Book Nook: A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

The first of what is expected to be at least a couple of volumes of post-presidency reflection, A Promised Land is former President Barack Obama’s third full book, following The Audacity of Hope (2006) and Dreams From My Father (1995). A Promised Land explores his younger years some–growing up within a multitude of backgrounds, the passion for learning that started at a young age, meeting his wife, the girls, etc. He spends a decent amount of time on it actually. He can. This book is a time investment. 768 pages of reflection. Or, if you are like me, 29-plus hours … Continue reading Book Nook: A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Book Nook: The Chowderhead Crusades, by JJ Walsh

Ready Player One is one of my favorite books. I tell people it is not one of the best written, but it is one of my favorites. It sits in my wheelhouse. So, when I saw Patton Oswalt, one of my favorite comedian/actors tweet that he did the audible reading for a book hailed as “Ready Player One for comic book nerds”, I thought…okay, wheelhouse me galore. The Chowderhead Crusades is written by JJ Walsh and is set in the not-too-distant future. The setup is basically the same as Ready Player One. The world has collapsed, and for largely believable … Continue reading Book Nook: The Chowderhead Crusades, by JJ Walsh

Book Nook: Hagakure, by Yamamota Tsunetomo

I’ve been reading a few classics this year (Frankenstein, Evangeline, etc.) Those were not as “classic” as Hagakure, by age standards. Hagakure was written in the early 18th by Yamamota Tsunetomo, a retainer to a Japanese ruler. Hagakure is a book on the way of the samurai, written largely in peace time and often opining for the days of war, when samurai were real samurai. See, nothing is at time honored as complaining the current generation is softer than ever. It has existed since the dawn of time. Tsunetomo’s commentaries were collected by another man, Tashiro Tsuramoto and turned into … Continue reading Book Nook: Hagakure, by Yamamota Tsunetomo

Book Nook: Why We Get Sick, by Benjamin Bikman

I wrote about a while back about the pandemic before the pandemic–obesity and type 2 diabetes. Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman covers the root cause of much of this–insulin sensitivity. Insulin Sensitivity has been linked to many health issues, ranging from alzheimers, cancer and diabetes all the way down to skin tags and everything in between. Seriously–fatty liver, infertility, menstrual issues, Professor Bikman covers in detail the list of all the issues linked to insulin sensitivity, as well as what causes it and then briefly concludes with what to do about it. Our healthcare system is excellent at … Continue reading Book Nook: Why We Get Sick, by Benjamin Bikman

Book Nook: Caffeine, by Michael Pollan

Let’s be honest here. Most of us do drugs. Well, one drug specifically–caffeine. Caffeine has been used regularly for centuries now, and Michael Pollan decided it was time to take a look at the history and try to explore some of the ramifications of our developed addiction to those little plants–coffee and tea. Pollan is most notably known for The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Cooked, the latter of which still sits on my coffee table in my stack of books to get to. Caffeine was a shorter Audible recording, focused solely on one aspect of our diets that has played a … Continue reading Book Nook: Caffeine, by Michael Pollan

Book Nook: The Sandman Part I, by Neil Gaiman

Based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel series by the same name, this is an audiobook performance of the story of Morpheus, the dream king of the DC world. And it is a performance, not a reading. The Sandman is a full-on production, led by James McAvoy as the titular Morpheus. This was Part I of a series. Part I covers the accidental capture of Lord Morpheus centuries ago, and follows the ramifications of that event, both in the real world and in the dream world where he once reigned and desperately needs to again. The actual story jumps around quite … Continue reading Book Nook: The Sandman Part I, by Neil Gaiman