Category: Book review

“Alien” By Alan Dean Foster Review

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Based on the screenplay by Dan O’Bannon. The crew of the spaceship Nostromo wake from cryogenic sleep to distress signals from an unknown planet. One is attacked when they investigate a derelict alien craft. Safely on their way back to Sol, none foresee the real horror about to begin.

So another boring science fiction book about aliens killing everyone on board of a space ship. 

I need to say that I’m not a fan og science fiction genre no matter if we are talking about books, movies or video games. The science fiction genre is not something for me.

This book is the first Alien Movie Novelisations, which isn’t that great as the movie itself as you can expect. To be honest here with you the movie wins over this book in every single way you can imagine to look at it.

The writing style is boring and very poorly used. Its also very simplistic and it feels like it was written by a high school students writing this book in a huge rush. 

When it comes to the scary part of this book when the Alien is chasing and killing every human on board the ship. Then you have to know that it wasn’t scary, a kid in the kindergarten would be scared and nobody else pretty much.

The characters were very badly done. The same characters were much better in the movie than they were in this book. 

I give this book 1 / 5

“Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” By Ashlee Vance Review

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Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius’s life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits. Vance uses Musk’s story to explore one of the pressing questions of our age: can the nation of inventors and creators who led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition? He argues that Musk is an amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs. More than any other entrepreneur today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far-reaching as the visionaries of the golden age of science-fiction fantasy.

If you are like me and you are a big fan of Elon Musk and a big geek of Tesla and SpaceX, you will enjoy this book. Because this book provides us with a lots of information about Elon Musk and what kind of a person he is in his comapnies and behind closed doors.

This book is excellent and inspiring. It might also give you motivation about following your dreams and make cool projects no matter the odds against you. If you are afraid of taking action because you think that your business will not make it than remeber that Tesla had very small chances to succeed back in 2003 but look at it now.

This book shows that being reckless like Elon Musk helps. Elon Musk was reckless in two areas: in the risks he took, and the way that he manages his companies.

The attitude which the author took with hounding to Elon Musk and wearing him down till he agreed to cooperate with this biography, was amazing but still there are couple of things which this book could be better.

There are moments in this book which the author is like”Holy crap, Elon Musk is CRAZY”. And thats the thing every genius is in their own way crazy untill everyone sees that they are actually not that crazy after all.

Elon Musk’s comapnies are also the most exciting companies ever. And the fact that you can read about their early struggles at the beggining are amazing, and really brings a light that every company have the change to succeed no matter what.

The writing style itself is pretty good but there are times where the writing could be much better than it actually was. But I think that in this asspect and in this book that doesnt matter that much because of the whole concept of this book and idea behind it.

Even if you are not the biggest fan of Tesla, Space X, Solar City or Elon Musk you will at least have the opinion that this book is pretty decide and worth reading. Because there are always something to learn when it comes to big and important people like the goat himself aka Elon Musk.

Elon Musk is an important innovator of our times, but the author could take different take with this book. Of course the author had many interviews with Elon Musk and it would be very dope if he had mentioned stuff about there interviews and his feelings he got out of these interviews. It would have been also very dope if the author had involved some of these interviews in this book and not just talk about Elon Musk and his dope companies.

Of course this biography isnt the best one which you can find. But still you will learn something from it and most of you will enjoy it.

I give this book 4 / 5

“The Wolf of Wall Street” By Jordan Belfort Review

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By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night he spent it as fast as he could, on drugs, sex, and international globe-trotting. From the binge that sank a 170-foot motor yacht and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to the wife and kids waiting at home, and the fast-talking, hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king and did his bidding, here, in his own inimitable words, is the story of the ill-fated genius they called.

This book has a lots of hatters coming after it which should happen. Because this books isnt half bad as many other books which have been reviewed on this blog.

If you are triggered by drugs, violence or lots of sex maybe dont read this book, because this book has a lots of these things and even more.

Two of the central themes of this book are finance and market manipulation, which make a lots of people pissed off. But the central themes which people also forget about when it comes to this book is how money can ruin people, and how being in charge can go south.

The story is told mostly in dialogue which is pretty much a unique way to do it. And it really gets funny and super interesting at many times throughout the book.

The whole book is about Jordan Belfort and how he was able to manipulated the market to his own advantage. There are many describsions of how some of the money was laundered.

For the most part this whole book is a roller-coaster sort of a ride. Because there are a lots of times where you are like “he will get caught really soon”. But all these times you think so, it doesnt happen.

The lifestyle which Jordan Belfort has in this book makes the whole book more interesting to read. But yes some people will not like the book and his lifestyle will make it worse.

It’s a tale of excess and hedonism. And all these hardcore feminists will hate this book because there are times (a lots of times) where women are treated badly.

The writing style was actually good. It was simple, humorous and descriptive.

One of the best parts about this book is that Jordan are calling his life as “rich and dysfunctional”, which could mean that he knows that the shit he have done wasn’t okay.

This book is about his sturggles with various things like drugs, Feds after him and how to laudry more cash. I personally read a lots of nonfiction books and I found this book refreshing because for once a nonfiction book wasnt about how people got into fame. This book starts when Jordan Belfort first day at Wall Street and in the next chapter it goes forward when he is the boss of Stratton Oakmont, Inc.

However there are times while reading this book where you will feel like you are a drug addict yourself. Because of the way how Jordan Belfort describes things and explain things.

I give this book 4 / 5

“Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil” by Hamish McKenzie Review

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The award-winning Tesla Model 3, a premium mass-market electric car that went on sale in 2018, has reconfigured the popular perception of Tesla and continues to transform the public’s relationship with motor vehicles–much like Ford’s Model T did nearly a century ago. At the same time, company CEO Elon Musk courts controversy and spars with critics through his Twitter account, just as Tesla’s ever-increasing debt teeters on junk bond status.

I personally was pretty sceptic about this book when I first was starting to read it. But I need to admit that i really enjoyed it and I learned a bunch of things from this book. Even though I’m a huge Tesla geek it still had learned me a few things about Tesla and why people and the big car companies like BMW, Audi etc might be very skeptical about fully electrical cars. 

If you are someone who wants to learn about Tesla or electrical cars and the long and hard history to electrical cars take this book and really spend time with it.

Its important to say that this book might not be a page-turner for some people but give it a shot and go into it with an open mind and without thinking that electrical cars are completely bull shit. 

The writing style and the whole format of this book was amazing and incredible well executed. I really wish that more books like this one could have been written like this one.

This books starts with talking about Tesla and Elon Musk. And in general all the ups and downs which both Tesla and Elon Musk had from beginning. And the second part of this book are more about other fully electrical cars companies which Tesla and Elon Musk have inspired or influenced at some point. 

This book needs to get points for going into depth about the fact that an electric car is faster, lighter and cleaner than internal combustion engines.

However don’t get it wrong is not a Tesla or Elon Musk Biography book. Its the story of the electric car, and since Tesla together with Elon Musk and other people involved in the company where the first to actually make it through as survive as a fully electrical company a huge piece of this book is about them.

But I get the point why some people (especially the die hard fans of combustion engines) might think that this book is nothing but a very long article. However give it a shot, and don’t trash this book just because you don’t like electrical cars. 

I’m actually here under a big impression because i wasn’t expecting how good this book would turn out to be in the end. You can really learn a lot of things in this book if you just give it a shot.

I give this book 5 / 5

“Book Of Sith ” by Daniel Wallace Review

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In his quest for total domination, Darth Sidious compiled six legendary dark side texts detailing Sith history and philosophy by Sorzus Syn, Darth Malgus, Darth Bane, Mother Talzin, Darth Plagueis, and himself. Together these documents form the Book of Sith. Over the centuries, the texts were passed among Force users who left handwritten notes and annotations in the margins, including Darth Vader, Yoda, Mace Windu, and Luke Skywalker, among others. Collected by acclaimed Star Wars writer Daniel Wallace and embellished by numerous esteemed Star Wars illustrators, this volume introduces new characters and history, and delves deeper into understanding the philosophies and methods behind the dark side of the Force.

If you are a huge Star Wars fan just like me, you will probably enjoy this book the same way as I need. And if you are not a Star Wars then the book will not go so well with you.

This one is the second must read for every Star Wars fan we are talking about on this blog. 

This one is very similar to “The Jedi Path” I have reviewed on this blog few days ago. But this one is of course about Sith path, and to be honest this one gives a bigger history lesson than the “The Jedi Path”. 

This book is a compilation of various Sith texts written by several different Sith lords and master. This of course includes Darth Plagueis, The Emperor, Mother Talzin and many others. 

This book is made of several different “books” from the Sith side, which really brings you different insights to the Sith mystery. Because you have texts written by Palpatine, texts written from Mother Talzin which is the leader for Nightsisters which should have been more involved in the movies and you have texts written by other Sith lords and masters like Darth Bane.

This book involves many different topics linked closely to the dark side. These topics are all the way from Sith history and practitioners to different creatures bad ass weapons.

It’s important to mention that this book also involves somehow chronicled Palpatine’s rise to power as one of the most important Siths. 

This book gives you different point of views which Siths like Darth Bane, Emperor, Mother Talzin and many others had. 

Of course this one to involves notes or commentary notes from different characters from the Star Wars universe. 

This book adds a lot to the mystery about Siths and how dope they really are.

From the moment you get this book in your hands you will see that there was a lots of effort and knowledge put into this book. 

This book is a pleasure to read as long as you are a Star Wars fan and wants to increase your Star Wars knowledge and have some fun with it. 

This book have 160 pages which means that this book is a short read which can be read in one or two sittings. 

The illustrations in this book are brilliant and adds to the value of this book. 

You will read in this book about what Siths value and what techniques they use, together with the famous “Rule of two” and how it really works. 

This book gets 5 / 5

“The Jedi Path” by Daniel Wallace Review

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With the push of a button, the doors of the vault open in a wash of light and Star Wars sound effects. The inner platform rises, revealing this exclusive edition of The Jedi Path. This ancient training manual, crafted by early Jedi Masters, has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi. It explains the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order, and what Jedi must know to take their place as defenders of the peace in the galaxy — from mastery of the Force to the nuances of lightsaber combat.

If you are a huge Star Wars fan just like me, you will probably enjoy this book the same way as I need. And if you are not a Star Wars then the book will not go so well with you.

This book will give you the feel as though you’re a padawan who might be reading this as part of your teachings. 

This book is basically a Jedi Codex or path which every Jedi learn and needs to follow since they choose the Jedi Path.

This book is a treasure trove of information pertaining to Jedi and the Jedi Order. Because you will most likely get a huge insight to the Jedi world and it will paint a bigger picture for you.

This book is both a Jedi guidebook and a history lesson of the Jedi Order. And it gives you insight into what it means to be a Jedi Knight and a lots of hints at the philosophies, structures, and mantras of the Jedi.

This book talks about how a lightsaber is made and different types of Jedi + their function. But you will also get the insight of the Jedi Trials and all the Knighting ceremony which the Jedis have.

From the moment you get this book in your hands you will see that there was a lots of effort and knowledge put into this book. 

In this book you will also get small notes or commentary notes from different characters from the Star Wars universe which will make the pleasure of reading this book bigger. Some of the characters I mentioned are Luke, Yoda, Obi Wan, Emperor and the great Anakin.

This book is a pleasure to read as long as you are a Star Wars fan and wants to increase your Star Wars knowledge and have some fun with it. 

There are a lots of illustrations in this book which again adds a lots to this book. These illustrations which you will find in this book goes all the way from how a lightsaber is created to what clothes the Jedis must wear depending on their rank in the Jedi Order.

If you are a Star Wars fan then this book is a must read, because it will give you knowledge which probably didn’t know about. And this book involves things which the films did not involve.

This book have 160 pages which means that this book is a short read which can be read in one or two sittings. 

This book gets 5 / 5

“The Intelligent Investor” By Benjamin Graham Review

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Over the years, market developments have proven the wisdom of Graham’s strategies. While preserving the integrity of Graham’s original text, this revised edition includes updated commentary by noted financial journalist Jason Zweig, whose perspective incorporates the realities of today’s market, draws parallels between Graham’s examples and today’s financial headlines, and gives readers a more thorough understanding of how to apply Graham’s principles.

If you are starting you journey with investing in stocks, bonds and funds and you have been following the investing section on this blog you need also to read this book if you havent read so far. I’ve been recommending this book in the investing section couple of times and now it is the time to review this book.

This book is the must read book for anyone who is starting with investing, are investing or just want to know more about investing. And Warren Buffet says that this book is the best investing book so far, and if Warren Buffet says that you gotta read it if you are interested or are investing.

This book explains a lot about investing and you should look after while doing research for best investment companies and what not to do. But the author gives us also history lessons about makes stocks go up and down and how the stock markets was doing in the past so that we can take notes from them and learn from them so that we can avoide losing a lots of money.

There are many parts of this book which feels like it is way too hard to understand but be patient it will at some point make sense and you will be greatful that you have read this book.

If the stock markets going down scare you then you need to read this book because it explains that stock market which is going down isnt that scary as you may think it is.

This book goes much more in depth than my investing posts do so if there are some things that are unclear from the posts I’ve written about investing then read this book.

You will find this book to a big help with understanding the stock market and everything which I myself and other investing creators on the internet are talking about.

This book really shows why many people fail in investing and lose a lots of money. This book shows that investing is much more important than many people might think it is. And that there is much more in investing than just buying and selling stocks, bonds or funds.

I give this book 5 / 5

“The Time of Contempt” By Andrzej Sapkowski Book Review

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Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri. A child of prophecy, she will have the power to change the world for good or for ill — but only if she lives to use it.

So far it is the weakest book in The Witcher series. 

In this book for some reason Geralt stopped slaughtering monsters and began being generally your kind uncle who is arrogant but gives you cash whenever you ask for it. Which doesn’t suit Geralt because he supposed to be the bad ass witcher who is all about justice. 

The writing style again felt like a cross between Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire Series. And again there were times where the writing style goes down hill for awhile. 

The thing which may annoy a lots of people is the vicious and deadly relationship drama attacks between Geralt and Yennefer which happens way too many times to even count it. Because of this, this book felt more like a romance / toxic relationship book than a fantasy book which a lots of people love.

And still women are treated as nothing more than sex toys which of course happened in the previous books as well. The author for the most part offers us a sharp,  splendid, expert, flawless depiction of the gentler females. This book is putting women in such a bad light that it is surprised that the left didn’t make it to the official feminist bible.

The plot was bad in this one. But I need to give the author points for actually trying on this one to take this book somewhere but of course with that plot you won’t get far.

The whole focus of this story was on the drama between Geralt and Yennefer and the action which should be in this book almost didn’t exist on this one. The spotlight in this book was on Geralt, Yennefer and sometimes of Ciri.

The storytelling is terrible and the potential was not even looked at by the author in this book.

The narration itself was extremely boring. Which doesn’t make the book better. 

There are parts where this book gives a huge YA fantasy vibe which again isn’t that great for someone who isn’t a fan of YA.

The characters are pretty okay. There are some good characters and there are some annoying characters. However these annoying characters really takes away this one. 

I give this book 2 / 5

“The 4-hour work week” By Timothy Ferriss Review

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This step-by-step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches = How Tim went from $40,000 per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month and 4 hours per week. How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want. How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs. How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist. How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements”

If you are just starting out with bussiness books then this book is one of the first once to pick. Because it is easy to understand, and for you to enjoy this book you dont need to know anything about how to get from your full time job to just work couple of hours a week for around the same money.

However I need to point out that the effect of this book is like being trapped in a room with a manic-depressive during the manic part of his cycle. Because it goes from “I was so sad and bored of my life” to “I make more now in a month than I did in a year in the full time job”.

For the most part this book only covers that = 1. You’re a game changer and a rule breaker. 2. Quit checking your fucking email and get off the computer. 3. Outsource everything–even your soul. It’s all about you. 4. Retire, vacation, go mobile. 5. Tim Ferriss is an jerk.

There are parts where this book is super interesting and you will get much out of this book. But there are also parts of this book where you will be like “Wow, the author is a douche”. Because there are parts like “hire a assistent cuz you will not be able to do it at your own”.

Dont get me wrong here, because there are parts of this book which are good and will make you think. There are also pretty decent amount of knowledge. You will get a lots out of this book if you just starting your journey with bussiness books and the self development books. But if you have read a lots of business books you will not get much out of this book because this book involves a brief summary of the other business books which are much better than this one.

The challenges which are in this book, are okay. But pretty much a lots of them are lame or just not worth doing. Because one of these challenges are something like “for the x amount of days you cant read anything but fantasy books and my book. No news, no horror books. etc”.

This author makes some good points in this book, but he could have explained them better than he actually did. Because some people need more explainations than others.

Dont be confussed that this book wil teach you how to be a millionaire because it will not. This book will somehow teach you that wealth isn’t all about money, it’s about creating time to do the things you love.

I give this book 3 / 5

“Animal Farm” By George Orwell Review

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A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned –a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.

This book is one of the classics which everyone should read at some point in their life no matter what.

This book was writen in 1945, or at least published in 1945. This book reflects on events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. Which means that every chracter in this book represents somehow someone in power during this time. You can look at it as Old Major = Karl Marx, Napoleon = Stalin, Snowball = Trotsky and finally Humans – The czar + the bourgeoise class + the Western countries.

This book sort of have a deeper meaning to it but also it is making fun of these people I’ve mentioned above. Which makes it even more fun and more enjoyable.

In this book the author criticizes the political maneuvers and totalitarian rule, using animals to explain what humans do. But he also beautifully portrays the way a revolution is started to stop what is happening and going full circle comes to the same point it started from.

The writing style is good and it actually blow my mind how good it was. The writing style is so good that it makes you picture in your head everything which is happening.

This novel is one of the best short novels ever written in the English language. This pretty much speaks for itself because there were dozens and dozens short stories written in the English language.

This story is also one of these stories which you cant really hate or dont like. Because no matter who you are and what you like and dont like you will find something in this story which will make you like and maybe love it.

However George Orwell leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination which I personally didnt like that much. Because I feel like authors should at least leave a little piece of their work to the imagination.

I give this story 3 / 5