Thanks for reading!