Book review: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Recently, I was quite worried that I was writing too many book reviews, and that I should spend more time on other topics.  However, I have come to the startling realization that I haven't written a review since September.

So, I've decided to review Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow, partially because I saw it on display in the bookshop, and partially because it was released fairly recently, so reviewing it seems slightly less passé.

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
(my own photo)

Kahneman's book is based on the idea that while humans are traditionally seen as rational creatures, we do a lot of irrational things.  So far so obvious, but Kahneman does more than just give a list of all the most illogical things we do. His book focuses on psychological research into heuristics, or mental shortcuts, and how they sometimes cause us to make poor decisions.  Much of the research is his own, but it's not the sole focus of the book.

It's really interesting to have someone writing about their own research.  Books that are this accessible to the lay reader are generally written by science writers.  While there is nothing wrong with that, I enjoyed the fact that we got it "straight from the horses mouth".

As I mentioned, the book is aimed at the lay reader, and the language is straightforward.  At the same time, I never got the sense that it was oversimplified or dumbed-down.  Kahneman seems very conscious that his work does have practical implications, and he is very keen to highlight them.

Overall, I thought it was a brilliant book.

That being said, I think that Part IV: Choices dragged a little bit.  It was probably due to the fact that the examples used were so similar, which meant I had several bouts of déjà vu.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 65%

Book review: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

A Room with a View by E.M. Forester
(my own photo)

At the beginning of the summer, I set myself the admittedly slightly unrealistic goal of reading fifty books.  Now that the holidays are almost officially over, I can say with confidence that I'm not going to achieve that goal.  However, I did manage to read a lot of really great books, some of which I have been meaning to read for ages, and this is one of them.

A Room with a View is the story of Lucy Honeychurch, who travels to Florence chaperoned by her cousin, Charlotte.  When they complain about the fact that their room in the hotel doesn't have a view of the river, Mr. Emerson and his son George offer to swap places with them.  While Mr. Emerson sees it as a gesture of kindness, it is not seen as the "proper" thing to do.  Lucy has many interesting experiences while in Italy, including getting lost while sight-seeing, witnessing a murder, and going into the surrounding hills.  This holiday shapes her perspective on the world and her future actions.

Overall, it was an incredible book.  I thought that the characters were all very memorable and varied.  The relationship between Lucy and George was really romantic and I thought that it was beautiful.

While it didn't really have the satirical edge of Jane Austen, the social commentary was still really effective.  Sadly, too many of the issues that Forester discusses are still relevant today.

In conclusion, this novel is amazing in so many different ways, it has stood the test of time for all the right reasons.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 95%

Book review: Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card

Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus
 Orson Scott Card
(my own photo)

I would like to start out this post by thanking my friend for lending me loads of awesome books, including this one.
This book is set in the future; humankind has nearly destroyed the Earth, but are now starting to rebuild society.  One way of rebuilding is through Pastwatch, a group of historians who use a machine called Tempoview to look into the past.  However, some historians believe that they should go further; that they should try and go back in time and make the world a better place by altering the results of the voyage of Christopher Columbus.

I thought that this book was really exciting, and the pacing was really good.

The idea of letting people see into the past and to travel through time isn't by any means unique, but I think that it was very well thought out.  I really enjoyed the comments about the technical side of the machines used to look into the past.

One part of a novel that can be really make or break for me are the characters, and personally I found the characters in this novel to be lacking.  Too many of the characters were completely flat and flawless.

Then there was the alternative history.  Now, I don’t pretend to be a historian or an expert on Columbus, but this book seemed to suggest that if Columbus’ voyage were somehow changed that the world would become a better place at virtually no cost.  The Columbus legacy is really complicated and I don't think that the treatment of the topic was sufficiently nuanced.  Also, if the goal of these historians was to make the world a better place with less suffering and slavery, then why didn't they go even further back in time and prevent slavery from being invented? Time travel is difficult to write about, and I don't think that this book dealt with the topic particularly well

Chance of finding it in my imaginary bookstore: 60%

I wrote this post before I knew about Orson Scott Card's attitude towards homosexuality.  I think that it is unacceptable, and this blog post was in no way meant to suggest that I condone this.

Chance of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 0%

Book review: Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
(my own photo)

Arthur is arguably the most famous British king; the brave, noble warrior whose deeds have been celebrated for centuries.  But in Reeve's novel the real-life Arthur is nothing like the Arthur of legend.

Shortly after Arthur, a brutal, petty tyrant, burns down a village, Gwyna, a young girl who lived there, is taken in by the mysterious Myrddin.  He spins stories of Arthurs greatness in the hope rallying support for the man he believes can defeat the Saxons and unite Britain.  Gwyna becomes involved in making these legends and learns the power of words and suggestion.

While the writer makes it clear that this is just his own interpretation of the legends, I did enjoy the way he went against the hero-worship that traditionally surrounds Arthur.  However, I think he may have even gone too far in the opposite direction, and I don't think that the Arthur character in this novel had enough redeeming features to make him seem real.

It was an exciting, fast paced novel, and I felt that it dealt with issues such as the power of words and social constructs surrounding gender in an interesting, accessible way.

I think that this book is probably best suited for readers from 10-15 years of age.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore: 60%

Book review: Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Sister by Rosamund Lupton
(my own photo)

The bond between sisters is incredibly deep. I don't think that there is anyone else in the world who can get me to play as many games of Monopoly as my sister can.

Bee and Tess, the sisters in Rosamund Lupton's Sister appear to be total opposites. Bee is a nice person with a nice fiancee and a nice job and a nice life, all of which is...well...boring.  Tess is an rebellious, free-spirited art student.  However, when Tess is found dead, Bee sets out to prove that she was murdered, and to find the culprit.  Throughout this book, Lupton explores the bond between these two very different sisters.

I thought that this book was very well written, and that it is more reflective then the vast majority of crime novels.  There were many exciting twists and turns, and the plot was very detailed.

I thought that the ending was a little bit of a let down for me.  Lupton unleashes many surprises throughout the novel, and most of them were hair-raising.  However, I found that the twist at the end lacked credibility.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore: 80%

Book review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven
(my own photo)

It was late, the bookshop was closing, and I had to make a decision; would I buy Pyramids or The Five People You Meet in Heaven?  Even though I love Terry Pratchett, I'm glad I chose The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

This book is centered around Eddie, a war veteran who works in an amusement park.  After he dies, he goes to a version of the afterlife where he meets five different people, all of whom help him come to terms with his life and death.

The premise was really intriguing, and very well executed.

I thought that all of the characters were really well-written. They all had a great deal of depth, despite the fact that many of them appear only briefly.  I found the protagonist, Eddie, sympathetic and relatable.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a truly riveting read; I finished most of it in the course of one afternoon.

One could argue that the book contains a few coincidences that seem too improbable to be true, but I would argue that this is intentional.  Our lives are full of strange coincidences, whether we realize it or not, and all of our actions have a profound effect on others, many of whom we don't know.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore: 95%