It takes various well studied problems and applies the solution to common problems. So using the best strategy for the secretary problem to select parking when driving to a popular event.
It's ok. Well researched and straightforward. However it spends more time on each problem than the depth it goes into deserves. Plus some of the solutions are only marginally useful.
Way lower brow than other entries, but I just finished the last Stormlight Archives book that released, Wind and Truth. Pretty on beat character moments and a few unexpected turns. Very cool page turner to settle down in the evening
Obviously the second time around I didn't get to experience the same burning curiosity about the setting, nor the joy of piecing things together, but I still really enjoyed it.
Also currently about halfway through Quinn Slobodian's Crack-Up Capitalism. Looking forward to his new book in a couple weeks.
Dunno if it was or ever will be translated into english. It's a hard sci-fi book about challenges of established and semi-autonomous martian colony and other problems and challenges earth-side. It was great, if a bit longer than I prefer.
Last english language one was "Matt Dinamon - Dungeon Crawler Carl" great humor, somewhat unexpected story.
Open Veins of Latin America. Finished reading it today. It's a 1973 book that explains some of the reasons for the massive underdevelopment of Latin American colonies. The general gist can be summed up as "it is a place full of riches, and the colonizers only want to extract everything and send it back to their masters" - that still applied to the industrialization efforts funded by foreign capital.
Although Spain and Portugal were the nominal masters, they, too, were fucking themselves over with debts to Dutch and English bankers back in 16th and 17th centuries, not to mention bad trade deals, effectively killing their own industries and those of their colonies.
EDIT: Galeano also exposed a lot of the shady deals made mainly by USA companies with governments in order to "develop" the southern countries, like ensuring that they'd get less taxes, better exchange prices and better credit options, that their goods would only be shipped by USA owned ships, etc. Not to mention that, during 1950-1970, the price of the commodities sold by Latin American countries kept falling (probably growing below inflation) and the income from the exports kept getting lower, despite larger volumes.
I read a book called The Spiritual Tourist by Mick Brown. Very easy read. It's sort of half a travel story with some great moments and scenes from exotic locations and half an exploration of fringe religion.
Very enjoyable, although in an effort to remain neutral and open minded in tone he might have given some of the subjects a little too much benefit of the doubt. Still a very fun read, would recommend.
The Art thief and about 70% in it. I’m amazed how the guy managed to get away for so long and even more amazed on something else but since I don’t know how to spoiler tag on the Mlem app - I can’t write it down.
Using Mlem you can insert a spoiler by tapping the spoiler icon (it looks like an eye) in the markdown toolbar above the keyboard. The markdown toolbar can be scrolled left and right; you'll need to scroll to the see the option for it
I read this one last year. It's crazy how strong this guy's compulsion to steal art was. Apparently he believed that only he was able to appreciate the art at the level it deserved to be admired, and it was wasted sitting in a museum.
It's crazy how strong this guy's compulsion to steal art was.
Yeah! Even after
Spoiler
he got caught once in Switzerland and Anne-Catherine wanted him to stop. He continued.
What amazed me the most is the way he got caught. Anne-Catherine told him explicitly to steal with gloves on but he didn’t listen and poof he got caught the moment, he didn’t do it.
EDIT: I genuinely hate how Lemmy’s spoiler-tag system work. Can never get it to work decently.
Any crime books you'd recommend? I recently read Columbine on the school shooting and Waco on the siege which were really interesting. I like the ripley books as well.
I just read a post apocalyptic book America dark. I was gripped! I love the genre, if I read non fiction it's probably post apocalyptic. It was realistic, people make credible choices and it's a page turner. Currently reading the sequel.
The Langoliers! I liked it. I've never read any King before because I don't like horror and my husband's was like "well its the least horrory of his stuff" and it was but I say I dislike the ending cause it's absolutely a horror ending. Spoilers for a story that came out in the 90s - I have no idea why they're so happy when they realize they're now in the future. Whose to say you are going to get dragged along into the normal time stream and not just watch it fucking slip away as you seem utterly unmoored from time??? Bros???? No celebration yet!!!
'Death in the City of Light' by David King. It's a true crime story about a serial killer in Nazi occupied Paris. Dude would trick Jews into thinking he was smuggling them out, then kill them. Truly diabolical.
Akata Warrior, which is the 2nd book of a trilogy. Takes place in Nigeria. It follows the main character’s journey as they discover their place (and new powers) in a hidden magical society.
Aside from what I'm currently reading, it was Mount Chicago by Adam Levin. You can read the preamble to decide if the book is for you; if you like it, you'll like the book; if not, try his first novel instead, The Instructions.