Born to Run

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

This is a fairly long memoir that also moves too fast. It feels that it rushes through key points as side notes, almost putting an afterthought that a song was "Born to Run". I don't remember anything mentioning how he got the nickname "the Boss".  Either I missed it, or it was not mentioned. The book follows the typical rock star format. He struggled initially and barely made ends meet as he was trying to get the career off the ground. He stuck with it and then became a super star. His career arcs up until he has the greatest mainstream success with the misunderstood "Born in the USA". Then he continues on. 

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 16-20

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 16-20 by Pimsleur

There is still a lot of "buying stuff", but it feels this is finally branching out into a little more useful Korean. It would be useful to just go through some general counting rather than have random numbers here and there.

On What Matters: Volume Three

On What Matters: Volume Three by Derek Parfit

The philosophy in the book is interesting, but the writing is tedious. There is a huge summary at the start that goes into great detail. The actual work is only slightly more in depth than the summary. Much of it is in response to responses of other philosophers. I felt like I was eavesdropping on some private conversations. Much of the work discusses ethical situations and the practical applications. People are reluctant to cause harm to somebody even if it reduces harm to more people. However, people tend to be ok performing an action that has a side effect of harm. These ethics can lead to greater overall harm. (As an example, nuking 100,000 people would be considered worse than a demonstration of a powerful nuclear bomb - even if that bomb would result in 300,000 people dying of nuclear fallout.) Similarly a longer episode of military bombing is preferable to direct civilian bombing - even if more civilians die in the military bombing. People end up not being fully rational. 

Other arguments get into the weeds of philosophy, such as what it means to refer to something. There is also discussions of effective altruism and efficient desire to donate to charities. Philosophy proves out some of the strange contradictions in humans.

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 11-15

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 11-15 by Pimsleur

In the third installment, there is a lot of time spent ordering bottles of wine or cans of beer. These lessons are not particularly useful and are difficult to stick. The numbers are     covered in various times, but just don't seem to stick either. Korean does have a couple numbering systems, making it even more confusing. This is a time where drilling or using audio and video together would be more useful.

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 6-10

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 6-10 by Pimsleur

I was getting lost going through these ones. There was a lot of ordering beverages and greetings. It seems more bits would fade than stick. I'll try going through again.

Pimsleur Korean Level 1

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 by Pimsleur

Amazon doesn't have a link to the current full level one, so I linked to an old CD. This has 30 30 minute lessons. You are supposed to do one per day. You can check it out for 21 days at the library. This leads to a small math problem. The content seems ok, but I find it better to check out the individual 5 lessons chunks so that they can actually be finished.

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 1-5

Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 1-5 by Pimsleur

This Korean course was a nice length that can be completed in a library checkout. There are other Pimsleur courses that have 30 lessons. This is a problem if you are supposed to do one a day and can only check out for 21 days. It attempts to use a conversational style of learning. However, there is too much English. It becomes "duolingo phrases" with most of the effort being matching English phrases to Korean phrases. They recommend going to the next level once you can respond appropriately to 80% of the prompts. After repeating lessons a few times, I finally just decided to skip ahead. There is no magic here. Luckily it does build on phrase work in future lessons so things are gradually drilled in. 

Flight of Dreams: A Novel

Flight of Dreams: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon

This historical fiction work brings to life a fictional account of the lives on board the final voyage of the hindenburg. Germany and the United States were not on great terms, thus the airshop used Hydrogen instead of Helium. It was a "nice" way to travel, but the initial novelty and exclusivity had worn off. People were together for a long time onboard the ship. Thus, there were plenty of times for machinations. The book details some family squabbles, affairs as well as desires to escape the Nazis. Here the cause of the crash is an American seeking revenge on a German. He was willing to shoot and destroy the whole airship as a way to avenge a death. There is a bit of drama in the book, though the actually crash feels somewhat anti-climatic.

A Nation Without Borders: The United States and Its World in an Age of Civil Wars, 1830-1910

A Nation Without Borders: The United States and Its World in an Age of Civil Wars, 1830-1910 by Steven Hahn

From 1830 to 1910, the United States underwent great changes. At the start it was mostly a small agglomeration of rural residents that valued their independence. After many conflicts, the Us emerged in the early 20th century as a unified country that was a significant player on the international stage.

This book is a focussed, yet broad history. There are many histories of small periods, such as the civil war. There are also many covering the entire history of the United States. This focus of an extended time of change is much more rare. There is probably a reason why. This book feels like it is telling a number of different stories without a strong theme tying things together. The author tries, but a theme of "change" is a little tough. In some ways it is a Civil War book, with clear context of the history leading to the war as well as the results after the war.

Moo: A Novel

Moo: A Novel by Sharon Creech

I saw a different "Moo" book that looked interesting. That one wasn't available in audiobook format, but I stumbled across this one instead. In this book, a family spontaneously moves to Maine after having trouble finding jobs. After doing something mean to a weird lady, the kids are sent to help her on her farm. The animals are as eccentric as her. They work with them and have some success with the cow. They later gain respect for the lady as she moves on and neighbors go to help the farm. It is the "respect others" story mixed with "city people in the country".

Space: Planets, Moons, Stars, and More!

Space: Planets, Moons, Stars, and More! (Step into Reading) by Joe Rhatigan, illustrated by Thomas Girard

Some kids are interested in space. Then we see descriptions of the planets and various space objects. The book is just the right length - not too verbose, but not too sparse. It also has an interesting mix of photos and drawings.

The Princess in Black, Books 1-3

The Princess in Black, Books 1-3: The Princess in Black; The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party; The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

Princess Magnolia is a normal princess. However, when monsters appear she sneaks out to become the masked Princess in Black. Her "unicorn" gets transformed into her black horse. They go and battle monsters, and then return back to the princess duties. The books are all "chapter books", but are very short. The stories themselves are fairly indistinguishable.

Hive Mind: How Your Nation's IQ Matters So Much More Than Your Own

Hive Mind: How Your Nation's IQ Matters So Much More Than Your Own by Garett Jones

Countries with a higher average IQ tend to be more prosperous. This book explores the topic and analyzes reasons why. One concern that jumps out is test bias. This is brushed aside as irrelevant. Even if the tests are hugely biased, a group that excels on the test tends to show attributes that lead to success. Those with higher IQs tend to be more patient and have greater analytic skills. They can plan for the future and build out structure for long term improvements. The crowd effects lead others to follow the positive crowd. Immigration also tends to help these countries. People in the high-IQ countries work on more complex tasks. Even if lower-skill people come, they free up those working in low-skill tasks to migrate to the complex ones, increasing the overall economy of the country. The high-IQ people tend to be less likely to accept garbage and corruption from politicians because they understand what is going on. The book contains some stats and analysis. It rambles on a bit, but it is pretty short and presents a fairly solid argument for the "aggregate" rather than the individual. 

Ashes (Seeds of America Book 3)

Ashes (Seeds of America Book 3) by Laurie Halse Anderson

The historical fiction tale of the American Revolution continues with the battle of Yorktown. The former slaves all get together and set out from the south back to Rhode Island. It was not an easy task. The protagonist's sister, Ruth does not want to go with her. She does not admit to having a sister anymore. She feels she is in a good area and likes the people. We later learn that she had thought her sister pushed her away. Ruth also has a friend that is fighting on the British side.

They end up in Yorktown and participate in the end of the Revolutionary War first. The girls try to find employment, but can't do that. Later they find out that the protagonist's friend had said that she were his wife. Things are a bit awkward, but that does get them a chance to have a job.

The former slaves do have some challenging loyalty concerns. The rebels are fighting for freedom. Is this freedom for blacks too? Which side will help them the most? Rhode Island has promised freedom for those that enlist. However, in the south, people can make free papers disappear, resulting in them being enslaved again. The book ends on a happy note of freedom, but will it last? The book has historical aspects to it, but sometimes feels more "forrest gump" in that they happen to stumble in to key events.

2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush

2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush by John McFetridge - editor (Author), Kevin J. Anderson - editor (Author), Paul Boehmer (Narrator), Audible Studios (Publisher)

These are stories that were inspired by (or inspired) Rush songs. For some, it was easy to feel the Rush song through the story. The story that inspired "Red Barchetta" stuck the most. In it, the government made safety regulations requiring cars to withstand 10 mph collisions. This lead to people being more dangerous in their driving. It further endangered old cars, as they do not have the same protections. A few of these new drivers try to impact a driver of an old car. In the end, the drivers of hte new cars are destroyed when they get in a high speed crash. This results in a new regulation for 70 MPH safety.

The other stories range in quality, style and song connection. (Subdivision is fairy close to the points of the song. Tom Sawyer barely touches the song.)

Contents

Introduction: "Imaginations on Fire"

On the Fringes of the Fractal. -- [GREG VAN EEKHOUT] Inspired by "Subdivisions"

A Patch of Blue. -- [RON COLUNS] Inspired by "Natural Science"

The Burning Times v2.0. -- [BRIAN HODGE] Inspired by "Witch Hunt"

The Digital Kid. -- [MICHAEL Z. WILUAMSON] Inspired by "The Analog Kid" and "Digital Man"

A Nice Morning Drive. -- [RICHARD S. FOSTER] Inspired "Red Barchetta"

Players. -- [DAVID FARLAND] Inspired by "Tom Sawyer"

Some Are Born to Save the World. -- [MARK LESLIE] Inspired by "Losing It"

Random Access Memory. -- [JOHN MCFETRIDGE] Inspired by "Lakeside Park"

Race Human. -- [LARRY DIXON] Inspired by "Marathon"

Hollywood Dreams of Death. -- [TIM IASIUTA] Inspired by "I Think I'm Going Bald"

A Prayer for "0443." -- [DAVID NIALL WILSON] Inspired by "The Trees"

Gonna Roll the Bones. -- [FRITZ LEIBER] Inspired "Roll the Bones"

Spirits with Visions. -- [BRAD R. TORGERSEN] Inspired by "Mission"

Into the Night. -- [MERCEDES LACKEY] Inspired by "Freeze"

Day to Day. -- [DAYTON WARD] Inspired by "Red Sector A"

Our Possible Pasts. -- [DAVID MACK] Inspired by "Show Don't Tell"

Last Light. -- [STEVEN SAVILE] Inspired by "The Spirit of Radio"

2113. -- [KEVIN J. ANDERSON] Inspired by "2112"

The Dispatcher

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

In a futuristic world, 99.9% of people that are intentionally killed reappear alive at home. This has lead to the position of "dispatcher". These licensed professionals will "dispatch" people that are about to die via surgery or other situations. However, there are some quirks. People can still die of natural causes. To murder somebody, you would need to slowly kill them (such as via starvation) so they cannot be dispatched. People dispatched also come back at a place that they think of as "home". However, this may not be their actual home if they no longer love that. This story deals with a case involving some of those situations. It is something interesting to explore. However, the original "murder" premise is a bit bizarre.

Little Sticker Dolly Dressing Fairies

Little Sticker Dolly Dressing Fairies by Fiona Watt, Illustrated by Lizzie Mackay, Designed by Antonia Miller

There is a bit of text describing each of the fairies in this book, but it is primarily a sticker book. There are plenty of stickers to dress the fairies however you want.

Super Animals! (Disney Zootopia) (Step into Reading)

Super Animals! (Disney Zootopia) (Step into Reading) by Rico Green (Author), The Disney Storybook Art Team (Illustrator)

This book has something of a story, but it is just short descriptions of the various animals. It also includes a number of "cards" that also have the details for the animals. It is very much a Disney marketing tie in.

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

The author of this book has a command of the English language. Other than that it is almost a perfect case of how to write a bad book. First make it way too long. Add in characters that you don't care about along with others that you can't distinguish. Set it in a fantasy world with seemingly different values, but have the main characters adopt trite modern values. The novel seems to be a nonstop discussion of the protagonist's sexual desires and activities. She manages to lust after and sleep with those on both sides of a big conflict. She also is able to go into the mind of people. Some of these "people" have wings. There are also some weird rituals like mating vs. marriage vs. consort. It is just bad and confusing.

The Berenstain Bears Visit the Firehouse

The Berenstain Bears Visit the Firehouse by Mike Berenstain

This is a new Berenstain Bear book written by the later generation that is not religious. The bears go to visit the firehouse where a cousin works. They get to go out on a trip with the firefighters. In this one, it is actually mother bear, rather than father that does a bit of badness. It is nice to see them mix up the formula a bit. I do wonder about using water to put out a restaurant fire. Wouldn't this be where you would be concerned about a grease fire?