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stefanicox's Reviews (519)
A light read about wine and sommeliers, and a deep dive into the senses of smell and taste. As someone who grew up near California wine country, I liked learning more about that world. Don't get me wrong, there's a healthy dose of pretentiousness and "rich people problems," but overall a fun book.
I found the notes at the back of the book as interesting as the book itself, especially on how Desmond embedded himself into the lives of the individuals that he profiles in the book. (He came out with over 5,000 pages of raw interview transcriptions!)
Throughout the book, using a few well-chosen personal stories, Desmond shows the devastating economic, social, and psychological costs of evictions, and why they are not just isolated incidences but actually a widespread concern. There's not necessarily a satisfying "story arc" here, but that speaks to the fact that Desmond tried not to force an outside narrative onto what he saw happening for poor families, particularly women, in Milwaukee who deal with housing instability. Really worthwhile and important read.
Throughout the book, using a few well-chosen personal stories, Desmond shows the devastating economic, social, and psychological costs of evictions, and why they are not just isolated incidences but actually a widespread concern. There's not necessarily a satisfying "story arc" here, but that speaks to the fact that Desmond tried not to force an outside narrative onto what he saw happening for poor families, particularly women, in Milwaukee who deal with housing instability. Really worthwhile and important read.
This one is a hard book for me to rate, since the writing is well-done. Leovy draws you into the day-to-day life of various homicide detectives at the LA Police Dept. Choosing to focus on following the police was fascinating as she dove into the issue of black-on-black murder in South LA during some of its most violent times.
That being said, I had a really hard time getting behind her premise, which was that black people aren't punished swiftly or effectively enough after a homicide happens. She keeps trying to draw distinctions between "killers" and other people, but then will turn around and admit how there are not really "innocent" victims in the sense that we might think and how the whole community is intrinsically connected. It just seemed like she hadn't really worked out all the parts of her theory, but as I said, the writing itself is good and the plot is interesting — reads a bit like a fictional crime thriller in many parts.
That being said, I had a really hard time getting behind her premise, which was that black people aren't punished swiftly or effectively enough after a homicide happens. She keeps trying to draw distinctions between "killers" and other people, but then will turn around and admit how there are not really "innocent" victims in the sense that we might think and how the whole community is intrinsically connected. It just seemed like she hadn't really worked out all the parts of her theory, but as I said, the writing itself is good and the plot is interesting — reads a bit like a fictional crime thriller in many parts.
This is a really great book for anyone looking for the next pop sci read or who has a history of digestive issues. It answers pretty much everything that has to do with the digestive system, and the cartoon diagrams going with it are cute and funny! There are a couple times where it gets a bit technical for a lay audience, but overall it's fairly easy to understand and leaves you with some good ideas for improving digestive health.
Gilbert had a lot of interesting things to say about creativity, which made this book an inspiration read for me overall. I won't say much here is new compared to other books on creativity I've read, and sometimes her ideas are a little granola crunchy for me, but I think overall this is a book a lot of writers in particular will appreciate.