Honest book reviews · 5-minute reads
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Short, honest reviews of the books everyone is talking about, from psychology and money to timeless classics and Japanese mysteries.
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Psychology
Drive Review: A Persuasive Case That Oversells the Science
Drive makes a lively, useful case for autonomy, mastery and purpose at work, but it presents a contested body of motivation research as more settled than it is.
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Personal Finance
The Little Book That Still Beats the Market Review: Value Made Simple
The clearest short introduction to value investing, built around a simple two-factor formula whose real-world returns [...]
Fiction
The Remains of the Day Review: A Butler’s Quiet Self-Deception
Ishiguro's Booker winner is a near-perfect study of a man who has hidden from his own [...]
Essential Knowledge
Hackers & Painters Review: Paul Graham’s Sharp, Opinionated Essays
Paul Graham's essay collection is full of clear, original thinking on programming, startups and wealth, though [...]
Essential Knowledge
The Elegant Universe Review: String Theory’s Best Pitch, Still Unproven
Brian Greene's tour of relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory is superb explanation, but it champions [...]
Essential Knowledge
Empire of AI Review: Karen Hao’s Damning Portrait of OpenAI
Karen Hao's deeply reported account of OpenAI and the hidden costs of the AI boom is [...]
Mystery & Thriller
Six Four Review: A Slow-Burn Japanese Police Epic Like No Other
Six Four is a dense, unusual police novel about bureaucracy, pride and an unsolved kidnapping; slow [...]
Mystery & Thriller
The Guest List Review: A Stormy Island Wedding Whodunit
A gripping, atmospheric closed-circle mystery that is hard to put down, though its characters are thin [...]
Fiction
Frankenstein Review: The Monster Is Not Who You Think
Shelley's novel is far richer than its film legend, with a creature whose voice still unsettles, [...]
Fiction
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Review: Old Hollywood, Big Heart
A hugely readable Old Hollywood saga with a magnetic, morally complicated heroine, let down by plain [...]
Self-Help
Think Like a Monk Review: Gentle Advice, Borrowed Authority
Shetty packages meditation, gratitude and service into an approachable beginner's guide, but the ideas are secondhand [...]
Self-Help
Never Split the Difference Review: Hostage Tactics for Everyday Deals
Voss offers the most usable negotiation techniques in any popular book, though his evidence is mostly [...]
Essential Knowledge
SPQR Review: Mary Beard’s Sharp, Skeptical History of Rome
Mary Beard's history of Rome is witty, skeptical and full of fresh angles, but its thematic [...]
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Psychology, money, self-help, modern classics and crime fiction, all in one place.